Payroll

So the UK (as a union) has voted to leave the European Union with some Scottish politicians hinting of a further independence referendum, and some in Northern Ireland wanting a joint Irish nation! At the same time, Job Centre Plus has run out of National Insurance numbers (NINOs) and decided in June 2016 to start issuing NINOs with prefix ‘KC’.

With the result of the UK referendum to leave the European Union and indication by Scotland’s first minister to run a further Devolution referendum, in this blog I consider the potential implications for the next few years for Scotland and Payroll services.

So the nation has chosen to progress leaving the EU with a popular vote of 52%. Whether that was a result that was expected or not, the voice of the people has been cast with change into the future inevitable for both the UK, the European Union and the rest of the world – a wake up call for many. Globalisation may need to reconsider its relevance in reality to people – something’s are appropriate and other things not. There’s Global, Glocal and Local (and ever that were true it is evidenced in international Payroll).

On 23rd June 2016, UK voters decided in favour of leaving the European Union (EU) in a landmark referendum. Since then it’s fair to say that UK politics has seen a fair amount of turmoil:

The National Living Wage (NLW) became compulsory for employees aged 25 and above, at a new minimum rate of £7.20. Not to be confused with the voluntary Living Wage (LW) set by the Living Wage Foundation with a £9.40 London Rate and £8.25 elsewhere which has attracted over 2,000 accredited employers since 2011. ‘Almost two million workers are expected to have their pay topped up… for those currently on the minimum wage, it will mean a pay rise of over 10 per cent’.

With the upcoming referendum later this month, which will decide whether Britain should leave or remain in the European Union, UK businesses – employing EU workers – will need to contemplate how “Bexit” might potentially influence their future hiring, talent management and overall workforce management best practices. Currently, millions of highly skilled EU immigrants work in the UK.

April 2016 saw some of the most significant legal changes to impact payroll operations and software. I would venture that this year’s new changes have been some of the most impactful yet, more so than the introduction of Real Time Information(RTI). New requirements for Scotland including the Scottish Rate of Income Tax and changes to Earnings and Maintenance Arrestments. A revolution in national insurance with the removal of Contracting out and Under 25 Apprentice NICs being introduced. The list can go on.

Do you believe that above all else, the most important factor behind an employee’s engagement and productivity is their relationship with the direct supervisor? If you do, you’re not alone. Many believe that if people get along with their managers well, they’re likely to work well – it’s often as simple as that!

It is up to management to create a culture that fuels innovation, and there are some steps leadership should take to achieve that sort of workplace.

Following the judgement of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (9th March 2016), the question of salary sacrifice and maternity rights has been thrown into question! Was HMRC errant in providing guidance? Are employers now off the hook with provision of non-cash benefits in kind during maternity?

I’ve been working in a software implementation environment for nearly 20 years and in that time I’ve seen many successful projects. Sadly I’ve also seen a number of less successful projects and if I were to pick a main cause for each of them the two recurring themes would undoubtedly be: