February 1st 2024, Release Note: WFM UK: | UK Payroll Module - New User Interface, Updated Paternity Leave and Pay Functionality

Summary

Release date: February 1st 2024

Payroll Module - New User Interface

• Enabled by default? - Yes - only for those customers using the new UI
• Set up by customer admin? - No
• Enable via support ticket? - No - please liaise with your Fourth contact to have the new UI enabled
• Affects configuration or data? - No

What's Changing?

Redesign of the Payroll module’s user interface on the following pages - select from the list below to go straight to that section:

• View P32 Details - Tax Month List
• View P32 Details - Edit P32
• Payroll Preview - Pay Elements & Deductions

 Please note: The Payroll module will continue to be refreshed into the new UI over the upcoming months.

The user interface has been updated to align with the other modules within WFM UK.

Reason for the Change

To give the product a more modern look and feel, and to improve the overall user experience.

Customers Affected

The new UI is available for the Payroll, Rota, HR, Tronc, Tronc 2, Benefits, Pension, and Scheduling modules. 

 Please note: The new Payroll UI will default to 'Off' for all customers who do not already have the new UI enabled. To get it enabled, please liaise with your Fourth contact.

Release Note Info/Steps

All functionality within the system will remain the same. The main user experience changes are shown below.

 There may be other minor changes to the Payroll module which are not detailed within this document.

View P32 Details - Tax Month List

• To access the View P32 Details page, go to Payroll > Administration > Company Setup > select Company > Page Links > View P32 Details

The existing UI page is shown in Fig.1.

Fig.1 - P32 Tax Month List - Existing UI

The new UI page is shown in Fig.2.

Fig.2 - P32 Tax Month List - New UI

View P32 Details - Edit P32

• To access the View P32 Details page, go to Payroll > Administration > Company Setup > select Company > Page Links > View P32 Details > select Tax Month

The existing UI page is shown in Fig.3 and Fig.4

Fig.3 - Edit P32 (Top of the Page) - Existing UI

Fig.4 - Edit P32 (Bottom of the Page) - Existing UI

The new UI page is shown in Fig.5 and Fig.6.

Fig.5 - Edit P32 (Top of the Page) - New UI

Fig.6 - Edit P32 (Bottom of the Page) - New UI

Payroll Preview - Pay Elements & Deductions

• To access this page, go to Payroll > select Pay Run > Preview > Type: Pay Elements & Deductions > Run Preview 
  • If run in the background, then once complete select Retrieve Most Recent Preview

The existing UI page is shown in Fig.7.

Fig.7 - Pay Elements & Deductions Preview - Existing UI

The new UI page is shown in Fig.8.

Fig.8 - Pay Elements & Deductions Preview - New UI

Updated Paternity Leave and Pay Functionality

• Enabled by default? - Yes
• Set up by customer admin? - No
• Enable via support ticket? - No
• Affects configuration or data? - No

What's Changing?

The new Paternity Leave and Pay rules allow fathers to take two weeks of paternity leave, separately, at any point within 52 weeks from the baby's born date. The Payroll module has been updated so that paternity leave can be booked in separate weeks.

Reason for the Change

To allow Fourth users to comply with the new Paternity Leave and Pay rules.

Customers Affected

All customers using the Payroll module.

Release Note Info/Steps

Please note: The Ordinary Statutory Paternity Pay page in the Payroll module is currently undergoing updates to the new UI. Screenshots below will be shown in the old UI with a future release note showing the changes to the new UI.

The changes made to the Paternity Leave and Pay functionality have been made to the existing 'Notification of Paternity Absence' page.

• In the Payroll module go to Employees > Employee List > search for and select an Employee
• Then from the employee record, go to Payroll > Employee Payroll Info > Ordinary Statutory Paternity Pay
• Select Add SPP Record or open an existing one

The new rules depend on the Baby Due Date, which determines how Paternity Leave records are created:

• If the due date is 6th April 2024 or earlier, with Adoption? not ticked, then the Paternity Leave record will be created in the existing, original way, where the two weeks are taken all in one go.

A Paternity Leave record will be created in the new way (where the two weeks can be taken separately from each other).

• The due date is 6th April 2024, with Adoption? ticked
  or
• If the due date is 7th April 2024 or later, with Adoption? not ticked

As shown below in Fig.7, some new Week 1/Week 2 fields are displayed when the due date is set as 7th April 2024.

Fig.9 - 'Baby Due Date' affecting the old (left) and new (right) paternity leave options

Please note: The original way of creating Paternity Leave and Pay records is unchanged and should continue to be processed the same way. 

Please note: In line with the new rules, this does mean that if the due date is on or after 7th April 2024 (or 6th April with adoption ticked) but the baby is born (or placed) before these dates, then the new rules still do apply and the father can take their paternity leave in one week blocks at any time within 52 weeks from the birth date.

• The Paternity Leave and Pay record can be created with just Baby Due Date entered, allowing the user to return to the record later when the baby has been born (or placed for adoption)
• This will take the user to the Paternity Pay Records page where normally the pay schedule would generate and be shown, but instead will show as blank. This is because Week 1 and/or Week 2 of paternity has not yet been booked:

Fig.10 - Paternity Pay Records Page (before booking of leave)

• When the baby is born (giving the father the right to now take paternity leave), the Baby Born Date can be entered, as well as the Paternity Week 1 Start and Week 1 Notified Date

Please note: As per the legislation, an employee is asked to give 28 days notice for each week of leave to their employer and whilst the page has been updated to apply a Notified Date for each week of leave, it will not exclude an employee from taking leave or receiving pay but is required for recording purposes. If the Notified Date is within 28 days of the Paternity Week 1 or 2 Start, a message will appear on the 'View Entitlement' page stating they may not be entitled due to insufficient notice but is left for the employer to decide.

Fig.11 - Baby Born Date and Paternity Week 1 Start added

Once saved, the Paternity Pay Records screen will appear, with Week 1 of Paternity Pay now showing, including the week, the amount and the exclusion status.

Please note: The employee in this example is excluded due to their earnings being too low.

Fig.12 - Paternity Pay Record for Week 1

• The ability to update the exclusion status or add notes after selecting an SPP payment record is unchanged and operates as before. Where it states, in this example, to view entitlement conditions for more information, the user can still select View Entitlement at the very top of this page as this is also unchanged and operates as before
• To add the second week, return to the SPP Record and enter a Paternity Week 2 Start and Week 2 Notified Date
  • This does not have to be done immediately, and Week 2 can be added at any point within the 52 weeks from the Baby Born Date

Fig.13 - Paternity Week 2 Start Added

Once saved, the Paternity Pay Records screen will appear, with Week 2 of Paternity Pay now showing including the week, the amount and the exclusion status.

Please note: The employee in this example is excluded due to their earnings being too low.

Fig.14 - Paternity Pay Record for Week 2

Week 2 is the same as Week 1 concerning the functionality remaining unchanged from this point.

Once a Baby Born Date has been added, but Paternity Week 2 Start has not, the Stop Date will update to 52 weeks from the Baby Born Date to show the last possible date Paternity Leave can be booked for.

Once Paternity Week 2 Start is entered, the Stop Date will update to the end of the second week of Paternity Leave.

Other dependent products or functionality have also been reviewed to ensure these changes are still accommodated:

• The Rota Module has been updated to ensure SPP continues to show when an employee is on paternity
• The Scheduling solution has been updated to ensure SPP continues to show when an employee is on paternity
• The Payroll Module will continue to pay SPP when an employee is eligible and due payment