PROFESSI NALIssue 68 in Payroll, Pensions & Reward - Peter Blackhurst FCIPP, founder member

Page created by Jim Carroll
 
CONTINUE READING
PROFESSI NALIssue 68 in Payroll, Pensions & Reward - Peter Blackhurst FCIPP, founder member
PROFESSI NAL
Official publication of The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals

in Payroll, Pensions & Reward                                                 Issue 68
                                                                           March 2021

            Peter Blackhurst FCIPP, founder member
                                         (Obituary, pages 4 and 5)

professionalmag.co.uk
PROFESSI NALIssue 68 in Payroll, Pensions & Reward - Peter Blackhurst FCIPP, founder member
INTEGRATED
  Human Resources,
  Payroll and Talent
    Management
     You choose your required modules

0845 370 3210
sales@frontiersoftware.com
www.frontiersoftware.com

    OFFICES IN AUSTRALIA, INDIA, MALAYSIA, NEW ZEALAND, PHILIPPINES, SINGAPORE AND UNITED KINGDOM
PROFESSI NALIssue 68 in Payroll, Pensions & Reward - Peter Blackhurst FCIPP, founder member
Payroll’s objective is “to pay people accurately on time”
                                                                         Peter Blackhurst (1943–2021)

                           The tributes and memories on pages                   recommend the article on page 16 which reveals a wide range of
                           4 and 5 reveal Peter Blackhurst as a                 opinions from industry luminaries surely reflecting their roles and
                          charming, innovative and talented person              experiences. For me, compliance in paying people accurately and
                        who (along with those mentioned in the                  on time remains fundamental. I would be delighted to receive your
                    article) played a key formative role in putting in          views.
place the underpinnings that supported the eventual emergence of
the CIPP. What an extraordinary and wonderful life achievement!
   The above axiomatic quote, attributed to Peter, succinctly
encapsulates the absolute essence of our profession.
   I imagine Peter would have avidly read this issue’s articles                 Mike Nicholas MCIPP (editor@cipp.org.uk)
on the feature topic of the future skills of payroll professionals. I           Editor

                            Chair’s message
                              The very nature of work and staying               and development.
                               connected with others is high on                    Interpretation of case law where it impacts payroll and pensions
                               everyone’s agenda, but communication             – and helping employers and employees understand the effects
                              and stakeholder management is not just            on their teams or departments – is also a way of taking account of
                             staying in touch and providing information.        changing legislation and adding value to the organisation.
                         If you want to be seen as a key individual                Adding value is something that I hope I have achieved as chair
                   within the business and a valuable asset, knowing            during my tenure. It has been fantastic to work with the board and
what and when to share information that will help your peers and                the whole CIPP team, on developing governance, reviewing our
seniors is a key skill. This means looking ahead (horizon scanning),            education portfolio, representing the CIPP at numerous events,
interpreting what is happening (predictive analysis) and drawing out            building the strategy for the future, and making key co-options to
key information and actions that can be acted upon.                             support that journey. Whilst critically also keeping an eye on the
    Mental health and well-being is a key focus for employers                   present. I look forward to supporting Liz Lay in the future and hope
also, and payroll and pensions professionals can support further                to see as many of you as possible when circumstances allow.
in the financial well-being element by ensuring the skills they                    Stay safe and keep well.
have developed in terms of understanding workplace financial
management and planning can be interpreted to benefit those
you come into contact with. Is a copy of a payslip and a narrative
for interpretation provided as part of a company induction pack for
new employees (including apprentices, graduates etc)? This type of              Jason Davenport MCIPP MIoD (jason.davenport3@cipp.org.uk)
information may be very useful to receive as part of their learning             Chair, CIPP

                           CEO’s message
                              In the twelve months since the pandemic           member benefit, namely: Payroll: need to know – your guide to
                              struck, our profession has been recognised as     UK payroll legislation and reporting for 2020-2021 (https://bit.
                              ‘key workers’, and in the main all being done     ly/2NhwpEo). This contains all relevant UK payroll, pensions and general
                             from home. ‘Payroll and pensions, you can’t        employment items, indexed and categorised for easy reference, in date
                           do that from home’ has been the refrain over the     order to ensure you have the latest updates on any given subject. The
                      years and yet overnight we did.                           CIPP policy unit produce this detailed document for your benefit so
              I hope at the end of this month (year-end permitting!) as         please follow the link and avail yourself of this resource.
we enter Easter you all get a chance for a well-deserved break. Going              I extend my personal thanks to Jason Davenport, who steps down
forward, who knows or can predict what the payroll and pension                  as chair at the AGM on 31 March, for his support since January 2019.
professional will look like; and whether the workplace will be a blend of       Jason’s passion and leadership skills have ably supported the CIPP, along
office and home; we’ll see.                                                     with the excellent support of his board colleagues. While Jason remains
    As I mention year-end (and what last minute surprises might the             on the board for a further year as ‘past chair’, Liz Lay commences her
March budget bring?), it’s appropriate that I remind you of valuable            term as the new CIPP chair. I’m sure we all wish Liz well in this role.
(online!) training courses to help tackle this key time of the year. Training      Please note the AGM is also the time to elect two new board
courses – such as our revamped ‘P11Ds, expenses and benefits’                   members; so please ensure you use your vote – see www.cipp.org.uk/
(https://bit.ly/3tHDD5v) and our ‘Off-payroll working (IR35)’ (http://bit.      my-cipp/annual-general-meeting.
ly/3oepQiT) – are available now and continue to be very popular with
our members. It’s also very timely to join our ‘Payroll update’ course
(https://bit.ly/3p9rAuh) – a must-have for all industry professionals –
with members receiving 50% off the full price.                                  Ken Pullar FCIPP (ken.pullar@cipp.org.uk)
    It’s also an appropriate time to remind you of an invaluable key            Chief executive officer, CIPP

                                                                                    Issue 68 | March 2021 | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |   1
PROFESSI NALIssue 68 in Payroll, Pensions & Reward - Peter Blackhurst FCIPP, founder member
PROFESSI NAL                                                                                    Also available online at
                                                                                             professionalmag.co.uk
in Payroll, Pensions & Reward

Contents                                                        March 2021
THIS ISSUE’S FEATURE TOPIC
FUTURE SKILLS OF PAYROLL PROFESSIONALS

     41

  Transforming
  payroll
  by Jaspal Randhawa Wayte

                                                                   Features

 16                                                      18                          25

                                                      Future skills of payroll     Kickstart scheme
Starting your own business                            professionals                developments
by Eira Hammond                                       by Jerome Smail              by CIPP policy team

 26                                                       28                         30

                                                       Off-payroll working –
Imminent changes                                       changes imminent            Reporting benefits
by Lora Murphy                                         by John Harling             by Gemma Mullis

      2   | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | March 2021 | Issue 68
PROFESSI NALIssue 68 in Payroll, Pensions & Reward - Peter Blackhurst FCIPP, founder member
34                                                     35
                                                                                                                                                  Editor
                                                                                                                                      Mike Nicholas
                                                                                                                           0121 712 1000 | editor@cipp.org.uk

