Paying staff effectively: making the Shift

“If anyone could do a better job than Stewardship’s Payroll Bureau team, I’d like to meet them!”

When Andy Simmons needed help as trustee of Shift Nation, a newly established charity, he went straight to Stewardship’s Payroll Bureau team. “I’ve been involved with Shift for several years.” Andy says. “The founder, Caleb Meakins, wanted to find a way to encourage his generation to go deeper. Often, our twenties are defined by partying and socialising. Caleb and his friends wanted to see an inspired shift in that culture.”

Shift Nation achieved charity status in 2016, having been run by Caleb and two friends on a voluntary basis since 2012. “I’d known Caleb for a while, and when I was working at Stewardship, we had a chat about charity formation, payroll and all the other professional services available. It was early days for Shift, but when Caleb asked me to come on board as a trustee, I was delighted to say yes. I’m the treasurer and formed the last piece of the jigsaw as far as the board was concerned. The other trustees are an associate vicar, a lawyer, a prayer warrior and a networker. It’s an incredible bunch of people.”

As Stewardship’s former Finance Director, Andy knew that our professional services are more of a partnership, getting alongside clients and going the extra mile. When the trustees began a conversation with Caleb about working part-time for pay, there was only one place Andy could recommend. “We got in touch with Mark Partridge on the Payroll Bureau team a year before we needed to, so that we could present a full picture to the Trustees about Stewardship’s services. We wanted to ensure we were meeting all the standards and being fully compliant. We got the green light and then waited until we had enough financial reserves to make the job offer to Caleb.”

Andy was blown away by the service he received. “Honestly, we were over the moon. Even though I used to work with these guys and knew about the incredible services Stewardship provide, the Payroll Bureau team were outstanding. They thought of lots of things we hadn’t and gave us all the benefit of their professional experience. It was crystal clear. There were no hidden costs or extras and their advice enabled the board of trustees to make a wise decision.”

Every busy person acting as a trustee shares an issue – lack of time. Andy was no exception. “I’d been dreading the process as I thought it would take me ages to fill in all the forms, read the emails and pore over all the paperwork. I heaved a sigh, set aside an entire afternoon and then found I was all done in 20 minutes! I couldn’t be happier about the way it went!”

Jackie on the Payroll Team was quick to step in whenever something was needed, saving yet more time and hassle. “I made a few queries during the process and within a couple of minutes, they were sorted. Jackie didn’t know about my connection with Stewardship, but simply treated me as she would any client, offering support and advice and going above and beyond at all times.”

It was Andy’s former knowledge of Stewardship that made him pick up the phone, but the excellent service surpassed even his expectations. “The team have been so amazing that it makes me look good! They’ve made a massive difference in that we don’t have to worry about anything to do with payroll. We get an email every month confirming that Caleb has been paid, which is a huge relief to us. Shift Nation has got an employee and it’s not consuming any of our management time.”

Stewardship's Payroll Bureau Service

As paying staff becomes more and more complex, we take the time to understand the specific needs of churches and Christian charities and provide a simple solution. You can be confident that your employees will be paid accurately and on time and our service will ensure that your payroll procedures are compliant with the latest legislation and regulations. It is an award winning and comprehensive solution tailored specifically to relieve the administration burden from our clients and over 560 clients who employ more than 2500 employees between them trust us to be their solution.