Softworld HR and Payroll Solutions 14-15 October
Venue: Olympia 2, London
Keynote speakers: Andy Crossey, vice-president, head of HR consulting, Capgemini; Kevin Hart, chairman, British Application Software Developers' Association; Liz Lay, head of training, Institute of Payroll Professionals; Phil Nilson, employer strategy manager, HR Revenue and Customs; Karen Thomson, associate director of policy and research, Institute of Payroll Professionals
The payroll professional's favourite topic of debate - 'Is or isn't the function part of the HR discipline?' - gets another chance to be aired next month, as London Olympia plays host to Softworld, billed as the 'HR and Payroll Solutions' show next month from 14 to 15 October. According to recent research by ADP Employer Services, opinion is still split about where exactly payroll sits, with some 49% of 750 payroll bosses interviewed believing it should come under finance, and 40% taking the view that it should be run from HR.
But the organisers of the Softworld show also hope delegates will have much more to talk about than this, having refreshed the conference programme this year to include more heavyweight speakers, seminars and masterclasses to keep visitors to the exhibitor stands busy.
There will be five industry speakers on each day of the show, debating current legal and best practice issues. Keynote speakers include Karen Thomson, associate director of policy and research at the Institute of Payroll Professionals (IPP), who, in her talk about current and future legislation, will be updating delegates on Scottish local income tax, the impending introduction of ID cards, expenses/benefits and the important forthcoming changes around dealing with the Child Support Agency.
On the second day, the stage will belong to Phil Nilson, employer strategy manager at HM Revenue and Customs. He will be looking at the impact of the most recent statement from the chancellor (in May), the changes that will be made to statutory payments in October, and he will also speculate on the Government's proposal to put benefits-in-kind and expenses payments through payroll.
Other industry speakers will include Andy Crossey, vice-president, head of HR consulting, Capgemini (on simplifying the absence management process); Liz Lay, head of training at the IPP (benchmarking), and Kevin Hart, chairman of the British Application Software Developers' Association (BASDA) on software compliance and ROI.
The conference organisers have responded to calls for more case studies, so the speaker programme will also be jam-packed with real-life client experiences from the likes of John Lawrence, group transport manager at the Co-Operative Group, Jan Paxton, HR projects manager at Marshall Motors, and Russell Piper, HR director of GESeaCo. Presentations will cover everything from selecting payroll partners, legislative compliance, and the importance of keeping data clean.
All delegates can plan their days and bookmark particular sessions to attend by registering at the Softworld website (www.softworld.co.uk). Exhibitors confirmed (at the time of going to press) include the big names of the HR and payroll software world. Among them are: Anacomp, Armstrong Consultants, Artisiam Software, Bond International Software, Cascade HR and Payroll, Frontier Software, NorthgateArinso, PAS, Pyramid HR, Select Software, Snowdrop Systems, and TeamSpirit Software (see product preview, opposite).
