MEMBERSHIP INSIGHT
5 minutes with…
Dawn Parry BA(Hons) FCIPPdip Finance manager, CIPP
important part in determining the direction of payroll so as a member I have the opportunity to contribute too. In my role as finance manager I can influence the financial management of the CIPP and ensure we have the financial resources to deliver the services the members need and deserve. Membership engagement is essential to enable the CIPP to guide the future direction of the payroll profession. The CIPP staff are there to deliver the profession you want. What does the future hold for the future of payroll, pensions and reward? On BBC Radio 4 recently there was a piece on artificial intelligence which stated that by 2020 it will have replaced 2.5 million jobs across many professions, including payroll. I see the challenge that we all face when new technologies come along is to adapt quickly to the pace of that change. It’s reported that robotic process automation will remove the need for staff to do repetitive rule-based activities, such as inputting. However, this should be seen as an opportunity to empower payroll staff to become more creative in their job roles and up-skill; to learn design thinking, creativity and analytics. As leaders of the payroll profession we need to reflect on what the payroll department will look like in the next five to fifteen years and draw on our experiences to guide government to the best methods to embrace this new technology. What do you do in your available time to unwind? I enjoy card marking and various arts and crafts. I also have two Labradors that enjoy walking in forests or climbing mountains nearly as much as I do. (And I have a cat that organises us all.) Finally, I enjoy watching sci-fi movies and encourage you to watch Paycheck to spark some futuristic thinking – but it isn’t about payroll. n
Tell us about your career and background In 1980 I began a career in accounting and finance with Austin Rover which lasted fifteen years, via Ward End, Longbridge, Oxford and Land Rover Solihull. At that time, payroll (‘wages’), depended on the finance department to gather the paper clock cards and inform wages of the total hours in order to calculate the employees’ pay and enter amounts in paper ledgers manually. So, no computers! Finance also provided the starters and leavers to the wages department and the personnel department. I remember at the Longbridge plant every Thursday the wages office on lock down as the armoured truck delivered thousands in cash to be counted and put into sealed brown envelopes, along with a hand-written payslip for approximately 20,000 workers. These were then wheeled around the factory in a locked black box by a wages clerk accompanied by a Securicor guard in riot gear. How payroll has changed. I then worked as a management accountant in a small company which sold parts to garages and later in the finance department at the Environment Agency. After this I took a five-year career break to look after my two lovely daughters, after which for eighteen months I ran a B&B with twelve bedrooms and meeting rooms. When did you first become involved with the CIPP? I joined the Institute of Payroll Professionals (IPP) in January 2008 as a part-time finance co-ordinator and was given an opportunity to learn how to calculate payroll by taking the Foundation Degree in Payroll Management,
which to a person who loved numbers was perfect. I graduated in 2011 and became a member of the IPP payroll department which was part of finance. Bitten by the study bug I completed the BA (Honours) in Applied Business Management graduating at age fifty with a first-class degree – which proves that age is not a barrier and it’s never too late to study. In 2013 I became involved with the introduction of student support on the Foundation Degree in Payroll Management and discovered my passion for teaching and motivating students. I became a tutor on the Foundation Degree in Payroll and then briefly a MSc tutor, writing and delivering the finance module. My favourite activity is creating gross to net manual calculations for students to practice. My colleague comments that maybe I would be happier without software. Tell us about your role I became finance manager in 2015 and am fortunate in this role to be involved strategically and operationally with all departments in the business. The financial aims are to ensure profitability to enable the CIPP to re-invest in our products to ensure our members have the best possible learning and other resources available. I also continue to assist in the production of payroll for the CIPP staff and am proud to say we have achieved PQP/PAS accreditation and are always striving for more efficient delivery. What do you think you can bring to the future strategy of the CIPP? The Institute’s members play an extremely
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | October 2018 | Issue 44 8
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