NEWS - Black Mountain Group

Global Money Movement and Payroll

Managing employee payroll in multiple countries brings many challenges, but one of the largest hurdles is global money movement. Each country has specific payroll and statutory payment regulations, as well as banking and currency requirements. If you need in-country bank accounts and currency conversion to pay employees across countries, your payroll funding can quickly get complicated.

The first step to simplifying payroll funding and money movement across countries is to look at your current operations. Do you understand what you are paying for currency conversion? Can you fund payroll in your current currency and settle in the local currency? Getting control of your payroll funding is key to reducing unnecessary costs and resources related to moving money across borders.

Author – Blue Marble Payroll

15/07/2021 Working Safely and Returning to the Workplace – Step 4 – 19 July 2021

As we come to the end of the week before Freedom day on 19 July, we have some guidance (source gov.uk) that you may wish to share with your staff about staying safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-summer-2021-roadmap/coronavirus-how-to-stay-safe-and-help-prevent-the-spread

Yesterday, Gov.uk updated their website for step 4 out of lockdown which comes into effect on 19 July named “Freedom-day”. However, we all know and appreciate that life will not return to normal overnight and that we are to “live with COVID-19”.

The Government guidance sets out “working safely during COVID-19” from 19 July.

The link to the full guidance is: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19/offices-factories-and-labs and is applies to England. There is similar guidance available for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland directly from this link.

It is a comprehensive guidance and is non-statutory and covers not just the employees within your organisation but all customers, agency workers, contractors and other people (such as clients).

The guidance covers (which you can click on to via the link above)

1) Thinking about risk (Risk Assessment advice)

2) Who should go to work (includes guidance on protecting people who are at higher risk, equality in the workplace, and people who need to self- isolate)

3) Ventilation in the working environment (to mitigate the risk of aerosol spread of COVID-19 in enclosed spaces

4) Reducing contact for workers (workplaces and workstations)

5) Reducing risk for your customers, visitors and contractors

6) Cleaning the workplace (pre and post reopening of your workplace)

7) PPE (personal protective equipment) and face coverings

8) Workforce management (work-related travel, shift patterns and outbreaks, comms and training

9) Tests and Vaccinations (accessing testing)

Source: gov.uk This document has been prepared by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) with input from firms, unions, industry bodies and the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. BEIS consulted with Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Public health is devolved in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This guidance should be considered alongside local public health and safety requirements and legislation in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. For advice to businesses in other parts of the UK please see guidance set by the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish government and the Welsh government.

This document is purely a guidance and is not to be read as legal advice. The team at Black Mountain are as always available to guide you through the forthcoming changes. Our advice is subject to Government updates/legislation changes/guidance.

06/07/2021 – Planning on Returning to the Workplace – 19/07/2021

Planning on Returning to the Workplace 19 July 2021 Black Mountain HR Outsourcing Solutions

Following last night’s Government announcement that the final stage of the roadmap out of COVID comes into effect on 19 July 2021 has been received with mixed responses. Many questions are being asked about returning staff to the workplace and what are the “rules”.

As the restrictions are lifted the government has decided that moving forward the return to the workplace, social distancing, mask wearing should be decided by the employers. What is crucial is for a safe return and with that poses many questions. Guidance from what we have established will not be reviewed until 19July 2021, but we have set out some of the considerations for your planning to return to the workplace, and we await the Government publications which have to date been sector-by-sector guidance and will be replaced with new generic advice.

COVID H&S Risk Assessments Review

It is imperative that you carry out a H&S Risk Assessment review prior to the 19 July and update where necessary any changes to the Risk Assessment that may come into effect with the lifting of social distancing, mask wearing. It is important that you involve your workforce as it is them that will need to ensure that they feel safe and not at risk returning to the workplace. Unions are challenging the announcement last night that without guidance, there are potential risks and legal challenge risks from employees against their employers if they fail to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all its employees (H&S at Work Act 1974, Section 2) and this includes risks from COVID.

The HSE has information on its website (due for a further review on 19July), about working safely and returning to the workplace and provides advice about good ventilation within the work area. Please read our guidance below on H&S.

