NATIONAL PAYROLL WEEK
systems were able to guide employees on inputting information correctly, this would improve the quality of data and ultimately reduce the time spent on enquiries and fixing human errors. Pay on demand was challenged on whether it would encourage negative financial habits. The subject of who is/ should be financially responsible when it comes to managing income was left un-resolved. Overall, there was a sense that it perhaps wasn’t for all industries or all types of pay. The pandemic flagged up contingency plans – noted by Portfolio as payrollers were contacting us about the options of being able to source their replacement with temporary staff at short notice. It also brought up the impact of remote working on mental health. With the stress of high levels of accuracy and strict deadlines, is it possible to support your payroll team remotely? Further to this, how do you simulate ‘informal intelligence’ – the learning you gain inadvertently from others when together? Definitely food for thought. Finally, it was debated ‘What makes an employer of choice?’. A resolute answer being that it was likely to be a mix of all these features: technology, pay on demand and remote working – leaving us all wondering which ones can we leverage? David Johnson, UK Service Director, ADP Getting invited to a panel discussion on the future of payroll is always going to be interesting. It’s intriguing to find out what other companies and client organisations think about new developments. And of course, what they think the next big thing is. If I had a pound for each time I was asked about pay on demand to support the gig economy, I would have plenty of coins rattling around. It shows no sign of widespread adoption. The temptation is to follow those new ideas and developments that are on the periphery for most payroll departments, rather
than focusing on the core aspects for most payroll professionals: accurate pay, on time. It was interesting that the panel were almost of one mind on this. There was much discussion about making sure the advances and developments in software were used by clients and processors alike. That the focus should be on automation and the removal of low value repetitive tasks to free time for more valuable activities. Links to time management systems need to provide data direct into payroll systems to reduce file imports and other human driven opportunities for error. The subject which has stuck with me the most is that of payroll having a seat at the boardroom table. We have access to some amazing data and if we use that data to provide insights that enable better decision making, it won’t be long before it is demanded that the payroll team get their voice heard at the highest levels. This reflects on the skills discussion we had as well. To drive this do you need a payroll specialist or a data specialist? Similarly, to drive change do you have the right skills in your team, or is it easier to go with what you know? Angela Clow MCIPPdip, presales manager, Zellis For payroll professionals, the future of work holds a couple of important meanings. The first is the increasing level of workforce complexity they will need to manage over the coming months and years – something undoubtedly made an even bigger challenge by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The second is the need for upskilling and the adoption of new technology in order to continue meeting and exceeding expectations, particularly as the payroll profession gains recognition as a strategic, rather than purely operational, business function. Several trends demonstrate the increasing complexity of the modern workforce and its impact on payroll. The
growth in requests for flexible working hours has underscored the importance of integrating payroll and time and attendance systems to capture accurate information, thereby minimising the risk of errors. The ever-widening scope and choice surrounding employee benefits presents a similar challenge, particularly as organisations look to unify their pay and benefits processes and develop more cohesive employment packages. The implementation of the Good Work Plan (which may include the introduction of a single enforcement authority for employment) should help to reduce complexity over time, but it will likely require payroll teams to adapt and evolve in the short-term. So, what can payroll professionals do to prepare for the future of work? The focus, particularly during this indeterminable period of uncertainty and disruption, should be to stay as informed and ahead of change as possible. This doesn’t just mean working closely with industry associations, regulatory bodies, and suppliers, to stay ahead on skills and compliance. It also means looking more seriously at technology trends, such as cloud-based software, automation, and data analytics, and assessing whether your organisation really has what it needs to meet both its current and future payroll needs. Vanessa Shiels-Combe MCIPPdip, Workday At this year’s roundtable, a key observation was that payroll professionals should embrace technology advancements and innovations and see the value of automation to help them work smarter and focus on more strategic parts of their role. Technology-related fears are decreasing, as technologies evolve and become more mainstream, and their value is proven. It is encouraging to see how technology and payroll increasingly go hand in hand, and it’s important to continue working together as a community to ensure we not only deliver innovation, but are tuning into what is really needed to help the payroll profession adopt new technologies. It is key for technology partners to continue to focus on user experience and ease
...also means looking more seriously at technology trends, such as cloud- based software, automation, and data analytics...
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | November 2020 | Issue 65 16
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