Hestia is a charity that supports adults and children through some of life’s most challenging circumstances. With 1,100 employees and over 1,300 volunteers, the organisation provides services across housing, mental health and domestic abuse, helping people lead their own recovery journeys through compassionate, frontline support.
For an organisation delivering essential services across London, payroll continuity is critical.
The challenge
When Hestia’s payroll manager left the organisation, the team faced an immediate challenge: ensuring payroll continued to run accurately and on time.
Alongside the loss of a key member of the payroll function, the team needed support with technical payroll issues and day-to-day payroll operations while helping a relatively inexperienced payroll team navigate the transition.
For Abdul Islam, Senior HR Payroll, Data & Systems Manager at Hestia, the biggest concern was straightforward. “How were we going to run payroll? Of course, we were worried about making sure people would be paid on time.”
With more than 1,100 employees relying on accurate and timely pay, Hestia needed experienced payroll expertise it could trust.
The solution
Hestia was already familiar with Zellis Payroll Assistance Services (PAS) and the quality of support available through the team. Having benefitted from PAS expertise in the past, the organisation was confident it could access the specialist knowledge and practical support needed during a potentially disruptive period.
The PAS team provided monthly support to help guide Hestia through payroll processing, offering technical expertise, practical advice and day-to-day assistance whenever it was needed.
Alongside helping the team maintain business-as-usual payroll operations, the Zellis PAS team also provided guidance on technical payroll matters, including changes to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) legislation, ensuring Hestia could navigate regulatory changes with confidence.
The implementation process was straightforward, with the wider Zellis team helping make the transition simple and seamless.
As Abdul explains: “Charlotte Claridge, Head of Payroll Assistance at Zellis and the PAS team at Zellis stepped in brilliantly. She acted as a guide for our under-pressure payroll team.”
The results
Since engaging Zellis Payroll Assistance Services, Hestia has maintained complete payroll continuity.
Payroll has run successfully for three consecutive months without errors or issues, giving the team confidence during what could have been a highly disruptive period.
The support also helped the organisation identify opportunities to strengthen and improve its payroll processes for the future. Guidance on complex payroll matters, including SSP legislation changes, gave the team additional confidence that they were meeting both operational and compliance requirements during a period without a dedicated payroll manager.
Most importantly, employees continued to be paid accurately and on time, allowing Hestia to remain focused on supporting the people who depend on its services.
As Abdul puts it: “The best compliment I can give is that we have not noticed the payroll manager has gone.”
A trusted payroll assistance services partnership
For Hestia, the value of PAS comes from the combination of expertise, responsiveness and practical support.
The service has provided reassurance during a difficult period, helping the team maintain business-as-usual operations while ensuring payroll remained accurate, compliant and reliable.
When asked what he would say to another organisation considering PAS, Abdul responded: “Of all the services that have been provided, I’d say PAS is the most worthwhile that I’ve experienced. It’s just good value for money.”
Looking ahead
Hestia plans to continue working with PAS, building on a relationship that has already delivered significant value during a critical period for the organisation.
With access to trusted payroll expertise whenever it is needed, Hestia can remain confident that its payroll operation is resilient and well supported, whatever challenges lie ahead.