Testing Your Staff

There is no legal requirement to COVID testing in the workplace, and many organisations who are introducing this is on a voluntary basis or as part of a workplace policy(except essential workers). However, it is important that no one can be forced to be tested. Any decision to test your staff (for their benefit and their colleagues) should be discussed with them prior to any implementation.

Staff Concerns about Returning to the Workplace

The last 16 months have been difficult for everyone and its effect on individuals varies. Whilst some have enjoyed the flexibility of working from home, some employees have and continue to struggle with the isolation, zoom/teams’ fatigue, balancing their work with other responsibilities. Communication with your employees and those who have concerns and/or anxiety about returning to the workplace are key. It would not be feasible for any employer to issue a general “we are all back to the office” as the work from home guidance ends, and we must all appreciate that workforces “one size fit’s all” approach will not work.

If any of your staff raises concerns about returning to the workplace, it is important that you alleviate their fears. If once you have revised and updated your COVID Risk Assessment you should share this with your employees and listen to any concerns that they have. As we have been told that we “now have to live with COVID” mask wearing in the workplace (as an example) should be a personal choice and not one necessarily governed by the employer.

We have been asked a generic question “what happens if an employee refuses to return to the workplace”. To enable you to adopt a suitable approach to employees refusing to return to work, we advise thinking about why you need them to attend the workplace as opposed to working from home.

Inevitably, in some sectors working from home is not a feasible option (because their roles cannot be undertaken remotely) so employees will be required to return to work without any room for flexibility.

However, in office-based work environments, there may be greater scope for employees to engage in homeworking on a regular which many organisations are implementing and referred to as Hybrid Working, which is a combination of workplace and home working. That said, just because an employee can perform their roles from home which many have had to do during the pandemic does not give them the automatic entitlement to do so in the longer term.

Many businesses have been able to effectively adapt their working practices to survive through the pandemic, but certain aspects may have suffered or been pushed aside to account for the circumstances.

Therefore, even if employees can carry out their jobs from home, there may be business reasons which enable you to require them to return to the workplace once it is safe to do so such as collaboration, training, performance and effective day to day management of the employees.

Individualised Approach to Employees

It is advisable to avoid general rules regarding return to work across the workforce, as any employee refusing to return to work will have their own personal reasons for doing so.

A duty of mutual trust and confidence exists between you and your employees and sits at the heart of any employer/employee relationship. Therefore, you must act fairly and reasonably when dealing with these types of issues.

It is important to find out why an employee will not return to work as they may have a valid reason and failure to acknowledge and accommodate their individual circumstances may result in them bringing a claim against you.

Health and Safety

Employees have the right not to be subjected to detriment or dismissed for refusing to attend work because they reasonably believe doing so would put them in serious and imminent danger.

Therefore, there may be scope for employees to bring claims on these grounds if they refuse to return to work because they don’t believe that sufficient precautions have been taken to protect them from the risk of Covid-19.

Such claims have already been brought to the employment tribunal, and although they are first instance decisions and not legally binding, the tribunal seems to have taken a strict approach and are certainly holding employers to hand.

Any decision will always depend upon the specific facts of the case, but it seems unlikely that the tribunal will uphold a claim based on general concerns about Covid-19 if you have taken reasonable safety measures, including regular in depth cleaning and providing sufficient hand cleaning/sanitisers.

Although the risk to health and safety caused by Covid-19 can amount to serious and imminent danger for the purpose of a claim, the overarching rationale is that the risk must directly relate to the employee’s working conditions and not just the risk of contracting Covid-19 generally in society.

Whistleblowing

There is also potential for employees to raise a whistleblowing concern regarding their employer’s failure to protect against Covid-19 in the workplace.

Genuine concerns about Covid-19 in the workplace may be considered a ‘protected disclosure’ and therefore the employee will be protected by whistleblowing legislation.

If an employee has raised such concerns and they are subsequently disciplined or dismissed for refusing to return to work, they may bring a whistleblowing claim.

However, for such a claim to succeed the employee must have raised concerns about an endangerment of health and safety which they reasonably believe is in the public interest and not just concerns over their own personal safety.