                                                                                                                                             Advertising
                                                                                                                                   Vickie Graham
                                                                                                                       07775 564 352 | advertising@cipp.org.uk
Employers beware staff                                Big and short lessons in                                                                   Design
gaming the CMS                                        engagement                                                     James Bartlett, Nicole Davis and Sam Parkes
by Henry Tapper                                       by Gareth Stears                                                          design@cipp.org.uk

                                                                                                                                                Printing
                                                                                                                               Warwick Printing Company Ltd

  36                                                     38
                                                                                                                                    Chief executive officer
                                                                                                                                           Ken Pullar FCIPP

                                                                                                                                   CIPP board of directors
                                                                                                                               Jason Davenport MCIPP MIoD
                                                                                                                                   Stuart Hall MCIPPdip
                                                                                                                          Dianne Hoodless MSc ChFCIPP FHEA
                                                                                                                                   Liz Lay MSc FCIPPdip
Redundancy situation,                                                                                                             Carole Pearson MCIPP
disability discrimination,                             Why payments should always                                                 Katie Sharpe ACIPPdip
termination date                                       be accurate                                                      Cliff Vidgeon BA (Hons) FCIPP CMA ACIS
                                                                                                                         Clare Warrington MSc FCIPPdip AFHEA
by Nicola Mullineux                                    by Danny Done

                                                                                                                                     Useful contacts
   41                                                    44
                                                                                                                                               Education
                                                                                                                                     education@cipp.org.uk
                                                                                                                                         0121 712 1023

                                                                                                                                                 Events
                                                                                                                                        events@cipp.org.uk
 Outstanding customer                                                                                                                      0121 712 1013
 experience                                            A transparent approach
                                                                                                                                        General enquiries
 by Jeanette Hibbert                                   by Jeff Phipps                                                                 enquiries@cipp.org.uk
                                                                                                                                         0121 712 1000
                                          Regulars                                                                                    Marketing and sales
                                                                                                                                     marketing@cipp.org.uk
                                                                                                                                         0121 712 1033

01          Editor’s comment, and
            Chair’s and CEO’s message                  32          Covid-19 news
                                                                                                                                            Membership
                                                                                                                                   membership@cipp.org.uk

                                                       34
                                                                                                                                       0121 712 1073

07          CIPP update                                            Reward
            Events, news and developments                                                                                                       Training
                                                                                                                                       training@cipp.org.uk

08          My CIPP
            Policy hub: On your behalf,
                                                       40          Industry news                                                           0121 712 1063

                                                                                                                                             cipp.org.uk
            Advisory; Spotlight on…
                                                       41          Technology                                                                @CIPP_UK

13          Movers and shakers                                                                                                                    Articles

                                                       45          Wordsearch                                       Please support this magazine so that it can continue to be a part
                                                                                                                                     of your membership package.

                                                                                                                                               Trademarks

14          Personal development
            Diary of student, Starting your
            own business, BePayroll
                                                       50          Confessions of a payroll
                                                                   manager
                                                                                                                     The CIPP logo, the initials ‘CIPP’ and the words ‘Professional in
                                                                                                                    Payroll, Pensions and Reward’ and ‘CIPP Consult’ are trademarks
                                                                                                                    of the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals. Copyright: The
                                                                                                                     Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals 2021. The Chartered
                                                                                                                   Institute of Payroll Professionals, Goldfinger House, 245 Cranmore
                                                                                                                           Boulevard, Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands, B90 4ZL.

22
                                                                                                                                        Switchboard 0121 712 1000
            Payroll news                                Additional online content
                                                        15 Ways to prioritise your wellbeing                                                     Copyright
                                                                                                                       This magazine is published by The Chartered Institute of Payroll

24          Compliance                                     while working from home                                  Professionals in whom the copyright is vested. All rights reserved. No
                                                                                                                   part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
                                                        24 Payroll needs to evolve, more                              or transmitted in any form or any means, electronic, mechanical,
                                                                                                                        photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written
                                                                                                                     permission of the publisher. The views expressed in this publication
                                                                                                                   are not necessarily those of the CIPP or the editor. The information and
                                                                                                                     comment contained in this publication are given in good faith, their
Full issue including additional online content available at professionalmag.co.uk                                              accuracy or completeness cannot be guaranteed.

                                                                               Issue 68 | March 2021 | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |             3
PROFESSI NALIssue 68 in Payroll, Pensions & Reward - Peter Blackhurst FCIPP, founder member
Tributes to
 Peter
 Blackhurst
 FCIPP
 10 October 1943 – 16 January 2021

  It is with much sadness the Chartered Institute learned of the death of this highly respected and
  loved founder member who played key roles in creating our professional body. The following
  obituary was compiled by Gordon Cresswell FCIPP from conversations with Trevor Lakin FCIPPdip,
  Chris Williams FCIPPdip, Peter White FCIPP, and Bryan Monkman FCIPP.

 T
         he payroll profession was very saddened to learn of                  house payroll system. He was successful, and it lasted for
         Peter’s passing, leaving a void in the early group of                over fifteen years.
         payroll pioneers. He had been fighting MDS, a rare                       I met Peter at the first meeting of what was to become
  form of blood cancer and sadly complications set in.                        the committee of APSA, the forerunner of today’s Institute.
     As Chris Williams remarked, “Oddly I thought our                         We had only broad ideas of what it would become –
  inaugural group would go on forever”, a comment I                           notions of representation for the payroll voice, a vague
  understand because, although we’re not invincible, there                    idea of a payroll qualification. There were about twenty
  was something about those early days in the eighties that                   of us, mostly strangers to each other, with Peter standing
  made us feel we could change the world – we certainly                       out charismatically with his charm and original ideas. Peter
  rocked the payroll establishment and Peter was a large part                 was never quiet, and you always knew when he was in
  of this.                                                                    the room! We became firm friends as the organisation
     Peter White recalls first meeting Peter in 1968 when                     progressed, often rooming together in London in interests
  both Peter B and his wife Krys worked at Hertfordshire                      of economy. Bryan recalls that Peter’s boss had allowed
  County Council. Says Peter: “We renewed our                                 him to attend the first APSA meeting with the proviso of
  acquaintanceship in 1980 with the advent of APSA                            not taking on any roles. He returned the next day as APSA
  (Association of Payroll Administrators) when I joined a                     secretary! He was proud of his membership being number
  number of payroll and pensions people including Graham                      2, second only to George Powell, the Liverpudlian who
  Francis, Gordon Cresswell and Peter who I recall as a                       made the first rallying call for there to be a payroll body.
  confident young man, pushing ahead with his career                              The most important initiative we undertook as a body
  and bringing fresh ideas to the table, forming part of the                  was to produce the first payroll qualification, a warts-and-
  bedrock of our fledgling organisation.”                                     all product but it worked. I remember Peter coining the
     Peter moved to Cheshire City Council then to Cheshire                    phrase that payroll’s objective is “to pay people accurately
  County Council where he employed Bryan Monkman in                           on time”, something so obvious but it needed to be
  1975 in the pensions department. Bryan remembers,                           stated. Another major contribution he made towards the
  “Peter adopted a quite radical stance to our reorganisation                 qualification was to measure efficiency through payroll
  of the department, adopting a team structure, an alien                      indicators – old-hat now, but back in the 1980s quite
  concept to some of the diehards.” His boss, Lawrence                        radical. Peter was an ideas man. He believed everything we
  Warrell, who died last year, moved Peter back into payroll                  did in payroll could be laid out as a formula which meant,
  with the challenge to design and develop a bespoke in-                      when adopted, that the payroll programs could be made to
                                                                              do so much more than they had in the past.
                                                                                  It was during these exciting early days, as we all got
 standing out charismatically                                                 to know each other, that I met Peter’s wife Krys, always
                                                                              supportive of his efforts and putting up with Peter going off
 with his charm and original                                                  with the rest of us for workshops and meetings.
 ideas. Peter was never quiet,                                                    During the early days Trevor Lakin met Peter and he
                                                                              recalls “I was working at Peterborough Software and was
  and you always knew when                                                    introduced to Peter for the production of an article for our
      he was in the room                                                      local government customers. We bonded over a splendid
                                                                              lunch (quite liquid!) with discussions on music and bands

