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Real Time Information and HR Data

tknight — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:12:45 +0000

Important changes are taking place in the payroll process that will affect HR data and processes.

From April 2013 HMRC will use Real Time Information (RTI) to improve the operation of the PAYE tax system and ensure that recipients of the new Universal Credit receive the right amount of benefits every month relative to their pay. It will provide more accurate and up-to-date information on employees and pensioners, which can be a particular issue for those with multiple jobs, a mix of pension and employment income, or those who frequently change jobs.

As part of a pilot scheme, around 1,300 employers will move to RTI in July 2012, with HMRC assistance. After that, between November 2012 and March 2013, up to 250,000 more will be encouraged to join on a voluntary basis. Then, between April and October 2013, it will be compulsory for employers to move to RTI.

Once RTI becomes a reality, many of the forms filled by employers annually – such as P35 and P14 – will be abolished, while the P46 and P45 forms for starters and leavers will still be filled out for employees but do not need to be sent to HMRC. It is estimated that the reduction in paperwork around the end of the tax year will save employers in the region of £330 million in administrative costs every year.

Under RTI, employers will report tax and NICs deductions at the same time as they pay their employees, rather than at year- end. It will mean filing an electronic return, containing data similar to the current year-end returns to HMRC, at the end of each payroll period.

HR Data

Key HMRC data must be captured for each employee when setting them up on the payroll as it will no longer be possible to submit a P14 at year-end with the missing information.

The following data must be captured accurately as part of the payroll process:

• Full name – forename(s) and surname. HMRC has three fields for names – first, middle and surnames. Where present, HMRC would expect employers to provide correctly spelled names in full (eg ‘David’ instead of ‘Dave’). Titles and letters after the name must be separate from the above name fields.

• Actual date of birth in the format dd/mm/yyyy. You should not use a default date of birth. You should make every effort to obtain the correct date of birth for the individual.

• Gender

• National Insurance number. RTI-compliant software should allow for the National Insurance number field to be left blank if the National Insurance number is not known, but you must provide the employee’s address.

• Passport number. The passport number must be provided only if the employer or pension provider collects it as part of their checks of entitlement to work in the UK or receive a UK-based pension.

The most challenging piece of information to collect will be the National Insurance (NI) number, especially for those organisations that employ foreign nationals who will be required to apply for a NI number. To minimise delays in receiving this information a new NI number verification service will be introduced by HMRC as part of the RTI roll out.

RTI reporting will become an integral part of an employer’s normal payroll activity. When employers run their payroll the software will gather the information required (tax, NICs and other deductions) and send it to HMRC. This will be done using the internet through the Government Gateway or by using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) on or before the date payment is made.

What does HR Need to Do?

• Talk to your payroll software supplier to discuss whether the software you are using will be RTI compliant.

• Review your current HR and payroll processes to ensure that you will have all of the information to make your Full Payment Submission each month.

• Identify if there are any gaps in your current payroll reports to ensure that elements of your data is checked and correct prior to your Full Payment Submission.

• Encourage users to validate information by checking official sources, such as HMRC / Department of Work & Pension (DWP) / Passport documents or birth certificate.

• Educate users on how system reporting facilities can be used to validate data to identify possible errors.

For more information visit

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rti/employerfaqs.htm

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rti/developerfaqs.htm#2

Service Desk Online Portal

tknight — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:44:34 +0000

Our Service Desk is rolling out a new online support portal. Some customers have kindly helped us to implement the new system by testing it out. The portal has issue logging built in so you can now submit issues online. We also have a live chat feature so even when you can’t talk, you can still communicate with us. If you’re looking for an issue that we’ve already answered for someone else, you can search the knowledge base to find the answer. This is part of our drive to provide the very best support possible to our users, delivering support in a number of ways to meet your particular needs and making our support quick and painless.

If you’d like raise support requests online right away, contact the Service Desk who will set up log in details for you.

Thank you to everyone who helped us to implement the new portal. We really hope you like it.

CIPHR Time Off In Lieu and Timesheets

tknight — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:43:26 +0000

We’re releasing two major new features to our software, the first being Time Off In Lieu and the second being Timesheets.

Time Off In Lieu (TOIL)

CIPHR TOIL gives managers, employees and HR the ability to actively track and monitor how much time off in lieu is outstanding at any particular time. It allows users to request and use TOIL time in hours, enables managers/HR to verify these requests and it lets CIPHR People HR users remove hours from individuals’ TOIL balances.

Timesheets

This module is for employees to enter timesheets on a weekly basis and to provide a breakdown of their time spent against various activities. It has been developed in collaboration with a number of existing and new clients.

Functionality will be extended to include:

Managing and assigning time to clients / projects
Capture and management of Flexitime
Capture and management of Flexi-Holiday

If you’d like to learn more about this new functionality and what it could mean to your organisation, get in touch and we’ll be happy to fill in any gaps.

How Can Video Help New Starter Belonging?

tknight — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:24:01 +0000

New employees need a strong network of help to acclimatise to the changes, new knowledge and new culture around them. “Not fitting in” accounts for a huge number of new starters leaving and because new starters leaving is a huge cost. It’s worth paying attention to.

