Future skills of payroll professionals
service functionality. The daily tasks will increasingly be automated, while interactive chatbots and digital assistants will manage enquiries. James Paton: It is important that payroll professionals have a good level of IT knowledge and skills as these are key to a successful career in the industry. As technology continues to advance and payroll headcounts continue to grow, payroll professionals should push themselves to keep their technical skills continually up to date. It is extremely important in the payroll profession that individuals have a keen eye for detail; this is a skill that should always be possessed and not be overlooked. The more this skill is utilised, in both work and daily life, the higher the accuracy levels will be when completing calculations, payments and deadlines. Nick Phillips: A focus on compliance, quality-checking and the ability to self-audit rank highly among the pre-requisite skills required by the modern payroll professional. Increased automation may liberate time previously spent arranging input of timesheets or other laborious tasks, but this will quickly be replaced with the need to ensure systems and processes remain compliant with an ever-changing legislative landscape. An undervalued skill is the discipline required to read and ingest the abundance of legislative material produced by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), central government departments and industry publications. If I were to flag three specific areas where payroll professionals should focus their continuing professional development, it would be pensions, benefits in kind, minimum wage compliance. These are areas of increased regulator/HMRC scrutiny, and therefore present potential pitfalls for your organisation. Polly Sinclair: I think that one of the most important skills for professionals is learning how to develop themselves effectively to move from what is traditionally quite a reactive profession into a proactive one. Over the last year we have seen how important payroll as a profession is and the industry needs to ensure that it takes advantage of this rather than sinking back as a behind-the- scenes, back-office function. I believe when calculations around CJRS are audited and businesses are questioned,
it will be evident that those who are properly qualified and committed to remaining up to date are invaluable in supporting the government in enforcing whatever legislation they enact, be it furloughing, minimum wage or tax avoidance schemes. Dr Sue Smith: The increased integration and closer working between payroll and HR observed across the industry is not wholly driven by organisational desires to reduce overhead costs, but a reflection of the increased impact that contractual conditions place on accurate payroll computations. Similarly, integral to effective talent acquisitions and retention, organisations are formulating ever more complicated reward packages for their staff. Payrollers find themselves increasingly involved in the calculation and administration of such packages. It is a mistake to think that the payroller should remain only responsible for the elements of reward that are solely cash- based. Knowledge of reward principles is necessary to enable the payroll to proactively embrace this development.
these skills – especially in the senior end of the market. In addition to this, a breadth of system experience also needs to be on a payroll professional’s radar. Which of the so-called ‘soft skills’ are most relevant for a future in payroll? EG: Understanding that teams are made up of very different skillsets, even if they are performing the same role, helps with team cohesion. Also understand that customers believe they are the only important one, the one that pays your salary! Of course, this applies to all small and medium customers as well as the big ones. Telephone etiquette is important as this is a shop window to your service provision. Learn how to deal with difficult customers as well as the easy ones.
LG: Emotional intelligence is the capacity to be aware of, control,
and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. You need self-awareness (being conscious of your own feelings and motives), self-regulation (pausing and thinking about the consequences of an action before proceeding), motivation (thinking about the bigger picture and assessing how your actions will have an impact), empathy (being a good listener, slow to judge and understanding the needs of others) and social skills (collaborating in a team with strong communication skills). JP: Traditional skills such as time management, organisation, communication and confidentiality will always be relevant. However, with ever-changing statutory legislation, the CJRS being a recent example of this, adaptability is an important trait to possess. Employers will value their employees a lot more if they can successfully manage change without any major mishaps or concerns. NP: Establishing and maintaining a network of contacts, whether it be through LinkedIn or bodies such as the CIPP, is an invaluable skill and one which has the ability to create new opportunities or just provide support and encouragement in challenging times. We have a great community in payroll and it’s something we should seek to leverage for all of our benefit.
...to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.
Karen Young: More and more of our clients in payroll are looking for advanced Excel skills in potential candidates. Specifically, they need those who have proficient knowledge of pivot tables, macros and VLOOKUP. Developing above-average skills in Excel will significantly help payroll professionals to future-proof their careers and stand out to employers hiring this year. System skills, in particular the ability to streamline and implement new systems, will also be key. A lot of payroll functions have plans to transform their payroll functions in light of our changing world of work, so are on the lookout for
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 68 | March 2021
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