The COVID-19 pandemic has been a game-changer for digital transformation in Malaysia. A small business survey by global professional accounting organisation CPA Australia found that 40% of surveyed small businesses in Malaysia increased their focus to online sales in 2020. Of those small businesses that invested in technology in 2020, 42.4% of them said it made their business more profitable.

For global companies, the digital transformation has happened in the space of just months during the pandemic. According to Twilio CEO, Jeff Lawson, some large multinational corporations have fast-tracked their digital transformation by an average of six years.

The increased speed of digital transformation has meant that more companies have been able to appreciate the benefits of outsourcing. This has been particularly important for maintaining business continuity during the pandemic.

 For example, pre-COVID, some companies had payroll systems requiring on-site staff to process payroll. However, when the Movement Control Order (MCO) was in place, payroll staff couldn’t get to their offices to perform their duties. The solution for many of these companies was to outsource payroll to an expert service provider that uses a cloud-based HRMS solution to process employees salary payment offsite, even in the middle of a pandemic. One of the added benefits of outsourcing payroll is that businesses can remain compliant with rapidly changing payroll regulations in Malaysia.

While the pandemic has fast-tracked digital transformation, it will remain an important driver of business growth for the foreseeable future. SMEs may find it difficult to keep up with the rapid pace of technological change, but this is where outsourcing can be truly valuable. By outsourcing their non-core business functions to a specialist outsourcing company, SMEs can:

• save money from not having to implement and maintain expensive technology;
• have greater business continuity when the unexpected happens; and
• increase operational efficiency by allowing staff to focus on core strategic business drivers.

Here are the top three ways your company could benefit from outsourcing:

As Malaysia’s economy gradually recovers from the impacts of COVID-19, businesses need to focus on strategic planning to stay competitive. A good place to start is understanding the current financial health of your company.

Outsourcing your accounting function can help to clarify your company’s financial health status. A complete picture of your company’s finances enables you to make more informed decisions as the economy begins to recover.

 Our team of professional chartered accountants at BoardRoom can help by painting a clearer picture of your company’s current cash flow and seasonality. They have the expertise to critically analyse your receivables and collections, so you can more effectively assess organisational performance. With this information, you can then make the best strategic decisions to stay competitive and position your business to thrive in ‘the next normal’.

Looking ahead, futureproofing your business is paramount. Outsourcing services can help your company stay resilient in the face of uncertain and challenging market conditions.

As one of the leading professional services outsourcing companies in the Asia Pacific region, BoardRoom offers a variety of comprehensive and value-added corporate services, including:

• payroll services – we make payroll management faster and simpler, and help your stay compliant with all the payroll regulations and requirements in Malaysia
• accounting and bookkeeping – our team of certified chartered accountants and finance professionals ensure your company maintains accurate financial records and in full accordance with the relevant regulations
• corporate secretarial – you will be assigned a dedicated corporate secretary that helps your business to meet all corporate regulatory requirements in Malaysia and across APAC, and minimize administrative burdens from corporate compliance tasks
• tax advisory and filing – leverage our tax-planning expertise maximise your return, and mitigate the potential financial penalties
• share registry – we take a customised approach to support your specific needs, including conducting shareholder meetings and ensuring proper maintenance of shareholder records in accordance with local statutory obligations
• IPO share issuing and registration house – as one of only two licensed share issuing houses in Malaysia, we have decades of experience to guide you through your Initial Public Offering (IPO) process
• employee stock options plans – we offer a comprehensive platform that streamlines all your ESOP processes that benefits both your employees and the organisation

By consolidating all your back-office functions into one vendor, you gain greater efficiencies and business productivity.

Speak to our team of experts today about how we can help to futureproof your business and help your business embrace the opportunities presented by “the next normal.” In this ever-changing business landscape, embracing the advantages of outsourcing and digital transformation becomes not just a strategic choice but a necessity for success.

Before we examine some common payroll compliance challenges in Malaysia, it’s useful to understand the essentials of the payroll process and the main compliance considerations. Let’s start with a primer on the fundamentals of payroll in Malaysia.

