Professional April 2023

PAYROLL PETS

Modern life is incredibly busy. Combining work and home life can be a balancing act, and recently, we’ve all been exposed to considerable uncertainty. Pets can really help our mental well-being and help us find some solace and stability in difficult times. We asked you, the payroll professionals, to show us your pets.

Here are just a few of your wonderful furry and feathered friends...

Name: Ivy and Betsy Sent by: Laurie Fryer MCIPPdip, payroll manager, OneMedical Group “We adopted Ivy from Bradford Cat Watch Rescue Kittens (BCWRK) four years ago while I was going through a hard period of anxiety and depression. Ivy attached herself to me straight away and fast became my therapy cat. She’s an incredibly affectionate cat and loves nothing more than walking across my keyboard to give head bumps, interrupting Zoom calls and laying across my mouse mat. She loves cuddles, strokes and always manages to lift my mood in stressful times. I returned the favour when she was 18 months old and had been poisoned. Thankfully she pulled through after a very scary 12 days. “Two years later we went back to BCWRK and adopted Betsy. She and Ivy are best friends. Betsy is rather aloof and prefers to observe my work from afar but will let me know if I’m not working hard enough for her liking. She makes me laugh when she zooms across the room, leaping around like a lamb. My girls completely enrich my life. I work full time from home so most days, they’re the only company I have. I couldn’t be without them.”

Name: Sully and Benji Sent by: Sue Guidi, accounts assistant, GCA Accounting “Here are Benji and Sully, the Bichon Frise dogs. Benji sits on the desk, waiting for the phone to ring and Sully sits under the boss’s desk, chilling.”

Name: Jet Sent by: Catherine Curtis FCIPP, payroll and pensions manager, Capita PLC “Jet was gifted to me by my husband and two young sons as a Mother’s Day present on 22 March 2020 – one week into the first pandemic lockdown. He was nine weeks old and tiny. Working from home became the norm and years later, I’m still working from home and thoroughly enjoying it. “Jet has been a total asset, I talk to and confide in him, and he offers unconditional affection. Jet helps me to tackle my work better by being a companion and helps to motivate me. Dogs live the ‘here and now’ and can help remind us to focus more on the present. They’re also a great way to reduce stress and improve overall well-being.”

Name: Lottie Sent by: Alison Allen MCIPP, payroll controller, English Architectural Glazing “Here’s my wonderful payroll pup, Lottie. Lottie is a short-legged, long-haired Jack Russell puppy.”

If you’ve submitted your payroll pet to us and they’re not included, you’ll see them in a future issue of Professional .

56 | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | April 2023 | Issue 89

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