Disciplinary Action Is it Appropriate?

For the reasons outlined above, it would be a risky approach to implement the formal disciplinary procedure if an employee refuses to return to work and is it appropriate given the circumstances of their refusal. Each case again would have to be looked at on its own merit and circumstances.

In addition, if an employee has over 2 years’ service, they may be able to bring an unfair dismissal claim if they are dismissed due to their refusal to return to work.

It is essential that you clearly establish the employee’s reasons for refusal and that you address any concerns they may have.

If it is reasonable to require an employee to return because an employee hasn’t provided any reasons for their refusal and they do not have any protected characteristics which could lead to a discrimination claim, e.g. being disabled or pregnant, then you may be able to invoke the disciplinary procedure if they will not return to work in any capacity and more so if you have demonstrated that you have implemented safe working practices.

In this situation, the employee’s actions may amount to misconduct by failing to follow reasonable management instructions and their absence from work would be unauthorised, and therefore unpaid.

As a safer alternative to taking disciplinary action, you could ask the employee to use holiday or take a period of unpaid leave, although this could still carry a risk of claims, and in the longer term you would have to consider the impact that this has on your other employees, workloads etc and also what happens when their holiday entitlement has expired, so although this is an option, on a longer term basis this would not be feasible. However, it could be an option on a short-term basis.

If the employee has genuine and valid reasons for refusal, it is advisable to address the employee’s concerns and try to accommodate their needs as far as possible, for example incorporating homeworking if this is feasible.

If the employee’s refusal is completely unreasonable and unwarranted then disciplinary action or withdrawal of pay may be appropriate, depending on the circumstances.

Hybrid Working

Many organisations are implementing a non-contractual hybrid working policy for short and mid-term plans and where the longer-term plans of returning to the workplace fully have not yet been decided. Hybrid is a combination of splitting the working week between the workplace and home working.

Hybrid is and has been introduced by many organisations as we start to return to some normality and gives the opportunity of not only work/home life balance but also easing staff back into the workplace gradually.

Black Mountain have a policy if you would like to receive this, please let us know? Hybrid does not replace the statutory Flexible Working Policy for employees who wish to request changes to their workplace, working times etc on a permanent basis.

Right to Work Guidance & Late Applications – 28/06/2021

Right to work guidance and late applications - 28/06/2021

Over the past few months, Black Mountain have issued newsletters regarding the ongoing Right to Work in the UK following Brexit.

As we enter the last week of June and the forthcoming 30 June deadline, we have issued the latest version of the Home Office Right to Work guidance which explains the changes to the way, from 1 July 2021, EEA citizens evidence their right to work. Included in this newsletter sets out the implications and late application considerations and process.

Changes to right to work checks

To meet your responsibility to prevent illegal working, all employers must carry out right to work checks, before employment begins, on their new recruits. An appropriate check will give the employer a ‘statutory excuse’ against liability for a civil penalty in the event you are found to have employed someone who does not in fact have permission to work in the UK. If the right to work check shows that an individual’s right to work is time-limited, a follow up check may also be necessary.

The latest version of the Home Office Right to Work guidance explains the changes to the way EEA citizens, from 1 July 2021, evidence their right to work. Importantly, these individuals will no longer be able to demonstrate their right to work by presenting their EU passport or national ID card and will have to provide other evidence of their settled status, see below.

(However, note that Irish nationals continue to be able to live and work in the UK and so are not impacted by the new right to work checks.)

EU settled status – deadline is imminent

EEA citizens who were resident in the UK before the end of 2020 are eligible to apply under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) for settled status, which will enable them to continue to live and work in the UK. With only a few days left before the EUSS closes (the deadline is 30 June), employers are encouraged to have a ‘final push’ to encourage eligible staff to make their applications.

It may, however, be possible to make a late application under the EUSS if an eligible EEA citizen has ‘reasonable grounds’ for missing the deadline, as defined by the Home Office. Where an EEA citizen is considered to have reasonable grounds for missing the deadline, they will be given a further opportunity to apply. There is also a transitional measure available until the end of 2021, which may provide additional flexibility where the deadline is missed, see below.

