British Airways operates one of the most complex payroll environments in the UK, spanning multiple employing entities and a mix of weekly and monthly payroll cycles. Zellis supports BA with a tailored payroll service designed to maintain accuracy, ensure compliance and improve efficiency at scale.

The challenge

Payroll at British Airways is inherently complex. Multiple employing entities, highly configured systems and varied pay arrangements require a disciplined, resilient approach to ensure consistent delivery.

At the same time, payroll plays a critical role in maintaining trust with employees and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. British Airways needed a partner that could deliver reliable payroll at scale, while also supporting improvements in governance, efficiency and user experience.

A service model built around the customer

Zellis has worked closely with British Airways to design a service model aligned to the realities of its payroll operation.

A dedicated payroll team, supported by Zellis colleagues in the UK and Kochi, India, provides the consistency and specialist expertise needed to manage complexity at scale. This is underpinned by a follow-the-sun delivery model, with payroll processing completed overnight so BA teams can begin their working day with outputs ready for review. Daytime support then ensures that queries and exceptions are handled quickly and effectively.

Strengthening governance and resilience

A key priority for British Airways has been reducing dependency on individual knowledge and strengthening governance across the payroll function.

The transition to a managed service support model has enabled broader access to specialist expertise, while maintaining the benefits of a dedicated team. This has improved oversight, reduced risk and ensured greater resilience at critical points in the payroll cycle.

Peter Fryer, Head of Payroll Operations at British Airways, notes: “Broader access to specialist support teams has reduced reliance on individuals and strengthened governance, particularly at critical points in the payroll cycle. Importantly, this has been achieved without losing the benefit of a dedicated team and trusted contacts, who remain accessible whenever needed.”

This balance between structured governance and accessible support has been key to delivering a more robust payroll operation without compromising service responsiveness.

Delivering compliance and confidence

Ensuring payroll accuracy and compliance at scale is central to the partnership.

Zellis supports British Airways through a combination of structured processes, system controls and specialist expertise. Recent work has included supporting PAYE reconciliations, with the managed service team undertaking detailed analysis of payroll data to provide confidence in submissions to HMRC, including the complexities associated with earlier year adjustments.

This disciplined approach is reflected in performance outcomes. Payroll accuracy is consistently maintained above 99%, providing a strong foundation for trust across the organisation.

Improving efficiency and colleague experience

Alongside operational improvements, Zellis has worked with British Airways to enhance the experience for employees.

The rollout of MyPayPro and the MyView app to approximately 40,000 employees has significantly improved access to payroll information. Colleagues can now access payslips and related documents on demand, reducing reliance on manual queries and improving overall accessibility.

Peter highlights: “The MyPayPro and MyView rollout has enhanced colleague self-service, enabling employees to access their pay documents on demand. This has improved accessibility and the overall payroll experience for our people.”

This shift towards self-service has helped streamline processes while delivering a more user-friendly experience for BA’s workforce.

Enabling future innovation

The partnership has also created a strong platform for ongoing transformation.

The rollout of Zellis ResourceLink HCM was delivered seamlessly, enabling British Airways to realise the benefits of MyPayPro and unlocking further opportunities for automation and insight. This includes the use of Microsoft Power Automate and Power BI to reduce manual processing and improve reporting.

Peter says: “The rollout of Zellis ResourceLink HCM was seamless and has enabled us to automate routine payroll tasks and deliver richer insight and reporting, significantly improving our payroll operations.”

A partnership focused on continuous improvement

Zellis and British Airways maintain a structured governance approach, with regular operational and business reviews to assess performance, manage change and identify opportunities for improvement.

This ensures payroll delivery continues to evolve alongside the organisation, supported by proactive management of legislative change, system enhancements and operational refinements.

The results

  • Payroll accuracy consistently above 99%
  • Stronger governance and reduced reliance on individual knowledge
  • Improved operational efficiency and resilience
  • Enhanced colleague experience through self-service for around 40,000 employees
  • A modern payroll platform with strong foundations for automation and insight

A trusted partner

Zellis continues to support British Airways with a payroll service that combines operational reliability with continuous improvement.

Peter concludes: “Zellis continues to be a trusted and strategic partner, playing a key role in delivering a stable, accurate and compliant payroll. Their collaborative approach and ongoing investment have helped us improve governance, efficiency and colleague experience while maintaining consistently high levels of accuracy.”