Chris McCracken’s role at Advo: As Commercial Director my role is to source connections and strategic partnerships to build brand awareness and drive sales.
Alison’ Gills role: As Director of HR & Payroll Alison’s role is to ensure that all employees within Advo feel rewarded and appreciated and their expert knowledge is continually improving and is up to date. Our business is built on the working relationships with our clients, so a key aspect is ensuring a high level of quality service and trusted, stable working partnerships. I am also accountable for ensuring that our service meets our clients’ needs and we are continually evolving and improving to be ahead of the ever-changing employment landscape.
Q. Can you explain how Advo’s technology platforms streamline the HR and payroll management process for businesses?
This is a user-friendly system that requires very little training as it is extremely intuitive and provides a straightforward solution for our clients.
User friendly
Within the ‘myAdvo’ platform, there are 3 access levels: Group Secretary, Manager and Employee.
Group Secretaries & Managers have access to employee data, can add & remove members, add benefits for the employee and dependents, view holiday and log sickness and upload fit notes. All other forms of absence e.g., maternity, paternity leave etc., can be logged.
The Group Secretary has immediate access to all kinds of information re employees
The system provides a holiday calendar and can create planned and unplanned leave reports & view patterns including the Bradford Factor score or any absence trigger method.
When an employee leaves, the system automatically calculates accrued unused or overtaken holiday and this ensures that final pay is accurate.
Employees can use My Pay My Leave & My Documents to view payslips, request and log holiday absence, view the company handbook and/or policies and see company benefits and total rewards (if authority given via the employer/broker).
Our in-house system means that employees have 24/ 7 access to their payslips and P60’s via the password protected portal. This negates the need for email or an employee requesting a copy of a lost payslip or other pay information.
Employees don’t need to ask employer for information
When an employee leaves, their P45 is uploaded to the system, and they have access to the system for six weeks after termination of their employment.
Q. What sets your solutions apart from others in the market?
Advo’s target market is Payroll clients of 5 – 200 employees and HR clients of 5-150 employees, so we are firmly in the arena of SME’s in terms of our offering.
Such smaller businesses may not have the resources to run sophisticated Payroll and HR solutions in-house.
Advo’s goal is to offer such businesses a level of efficiency and agility that they might expect from their iPhone or Android device, coupled with a personal champion to whom they have direct access in case of query.
Our bespoke Absence Management software offers SMEs a portal as sophisticated as they might experience with a larger corporate.
Efficiency and agility for GS, Managers, employees.
We do not supply templates or one-size-fits-all responses. Dedicated expert advisors work with you to look for the most straightforward and commercial solutions for your situation which is compliant and minimises risk of litigation. We advise upon all the steps to take and confirm all advice in writing and write scripts, letters and any other documentation tailored to the particular set of circumstances.
HR – bespoke letters & scripts
Payroll – accommodating of non-uniformity
For payroll we also have our own integrated payroll software, AdvoOne, which is more accommodating of today’s increasingly non-uniform employment hours and circumstances than any typical off-the-shelf product.
A discount portal is automatically included, worth a 6% wage increase,
Q. With the ever-changing landscape of employment law (new regulations only recently) and HMRC regulations, how does Advo ensure that clients stay compliant, and what kind of support do your qualified consultants provide during transitions or legal updates?
We proactively advise employers of predicted changes so that they are informed and can take proactive measures.
For example, there were major changes in employment legislation in April and we produced a document which was sent to all clients and followed this up with a phone call to each. We then updated all client documentation so that contracts and Employee Handbooks continued to be compliant.
Proactive in approaching clients re changes
Most recently, on 26 October, new legislation relating to Sexual Harassment came into force. Advo notified all clients in advance and when the legislation was enacted, we drafted bespoke policies for all clients and offered training as recommended in this legislation.
We also keep all clients up to date with both employment legislation and HMRC regulations, recent tribunal decision, trends and good practice via a monthly newsletter and posts on our social media channels.
If our Payroll Advisors spot anything that may not be compliant, they immediately discuss this with the client and provide best advice and our team of expert HR Consultants will also provide best advice at all times.
Payroll – links to HR in terms of best practise and compliance
It is our job to be the expert and pass on this knowledge to our clients.
Q. Outsourcing HR and payroll can feel like a big step for many businesses. How does Advo work to build trust with clients and ensure a smooth, efficient transition to your services?
When a prospective client first reaches out to Advo and expresses interest, they invariably have an immediate issue. We usually provide advice at that first point of contact and this immediately builds trust as it is apparent that our advisors can solve employer’s problems quickly, efficiently and professionally.
Receives a step-by-step solution to a problem
A new client will meet with a dedicated HR or Payroll consultant in the first instance and will get to know them. We strongly believe that first impressions are lasting and at the first point of contact, we do everything we can to start and build upon a great working partnership and manage a smooth transition.
For our payroll clients, the dedicated advisors take the time to talk through all of the data required and supply straightforward templates for population of information and they are there to help and support clients.
We don’t just make recommendations. We give exact and precise guidance, write letters and provide scripts.
Our HR Consultants review all existing employee documentation and amend as appropriate, or even draft a brand new suite of employee documents. The initial ensuring that all documentation is accurate is reassuring to our clients and takes away the worry that documents are old or out of date.
We take the time to talk to our clients and do everything we can to support them. There are frequent Teams meetings, telephone calls and emails.
Simplest, most straightforward solutions offered. No ‘blinding with science’.
We are not ‘faceless’ and our clients regard us as a part of their team as we get to know the nuances of their business and the way in which our clients operate.
Personal approach and relationship-building.
This is what sets up apart and the trust that we build has resulted in long working partnerships!
Q. How has your chamber membership added value to the work you do?
Sure; we’ve made a number of valuable connections and found the variety of events well-presented and organised, inspiring and cost-effective.