If an EEA citizen has been granted settled status, they will have a continuous right to work in the UK. An EEA citizen with pre–settled status will have a time-limited right to work.

The Home Office has also recently published concessions in relation to maintaining continuity of residence and absences from the UK for Covid-19 related reasons, such as quarantine or travel restrictions. This may benefit those who are applying for settled status but who have been outside the UK for longer than the usually permitted maximum of 12 months.

For more information on the EUSS. Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status): Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

EEA workers whose right to work checks were carried out before 1 July 2021

Employers would have a continuous statutory excuse against a civil penalty if they carried out an appropriate right to work check as required by the rules that applied at the time of the check. Up to 30 June 2021, an EEA citizen could provide their passport or national ID card to you to prove their right to work. The Home Office has confirmed that there is no requirement for retrospective right to work checks under the updated rules, to be carried out for such workers although employers could choose to do so.

New EEA recruits whose right to work checks are carried out on or after 1 July 2021

From 1 July 2021, EEA nationals will no longer be able to demonstrate their right to work by presenting their EU passport or ID card. Instead, EEA citizens who have made a successful application under the EUSS are granted a digital immigration status linked to their passport and they are able to use this to prove their right to work using the Home Office online service. The EEA citizen will provide employers with a ‘share code’ and their date of birth, which will enable you to check their settled status online.

Note that there may be some EEA citizens who did not apply under the EUSS but who can instead prove their right to work via other means including showing that they have ‘indefinite leave to remain’, a frontier work permit or other status under the new immigration Points-Based System.

What happens if your existing EEA worker did not apply for settled status by the 30 June deadline?

It is possible that after 30 June 2021 you will identify an existing EEA worker who has not applied to the EUSS by the deadline and does not hold any other form of leave in the UK – because, for example, you choose to carry out a retrospective right to work check or an internal audit. In these circumstances, you do not necessarily need to take immediate steps to dismiss the worker. First, it’s possible that the worker has reasonable grounds to make a late application to the EUSS, as mentioned above. Further, under a new Home Office transitional measure in place until 31 December 2021, and provided your EEA worker was resident in the UK before the end of 2020 and so is eligible to apply under the EUSS, you should instead:

Inform the individual they must make an application to the EUSS within 28 days and provide you with a Certificate of Application (CoA); and
Obtain a Positive Verification Notice (PVN) from the Home Office Employer Checking Service (ECS) by providing relevant information and evidence.

The PVN, kept together with a copy of the individual’s CoA, will then provide you with a statutory excuse against a civil penalty for six months. You will need to conduct a follow-up check, before the expiry of the PVN, to maintain your statutory excuse until the time when your worker’s settled status is granted.

If your worker does not make the application to the EUSS within 28 days and they do not have reasonable grounds for making a late application, or if their application for settled status is unsuccessful, then you will not be able to continue to employ them.

EEA workers who have worked unlawfully in the UK from 1 January 2021

EEA citizens who entered the UK for the first time on or after 1 January 2021 are not eligible to apply under the EUSS. They will therefore not have the right to work unless they have another immigration status. This is the case even though an EEA passport or ID card is still acceptable evidence of a right to work up to 30 June 2021. The transitional measure discussed above will not apply to these individuals, which means that you cannot continue to employ them if you become aware of the issue. The Home Office has, however, indicated that it is not intending to prosecute employers who have employed EEA citizens in good faith, having completed a right to work check in the prescribed manner at the time, if they subsequently become aware that their worker does not have a lawful status in the UK.

Immigration Enforcement 28-day notice

From 1 July 2021, where Immigration Enforcement encounter EEA citizens, or their family members, who are working without the necessary immigration status, they will be given a written 28-day notice before any action is taken. This will allow individuals the opportunity to make a late application under the EUSS if they are eligible.

Adjusted right to work checks for Covid 19 – extension

Because of Covid 19, there are temporary changes in place to the way employers can check documents, including asking for documents digitally and making checks on a video call. These adjusted checks will now continue to be available until 31 August 2021. From 1 September 2021, employers will revert to face-to-face and physical document checks. An employer does not need to carry out retrospective checks on those who had an adjusted check between 30 March 2020 and 31 August 2021 (inclusive).