 4   | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | March 2021 | Issue 68
PROFESSI NALIssue 68 in Payroll, Pensions & Reward - Peter Blackhurst FCIPP, founder member
we had seen, eventually reconvening to produce the article       professionals to attend the first meeting in Coventry in
– the beginning of a lifelong friendship.”                       1985, my hand shot up; and his belief and encouragement
   APSA was an important body in payroll’s history but sadly     made me want to be a part of this exciting new venture.
there was a schism as the decision was taken not to admit        I am sure that the same was true for many others. Peter
non-public sector members, a move with which Peter and           convinced us, through his talk, that there was nowhere else
I vehemently disagreed as, to us, payroll was payroll with       to be if you were serious about taking payroll forward.”
common issues throughout the profession.                            Recalling the early days, Chris says “I was lucky to be
   Trevor Lakin was refused membership of APSA because           deputy chair under Peter, following his lead and I became
he worked in the private sector. “I was disappointed,”           chair after him. I appreciate many of you will not have
he said, “and I contacted Peter for advice on setting up         heard of Peter Blackhurst , as he was only active in the
a private sector payroll body which he agreed to on the          formative years, but trust me he played a key part. We
condition that Gordon Cresswell also became part of the          remained friends and I will miss his bubbly attitude a huge
team.”                                                           amount.”
                                                                    Although Peter was a natural front man, only those
                                                                 of us close to him were aware of the agony he went
     an innovative payroll                                       through prior to a presentation. He suffered stage fright
                                                                 and normally we would arrange for his slot to be the last
  professional who lightened                                     one before lunch so that he didn’t have a ruined lunch as
  our lives with humour and                                      well as a spoilt breakfast! His concerns were unfounded
                                                                 because as soon as he hit the lectern he went into a
   a charismatic presence,                                       superb presentation mode.
   leaving a lasting legacy                                         As the BPMA grew into the Institute Peter took a quieter
                                                                 role and concentrated on his real day job until he took
                                                                 early retirement. He loved his golf and became the seniors
   With heavy hearts Peter and I decided to join Trevor          captain for his local club. Holidays and Peter just went
and form the private sector body BPMA (British Payroll           together so whenever we all met up his conversation
Manager’s Association), now CIPP. Again, Peter was               revolved around holidays with Krys, his children and his
inspirational in the formation of the syllabus for the BTEC      grandchildren.
Diploma in Administration although he left the production           For me, the one word to summarise Peter is ‘upbeat’. He
of material largely to others, notably his friend and            was always positive and the last time we spoke, just three
colleague Lawrence Warrell.                                      weeks before his passing, he was still very upbeat although
   So it was at the second Peterborough Software                 quite seriously ill. This is echoed by Bryan Monkman,
sponsored National Payroll Conference that Peter launched        “Peter was always upbeat, positive and funny, even whilst
the BPMA with his first major speech, receiving a standing       enduring his treatment for leukaemia.”
ovation and an article in The Times, and we celebrated              So, it is with sadness that we pay this tribute to an
with now customary drinks. We three then worked hard             innovative payroll professional who lightened our lives
arranging the first open meeting for all interested parties      with humour and a charismatic presence, leaving a lasting
held in Coventry and fronted by Peter who was voted in as        legacy to the payroll profession.
the first chairperson, a role he loved, so much so that he
bought a personalised number plate with the letters BPMA.         The funeral took place on 12 February, at Blacon
   It was this first presentation that inspired Chris Williams    crematorium. Bryan Monkman attended the funeral,
to join the BPMA on day one. Chris says “As a member              representing the CIPP.
of the Private Sector Payroll Group (PSPG), and having
failed to join APSA as I was a private sector employer, I felt
strongly that there was a need for a national joint payroll
body.
   “So, attending the second Peterborough Software Payroll
Conference in Park Lane in 1984 I was excited to hear
there was to be a session on exactly this. The speaker
introducing the concept was Peter Blackhurst, who was the
current secretary of APSA. As soon as he started to speak
enthusiastically about the prospective new association,
the hairs on the back of my neck started to tingle. Here
was someone committed to forwarding the progression of
payroll, someone who I knew from his enthusiasm could
engage payroll professionals to join the cause.”
   Chris was not the only person to be so inspired and
over one hundred payroll people turned up for the
inaugural meeting. Chris continues, “Asking for like-minded

                                                                    Issue 68 | March 2021 | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |   5
PROFESSI NALIssue 68 in Payroll, Pensions & Reward - Peter Blackhurst FCIPP, founder member
All new                                                            Optimised
                                                                       for virtual

    P11D course                                                        classroom

    Brand new course launching 8 March, P11Ds, expenses and benefits. Contains
    everything you need to know about this annual process.

    If you’re new to payroll and need to know how to report your employee expenses
    and benefits, or just need a refresher and want to ensure what you are providing
    is effective and compliant, then this course is for you.

     Enrol online today at cipp.org.uk/training

For more information or to enrol:
Visit: cipp.org.uk/training
Email enquiries@cipp.org.uk
Call: 0121 712 1023
Live chat with us
cipp.org.uk                    @CIPP_UK
PROFESSI NALIssue 68 in Payroll, Pensions & Reward - Peter Blackhurst FCIPP, founder member
ONLINE LEARNING

   CIPP
  update                                                                                                                      Off -payroll
                                                                                                                               working
WE HOPE you are all looking forward to the fresh new shoots of spring and the
                                                                                                                                (IR35)
new opportunities it promises. Whatever new opportunities the spring brings, we
are here to help, so don’t hesitate to contact us: enquiries@cipp.org.uk.
● Price freeze – To help with these new opportunities, we’re pleased to announce                                            Medium and large organisations
that we’ve frozen our prices this year, so you can access our events and training
courses at the same price as last year. We reduced the prices at the end of last
                                                                                                                            in all sectors of the economy will
year and these reduced prices stay around for a while longer (please see cipp.org.                                         become responsible for assessing
uk/T&Cs/). This could be the opportunity you or your team are looking for, to take                                              the employment status of
advantage of the great value payroll training courses currently on offer.                                                    individuals who work for them.
● Annual General Meeting – On 31 March we will be holding our annual general
meeting (AGM). Paid associate, full, fellow, and Chartered members are eligible to
vote and attend the virtual meeting, taking place at 11am via Microsoft Teams. The                                         Make sure you are compliant with
business of the AGM will be to elect directors to the board, to approve the accounts                                           the legislation with our
for year ending 30 June 2020 and to elect the auditors, amongst other business. If
eligible, you can book your place, support the Chartered institute, and cast your vote
online: www.cipp.org.uk/my-cipp/annual-general-meeting.
                                                                                                                               Off-payroll working (IR35)
● Software directory – You’ll have noticed that with this issue you will find our                                                      webinar
annual software directory – a handy reference tool if you or your organisation are
thinking of changing your software provider. The tables allow you to quickly review                                                           and
and compare key features at a glance and will aid your research into this business-
critical task.
● Payslip survey – This month also sees the launch of our annual payslip survey.                                            Off-payroll working (IR35) and
The survey helps us to create a trends report, highlighting payslip trends, the contents                                          other employment
of different payslips, how easily companies have been able to itemise payslips and                                              status considerations
whether helps software has needed to be implemented. To find out more and to take
part in the payslip survey, keep an eye on your CIPP emails, our website, and our
                                                                                                                                    training course.
social media channels.
● P11Ds, expenses and benefits course – New opportunities bring new ideas
and new plans. If you’re thinking of upgrading the knowledge and skills of yourself
and your team, then our new P11Ds, expenses and benefits course could be of
                                                                                                                                        Book your
interest. Designed to ensure that those in payroll and finance can calculate and report                                                place today
accurately and with confidence: www.cipp.org.uk/course/p11ds-expenses-and-
benefits.

Congratulations to the newly accredited PAS organisations
THE CIPP’s Payroll Assurance Scheme (PAS) is designed to test                             red
                                                                                              Institute
                                                                                      rte ofessionals
                                                                                    ha ll Pr
your payroll processes in relation to payroll processing, compliance                  o
                                                                                                          SCHE ME
                                                                               of P e C
                                                                                     r
                                                                                   ay
                                                                                  Th

and the people skills and development opportunities.
                                                                              PAY R

   One of the most important elements is ensuring business                                                                         Course               Webinar
                                                                                                          CE

                                                                         LL
                                                                            ASSURAN
                                                                                O

continuity plans are in place and effective should they be required.                                                               CPD                  CPD
Given recent events, congratulations to all organisations that have                                                                3 points             1 point
achieved this accreditation and will have been able to put those plans into action.
   Special congratulations to our recently accredited organisations:
● Bupa UK Payroll Services
● Willis Towers Watson
                                                                                                                        For more information or to enrol:
   Ken Pullar, CIPP chief executive officer, said: “Never has it been more important for                                Visit: www.cipp.org.uk/training
businesses to have good payroll processes, knowledge and skills that enable them to                                     Email enquiries@cipp.org.uk
implement new government legislation and guidance quickly. Congratulations to those
                                                                                                                        Call: 0121 712 1044
organisations that have recently demonstrated just that.”
   The Payroll Assurance Scheme is still operating, with assessments currently
                                                                                                                        Live chat with us
operating virtually.
   To find out how the Payroll Assurance Scheme can benefit your organisation, email
compliance@cipp.org.uk.

                                                                                                                        cipp.org.uk
                         Issue 68 | March 2021 | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |                     7   @CIPP_UK
PROFESSI NALIssue 68 in Payroll, Pensions & Reward - Peter Blackhurst FCIPP, founder member
MY CIPP

      On your
      behalf
                               Policy team update
          The CIPP’s policy and research team provide an update on developments

      T
                he CIPP’s policy team has been                      In October 2019, when the reforms          of a worry, and continue to be the area,
                kept busy by attending various                   were due to be introduced from 6 April        unsurprisingly, that payroll professionals
                forums, hosting informational                    2020, the team posted a Quick Poll on         are most conscious of.
          webinars and presentations, and creating               News Online, asking “What concerns                Another Quick Poll was hosted in July
          both news pieces and extended articles to              do you have about your readiness in           2020, which asked “In light of the fact that
          keep members and the wider profession                  April 2020 for off-payroll working rules?”.   it has now been confirmed that the off-
          up to date.                                            This question was also posed in the           payroll working reforms will definitely be
                                                                 webinar, hosted on 19 January 2021. The       introduced from 6 April 2021, how ready
          Readiness for off-payroll                              responses are shown in Table 1.               are you for the changes?”. This question
          working                                                                                              was also posed in the webinar. The
          It is widely accepted that from 6 April                      ...‘payroll                             responses are shown in Table 2.
          2021 the off-payroll working reforms will
          be implemented in the private sector,
                                                                    obligations’ has                               Although the question was presented
                                                                                                               to two potentially different audiences,
          impacting any businesses classified as                   become more of a                            the results indicate that marginally more
          being either ‘medium’ or ‘large’ in size.
          The policy team recently hosted the
                                                                         worry...                              companies are either ready for or are
                                                                                                               starting to prepare for the reforms, which
          ‘BeKnowledgeable: Off-payroll working                                                                is a positive sign. There are, however, still
          webinar’ and wanted to assess how ready                   Whereas most areas seem to be              companies that are optimistic that the
          businesses are for the changes, identify               causing less concern (with the exception      reforms will be delayed again, but there
          their main worries, and gauge changes                  of communications with the supply chain),     has been no indication of this. So, the
          over time.                                             ‘payroll obligations’ has become more         resounding advice from the CIPP is ‘start
                                                                                                               preparing now’.

                                                                                                               Employer NICs holiday for
                                                                                                               veterans
                                                                                                               The CIPP responded to the consultation,
                                                                                                               launched by HM Revenue & Customs
                                                                                                               (HMRC) in conjunction with the Office
                                                                                                               for Veterans’ Affairs, which explored
                                                                                                               granting businesses that employ veterans
                                                                                                               an employer-only National Insurance
                                                                                                               contributions (NICs) holiday on their
                                                                                                               earnings (http://ow.ly/TYKt30rtI9M).
                                                                                                               The government has now published its
                                                                                                               response to the consultation explaining
                                                                                                               some of the key elements of the policy,
                                                                                                               ahead of detailed guidance being
                                                                                                               provided.
                                                                                                                  The main area of interest to payroll
                                                                                                               professionals will relate to how the relief
                                                                                                               is provided in the first tax year of its
                                                                                                               introduction i.e. 2021/22. During the first
                                                                                                               year, as there is no real time information
                                                                                                               (RTI) solution, employers will be required
                                                                                                               to pay the associated employer NICs on
                                                                                                               the earnings of veterans and will be able
                                                                                                               to reclaim this from April 2022 onwards.

