A change form is an excel document used to indicate what changes are meant to be made on the payroll, using the change form to receive changes makes it easier to receive several different documents as everything is in one place.
Axiomatic sends out the initial change form which will have the necessary employee details on the Employee detail screen, which will flow into the different tabs.
The client will fill in the details on the different tabs to provide us the information we need to process the payroll. Axiomatic sends out a query form for further clarity or confirmation if the information on the change form is unclear, once the client confirms the input in question and payroll is signed off by the manager, the prelim reports are sent out to the client with an Amendment form. On the amended change form received back from the client, the following information will be provided, fixed changes like salary increases or additional allowances, or once-off changes like leave paid out or overtime paid. Also new starters and Terminations.
We prefer that the client uses Axiomatics’ change form because we tailor it to the client’s needs and according to how our processing steps work, however, we do have few clients that use their own change form and it makes the process more difficult as in some cases we receive the information on pdf and all processing needs to be done one by one as we cannot use bulk uploads to upload the changes, it then leaves room for typo errors.
During the implementation phase, the client’s change form template is sometimes accepted, the manager and payroll administrator must review the change form and if they believe it is not efficient for processing input, the manager must set up a meeting with the client and advise on how the template can be improved. It is important that the manager raises any issues such as pdf input and incorrect input received from the client in the beginning to eliminate issues going forward.
We have an SLA (Service level of agreement) which we need to uphold with the client to achieve this we need the correct information to process the payroll, the change form aims to ensure the client sends us input in the correct format to avoid confusion and back and forth communication on email and phone calls which can easily be missed.
The change form makes processing the changes easier as it is in the format that the system requires for input. It aids in checking the payroll by the manager and variance checker easier.
Together with the emails it serves as an audit to show what changes the client requested and helps when there are queries as to why the changes were made.
We must customize the change form to the client’s specifications to ensure all information is completed. By completing and updating the Change form monthly we will eliminate input errors such as invalid employee numbers, duplication of input, and allocation of components. We must ensure that the components on the change form matches up to the components on the Blueprint.
Axiomatic works to ensure that the POPIA act is followed; the change forms are password protected, and for clients who do not want their change form password protected, we use a shared drive to ensure that their information is secure and that they are the only ones who have access to it.
The change form consists of several different tabs each with its purpose. We have a basic Axiomatic Template change form from which we work, but we can customise it to fit every client’s needs.
The change form consists of 13 standardized tabs namely:
These are the normal standard tabs but can be different according to the client’s needs. Because we do not require all the information to process payrolls, the new POPIA act allows us to modify some of these tabs. We will no longer require specific Employee personal information, such as address or dependent data, on the Employee details tab and for new employees; instead, we will just require the information necessary to execute the payroll, which will vary by country. Nigerian payrolls, for example, need the employee’s home state, whereas South African payrolls do not.
The basic client change form is created by implementation and updated by Operations when the client is handed over. It must be updated monthly with Employee information and new components, and if clients need changes such as additional tabs or removing unused tabs.
An example of a change form with client-specific tabs be the Group Five payrolls where we have extra tabs for Dependent information for new starters or an employee with a dependent change and then a Transfer Tab which is used when an employee is transferred in between different frequencies in the company.
The list is created as a source of input for all dropdowns and V-lookup formulas that filter into the other tabs, for mandatory and optional fields. Information such as Basic details, address, and Tax status do not need to be updated monthly unless Legislation has changed. GL Codes, Job title, Job Grade, and Cost centres must be updated monthly. |
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Do not reference information outside the workbook as the client will not be able to see the drop list if the reference is on your desktop or shared drive. |
This Tab gives you quick access to the required sheet, click on the arrow to the desired tab. Ensure the date is the applicable month. |
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Ensure the Axiomatic Icon redirects you to the Navigation tab if links are not working right-click and select edit link to correct. Make sure that only links to tabs that are active are still here, delete the ones that are not in use. |
This Tab shows the basic information on all active employees on the payroll as it is on the system in the current month. |
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This tab is also country and client specific, In Ghana, for example, the employee’s SNIT number is important where in South Africa it will be the ID number and tax number, some clients might want the email address to show while others want the reporting manager. Ensure the date is as per the applicable month. To streamline this the payroll administrators can create a hidden tab where the Dynamic report can be pasted and then do vlookups into the employee detail tab. |
This Tab is for new employees, which is split into different sections. Employee details, personal details, contact details, Address details, Employee status, Payrate, Recurring allowances, Position details, Banking details, Leave profiles. Not all these fields are mandatory, and headings marked with * are mandatory. Ensure all auto-populated formulas such as Job grades that are linked to Leave. Drop-down options should be dragged accordingly as well as vlook up formulas. |
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To check that vlookups are added on all applicable cells, hold Shift + ~. To add drop-downs select Data – Data Validation – List – Location of drop down listing. Ensure that all drop-down listing is selecting for the listing to populate correctly. Ensure all auto-populated formulas such as Job grades that are linked to Leave populate. Drop-down options should be dragged according to as well as vlookup-up formulas. |
A lot of these tabs will soon be changed due to the new POPI act, as some of these information will no longer be required to process a payroll.
With the new layout of Payspace Next Gen Platform. The New employee tab will need to be amended so it follows the steps for the Employee bulk upload. To ease the processing step to load a new starter.
The information on the tab will also different from client to client as well as country to county, as they all have different requirements.
If the New employee tab is filtered into the order as it is on the bulk upload form it will make it a lot easier for the administrators to load new starters.
In addition to making the upload easier, checking the new employee tab will be easier by extract the basic profile, selecting the load data option which will show all active employees and downloading.
Once the data is downloaded and the Change form template is as per upload template, true or false formula can be applied as shown:
Next Gen Extract added to change for validation.
True/False Validation, this will only work if the structure is as per upload sheet. The Validation will have formatting conditioning will show red if the input is not as per NextGen report.
Terminated Employee tab is used to indicate which employees are terminated and information required for the final salary like Notice Pay, Leave Pay, Termination date and reason. |
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This tab can be customized to have the formulas in already as to where the client will state leave days and the formula will then calculate the amount from the information from the Employee details tab so the variance checker and Manager can double check it from there. It will also then already give the client an idea of how much they need to account for. |
This Tab is for change of banking details, ensure formulas and dropdowns are working. |
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Ensure Employee number and Account number are in text format to ensure the zeros do not fall away when the client adds banking details. |
When the change form is set up all earnings that are on the Blueprint must be on this tab. This should be updated as the client requests new components to be added. On the earning tab, we can add the note to an empty column to state that if they require a new component, it can be added to this column but it will be billable as it was not received before the change form was due. This tab is used to indicate the once-off earnings the employees must receive, like Overtime, bonuses, reimbursements. |
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To lock cells for clients not to change the formulas, go to Review – Protect worksheet – add password – Ok. On the earnings tab we can add the FX rate with a formula in which will automatically give you the earing the earning in the converted currency, which will help the Manger and Variance checker with their check |
When the change form is set up all deductions that are on the Blueprint must be on this tab. This should be updated as the client requests new components to be added. On the deduction tab we can add the note to an empty column to state that if they require a new component, it can be added to this column, but it will be billable as it was not received before change form was due. This tab is used to indicate the once off deductions on the employees’ salaries, like advances or other like lunch, petrol. |
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Ensure components names are correct as this assists variance checker and manager when using the index formula. All new components must be added on the blueprint. It becomes easier to check if the component is recurring or once off if a vlookup on component name is done from the blueprint. |
Company contributions tab is used for fixed changes like medical contributions, pension, or provident changes. |
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This tab is not used by a lot of the clients but can be customised to help with checking as to when an employee is entitled to pension or provident with the set % |
This tab is used to add increases, changes to grade, job title, line manager, provident fund, and pension. Update drop-down list under the listing for positions, cost centres, and departments monthly. Vlookup formulas must be working accurately. |
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Add formatting conditioning by clicking on Home – Formatting conditions – highlight cell rules – Duplicate Values. This will ensure all duplicate employees are flagged for you to query with the client. Where the grade influences the bonus provisions, we can add tabs to help with the formulas to be checked. |
This tab is used for adding garnishees, maintenance orders, and loan changes. Update the formulas and ensure you drag down the formula. Add formatting conditioning as well as locked cells for employee name and surname. Bank account and reference number must be in text format to ensure zeros are not omitted. Not a lot our client use this tab and it will be an advantage if we can incorporate this into our checks where the balances are updated every month. |
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Garnishee commission is added on the change form to ensure that client is aware Fihrst charges 5% commission, If the client uses Fihrst third party payment, a formula can be added on the change form. Clients must be told during implementation phases of the commission as this may cause issues in the future such as if the garnisher expects to receive R150 and only received R142.50, the instalment will not be paid in accordance to the agreement. |
This tab is used for updating medical aid changes. Update drop-down list using the listing tab and ensure IF formulas are dragged down and tested to ensure they work. The test can be done by add existing employees. |
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If a client uses the medical tab to update medical aid changes and does not provide medical aid billing. The Tab is vital for medical aid changes. We advise clients to provide billing with change form as this eliminates errors. However, this is not always the case and client is told as SLA that we are not liable for medical aid errors if the changes are sent as per payroll. |
This tab is used for advising on employees who are on paid and unpaid maternity leave. The tab indicates the period in which the employees will be on leave.
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The client advises on the percentage of the pay rate while the employee is on maternity leave. For instance, if the employee will be on 50% maternity leave and this can be loaded on the suspension screen on NextGen (Under on and off-boarding – Suspension). |
This tab is used for the client to see the employee’s structure before amendments are done.
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Ensure the Tab has the applicable month’s components before the input is processed. The Tab must be clearly labelled to show this is data before any changes. |
The basic client change form is received from implementation when the client is handed over to operations and can be changed as the client’s needs change.
Specific tabs can be added that a client needs. Example of a change form with client specific tabs will be the group five payrolls where we have extra tabs for Dependent information for new starter or an employee with dependent changes and then a Transfer Tab which is used when an employee is transferred in between different frequencies in the company.
Multichoice Angola has two lines, one in Portuguese what the payroll is set up and one in English so we know what the components are.
Other changes can be brought into the change form to make the checking process a lot easier.
Like on the Earnings tab we can add formulas to already do the working for the overtime.
Every month the change form needs to be updated and sent to client.
On the change form there is a hidden tab “list” where we update the dropdown lists.
Some of these fields do not change at all, they are set up form the start and remain the same.
The fields that need to be updated monthly are: Position, Department and Cost centres.
A report from the system needs to be pulled to check that your data matches.
Steps:
➢ Data – Data Validation – Click on the list source.
Just make sure that the entire list is selected. Next you make sure that the dropdown is selected for the entire column by dropping down the formula.
Employee Details Tab
On the Employee details Tab, make sure that all the correct information is on the change form. Pull a Dynamic Employee details report and copy and paste all the information in.
Make sure that on all the tabs where the information pulls from the Employee detail tab that the formulas are in and working.
By pressing Shift and the ~ button all the formulas on the sheet will show, and you can check.
Make sure that all the tabs show the current month that you are working in.
This will change when you change the month on the Employee detail tab.
By adding the Count Formula the report will automatically count the head count: