Career development insight
Payroll Assurance Scheme Don’t wait until it’s too late
PAS – case study
John Lewis – Partnership
The PAS – an accreditation available from the CIPP – provides payroll departments with assurance that: ● their payroll and associated processes are fit for purpose and comply with government legislation ● they have the right payroll activities in place, and ● they have suitable processes in place for picking up and preparing for legislative changes. How beneficial has been the PAS assessment? It has helped ensure we have policies and procedures in place to cover legislation, risk and compliance along with ensuring our team develop their skills and knowledge on a regular basis. Through PAS we have questioned the way we do things which has led to various continuous improvement projects saving the Partnership time and money. What advice would you give to organisations considering investing in the PAS? The PAS programme gives a great framework to track and maintain your payroll function. It has helped us save time and money on processes which are beneficial to the department and the Partnership as a whole. The skills matrix for supporting the team in their development is easy to use by all team members which means we have seen an increase in self- learning and development. How has the CIPP added value? CIPP helps us to ensure we are up to date with all changes relating to the payroll world in plenty of time for planning, testing etc to be carried out. CIPP has supported a number of our team through various different qualifications which has increased the skills set and knowledge within the
department. This has also created a more confident team in their day to day role who question and challenge the way we do things to ensure we are being the most efficient and effective we can be. Was the PAS the best resource available to help company objectives? Various company objectives have been supported by PAS. A vital one is around protecting our business. With PAS looking at security, processes and succession it helps protect us against fraud, fines and large turnover of staff, all of which can have a drastic effect on a business. Another key objective for the Partnership is around development; and many other finance teams have now produced skills matrix to help track and support their development. What would you recommend about the PAS to other organisations that may be considering engaging in the scheme? The skills matrix and development plans are a great way of tracking, monitoring and engaging the team to develop further. It helps supports new members of the team but also longer serving team members who have done payroll for many years. How important is the payroll department to your organisation? Vitally important. People come to work to get paid and if that does not happen on time and accurately employees are not happy. The team have great ability to defuse situations where employees are frustrated, angry and upset, always ensuring excellent customer service is provided. Payroll is often a forgotten department until something goes wrong but it has huge importance in keeping a business going. n
With penalties for non- compliance of up to £10,000 per day * , can your business afford not to be CIPP Payroll Assurance Scheme accredited.
For more information: Visit: cipp.org.uk/PAS Email compliance@cipp.org.uk Call: 0121 712 1000 Live chat with us
cipp.org.uk @CIPP_UK
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 51 | June 2019
*correct at time of publication
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