06 Dec GDPR – Payslips and Data protection Changes
Payslips and Data protection Changes
We all have seen the adverts of various online portals offering e-Payslip services. Some employers haven’t paid much attention to them, others switched to e-Payslips because they were convinced to do so by their HR/Payroll departments, or Payroll agents, and the last group have actually made a conscious decision to start distributing wage information through an online portal rather than by other paper or electronic methods.
Becoming GDPR Compliant
Until recently it didn’t really matter which option you chose as you were still compliant with the current data protection law (although e-mailing sensitive information has never been very secure). E-Payslip portals were being considered just as additional service for employers and employees.
However, changes coming from May 2018 with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), will make the transmission of wages data to your staff a much bigger impact on businesses owners.
Fines of upto 4% of your annual turnover can be levied for falling foul of the new legislation, so isn’t it time to consider if your current practices need updating, and reconsider if you aren’t using an e-Payslip portal yet? Apart from putting your mind at ease and making sure you are GDPR compliant – here are a few more advantages of having an online e-Payslip portal:
1. Secure Communication
Have you ever sent an e-mail to the wrong person, or do you know someone who did? The experience is not a pleasant one, does not look professional. We all have personal bank accounts,
and they would never send confidential, sensitive information such as statements via email.
2. Time Saving
Most of the modern portals have Payroll software compatible plug-ins, which means that employee’s information is input only once and then it is matched and submitted automatically by a press of a button by your payroll software or provider.
3. Saving Money and the Environment
It may not be cheaper than if you are just e-mailing .pdf Payslips to your staff, but it costs a lot less in time and money than using printed Security Payslips and posting or handing them out to your staff each payday.
4. Accessing Historical Data
Most employers have had calls from employees starting with “I need copies of my last 3 Payslips” or “I’ve lost my payslips can you reprint them”. Providing employees with their own secure online portal independency means they have the secure access to the Payslips wherever they are. They can access whenever they need them using their own personal email address and password. Digital portals offer not only uploading wage information, but other documents like P60s and P45s as well.
5. Attracting Staff
Nowadays, if we want to attract new people to our business and keep the existing ones, you need to go the extra mile for them.
Our portal with Paydashboard actively advises staff if they can save tax or are on an incorrect tax code, and also offers additional Benefit Schemes and Rewards where you can offer some online discounts and discount vouchers to your staff. If you’re recruiting – it may be this little thing that will sway the candidate to your side.
• To download a copy of the Paydashboard ‘Payslips and GDPR’ factsheet click here.
If you would like to find out more about using Digital Payslips with Paydashboard then please visit our website here or contact payroll@ea-assist.co.uk.
EA Assist charges are currently £0.50 per employee billed monthly, and there is no set up fee until 31st March 2018