          8   | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | March 2021 | Issue 68
Policy hub

From tax year 2022/23, a RTI solution will         is awaited, which will be published by            Names are to be published on a monthly
be developed.                                      HMRC prior to April 2021, confirming the          basis.
    Legislation for the relief will include a      information and records an employer will              HMRC has confirmed that the details of
three-year sunset clause, from April 2021.         need to keep and retain for qualifying            employers demonstrating that publication
The policy will be reviewed at that point          employments relating to tax year                  of their name would lead to a risk of
and, if it is not fulfilling its aim of helping    2021/22. The types of evidence that can           violence or intimidation to individuals,
veterans into civilian employment, it can          be used to determine a veteran’s eligibility      or anyone living with them, will not be
be withdrawn. In terms of definitions,             will also be provided.                            included. There is an online application
the government will define a ‘veteran’                                                               form (http://ow.ly/Izv730rtIRN) for
in accordance with criteria laid out in                                                              employers in this position to complete.
established NICs legislation and the                ...for a period of                               Details will not be published before HMRC
Armed Forces covenant, and does not
consider it necessary to extend the
                                                    their first twelve                               makes a decision on the case, and the
                                                                                                     employer will subsequently be notified of
definition to include those who have                months of civilian                               it. Employers must submit the application
only served in the Reserve Forces.
Additionally, the relief’s availability will not
                                                      employment...                                  forms themselves and must not utilise an
                                                                                                     agent to submit the form on their behalf.
be dependent upon when the veteran left                                                                  Employees also have the ability to
the Armed Forces.                                  CJRS: publication of employer                     check if a CJRS claim has been made
    The government intends to define               names                                             on their behalf through their online
‘qualifying employment’ in line with the           HMRC has confirmed it is publishing the           Personal Tax Account, from February 2021
approach put forward in the consultation           names of employers that have utilised the         onwards. It is hoped that this will prevent
document but will ensure that veterans             coronavirus job retention scheme (CJRS)           ‘furlough fraud’, which unfortunately was
are not restricted for qualifying for the          for periods from 1 December 2020.                 prevalent under the previous version of
relief if they have previously served in the       Initially, employer names were published          the scheme. This could involve businesses
Armed Forces and then re-joined. The               on 26 January 2021 (http://ow.ly/                 encouraging employees to carry out work
relief will be available for a period of their     cWQL30ruxSx), with additional information         whilst claiming furlough pay for them,
first twelve months of civilian employment         being provided in February, including the         or claiming for employees who do not
every time they leave HM Armed Forces.             value of claims (within a banded range)           qualify, or claiming too much in relation to
    At the time of writing, further guidance       and the company registration numbers.             an employee. n

       BeConnected: National Forums                                                                                                           Launch date
                                                                                                                                                27 April

       Delivered by our policy officers, Gemma Mullis and Lora
       Murphy, these BeConnected: National Forums are the
       perfect way to understand how recent changes will affect
       your and your team’s day to day roles.

       We’ll keep you up to date on any changes and updates
       revealed in the March 2021 budget and also tell you how
       you’ll need to implement and process these changes.

       Now open to all current CIPP members.

          Additional dates: 6 May, 12 May, 20 May, 26 May.

     Visit cipp.org.uk/events/events-calendar, to book your
     place and find out more.

     cipp.org.uk                                     @CIPP_UK

                                                                              Issue 68 | March 2021 | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |   9
MY CIPP

           Advisory
          The CIPP's Advisory Service team provides
          answers to popular questions

          Q. A company is looking to make                              HMRC provide guidance on manual          There is no business presence in
          some employees redundant. There is a                     SSP calculations along with the rules        Romania. The employee has been in
          dispute as to whether an employee in                     surrounding both SSP and PIWs: https://      Romania for 107 days so far. What
          question would be eligible for statutory                 bit.ly/3iowOR6.                              certification is required from HMRC
          redundancy pay due to their start                                                                     in relation to their class 1 National
          date. They commenced employment                          Q. When will statutory maternity pay         Insurance contributions (NICs)? Is
          1 September 2019 and are due to be                       (SMP) commence for an employee               there anything from a tax perspective
          made redundant 31 August 2021. Can                       whose baby is born mid-week and has          required for payroll purposes?
          you advise?                                              previously been on furlough leave and        A: If an employee is working temporarily
          A: Length of service for redundancy                      pay? Also, does the calculation of the       in the EU then they must get a certificate
          calculations are based on complete years                 average weekly earnings (AWE) differ         from HMRC to exempt them from
          of service. From the dates provided, these               where furlough pay has been applied?         Romanian social security. Social security is
          employees have been employed for a full                  A: Child-related statutory leave can start   usually paid in the country in which duties
          24 months; therefore, they are entitled to               on any day of the week but can only          are performed.
          redundancy pay.                                          be paid in completed weeks. Where an             Ideally all applications should be
             For reference, HM Revenue &                           employee works up until the birth, the       submitted prior to the employee
          Customs (HMRC) provides an online                        leave and pay must commence on the           departing the UK. Form CA3822
          calculator where details of age, start date,             first day after the birth of the baby.       must be completed. HMRC will then
          redundancy date and weekly salary can be                     AWE is usually calculated based on all   issue a certificate to ensure payment
          entered to find out how much statutory                   payments made in the reference period,       of UK NICs continue. HMRC provide
          redundancy an employee is entitled to:                   which is the eight-week period before the    guidance on which country's social
          https://bit.ly/3oW3Me8.                                  qualifying week.                             security contributions to pay: https://bit.
                                                                       Due to Covid-19, a temporary rule        ly/2LGudG8.
          Q. Is a period of incapacity for work                    was introduced to protect employees on           With regards to the tax position, an
          (PIW) linked to an earlier PIW if the                    furlough leave where their AWE calculation   employer would have to refer to the
          time between them is less than eight                     is lower due to the pay received whilst      relevant double taxation treaty (DTT)
          weeks? If so, is statutory sick pay (SSP)                on furlough. In this situation, employers    the UK has in place with the country.
          payable from day one?                                    would base the AWE calculation on the        Most DTTs require an employee to be
          A: You should link PIWs and treat them                   pay the employee would have received,        present in the overseas country for 183
          as one PIW if the gap between them is                    had they not been on furlough.               days before double taxation arises. This
          eight weeks (56 days) or less. If all three                  HMRC provide guidance on how             would mean that an employee would
          waiting days have not been used in the                   to manually calculate an employee's          continue paying UK tax until their overseas
          first PIW, use any remaining waiting days                payments for SMP: https://bit.ly/3bP5RER.    presence exceeds 183 days. When
          at the start of the next or series of linked                 How to establish the earnings            dealing with globally mobile employees,
          PIWs.                                                    employees may have received had they         it is advisable to speak to a tax advisor to
              A PIW is a period of sickness lasting                not been furloughed is a contractual         deal with any complexities that may arise
          four days or more in a row. All days of                  matter, and there is no formula to assist.   from overseas employment.
          sickness count towards the total number                  Whatever calculation an employer may             HMRC provides guidance on DTTs:
          of days in a PIW, including: bank holidays,              choose to use must be justifiable should     https://bit.ly/3iqrQ6d.
          weekends, non-working days.                              HMRC carry out an investigation.
              If the period of sickness is less than                                                            Q. A company is looking at introducing
          four days in a row there is no PIW and                   Q. An employee is currently living in        a scheme wherein employees can
          you do not need to do anything.                          Romania on a temporary basis but is          purchase extra holidays (not using
              SSP is not payable for the first three               working for the UK-based company             a salary sacrifice arrangement). The
          qualifying days in a PIW.                                and being paid through the UK payroll.       deduction will be a gross deduction

          10 | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |   March 2021 | Issue 68
Policy hub
                                                                                                             DON’T WAIT UNTIL
                                                                                                              IT’S TOO LATE

                                                                                                                PAYROLL
therefore saving the employee tax and             funeral costs. How should this payment
class 1 NICs. What advice can be given            be treated for the purposes of tax and
in relation to this kind of arrangement?          NICs?
Would it be classed as a flexible benefit
arrangement and would it impact
                                                  A: Under section 406 of the Income
                                                  Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003                         ASSURANCE
                                                                                                                SCHEME
the national minimum wage (NMW)                   (https://bit.ly/2XSeera), a tax-free
calculation?                                      payment can be made on the death or
A: If employees were having the entire            permanent disability of an employee.
cost of their holiday purchase deducted           These types of payment are not subject
in one payroll period, then this would not        to NICs.
                                                                                                              Can you afford penalties of up
be a salary sacrifice arrangement; it would
be treated as unpaid leave. This would not        Q: Can an employer split a payment for                       to £10,000* per day for non-
reduce the employee’s pay for minimum             redundancy over tax years so that the                                compliance?
wage purposes as the employee’s working           employee can make use of the new tax
hours and salary would be reduced in the          allowances in 2021/2022?
                                                                                                               Make sure your people and
month in which the leave is taken.                A: Page EIM42290 in HMRC’s
   However, if an employer is contractually       Employment Income Manual (https://bit.
                                                                                                             processes are working, and get
agreeing with employees to reduce their           ly/3sJ6fen) states that money earnings                      ahead of any nonconformities
salary by an amount of holiday purchase           are treated as received for assessment                     before they become a problem.
over several months, then this would be           purposes, and paid for PAYE purposes on
regarded as a salary sacrifice arrangement        the earliest of the following:
as it is a change to the employee’s               ● when a payment of earnings is made or
terms and conditions of employment.               when a payment on account of earnings
The holiday purchase would reduce                 is made
the contractual wages of the employee             ● the time when a person becomes
and would therefore affect the NMW                entitled to payment of earnings or a
calculation. HMRC guidance does state             payment on account of earnings.
that no salary sacrifice arrangement should          An employer would not be able to
lower an employee’s wage below the                delay part of the payment to the next
minimum and that the employer must                tax year to allow an employee to take
have checks in place to safeguard the             advantage of any new tax thresholds;
minimum wage.                                     this could be interpreted by HMRC as tax
   Holiday purchase is one of the benefits        avoidance.
that does not fall under the optional                An employer could agree with the
remuneration arrangements rules.                  employee to split the net value over
                                                  several months, provided there is a written
Q. With regards to HMRC’s coronavirus             agreement in place.
job retention scheme (CJRS) guidance
update from November 2020 in relation             Q: A company is conducting interviews
to notice pay, does this only apply to            over the coming weeks. To give
redundancy notice?                                financial assistance to the interviewees,
A: The update in the CJRS guidance                the company have agreed to pay their
relates to all types of contractual               travelling expenses. How should these
and statutory notice periods. From 1              be treated for tax and NICs purposes?
December 2020, employers are not                  A: The interviewees are not employees so
able to use the CJRS to claim served              any payments made to them will not be
contractual or statutory notice periods.          subject to tax and NICs, as directed under
This includes redundancy, resignation, and        section 62 of the Income Tax, (Earnings
retirement notice periods.                        and Pensions) Act 2003 (https://bit.
   It is important to note that a payment in      ly/3qpMN46). n
                                                                                                        For more information
                                                                                                         For more information or to enrol:
lieu of notice (PILON) cannot be claimed                                                                Visit: cipp.org.uk/PAS
under the rules of CJRS as it would                                                                     Email   www.cipp.org.uk/study
                                                                                                         Visit: enquiries@cipp.org.uk
be classed as a termination payment.                                                                     Email   enquiries@cipp.org.uk
                                                                                                        Call: 0121 712 1000
Termination payments have always
                                                                                                         Call: 0121 712 1023
                                                                                                        Live chat with  us
remained outside the remit of the CJRS.
                                                                                                         Live chat with us
Q. An employee has sadly passed away
and the employer wishes to make a
payment to the family to assist with

                                                                                                         cipp.org.uk
                                                                                                        cipp.org.uk
                          Issue 68 | March 2021 | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |   11   @CIPP_UK
                                                                                                        @CIPP_UK    *correct at time of publication
MY CIPP

          Spotlight on...
                                                                  profession I love, able to study and impart       these past months without the support of
                                                                  my knowledge to members – and my                  one another and I cannot thank the team
                                                                  working hours suit my lifestyle perfectly. It’s   and the policy team enough, as it has been
                                                                  a win-win situation, and I am fortunate to        one crazy year. The number of queries we
                                                                  have been given the opportunity.                  have dealt with have increased by 54%
                                                                     Being promoted to advisory team leader         from April to November compared to the
                                                                  has given me a big sense of achievement.          same period in 2019, which indicates the
                                                                                                                    pace at which we have been working. 2020
                                                                  How do you feel when you have                     is a year every payroller will never forget.
                Lorna Nicholls ACIPP                              made a positive difference to                         If payroll does not get acknowledged as a
                                                                  someone through your advice?                      recognised profession after all our members
                    CIPP’s payroll                                It’s a fantastic feeling knowing that you have    have achieved with great sacrifices at times,
                 advisory team leader                             answered and helped solve a member’s              then I think a government petition will be
                                                                  query. The relief in their voice or that ‘thank   the next step.
          How did you start your payroll                          you so much for your help’ in a return
          career?                                                 email gives immense satisfaction knowing          What techniques and sources
          After leaving school I decided to go                    I have helped a fellow payroller resolve an       do you use to provide detailed
          into nursing. The careers advisor had                   issue.                                            accurate answers?
          recommended a career as a speech                            The additional stress placed upon             Referring to legislation and translating that
          therapist so I thought, if nursing didn’t               payrollers this year has been incomparable        into layman terms. Understanding why you
          work out, I could attempt that; but I didn’t            to anything I can remember in 36 years.           have to carry out a certain task to remain
          know what to do whilst waiting for the                  If our team has been able to relieve their        compliant is beneficial to all payrollers.
          next year’s intake of student nurses. After             worries in any way, that gives immense            Better understanding leads to less
          replying “maths” to my careers advisor                  satisfaction and pride in the jobs we do.         confusion and improved processes within a
          asking what I liked doing, next thing I was                 The role of advisory team member              payroll team.
          working in the local hospital as a wages                requires a good understanding of payroll             To keep up to date with general
          clerk collecting and totalling hours on the             legislation, a clear head, an excellent sense     legislation requires reading, writing guidance
          nurses’ timesheets. I enjoyed ‘wages’ so                of humour, and being both a good listener         notes for myself and my team, regular
          much I forfeited my nursing career and                  and a good speaker.                               meetings with policy, and directing queries
          stayed – 36 years later I am still working in                                                             to HMRC for clarification. I am constantly
          ‘wages’. I fell into payroll, fell in love with it,     Tell us about a typical week as an                studying and learning even after all these
          and stayed.                                             advisory team member?                             years in the profession. I maintain my own
             To get the job I sat a maths and English             It is a nonstop treadmill from 9 to 5. We         payroll compendium with links to all payroll
          test and that was it. I learned my skills on            have regular team chats to discuss any            legislation for ease of access.
          the job as many older payrollers will be                unusual queries that come in as each of us
          familiar with. I have attended so many                  have areas of expertise in different fields of    What’s the most interesting
          courses over the years, I have lost count.              payroll legislation. The policy team provide      fact you have ever heard about
                                                                  updates on any forthcoming changes,               payroll?
          How did you move into policy                            enabling us to study the material and             Recovery of an overpayment of wages;
          and advisory?                                           prepare for any queries we receive.               section 14 of the Employment Rights Act
          I was working incredibly long hours, my                      Furlough however has been an                 1996 means an employer has the right to
          work-life balance was non-existent, and                 enormous challenge for us as the rules            deduct an overpayment even if there is no
          I wanted to spend time with my loved                    have changed with such pace. We have              agreed deduction clause in the employee’s
          ones and enjoy other interests. A job                   depended upon each other and the policy           contract. Considerations have to be made
          in the CIPP’s Advisory team came up; I                  team for guidance and support dealing with        of course, but this was a very interesting
          applied, and here I am. I am still part of the          the queries. We wouldn’t have got through         topic. n

