COMPLIANCE
The value of payroll education
Emma Watson, MCIPPdip Assoc CIPD, payroll and HR manager at Payroll Pal Limited, shares highlights from two recent presentations on understanding your pay and payroll careers in partnership with the CIPP
F or those who don’t work in the language. It can be a daunting task; a payroll query can lead to the fear of the unknown or the fear of being incorrect. This shouldn’t be the case. Most payrollers will agree that no payroll query is silly when it comes to understanding your pay. At Payroll Pal, we have built education into our mission and values. We believe everyone should have a basic understanding of what is included on a payslip, how the calculations have arisen and what they are entitled to. payroll industry, understanding a payslip can feel like learning a new An invitation to speak After connecting with Newcastle College at a networking event, we were asked if we would give talks to students who are currently studying business. As a part of their finance module, they are taught how to look after their own finances. Following a meeting with the college, we agreed that we would give two presentations – one about understanding payslips and the other about careers in payroll. The college tutor informed us that most students who study business want to be accountants and would gain the necessary qualifications by studying at university. The college wanted to give the students a wider perspective of where studying business can take you, such as an apprenticeship or a career in payroll, which is still unheard of in the college world. We reached out to Dr Sue Smith, education director at the CIPP, to see if there was any specific content she would like included in our presentations as this was the perfect opportunity to
present payroll qualifications and payroll as a career. We were delighted with the response! She decided to attend the event and give the payroll careers talk to the students. Over the next few months, Payroll Pal worked alongside the CIPP in preparing content for the presentation day. “Everyone should have a basic understanding of what is included on a payslip, how the calculations have arisen and what they are entitled to” The sessions On the day of the event, the Payroll Pal team headed to the college early. After lunch, we carried out rehearsals for the talks before the presentations began in the afternoon. Our payroll manager and Dr Sue Smith took to the stage, delivering two 20-minute presentations to two groups of students, with options for questions at the end. There were around 90 students in total, who took notes and interacted throughout the presentations. The sessions covered: l the definition of payroll l why payroll is needed for a business l gross pay, statutory deductions and net pay l minimum wage rates
l what courses are available to study payroll l payroll apprenticeships l case studies from those in a payroll career. Common issues From working in a bureau, one of the most common issues is that people don’t check or understand their payslip. We encouraged students to: l check their payslips, even if it is only for three minutes per month l check the correct number of hours have been paid at the correct minimum wage l be aware of a standard tax code for the year and if it is different, not be afraid to ask why. We informed students that it is a legal requirement for organisations to provide a payslip and advised them to always read their contract. If they haven’t been provided a contract or payslip, question if the employer is legitimate. If they haven’t received a contract or payslip they should question if the employer is legitimate and if it values its employees. It was a fantastic day and an enjoyable experience for all. It was great to see that tutors were also taking notes from the sessions. There was a great sense of achievement in being able to share payroll knowledge and begin achieving our mission to educate individuals on how to understand their payslip. A special thanks to Dr Sue Smith for attending the event. It was a privilege to share the stage, as well as the same passions for payroll education. This February, we’ll be going back to Newcastle College to help students with mock interviews. n
l CIPP’s interactive payroll tool l what to check in a contract
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 107 | February 2025
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