FEATURE TOPIC
Payroll roles are now much more than just operational. How do you think the CIPP should reflect this? VM: I’ve always been more of a technical person. Therefore, I’d appreciate it if the CIPP could focus on the technical struggles of payroll and discuss real-life payroll problems more – maybe through brainstorming sessions and discussions. MM: I’d like to see the CIPP acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of each payroll department, whether they’re in- house, bureau or consultancy. One thing we can all agree on is that we have passion for our sector. JN: The CIPP is renowned for keeping up with the times. I feel it already reflects this in updates and articles. TS: I think the qualifications have helped put payroll professionals on the map and we’re being asked to be more involved in executive decisions. Feeding that back into the CIPP can help shape the future with think tanks, courses and qualifications, so everyone can benefit from the experience. With all the changes payroll professionals have had to face recently, it would be nice if nothing changed and remained the same for some time SW: The CIPP already publishes articles and interviews with representatives from other professionals, which I find extremely helpful. The organisation also speaks a lot about the well-being of payroll professionals. Maybe the next step could be to focus more on soft skills which are helpful in payroll, such as communication and time management, which are also crucial. What elements of payroll particularly attracted you to your role? EA: I really enjoy working with numbers and problem solving – which undoubtedly comes with payroll. I also enjoy working within a profession where things don’t stand still for very long, and payroll is
always changing. It keeps my role exciting and ensures continual development and learning for myself. VM: As mentioned earlier, I’m a technical person, and my passions are system implementations, testing and creating various testing scenarios to prove the system doesn’t work (the information technology team isn’t my biggest fan). In my eyes, this side of payroll is very sexy! I love the fact that every month, payroll is different. I love the challenges and issues we must face. I believe payroll chose me – we’re the people who can make it happen because we have a passion for the industry. MM: As with most, I fell into payroll. Once I was there, I was immediately drawn to the fast-paced, highly skilled and tech-enabled mindset we all hold. JN: No one day is the same in payroll. AS-R: I got into payroll because I wanted to help people in some way. Over the years, as I’ve developed and progressed in my career, I’ve driven myself to improve and become better, not just at work but at anything I’m passionate about, and ideally, as a human being. I was attracted to my current role because it gave me the chance to do this on a larger scale, to be able to help develop and improve, not just myself but my staff as well. TS: I fell in love with the basic manual calculations and now I find working with government legislation interesting too. It’s just something I understand – most of the time – and I enjoy implementing changes that frequently come through, so the business meets its legal obligations in the most efficient way. You’ll never find a closer team than a payroll team SW: I love to learn and improve processes. Thanks to working in payroll, I’ve made learning a habit. I can also continuously improve my work to make it more efficient, simple and seamless. Knowledge is power and in the payroll profession, we need to work hard to increase ours. What makes being a payroll professional so rewarding? EA: Not only is it rewarding knowing you deal with individuals’ pay correctly, but it’s
also great knowing you’re making sure all payroll matters are dealt with correctly, safeguarding the employer and potentially protecting them from fines. VM: If you’re dedicated and work hard in this field, you can progress to a more senior role. Every day brings something new. It’s not just ‘pressing the button’ once a month. It’s giving support to employees and finding new ways to work, while maintaining the best service. In my opinion, you’ll never find a closer team than a payroll team. MM: For me, it’s seeing my own team develop. We spend a lot of time on learning sessions, and I’m so proud to see them develop into fully rounded payroll specialists. In partnership with HR, our sector can only grow stronger. JN: There’s no greater satisfaction to me than meeting a deadline, especially after a challenging month of problems. AS-R: When you work in payroll, you’re not in it for the money – you’re in it because you want to make a difference. If we wanted to chase the money, there are many other careers we could pursue which would pay more. Instead, we’re in payroll because we know what we do ensures the employees we’re running payroll for have money in the bank. This enables them to pay their mortgage or rent and put food on the table for their family. It means they know that all the hard work they’re putting in, no matter what job they’re doing, gives them something back each pay period. This is what makes payroll rewarding for me, knowing that I’m a key part of this for thousands of people up and down the country. TS: It’s an area we can really help our colleagues with, and I love being able to help our employees begin to understand how their pay is calculated and how their tax code is made up. SW: For me, it’s the ‘people ingredient’ – paying people accurately and lawfully, as well as providing exceptional customer service, and delivering a compliant and efficient payroll service. n There’s no greater satisfaction to me than meeting a deadline, especially after a challenging month of problems
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | December 2022 – January 2023 | Issue 86 42
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