IRIS Software Group, one of the UK’s largest software companies, and Western Union Business Solutions, the payments arm of the Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments, today announced a five-year international partnership to offer simplified global payroll and payments solutions worldwide.

This partnership will serve the growing demand for world class, cross-border payroll and currency payments for organizations with a global workforce. It allows in-house teams and specialist providers to deliver payrolls in large volumes, furthering employee peace of mind and happiness, wherever they are based.

Over the past year, the location of employees has become less important, but the complexity of different cultures and regulatory environments continues to limit access to global talent pools. Working together, Western Union and IRIS Software Group are seeking to eliminate these barriers for the benefit of all customer stakeholders, with payroll, finance, HR and operational teams now viewing payroll as the hidden gem to employee security and peace of mind, freeing them to focus on their own business.

IRIS FMP is a trusted partner in international payroll, benefits, payments and HR solutions; approximately 20% of the UK’s workforce is paid by IRIS payroll offerings and 90% of the global workforce is covered by IRIS HR and payroll solutions. Western Union Business Solutions equips organisations with the solutions they need to send, receive and manage international payments across an extensive global network spanning 200 countries and territories.

David Munn, Director of International Payroll Services for IRIS Fully Managed Payroll (FMP), said: “Working with a trusted partner brings swathes of security for customers, as both parties understand the challenges of global payroll and payments in both mature and emerging international markets. This has been achieved by sharing visions and creating a strategy that supports each other’s business objectives and processes.”

IRIS FMP’s technology and experience enables payroll managers and accountants to calculate and process employee salaries. Western Union’s platform, coupled with their expertise, provides the ability to help ensure employees are paid correctly, from one employee to thousands, across multiple currencies and countries. Both parties also bring their local knowledge, providing an end-to-end process enabling employers to deliver their employees’ pay as seamlessly as possible across the world.

Frederic Simon, Regional Vice President Europe at Western Union Business Solutions also sees the value in the strategic partnership. He said, “Globalisation, increased legislation, and the acceleration of digital technology are propelling multinational and global organisations to reimagine their payroll operations. They need to ensure they can pay international employees on time, in the right currency, with confidence and ease has become table stakes. Our collaborative partnership with IRIS FMP, will help provide an end-to-end enhanced value proposition and strengthen our commitment to accommodate the payroll and payments needs for global organisations.”

The exceptional alliance has been built on collaboration, transparency and openness with both providers acknowledging the value long-term partnerships generate.