The cost of losing an employee in the first year is estimated to be at least three times salary – The Wynhurst Group

On one side, you could rely on the employees who have already settled in to support the new or, on the other, introduce the new starter to members across the business at all levels to gain a deeper understanding of the business. The difference between the two is time and money, but it is often worth it. Some companies who manage successful onboarding techniques choose to bring new employees together in an annual meeting along with key leaders of the company. Others arrange a meeting with the CEO early on to help bridge the gap.

While these are all excellent ways to combat losing new starters by helping them connect, there is an opportunity to do these things using video. By recording your CEO and key leaders, as well as employees around the business, new starters can gain a similar understanding of what the business is like at a lot less expense. Another advantage is that new employees can meet these people through video, before they’ve even set foot in the office. On top of using video to induct them, new starters can also be grouped, mentored or just encouraged to get familiar with employees around them. This isn’t an all out substitute for meeting people around the business, but it helps them connect to senior staff without losing time and because you only have to record it once, you can have access to lots of people rather than just one.

Benefits and Tax Compliance

tknight — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:14:36 +0000

The end of the tax year is rapidly approaching, and with that comes the need to start delivering information back to HMRC. One process that is often ignored until it is too late is that of reporting employee’s benefits in kind – the P11D. The completion of P11Ds is often a lengthy and complex chore, involving exporting data, manipulating spread-sheets, filling in forms and double checking data over and over. In many organisations it might also include a lot of printing, collating and stuffing of envelopes!

For tax reasons, HMRC needs to know if any employees are receiving expenses or benefits as well as pay over £8,500. You can find out how to meet the requirements on HMRC’s website here.

There is of course, an easier way. Our P11D Organiser is the most powerful and intelligent benefits and expenses package on the market. Powerful import routines can validate and import all your other benefit data, and then the P11D Organiser can do the rest. Benefit statements and P11Ds can be e-mailed direct to connected employees, significantly cutting down time and resource requirements, filing to HMRC is electronic, ensuring the whole process is fast and accurate, and everything is controlled through an icon-driven interface that makes the software intuitive and memorable.

If you’d like to find out more, contact us and we’d be happy to help.

The Three HR Software Trends Taking Off

tknight — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:45:46 +0000

The human resources, payroll and talent management market is worth $15 billion and it’s starting to change. Instead of these requirements being managed in-house with expensive infrastructure, companies are moving to cloud based options, Software as a Service is becoming more and more popular.

With this shift comes a more integrated outlook, instead of a disparate range of different systems designed to solve their own small issues, people are looking for a single solution. From managing recruitment to training management and workforce planning.

Thirdly, these offerings being served through the cloud mean that Ciphr can offer solutions without huge investment and with a modular product based solution that meets all the needs of the future whilst integrating current HR needs.

Every business that has employees and pays wages needs some sort of management solution, as that solution becomes more accessible and complete, the time for cloud, is now.

Social Media In Recruitment

tknight — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:21:31 +0000

We’re particularly interested in the future of recruitment and with the rapid growth and integration of social media in our lives we went in search of how others have been using it for thier own companies.

Click here to watch our video on Social media in Recruitment

From our Ciphr Event “Ciphr’s Going Mobile” we discovered a mixed response from our clients as to whether they felt social media recruitment was appropriate or not. Whether it should be encouraged or discouraged, it is clear that every business should think about implementing a policy to manage it’s use. We set up a discussion on our Ciphr Event LinkedIn group to see what you think and get some different perspectives from people like you.

Latest Organisations to Choose CIPHR!

Dan Whitmore — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:40:53 +0000

Just some of the organisation’s who have recently chosen to introduce Ciphr SaaS:

Walsall Housing Group Ltd

WHG is one of the largest and most successful providers of high quality housing in the West Midlands.

In the last eight years they have invested over £350 million in their homes and have developed a range of services that go beyond their traditional role as a landlord. WHG own 19,000 properties and work hard to make sure that they are well managed and maintained so that their customers can enjoy them in safety and comfort.

Lingfield Notre Dame

Notre Dame School was founded in 1940 by three of the School Sisters of Notre Dame who arrived in Lingfield from Faversham with 14 WWII evacuees. Originally occupying small houses in the village, pupil numbers increased to 70 pupils by the end of the War and the Sisters purchased Batnors Hall on the present site of the Junior School.

Infrared Capital Partners Ltd

InfraRed manages specialist funds, creating value through investing in projects in infrastructure and real estate. With over 15 years’ experience in structuring and actively managing assets, they identify and develop compelling investment opportunities for a diverse, global group of investors.

Isabel Hospice Ltd

Enhancing the quality of life of patients living with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses in eastern Hertfordshire.

Ri3k Ltd

RI3K (Reinsurance and Insurance for the 3rd Millennium) is the paperless trading service for the insurance and reinsurance industry. RI3K allows all types and classes of large commercial insurance and facultative and treaty reinsurance to be transacted over the Internet. Users simply log on and trade. RI3K has become central to the modern, paperless market, increasing efficiency, accelerating information, and driving out paper and cost.

