MY CIPP
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in November 2013. At that time, a role came up on the CIPP advisory team – and I have now been here for seven years. It feels like home. How do you feel when you have made a positive difference to someone through your advice? I feel a sense of achievement to be able to support the many thousands of payrollers who seem to be the invisible team that just gets the nation paid week after week, month after month. I get a great feeling of satisfaction helping members work through the complex payroll changes, especially those during 2020. Payroll is now fifty times more complex than when I first fell into it. My biggest sense of achievement since joining the advisory team has been answering more than 2,000 questions in a single month – mainly furlough related! Getting through 2020 on the advisory team, understanding all the complex guidance with the team and our members, has been a satisfying achievement. Tell us about a typical week as an advisory teammember? No two days are the same. It’s fast-paced, funny, interesting, hard, and confusing, yet keeping a sense of humour chatting to members as if they are work colleagues in your payroll team. The questions change, and emails can range from easy-to-answer to really complex; so hours of research are needed. Advisory team members need lots of patience, a good sense of humour, ability to work under pressure, to be ‘human’
and be understanding. It’s important to actually listen to the members to fully understand their questions and of course to give accurate and timely information and guidance. What’s the most interesting fact you have ever heard about payroll? Estoppel! There are three main points that are relevant when an employee is accidentally overpaid, as they can claim estoppel if the following principles apply: ● The employer must have done something which led the employee to believe the money was rightfully his (or hers). ● The employee must have ‘changed position’, which usually means that they have spent the money. ● The overpayment was not the employee’s fault. Where do you receive your updates, what techniques do you use to provide detailed accurate answers, and what processes do you use to keep up to date with general legislations? I refer to News Online , HMRC’s Employer Bulletin and Agent Update , and LinkedIn. When providing detailed answers I always provide a link to current guidance on GOV.UK, or to legislation, or to HMRC’s manuals. As a member of the advisory team, it’s all about sharing knowledge and updates as often as necessary, to be on top of all things payroll related. n
AngelaAdamsMCIPPdip CIPP’s payroll advisory officer
How did you start your payroll career? I fell into the role. I applied for a job but the application form I received said ‘payroll’ which was not what I sent for – I filled it in anyway. After my interview, I immediately got the job (age 20) and never looked back. Now I love everything about payroll, and especially the ‘number aspect’. I spent ten years at Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council as a payroll clerk, then as a deputy team leader and also team leader. Having become a mom I wanted to work closer to home, so decided to move jobs and worked at Birmingham City Council for nine years – again as a payroll officer, then as a deputy team leader and as a senior payroll officer. After this I moved areas and returned to Solihull Council as a human resources and payroll officer for a further five years, during which they encouraged me to complete my CIPP Foundation Degree. After 23 years in payroll, I graduated
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | April 2021 | Issue 69 14
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