Southgate believes that as a specialised salary packaging provider, it is our responsibility (not the employer’s) to maintain up-to-date knowledge and understanding of the constant changes to the salary packaging industry, the potential implications of these changes, and to communicate these effectively to our clients. In most years there have been significant changes made, including new/revised tax rulings, government regulations, changes to Income Tax rates, changes to particular fringe benefits such as employer-provided vehicles, and more.

We recognise the importance of these changes and employ a rigorous training and assessment regime for all employees. Each salary packaging consultant must undergo a 12 month internal training program, regardless of any prior industry experience they held before joining Southgate. This includes the foundation principles and regulations of salary packaging and provides the necessary skills and knowledge to build upon in future years.

All employees spend time working in different areas of our salary packaging team (outside of their core role) to ensure they gain the experiences of our customers and their colleagues, and provide a deeper understanding of the process from beginning to end. The training program is designed to provide an intricate understanding of the salary packaging process from all perspectives (the provider, the employer and employees) and ensure that our staff have the core foundation skills necessary to apply their knowledge and handle any client enquiry or scenario.

Southgate’s level of training is unprecedented in the salary packaging industry. This is demonstrated by our competitors in the limited foundation knowledge of their staff and inability to respond to non-standard scenarios and apply the relevant core principles. Our training programs are designed to develop our staff for long term careers and long term relationships with our clients.