32 | WELLBEING
In your corner:
Working in the world of pay can be incredibly busy, so take a moment for yourself. Enjoy our resident columnist’s latest thoughts, and unwind with this issue’s puzzle.
Hot payroll summer Flex your mind muscles in the Payroll Mind Gym Have you ever wondered what a Payroll Mind Gym would look like? It’s a random thought but not hard to imagine, right? A mental space where professional development becomes the cognitive equivalent of strength training, building stamina for constant problem-solving. And instead of working out muscles, we work out new legislation and system changes. The routine in this Mind Gym works exactly like progressive overload in a regular gym: every new qualification or skill we gain adds another layer of strength, expanding what we can handle. I guess what I’m trying to say is this, that payroll is, at its very core, a mental endurance sport. So, what does a regular workout look like in the Payroll Mind Gym? 1. Continuing professional development (CPD) becomes your cardio. It keeps you moving and prepares you for the fast pace of legislative change. 2. Technical training is your strength building. Deep dives into systems, pensions, taxation and statutory payments toughen your core skillset. 3. Soft skills development acts as flexibility training. Communication, emotional intelligence, empathy and compassion are the stretches that prevent ‘injury’ when conversations get tough. 4. Reflective practice plays the role of mindfulness. Reviewing errors, wins and challenges helps us stay grounded and self-aware. 5. Networking becomes group workouts. Learning from and attending industry events boosts motivation and reduces the isolation pay teams can sometimes feel. But no gym thrives without the right environment. And this is where leadership matters. Leaders can help create a healthy Payroll Mind Gym culture by: 1. Building training plans, helping teams shape personalised learning journeys. 2. Providing dedicated time to ‘exercise’ shows that development isn’t an afterthought or a ‘nice to have’. 3. Doing regular wellbeing and growth check-ins to keep teams mentally fit. 4. Celebrating small wins. 5. Investing in the right equipment. Systems training, CIPP resources and giving teams what they need to succeed. Payroll never stops, and neither should our learning. So, cheers to a stronger, smarter ‘hot payroll summer’, where the only thing hotter than the weather will be your CPD log! AJ Jain MCIPP, Payroll and Pensions Supervisor, Cambridge City Council
Crossword
ACROSs
2. In some organisations, payroll is stepping out of the back-office and becoming more ‘_________’ (9) 4. A way that pay professionals can learn new skills and enhance current ones (14) 8. This is enabling pay teams to free up more time, and to focus on less administrative tasks (10) 10. At the CIPP, the policy and ‘________’ team represent pay professionals at Government level (8) 12. Pay teams have access to a wealth of this, and it can help the wider business (4) 13. What pay professionals were recognised as during Covid-19 (3, 7) 14. The highest level of membership a pay professional can achieve with the CIPP, to showcase their work in the pay industries (9) down 1. This is fast-moving and pay professionals constantly have to keep on top of it to ensure pay is processed accurately and compliantly (11) 3. The initiative the CIPP runs within this magazine to recognise amazing individuals in the profession: ‘Payroll ________’(9) 5. A quality many pay professionals possess, meaning they care about getting others paid accurately and on time (7) 6. Some organisations still don’t understand the importance of payroll, and so pay professionals can feel this way (11) 7. This is so important in the pay industries, as getting things wrong can have financial and reputational repercussions (10) 8. To allow pay professionals to share their thoughts on policies with Government, the CIPP holds these sessions (5,5) 9. One of the core soft skills you need to work in payroll (8,7) 11. There’s a common misconception that, in payroll, we just ‘push a ‘________’ (6)
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