Member Article

Fears ‘damaging’ auto enrolment will hurt British SMEs – survey finds

Research by Sage finds cash flow and administrative burden biggest worries with majority of small firms without a pension scheme

Two out of five small businesses are worried about the ‘damaging’ impacts of automatic enrolment, a study by payroll software provider Sage UKI has found.

Cash flow and the added administrative burden are the top concerns for small business owners, with the research finding two thirds of firms currently do not have a pension scheme in place.

The legislation will see businesses of all sizes across the country automatically enrolling employees onto a pension scheme. Larger firms of 250 employees or more have already held their staging date, but the real challenge will be getting small businesses who are not as well equipped to deal with the sweeping changes over the legislative hurdle, Sage said today.

The research, which spoke to 500 small business owners and decision makers in the UK, found two fifths (39%) are concerned that contributions towards employee’s pensions could cause the business to have cash flow issues in the next 5 to 10 years.

Forty per cent are worried over the administrative costs involved in setting up and managing auto enrolment, and 51% voiced apprehensions over the cost of contributions and the impact on cash flow. As a result of this, 38% feel this has potential to damage their business. The scale of the challenge ahead becomes clear with 69% saying they currently do not have a pension scheme in place.

The survey also casts doubts over the Government’s ability to help firms through the changes with more than a third (37%) stating that Westminster is not doing enough to raise awareness and help businesses prepare for automatic enrolment.

““With small firms already having to navigate red tape and bureaucracy, and the advent of auto enrolment will be keeping small business owners awake at night,” said Lee Perkins, Managing Director of Sage UKI’s Start-up and Small Business Division.

“However, the reality is that auto enrolment is here and the added cost could be problematic for businesses. However, help is at hand to get firms through this seismic shift in the way businesses deal with payroll and pensions.

“With staging dates on the horizon for many, the earlier a business seeks help the better but firms must remember that software can do all the heavy lifting and the very complex process of integrating pensions into payroll is turned into just a few clicks of the mouse.”

ENDS

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sage UK .