REWARD
What the policy team does for you
The CIPP’s policy and research team provide details of some of the ways in which you can use your voice to get involved with the work they carry out to help shape the future of payroll
T he policy team is dedicated to raising the profile of the payroll industry and wants to hear feedback directly from you, members of the CIPP. We frequently reflect on the fact we wouldn’t exist as a team without the invaluable feedback we get from those of you working out in the field, ensuring people are paid accurately and on time, every time. In recognition of this, we’d like to tell you about some of the ways you can get involved… Surveys Although we often refer to ourselves as ‘the policy team’, the full department title is actually ‘the policy and research team’. Research builds a large chunk of what we do. One of our key activities involves carrying out surveys. We have a standard suite of surveys, which are released at scheduled times, but we also conduct more ad hoc surveys, based on topical issues or what is and isn’t working so well within the industry. Our ongoing surveys include: The Payslip Statistics Survey (released annually, since 2008) This is arguably our flagship piece of research and has been running for well over a decade. This survey allows us to see how trends in processing have evolved over time, and how much payroll professionals have had to adjust to. It also allows us to ask questions regarding anything currently impacting the industry (changes to holiday pay and entitlement calculations, anyone?), which we can then explore in more detail.
documents published by government departments, which look at making a change or implementing something new. There are slight nuances between the two: l calls for evidence are data gathering exercises, which ask for information on a certain topic. This can often be where the government has identified that a change needs to be made but isn’t quite sure what direction to take l consultations ask for stakeholder feedback where the government has a more structured idea of a new policy / piece of legislation or change to an existing policy / piece of legislation. They’re often put out to ensure there are no unintended consequences of the proposals being made. Surveys and think tanks often feed into the formal responses the CIPP sends to the government departments who publish the consultations and calls for evidence. The think tanks and surveys are, therefore, crucial to ensuring you have your voice heard – you could potentially change the future of payroll-related policy by getting involved. And we think that’s amazing. You can view our responses to consultations and calls for evidence here: https://ow.ly/LJc250PubRM. Talk to us! Finally, we’re always here for you to talk to us. As mentioned above, we only work as a team because we speak to you and hear from you regarding all things payroll. Keep speaking to Advisory with your queries, as that also gives us an idea of what’s going on out there and helps us to identify where there are issues or areas of concern, so we can feed back to the relevant government departments. Join one of our specialist interest groups to ask questions with likeminded members or drop us an email if you have something you want to raise, at policy@cipp.org.uk . n
focus within this survey centre on: ● the role of technology ● the future of payments ● payroll education ● payroll as a strategic partner.
This survey provides the opportunity to tell us what concerns you have regarding the future that you’d like us to explore.
The Benchmarking Survey (released biennially)
This survey asks questions regarding processes / procedures within the payroll department at your organisation. The subsequent report will allow you to compare practices within your own organisation’s payroll department to those used in other organisations. To give you an idea of what’s covered, there are questions on overpayment tracking, salaries for payroll roles and how pensions are administered to name but a few. A great tool for tapping into the wider payroll community and getting some best practice tips, or for seeing where you’re exceeding the norm. Think tanks Think tanks are great opportunities to liaise with government representatives but also with other payroll professionals. They’re essentially a space in which a meaningful debate or discussion is held. The policy team holds think tanks frequently, and they’re normally related to a consultation or call for evidence (we’ll be coming to those shortly). These sessions were previously held face-to-face, but now regularly take place on a virtual basis, as they can be just as effective when carried out this way. Keep a look out in your inbox for emails inviting you to the latest think tank discussion to get involved.
The Future of Payroll Survey (released biennially)
The clue is in the title with this one! This research gives a glimpse into the future: both into what’s on the horizon and into more long-term changes. Frequent areas of
Consultations / calls for evidence Consultations and calls for evidence are
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 93 | September 2023
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