Conclusion The intention of this report was for readers to take the findings away to benchmark the services and processes they already adopt, looking at their strengths and weaknesses, with a view to implement changes and improvements where necessary.
The response rate to this year’s survey were at a record high and provided valuable data that can be used by readers to benchmark their processes and practices against.
The variation in salary was fascinating – seeing salaries reported at an executive level is a positive step as payroll professionals are being recognised and employed at this level. It was also interesting to see the level of salary offered at apprentice level. This is an area we will be interested in following with the introduction of the Level 5 apprenticeship within the profession. The stigma attached to apprenticeships is shifting from being predominantly offered to those leaving school to entry into the profession. Could this prompt an increase to the average salary offered at this level? Going forward, this section of questions will be broken down further to give greater clarity in the variation of job titles present in the payroll profession.
With home-working becoming the new ‘norm’ for many, will region continue to be a factor in the amount of basic remuneration offered? This is an area which the CIPP will be monitoring.
Evidence of error tracking proved that implementing such systems would enhance the successful collection of overpayments. If recommendations to implement such processes were taken on board, next year’s results could potentially see the volume of overpayments collected increase overall. Benefits offered within all sectors have increased since the last survey was produced. With the employment market becoming increasingly competitive, it will be interesting to see if this figure rises in the future, especially around pension contributions. It was identified that cycle to work schemes have increasingly been offered to employees. With a strong emphasis on the environmental and health benefits of cycling to work, it will be interesting to see if this continues to increase over time. The report noted a reduction in flexitime being offered as a benefit. As discussed within this section, could flexitime now be seen as an expected option for working practices? The pandemic has had a huge impact on this style of working for many, however, has this practice only been temporarily offered? Media reports and research undertaken by many have indicated that flexible working has not impacted the outputs of workers with many boasting about its benefit. The CIPP will continue to review the impact of flexible working on payroll and how it impacts employee expectation when embarking on a new role. Employee financial awareness has been an area in which employers are focusing on, therefore it will be of interest to see if the figure of those who offer employee saving schemes increases in the future. This is an area the CIPP will be exploring further, to establish the types of schemes offered and the barriers faced by implementation and how employee engagement in this area could be increased. This report has provided some key insights into the inner workings of payroll teams up and down the country. The CIPP will continue to build on the success of this report over the coming years. The CIPP hope the report has resonated with the reader, and readers will take learnings from the research and have ideas for what could be implemented within the reader’s own payroll department.
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