Action to take

• Familiarise yourself with the new Home Office guidance and in particular, the documents that are no longer accepted for right to work checks.

• Encourage all relevant staff to apply to the EUSS before the 30 June 2021 deadline if they have not already done so and offer support if needed.

• Amend your internal procedures for your right to work checks and new joiner documentation from 1 July 2021.

• Decide whether to carry out retrospective right to work checks for existing EEA workers. If so, carry these out if possible, by 31 December 2021 to make use of the Home Office transitional measure.

• Do not employ an EEA citizen after 1 July 2021 who neither has applied under the EUSS nor has an alternative UK immigration status.

22/06/2021 – Extension to Adjusted Right to Work Checks to 31/08/2021

The government have issued the following update following the announcement last week to extend the date for the easing of lockdown restrictions and social distancing measures.

Source gov.uk

The temporary COVID-19 adjusted right to work checks will now end on 31 August 2021. From 1 September 2021, employers will revert to face-to-face and physical document checks as set out in legislation and guidance. This will ensure employers have sufficient notice to put measures in place to enable face-to-face document checks.

Updated advice for employers carrying out right to work checks during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The following temporary changes were made on 30 March 2020 and will now remain in place until 31 August 2021 (inclusive):

checks can currently be carried out over video calls
job applicants and existing workers can send scanned documents or a photo of documents for checks using email or a mobile app, rather than sending originals
employers should use the Employer Checking Service if a prospective or existing employee cannot provide any of the accepted documents

Checks continue to be necessary and you must continue to check the prescribed documents set out in right to work checks: an employer’s guide or use the online right to work checking service. It remains an offence to knowingly employ anyone who does not have the right to work in the UK.

Checking an individual’s right to work using the temporary COVID-19 adjusted check measures

Up to and including 31 August 2021, if you are carrying out a temporary adjusted check, you must:

ask the worker to submit a scanned copy or a photo of their original documents via email or using a mobile app
arrange a video call with the worker – ask them to hold up the original documents to the camera and check them against the digital copy of the documents record the date you made the check and mark it as “adjusted check undertaken on [insert date] due to COVID-19

If the worker has a current Biometric Residence Permit or Biometric Residence Card or has been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme or the points-based immigration system you can use the online right to work checking service while doing a video call – the applicant must give you permission to view their details.

End of temporary adjustments

The temporary adjustments to Right to Work checks due to COVID-19 are ending.

From 1 September 2021, you must either:

check the applicant’s original documents, or
check the applicant’s right to work online, if they’ve given you their share code

Due to the impact of COVID-19 some individuals may struggle to show evidence of their right to work in the UK. As a result, you must take extra care to ensure no-one is discriminated against as a job applicant or employee because they are unable to show you their documents. For more information, please see the code of practice for employers: avoiding unlawful discrimination while preventing illegal working.

Retrospective checks

You do not need to carry out retrospective checks on those who had a COVID-19 adjusted check between 30 March 2020 and 31 August 2021 (inclusive). This reflects the length of time the adjusted checks have been in place and supports business during this difficult time.

Employers will maintain a defence against a civil penalty if the check you have undertaken during this period was done in the prescribed manner or as set out in the COVID-19 adjusted checks guidance.

It remains an offence to work illegally in the UK. Any individual identified who is disqualified from working by reason of their immigration status, may be liable to enforcement action.

If the job applicant or existing worker cannot show their documents

You must contact the Home Office Employer Checking Service. If the person has a right to work, the Employer Checking Service will send you a ‘Positive Verification Notice’. This provides you with a statutory excuse for 6 months from the date in the notice.

The HR team as always are on hand to advise.

15/06/2021 – Furlough Grant Claim & Right to Work in The UK Changes 01/07/2021

Furlough Grant Claim & Right to Work in The UK Changes Black Mountain HR

Effective 1 July 2021 there are changes to both the Government Furlough Scheme Grant and the Right to Work in the UK that employers need to be aware of.

