UK's smallest employers need to embrace auto enrolment

A Chartered Institute of Payroll Professional survey states that more than a third of workers reaching the end of their working lives are not planning financially for their retirement. 

At a time when auto-enrolment is very much at the forefront of SME owners’ minds, 36 per cent of individuals aged 51-60 admitted to having no pension provision.  Meanwhile, two-thirds of 20-24 year-olds surveyed also confessed to having no pension plans, with 30 per cent of all survey respondents fearing that their final pension pot is unlikely to be enough to live on when they do come to retire.

I would hope that most people are thinking about their future, but these results show that a great many towards the end of their working lives are not planning for their retirement. 

This should act as a wake-up call for SMEs to look at their automatic enrolment staging date and evaluate the role that payroll plays within their organisations.  Auto-enrolment is here to stay and will not go away by ignoring it.

Small employers should therefore be embracing auto-enrolment and promoting the virtues of it to their staff.  After all, the survey revealed that 55 per cent of employees feel saving for the future through payroll is a good idea.

If you would like more information please contact Lorraine Wilkinson or your usual contact at the office.