• Paid public holidays: Employees are entitled to be paid for 11 gazetted public holidays per year. Of these 11 days, five must be:

1. Hari Kebangsaan or National Day;
2. Birthday of Yang di-Pertuan Agong;
3. Birthday of the Ruler or Yang di-Pertua Negeri or Federal Territory day (varies per state);
4. Labour Day; and
5. Malaysia Day (16 September).

The remaining six paid public holidays are chosen at the discretion of the employer from the following list and these must be communicated to employees either via written notice or as stated in their employment contracts:

• Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w);
• Chinese New Year (2 days, except 1 day in the states of Terengganu and Kelantan);
• Vesak Day;
• Hari Raya Puasa (2 days);
• Hari Raya Haji (1 day, except 2 days in the states of Terengganu and Kelantan);
• Deepavali;
• Christmas Day; and
• Awal Muharam.

However, the government can declare additional ad hoc, paid public holidays throughout the year. If these days are declared at short notice, employers can nominate a replacement day.

In addition, there are a number of state based holidays observed around the country. However, employers are not required to pay employees for these holidays unless they have selected them to be included in their list of paid public holidays for their employees.

• Compulsory annual leave entitlements: employees are typically entitled to between 8-16 days of paid annual leave, depending on their length of service with the company.
• Compulsory sick leave entitlements: Employees are entitled to between 14-22 days of paid sick leave, depending on their length of service with the company.
• Compulsory maternity leave entitlements: New mothers are entitled to 60 consecutive days of paid leave for each of their first five children.
• Optional leave entitlements: employees can also apply for the following optional leave types, which are typically unpaid and subject to employer approval:
  • compassionate/bereavement leave;
  • marriage leave; and
  • study leave.
• Paternity leave: most employers also offer 1-3 days of paid paternity leave, but this is not a statutory requirement.

• Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF): employers and most employees (Malaysian citizens or permanent residents only) must contribute to the EPF retirement benefits scheme. The EPF contribution rate for employees varies depending on their monthly salary, whereas the employer contribution is 12%.
• Social Security Organisation (SOCSO): employers must contribute to Malaysia’s mandatory social insurance schemes, which are administered by SOCSO. There are two schemes:
  • The Employment Injury Insurance Scheme (EIIS) provides cover for employees who experience work-related injuries or diseases. The EIIS applies to all Malaysian citizens, permanent residents, and foreign workers (excluding domestic servants).
  • The Invalidity Pension Schemes (IPS) provides cover for employees who experience invalidity or die from causes unrelated to their work.

Employers must make a monthly contribution to SOCSO on behalf of each eligible employee.

• Employment Insurance Scheme (EIS): employers are required to make monthly contributions for each employee. The EIS provides financial assistance to workers who have lost their job while they seek new employment.
• Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) Levy: this is a compulsory levy paid by employers with 10 or more employees (Malaysian citizens only) working in the manufacturing, services, mining and quarrying sectors. The levy rate is 1% of each eligible employee’s monthly wage. It allows companies registered with the HRDF to receive financial assistance when they participate in specific training and upskilling programs delivered by HRDF training providers.
• Other contributions>: some employees may also be required to make student loan repayments to the National Higher Education Fund Corporation, or make donations known as Zakat to fulfil their religious obligations.

Our team of payroll experts can guide you through the complexities of the payroll process in Malaysia to help make your business expansion more successful. We can set up your company’s payroll so that you get it right the first time, every time.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a large multinational corporation or a fast-growing SME. Outsourcing to an international payroll processing company like BoardRoom ensures your company has an efficient, accurate and compliant payroll process right from the start.

Speak to our team of payroll specialists in Malaysia today about how outsourcing payroll can give you more time to focus on what really matters: your company’s growth and profitability.

Outsourcing payroll is the low-hanging fruit for increasing company efficiency. Instead of spending hours every pay cycle on payroll processing, an administratively heavy task, HR teams can focus on achieving more strategic objectives, like increasing employee engagement to boost organisational productivity.

Regulatory changes that affect payroll happen at break-neck speeds, which can make staying compliant a challenging, time-consuming process. In Malaysia, four regulatory bodies develop payroll processing rules. They each issue notifications when a change to the law is made and your company needs to ensure that these changes are accurately translated into payroll formulas.