          12 | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |   March 2021 | Issue 68
To appear on this page
                                                                                                                                             contact editor@cipp.org.uk

    Movers
                                         Shakers

CHARLES BUTTERWORTH APPOINTED AS MANAGING DIRECTOR
LEADING BUSINESS solutions and software provider for mid- to large-sized organisations, The Access Group, has
appointed Charles Butterworth as managing director of its Access People division to lead the human resources,
payroll, learning and development and compliance teams and solutions. Butterworth’s role will include further
integration of recent company acquisitions into the Access People business for the benefit of customers, partners
and employees.
   Charles Butterworth, who recently was managing director with responsibilities extending across data, analytics
and software business for Experian UK & Ireland and EMEA, commented: “I am delighted to be joining The
Access Group at such an exciting time in the development of the business. The team at Access and the
capabilities of the Access People division are world class and I am particularly impressed by the opportunities for
the business in the years ahead.”
   Chris Bayne, chief executive officer at The Access Group said: “Charles brings exceptional experience in
growing ambitious organisations and is an accomplished leader of large teams across multiple locations and disciplines.”

                              SO LONG, FAREWELL…
                              COLIN JACKSON ACIPP has retired from his role as a CIPP Payroll Assurance Scheme assessor. Colin was part of
                              the team that merged the CIPP’s Payroll Assurance Scheme and the Payroll Quality Partnership which ensured
                              that the service was right for the clients.
                                 Colin’s professional contribution has been invaluable to the PAS standard, supporting new assessors and has
                              helped numerous organisations achieve success.
                                 The CIPP extends its thanks to Colin for his valuable involvement to the processes and procedures.

       CAN YOU AFFORD FINES OF £10,000* A DAY FOR NON-COMPLIANCE?

       Certificate in Pensions
       Administration
       The Certificate in Pensions Administration has
       been developed with pension practitioners to
       ensure that it meets the needs of the industry.

       It provides payroll and pension staff with
       relevant training so businesses can
       safeguard against the financial risk for
       non-compliance.                                                                                                                                 CPD
                                                                                                                                                       15 points
       *correct at time of publication

   Visit cipp.org.uk/study, email enquiries@cipp.org.uk or call
   0121 712 1044 for more information.

   cipp.org.uk                             @CIPP_UK

                                                                               Issue 68 | March 2021 | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | 13
ONLINE LEARNING
                                      PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

     Termination
      payments
    Learn how to process a number
   of common termination packages
                                              Diary of a student…
    correctly, from redundancies to
   contractual breaches, retirement
         and death-in-service.                                      Harriotte McNamara MCIPPdip,
                                                                    payroll administrator,
                                                                    Gregory Distribution Ltd.
                Visit
       www.cipp.org.uk/training
          to find out more            Tell us a little about your                             evenings and weekends, but it’s definitely
                                      background and life so far?                             worth it when you complete the course. If
                                      I’m originally from Essex but moved                     you can get some support from your family
                                      to Devon thirteen years ago with my                     members, that will be invaluable. I am
                                      husband. We have two dogs which we like                 grateful both to my husband for helping
                                      to take for walks on the moors when it’s                me revise and doing a lot of the cooking
                                      not raining too much.                                   whilst I was busy studying, and to my mum
                                                                                              for proof-reading my assignments.
                                      What can you tell us about your
                                      career and qualifications?                              How did you manage the work-
                                      I completed my GCSEs and A-levels but                   life balance and your study? Do
                                      didn’t go to university as I never really knew          you have any tips for others in
                                      what I wanted to do. I have had a varied                the same position?
                                      career, but I have always been drawn                    I think being organised helped me a lot.
                                      towards an administrative role as I have a              During my second year, I got married and
                                      natural ability to organise things. Like many           moved houses at short notice without
                                      people, I didn’t set out to work in payroll,            missing any deadlines or taking time off
                                      but found it is a role that suits my character          work. I had a lot of support from my family
                                      very well.                                              which was a massive help, and I made
                                                                                              a lot of ‘to do’ lists so I knew what I had
                                      Why did you choose to study the                         to do and when. I didn’t have much of a
                                      Foundation Degree?                                      social life though.
                                      When I started working for my current
                                      company, they offered me the chance to                  What would you say is the most
                                      complete the Foundation Degree. I felt it               important thing you learnt?
                                      was something that could only benefit me,               Everything! The modules are quite varied
                                      so I gladly accepted the offer.                         and focus on topics that apply to the wider
                                                                                              business as well as processing a payroll so
                                      How did you find the                                    you gain a multitude of different skills that
                    CPD               qualification?                                          you can put in to practice on a day-to-day
                                      Time-consuming and rewarding. I did have                basis.
                    3 points
                                      to devote a lot of my free time to studying
                                      but it was definitely worth it. I found the             What did you gain from this
                                      topics both interesting and challenging and             qualification – both in terms
For more information:
                                      they definitely broadened my knowledge                  of skills and also career
Visit: www.cipp.org.uk/training       and increased my confidence at work.                    progression?
Email enquiries@cipp.org.uk                                                                   It gave me a lot more confidence within
Call: 0121 712 1044                   What advice would you give to                           my current role, so I feel much better-
                                      others who are thinking about                           equipped to deal with any situations that
Live chat with us
                                      studying in order to improve                            are out of the ordinary. You learn to do
                                      their career?                                           a lot of research for yourself which was
                                      It’s a lot of work, so you need to be                   invaluable when the furlough scheme was
                                      committed and prepared to give up your                  introduced. n

cipp.org.uk
@CIPP_UK                              14   | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | March 2021 | Issue 68
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Ways to prioritise
your wellbeing while
working from home
Dr Tracy Brower, PhD sociologist and principal with Steelcase’s Applied
Research + Consulting, outlines strategies

W
             orking from home affects           secondary and tertiary networks of people        posture’.
             us all differently and no two      with whom it’s easier to connect in the             In addition to activity, equipping people
             employees will have the            office. It’s important to stay connected.        with the right tools is also important for
same experience – which can make it             Social touchpoints – which can even be           physical wellbeing. Whether employees
difficult to know how to improve your           as simple as sharing a coffee over video         are in the workplace or at home, tools
own situation. With millions in the UK          call – help to keep us present and stave         such as an ergonomic chair, separate
working from home, it is more essential         off loneliness.                                  keyboard and mouse, and additional
than ever to prioritise wellbeing. From                                                          monitor are some of the necessities for
managing motivation and mood to lack            Science and self-awareness                       maximising work processes. Without
of social interaction and a blurring work/      Self-awareness and reflection are critical       these tools, employees can suffer from
life balance – working remotely during          skills in maintaining good mental health.        neck strain, lumbar problems, and other
a global pandemic is not easy. Through          Based on brain science, we know                  injuries.
extensive research and an ongoing               reactions like anxiety, loneliness or anger
dialogue with employees, Steelcase has          are natural and driven by chemical               Performance over presence
developed strategies for both employers         responses. In fact, the brain processes          Unfortunately, remote working can be an
and employees to put wellbeing into focus       change in a similar way to grief and loss,       obstacle to transparency, an important
(http://bit.ly/37wlkXo)..                       and people experience these in unique            characteristic of success. Trust plays an
                                                ways. By registering early symptoms of           important role here, and employers need
Maintain meaning and connection                 stress or anxiety, people can take steps         to create a climate in which employees
It can be easy to feel untethered and lost      to counteract these feelings before they         feel empowered to work autonomously.
in the current working climate. With such       become overwhelmed. Develop strategies           It is also helpful to ensure clarity about
significant global events taking place, there   to detect and diffuse your potential             performance expectations and what will
is a risk that work can begin to feel less      stressors as early as possible – and reach       be necessary for success or productivity.
meaningful. When individuals lose their         out to support colleagues as well.               This is critical in helping teams to measure
sense of purpose, they typically experience                                                      the quality of their work, rather than the
reduced productivity and engagement as          Thinking physical                                hours they spend on it.
well as a loss of happiness and wellbeing.      Along with mental health, physical                   Work/life navigation can also be a
Business leaders need to make sure that         wellbeing is also at risk while we can’t         challenge with remote work. The longer
employees feel their work has value and         be in the office. According to one study,        we work at home, the more the lines
facilitate meaningful interactions between      those working from home sit for an extra         between work and home blur – which
individuals and teams to boost motivation       two hours on average, compared with              can make it difficult to turn off at the
and energy levels.                              those working in an office. While it can         end of the work-day. To reinforce these
    The transition from seeing colleagues       be difficult to remember to get up and           boundaries, create physical separations
every day to working alone can be jarring.      move throughout the day, try scheduling          between ‘home’ and ‘work’ spaces where
Our social circles have gotten smaller, and     movement whenever you can. In addition,          possible, both visually and acoustically.
while we may still be communicating with        change postures as much as possible.             This separation will significantly contribute
primary contacts, we’re missing out on the      Remember, ‘Your best posture is your next        to wellbeing.
                                                                                                     Overall, the pandemic has caused
     ...detect and diffuse your potential                                                        obstacles for wellbeing, but it is possible

     stressors as early as possible – and                                                        to thrive. Our lessons learned through the
                                                                                                 pandemic can help us grow and improve
      reach out to support colleagues...                                                         over time. n

                                                                           Issue 68 | March 2021 | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | 15
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

     Starting your
     own business
      Eira Hammond ChFCIPPdip, independent consultant and payroll
      headhunter, Eira Connect, part of Eira Consulting Limited, addresses the
      issues of whether being a payroll consultant is right for you

      C
                onsulting has changed a bit                   payroll expertise in a part-time capacity. It   ● Do you have good salesmanship, and
                over the last twelve months or                could be that you are currently looking for     are you a good negotiator?
                so, especially with the delayed               your perfect permanent role, but until that     ● Are you analytical, and quick to frame
      introduction of IR35 in the private sector. It          comes along you’ve decided to do some           issues?
      is assumed that consultancy referred to in              interim work. Another way of trying out         ● Are you good at facilitating meetings?
      this article is outside scope of IR35.                  consultancy is by doing some small projects     ● Can you bring/add/generate value, rather
          There are loads of myths surrounding                in the evening or during your weekends          than just perform tasks?
      consultants and many of these statements                to earn some extra money. Whatever the          ● Are you diplomatic?
      have made me smile over the years,                      reason, you must always remember that as        ● Do you have a sense of humour?
      including the following which I’ll return to            well as doing the consultancy projects, you        If you can answer ‘yes’ to all of these
      later:                                                  will also have to administer your business,     questions – and you are self-assertive
      ● consulting is what to do if you’re out of             including sales, payroll, marketing, email      – you may be ready! But, are you ready
      work                                                    communication, accounts and all the other       financially?
      ● consultants get to keep all the £s they               tasks that are involved when running your          This is one of the difficult things you
      make                                                    own business.                                   need to be brutally honest about. How long
      ● consulting is glamorous                                                                               could you make it with no income? Do you
      ● consultants go to exotic places                       Is consulting right for you?                    have enough savings to live for six months
      ● consultants are their own bosses                      Once you have your goal, then you need to       or a year? Could you manage when there
      ● consultants have no personal life.                    really look at your skills and experience and   are dry spells and no work? Are you deeply
          Most of the above are partly true, but              consider whether consultancy is right for       in debt now? How is your credit? What if
      before you consider embarking on a career               you. Consider the following.                    you get sick? These are really important but
      as a consultant it’s only fair you see the full         ● Do you have the entrepreneurial spirit?       very difficult questions to answer, so it’s
      picture.                                                ● Are you self-disciplined and can maintain     crucial to be honest with yourself and be
                                                              focus?                                          realistic.
      Why be a consultant?                                    ● Are you astute in business issues?
      You could be consulting for a large                     ● Are you willing to work hard and make         Getting started
      organisation and want to start your own                 sacrifices for your business?                   There are a few options in the UK when
      business or maybe you are a bit of an                   ● Have you got good communication skills:       starting your own business including being
      entrepreneur and want to start your own                 listening, writing and speaking well?           a sole trader, partnership or having your
      consultancy practice? Perhaps you’ve                    ● Are you convincing, confident, influential,   own limited company. The GOV.UK site
      retired and want to continue to offer your              credible?                                       has some valuable resources to help you
                                                                                                              choose which option is best for you, so I’m

                    ...loads of myths surrounding                                                             not going to recommend as it really does
                                                                                                              depend on a lot of factors.
                             consultants...                                                                      Start with a business plan which

      16 | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |   March 2021 | Issue 68
You can also read