Saul Trustee Company

SAUL started on 1 April 1976 and was set up to provide pension benefits for non-academic employees of the University of London. It now covers 50 colleges and institutions that have links with higher education including most of the colleges of the University of London, Imperial College and the University of Kent.

GSE Group Ltd

The GSE Group is unique. No other group of companies can provide as comprehensive a portfolio of skills and services to the building, civil engineering and construction sectors in the South East of England.

Poupart Ltd

The Poupart group of companies is committed to creating benefits and growth for all involved through the quality of its fresh produce, professionalism of its marketing and the excellence of the solutions it provides

Our Top 10 Most Influential HR Professionals

Dan Whitmore — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:36:18 +0000

For today’s post, we’ve produced a round-up of the top 10 most important, influential and interesting HR professionals in the UK.

Alex Wilson – Group HR Director, BT

Alex has served as the Group HR Director at BT since 2002, a regular at industry conferences and chairman of the BT Benevolent fund, Alex is famous for pushing the boundaries of HR into new directions and challenging the difficulties currently facing the recruitment industry. Alex has a global perspective gained from both his HR and line management experience across North America, Asia and Europe.

Kevin Ball – HR Director, West Corporation

Kevin Ball is an experienced specialist in effective business communication. With a strong UK online presence, Kevin has shared his expertise and experience tips on personneltoday.com and xperthr.co.uk and pioneers a proactive approach to action and change in the HR industry.

Krista Ogburn Francis – HR Director and HR Blogger

Krista has been working in HR since 1996 and she sets herself apart from other industry high fliers as her focus is not only on pioneering HR business models – but the majority of her work has been within nonprofit services, bring expertise to HR outside of a corperate environment. Her blog, kamaletalent.com shares her various insights and knowledge of the industry.

Laurie Ruettimann – HR Professional, Speaker and Writer

Laurie is famous and well respected for changing the face of the HR industry. Not only is she an experienced professional who has worked for various companies such as Pfizer, Kemper Insurance and Unilever she now is one of the most influential HR speakers, attending and speaking at conferences across the globe. Alongside bringing an edge to the HR industry and driving a strong online community her specialist advice has been featured in various publications such as The New York Times, CNN and AOL. thecynicalgirl.com.

Suzanne Lucas – HR Professional and Writer

With over 10 years in HR, Suzanne has turned her hand to writing useful advice to both HR professionals and those with issues within the workplace. She founded the successful HR blog carnivalofhr.com/ which is one of the most established HR blogs globally. Currently living in Switzerland, Suzanne has been seen writing for US News and CNS Interactive.

Neil Morrison – Group HR Director, Random House

Working for big house hold brands such as Argos, Rentokil and Home Retail Group Neil Morrison has over 15 years experience in HR. He is a leading figure in creating new and innovative solutions to traditional HR and recruitment problems. Neil recognises that the currently HR industry needs to be radically improved on current HR best practice and to focus on more practical and long-term solutions.

Steve Browne – Executive HR Director, LaRosas

Steve Browne has over 16 years experience in HR across various niches and recognises the need for HR staff to integrate full with the entire business as a whole to streamline a company’s growth and strategy overall. He runs a well established HR blog sbrownehr.com where he offers practical and usable HR advice and solutions.

Graeme Martin – Professor at the University of Glasgow

Graeme currently lectures at the University of Glasgow. Following an early career in personnel and industrial relations management, he has published widely in the fields of HRM and change management. Graeme is an expert in one of the country’s foremost experts in HR and Business Management, having published six books on the subject, the most recent being Managing Corporate Reputations: Opportunities and Challenges.

Graham Salisbury – Head of HR at Tearfund, Lecturer

Graham Salisbury started his career as a teacher and since moved into the turbulent world of HR. He runs a successful HR blog hrcasestudies.blogspot.com/ which offers various resources, advice and tools for HR professionals. He has a strong online following and brings a flavour of humour and offers practical advice on current and topical issues within HR practice.

Peter Hros – Associate Manager

Peter Hros has 8 years experience in people management and runs a site dedicated for those interesting learning new techniques in a changing market. hrbeginner.blogspot.com/. Having worked in various countries across the globe, Peter brings a focused and innovative approach to HR and Management, with a genuine passion and keen interest in the industry.

Let us know what you think of our choices in the comments – do you think we’ve missed any key HR professionals out?

CIPHR at the SSA 2011

tknight — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:29:26 +0000

We were honoured to be nominated for the 2011 Software Satisfaction Awards, recognising excellence in business software. From 14 entrants, we were shortlisted in the top 5 finalists in the category of Enterprise Human Resources and Human Capital Management. The eventual winner was not a direct competitor of ours as they deliver solutions which cover just a small part of our overall offering. We’d like to think we still hold the top position in our own field and we know we hold the top position with so many of our clients.

We are celebrating this success because of the amazing support and compliments of our users and for that we are extremely grateful, honoured and proud to be where we are. We know that we can deliver so much more and will continue to work closely with all our clients to deliver the best possible service.