It is easy to make mistakes when updating payroll formulas, especially if they involve IF, AND, OR logical functions. If the formula is wrong, payroll is calculated incorrectly which can cause problems like under or over paying wages and tax. Chances are, you may not even realise that an error has occurred until after receiving an expensive non-compliance fine.

Outsourcing your payroll to a specialist service provider, like our team of experts here at BoardRoom, can minimise your exposure to these compliance and regulatory risks because we take care of it all for you, including updating payroll formulas correctly. We also ensure a quick, timely turnaround that meets all the statutory requirements of employee payment, further helping you avoid risk.

Having a dedicated team of professionals with local knowledge of Malaysia’s labour laws is essential for your company. It means your business can take advantage of the team’s years of payroll experience without being exposed to the strict protocols and multi-level cross-checking that they’re subject to.

BoardRoom can deliver payroll outsourcing services across 19 countries and regions in APAC, with the option to coordinate your administration via BoardRoom Malaysia or decentralise coordination across all our local business sites. This is especially beneficial for companies that operate in different states or across multiple countries because our dedicated team will work with you to ensure compliance in each area, freeing up your in-house HR team.

Some companies operate payroll systems that require staff to be on-site in order to process payroll. If the unexpected happens, as an example; your payroll staff can’t get to the office to perform their duties, or a key member of your team responsible for payroll approval resigns, how will your employees get paid? Payroll that is outsourced to an expert provider guarantees payroll continuity so that your employees are paid on time, every time.

Getting your employees paid accurately and on time is critical to the success of your company. And as every HR professional knows, there is no room for error when it comes to payroll. However, managing payroll effectively can be challenging for in-house teams when they are trying to keep up with local regulatory compliance while simultaneously managing the needs of a growing workforce. This is especially true if your company operates in multiple countries across the APAC Region.

Our team of payroll experts here at BoardRoom will take care of payroll management for you, ensuring that pay runs are efficient, accurate, and compliant at your office in Malaysia and any other branches you may have in the region. Our team has worked across multiple industries, countries, and situations, so you can rest assured knowing that your payroll is in the best of hands. Ultimately, this means less stress for your HR teams.

Another advantage of outsourcing payroll services is that you can stay flexible in rapidly changing business environments. Outsourcing allows you to quickly scale your payroll service requirements as needed, instead of having to recruit, onboard, train and retain additional in-house staff.

As the saying goes, ‘two heads are better than one’. When you outsource payroll, your company gains access to a pool of payroll knowledge specialists without the expense of retaining them in-house. Our team of experienced payroll experts have managed payroll for businesses of all sizes, types, and industries across the APAC Region, making sure you meet legal requirements and stay compliant in multiple localities. Take advantage of their vast experience and knowledge to really build your business so you can take it to the next level.

The best payroll outsourcing vendors are not only experts in all things payroll, but also offer a variety of integrated, value-add corporate services, including:

• human resources;
• accounting and financial;
• corporate secretarial;
• tax advisory;
• share registry;
• share issuing; and
• employee stock options plans.

By consolidating all your back office functions into one vendor you stand to gain greater efficiencies and business productivity.

Spend less time sorting out pay runs and more time on your company’s growth and profitability by outsourcing your payroll function to our team of experts at BoardRoom.

Whether you are a large multinational corporation or a fast-growing SME, our team makes processing your payroll in Malaysia and across the APAC region easy.

Our comprehensive payroll outsourcing services include:

• Determining gross to net salary
• Producing variance reports, payroll journals, and payroll details
• Transferring net salary into bank accounts and providing pay slips securely (soft or hard copy)
• Preparation of year-end reporting forms and appendices (soft or hard copy)
• Digital management of staff leave entitlements and expense claims
• Regional payroll administration across 19 countries in APAC
• Streamlined support by Ignite payroll software, our cloud-based HRMS solution

So if you want efficient, accurate, compliant payroll processing that saves costs and alleviates stress from your team, speak to our specialists today about how our outsourced payroll services can best benefit your company.