The challenges affecting payroll in the age of COVID-19

On the morning of 19^th March 2020, an out-of-office message came into PayDashboard’s inbox which captured perfectly the current challenges faced by payroll providers in the age of Covid-19. It read:

“……..Unfortunately, in light of the government announcement yesterday our payroll provider is now working remotely so we are no longer from today going to receive paper payslips from them to distribute to our employees.

If you would like a pdf copy of your payslip please send us an email stating your preferred email address and we will send you a PDF copy. We can only apologise for this inconvenience and thank you for your understanding in this unusual period…”

This message is a stark reminder of the situation many payroll providers are finding themselves in as they rush to cope with new and unprecedented ways of working.

Many payroll teams aren’t set up for sustained remote working

Payrollers have had no time to prepare for these changes and have had to scramble to accommodate their company or client needs as they adjust to new working environments. How do you accommodate printing hundreds – or thousands – of payslips without all the payslip printing machinery? There are four options:

1. Someone must go to the office to print the payslips. However, this is against the Government recommendation, and with the possibility of further social distancing imminent, may only be a temporary option.
2. Use home printing facilities that staff may already have and mail in individual envelopes. This may be possible for small numbers of payslips, but postage costs will be high, and it will require a trip to the post office.
3. Emailing payslips. This is an immediate solution and will be the go-to option for many businesses. There are security considerations to think about with this though. Download our guide “GDPR and Emailed Payslips” to understand the three main security points to consider when emailing payslips.
4. Using an online portal. This is the most secure method. You’ll need to consider how easy it is to implement with your current payroll software and ensure it is accessible for staff from home. There will possibly be a cost involved, but it is likely to be cheaper than options 1 and 2 above.

How long can can this go on?

No-one knows just how long the impact of COVID-19 will be felt, or how long the workforce will face isolation. And with the new tax year just around the corner, things could get a lot worse before they get better. Issuing P60s can be a headache at the best of times, but even worse with no access to printers.

The challenges are significant and for many, a drastic restructuring and implementation of new (and most likely digital) processes will be required to meet them.

We want to help

PayDashboard are doing all we can to help payrollers during this difficult time. We acknowledge the challenges being faced in the sector and have solutions in place for those needing assistance.

Our online payslip and PAYE form portal can be integrated with almost any payroll software. If you need a quick or interim solution, we are helping by offering:

• Short-term (3 month) contracts to plug the gap in this time of uncertainty.
• Free training webinars for new customers to help you get up and running quickly.

As a dynamic SaaS business, we are well prepared to operate in the current climate (read our Business Continuity statement here). We can (and already do) undertake remote product demos, implementation and training, and can have you up and running quickly.

If you are having problems or have concerns about payslip/P60 delivery, please contact us or book a live demo with one of our team.

We look forward to supporting you in any way we can.