For the Bloomsbury Group, running multiple pubs and bowling venues comes with plenty of challenges — payroll being a big one! With a mix of salaried and hourly employees, holiday pay, new starters, and tips to manage, it is essential for them to have a smooth and accurate payroll process. That’s where Brook Financial (part of Old Mill) come in to provide expert payroll and auto-enrolment services.

“Having Brook handle our payroll has made a huge difference. Their efficiency and attention to detail mean we don’t have to worry about payroll errors or compliance issues.” – Charlotte Smith, Financial Controller at Bloomsbury Group

Since April 2024, Old Mill has been working with Bloomsbury Group to handle their payroll across 30 different Pay As You Earn (PAYE) schemes and their 16 different sites/establishments.

Using Bloomsbury’s time and attendance system, we automatically gather all the necessary information, including:

• Hourly wages and salaries,
• Holiday pay,
• New starters and leavers,
• Bonuses (added separately),
• Tip allocations based on Bloomsbury Group’s scheme.

“Our approach to payroll is both proactive and responsive. We have the ability to integrate seamlessly with client’s systems.” – Abi Marsh, Client Manager at Brook.

This streamlined approach reduces manual input, ensuring payroll is accurate and on time every month.

Once payroll is processed, it goes through an approval process and secondary checks with the key managers. We track all approvals carefully to ensure payroll is signed off on time. Plus, we manage pension contributions by submitting them to the pension provider every month and taking care of declarations when needed.

“The team at Old Mill are always on top of things. They make sure approvals are completed smoothly and deadlines are met, so there’s never a last-minute rush.” – Charlotte Smith.

Payroll processing happens in the last working week of each month, which means there’s no room for delays. Once everything is finalised, bank files are prepared and uploaded by Bloomsbury Group’s financial controller so employees get paid on time, every time.

Always here to help

Payroll doesn’t stop at just processing numbers! Throughout the month, we stay in close contact with their financial controller, Charlotte Smith, and the management team to provide support on:

• Advance payroll details
• Ad-hoc payroll and tax advice
• Employee payment queries

Charlotte notes: “It’s reassuring to know that whenever a payroll question arises, Old Mill is just a call or email away with a solution.”

On top of payroll, Bloomsbury Group have access to all Old Mill’s financial experts from tax advisers to financial planners.

Abi sums it up: “The Brook and Old Mill teams understands a client’s business inside and out. And our support extends beyond payroll, making us an invaluable resource in our client’s financial operations.”

With Old Mill’s expertise, Bloomsbury Group can focus on running great pubs and venues while we take care of the numbers and Payroll. Our goal is to make payroll effortless, accurate, and stress-free every month.