Government Furlough Scheme Claim Changes

From 1 July 2021, employers are required to contribute 10% of the 80% (capped at £312.50 per month) and government contributing 70% of the 80% (capped at £2,187.50 per month).

From 1 August 2021, until the scheme is due to end 30 September 2021, employer contributions rise to 20% of the 80% (capped at £625 per month) and government contributing 60% of the 80% (capped at £1,875 per month).

Employer should note that one of the conditions to apply for this support is that you can demonstrate that your business continues to be adversely affected by COVID disruption.

Throughout this period, employers remain responsible for payment of any hours worked.

Right to Work in the UK – EUSS

EU, EEA & Swiss employees/workers will have to applied for settled/pre-settled status by 30 June 2021, and this date is fast approaching.

The deadline for EU nationals who were living in the UK before 31 December 2020 to apply for pre-settled status or settled status. Any EU national who wants to continue to live and work in the UK must apply through the EU Settlement Scheme by 30 June 2021.

Pre-settled status or settled status?

EU nationals can apply for pre-settled status if they have been in the UK for less than 5 years and they can apply for settled status if they have been in the UK for 5 years or more. In both cases, the individual must have been resident in the UK before 11pm on 31 December 2020. Applications for the EU Settlement Scheme can be made online.

Many employers have worked hard to ensure that their EU national employees have already applied and they have provided support to those who need it so they can continue to have the right to live and work in the UK. However, recent reports suggest that there are large numbers of EU nationals, including family members of EU national workers, who have not yet applied. Although the Government has stepped up its communications recently, there are many EU nationals who may not even be aware that they need to apply.

If you haven’t done so already, employers should review their workforce as a matter of urgency because the consequences for EU national employees who do not apply by the deadline are significant and will have a negative impact on your operation.

From 1 July 2021, those workers who have not obtained or applied for pre-settled or settled status will become illegal workers and could be subject to immigration enforcement action, even if they have been in the UK for decades or they have previously secured permanent residence status.

It will be unlawful for any UK employer to employ an EU national without pre-settled or settled status (or another valid right to work in the UK) and, if they do, they could be subject to civil penalties and criminal sanctions.

Whilst an employer is likely to be able to follow a fair process to end an employment contract legally in this situation, this is obviously something employers will want to avoid and one that the team at Black Mountain have been proactively working with clients to ensure that their obligations are met prior to 30 June 2021.

EU nationals who already have pre-settled or settled status can prove their status by providing their employer with a share code to conduct a right to work check online.

EU nationals who are not eligible for pre-settled or settled status (because they were not resident in the UK prior to 31 December 2020) will need another right to work in the UK, such as a Skilled Worker visa under the revised points-based system which was put in place post-Brexit. To employ an overseas national on a Skilled Worker visa, employers will need to be registered as a sponsor with a sponsor licence.

Sponsor Licence

Applications for a sponsor licence can take up to 8 weeks, although there is a priority 10 working day option available for an additional £500 fee.

Therefore, employers that do not have a sponsor licence but may wish to employ new EU nationals this year or in the future should have already applied or apply for a licence sooner rather than later.

All employers should use the online checking service working alongside their employees where share codes have been provided as part of their application, and if you require advice/assistance employers can contact the Employer Enquiry helpline:

Telephone: 0300 790 6268

Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4:45pm

Friday, 9am to 4:30pm

The team as always are on hand to advise.

Global Payroll and HR Compliance

After setting up business entities and hiring staff, the biggest hurdle of international operations is figuring out how to manage global payroll and HR compliance in each country. With unique regulations and statutory requirements, every country poses a challenge to your organization. How can you stay informed, keep track of new regulations, and ensure compliance in each new market?

The easy answer is technology, but finding the right solution that can scale with your organization is the most important. Using one payroll system of record for all of your employees will keep track of costs, deadlines, and ensure employees are paid accurately in every country. It is the same for global HR – you need a solution that provides employment and labor law requirements with automatic updates for each country so you can ensure compliance.

Author – Blue Marble Payroll

Why is Global Payroll so Complicated?

Payroll teams in the US have figured out payroll regulations, paying employees on time, and managing new legislation and regulations each year. So it would make sense that these same skills would translate to global payroll. Yet most companies find global payroll extremely challenging and struggle to maintain compliance. Why is global payroll so complicated?

In-Country Payroll Regulations

Every country is unique – and so are the payroll regulations. Between statutory benefits and leave policies, tax deadlines, and currency requirements, it’s hard to keep up. Add in a language barrier and time zone differences, and managing payroll becomes more complicated.

Using Different Vendors in each Country

Another hurdle for most companies is finding the right vendor to manage payroll in each country. In some countries you may use an accountant, in other countries it might be a payroll company. In every case you are using different systems, have varying deadlines, and typically use spreadsheets or email to communicate with the vendors regarding employee payroll. This can create compliance issues and data entry errors that can take months to unravel once discovered.

Lack of Data and Reporting

Using different systems and vendors for global payroll often leads to another challenge – lack of consistent payroll data and reporting. If you are not receiving monthly updates for each country, there is no way to identify payroll costs, spot errors, or correct mistakes. Global payroll has so many moving parts it can put your organization at risk if you don’t have access to data.

So how can you ensure compliance, simplify payroll in each country, and reduce resources needed to manage payroll for your global employees? Using one platform to manage global payroll is the first step to simplifying your global payroll process. If you have one system with automated updates in each country and real-time access to data and reporting, you can view payroll across all countries and currencies and ensure compliance.

Author – Blue Marble Payroll

Easy Steps to Simplify Global Payroll

Is your global payroll process getting more complicated? Are you sending spreadsheets back and forth to vendors in each country? Here are some tips to simplify your global payroll process and improve compliance for your organization.

The first step to simplifying payroll is using one platform to manage employees across all countries. With a cloud-based payroll system you can view payroll in real-time, approve and process payroll each month with the click of a button, and run custom reports across all countries. In-country regulations that change each year are automatically updated in the system, and statutory requirements are identified so you can maintain compliance.

Author – Blue Marble Payroll

How to Fix a Broken Global Payroll

Managing payroll is not easy – add in a few countries, and payroll gets even more complicated. So many moving parts, time zones, languages, and systems. It’s a juggling act on a good day, but when something goes wrong, it can take months to unravel. If you’re managing global payroll, you know how difficult it can be when a problem comes up. So how can you fix a broken global payroll process?

For starters, you have to figure out what is not working. Is it broken or outdated technology? Lack of data or reporting? Problems with the in-country payroll provider? Or a combination of everything? Identifying what exactly is going wrong is the first step. Now how to fix it – that’s the big challenge.

If technology is the issue in your global payroll process, you are not alone. Many companies are using different systems, spreadsheets and email to manage payroll in each country. There are many reasons why spreadsheets and email are a bad idea, but the number one reason is compliance. Spreadsheets and email are not GDPR-compliant, nor are they efficiently or accurately managing the very unique (and challenging) payroll requirements in each country. You need a payroll technology that provides one platform for all of your countries. You should be able to manage payroll in real-time with every employee from every country on one system.

If your payroll issues stem from lack of data or reporting, this is where your payroll technology should come to the rescue. You can’t manage employee payroll all over the world if you can’t view payroll in real-time and run reporting across all countries (and currencies!). Your employee data should be securely managed in one place, with access to custom reporting – if you need to look at one country, or 20 at a time, you should have instant access to your payroll at any time. Lack of data and reporting can cost thousands in unexpected errors or fraud. If you can’t see your payroll costs, you can’t manage your payroll effectively.

Now let’s talk about your in-country providers. Are you using accounting firms or individual payroll providers in each country? Do they work in their time zone or yours? Do you have weekly or monthly meetings to discuss how things are going? Communication with your in-country provider is key to ensuring compliance with local in-country payroll and tax regulations. If you can’t get an answer to a payroll question, how can you make sure payroll is running the way it should? If local tax authorities want to do an audit, will the in-country provider help you? If there are language barriers or time zone discrepancies that prevent you from communicating effectively with your in-country payroll service, it’s time to make a change. You need a partner that provides service in your time zone when you need it – not the other way around.

Author – Blue Marble Payroll