REWARD
I have seen so many debates over the years which centre around whether having a formal qualification enables careers to progress or maybe to progress quicker, and discussions regarding whether they provide better knowledge than just experience. The payroll industry’s formal qualifications and training are relatively new when compared to other professional service sectors such as accountancy and the legal sector, but then you could argue that the payroll industry has become increasingly complex over the years, demanding an increase in knowledge and subsequently requiring these new qualification routes. I’m a firm believer that it’s for an individual to decide whether they wish to undertake formal qualifications or use informal learning routes in their careers. I do, however, believe that payroll training is needed in today’s world due to the sheer volume of legislation in play and how complex employers’ terms and conditions can be. Government parties come and go but all seem to think that payroll and real time information are a magic bullet to all their statistical and payment needs, meaning legislation will keep changing and growing, placing increased demands on payroll and requiring continuous professional development to keep up and to get ahead of the curve. How things were When I started payroll in the ‘old’ days of Kalamazoo sheets in leather bound slabs which needed two hands to lift, there was the first glimmer of hope of a formal qualification route. Back then, there was also excellent training provided by the then Inland Revenue, now HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). And it was free. HMRC went to huge efforts to deliver numerous manuals and boxes of tax and National Insurance cards for you to refer to. My training sessions on statutory sick pay (SSP) and statutory maternity pay (SMP) were run from a now unused building in Carlisle and I even received a certificate from the Inland Revenue to confirm I understood the payments. I’m now not quite sure how this was established as no tests were given out, but nevertheless I received a piece of paper which went into a frame and confirmed I knew how to work out manual SSP and SMP calculations. When I started out in payroll most preparation was manual, with data input into a payroll system which carried out the calculations. To be fair, some of those
THE DYNAMIC DEBATE: PAYROLL QUALIFICATIONS VERSUS EXPERIENCE
Karen Thomson MSc ChFCIPPdip FHEA, director of UK payroll and employment taxes, AAB, shares her perspectives on whether education or experience should take centre stage when it comes to successful payroll careers
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | June 2024 | Issue 101 42
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