MY CIPP
– and there’s always lots going on with workplace pensions. Currently, there’s a financial evaluation of the main pension scheme for universities. The outlook looks better than it has done for a decade, so we could see favourable changes to contributions and / or benefits. This is the area I spend most of my day on, reviewing the financial position of schemes and / or other regulatory influences, and looking at impacts / changes to scheme design and policy. There’s always a backstory and historic detail you must understand to plan any future pensions options wisely – and most important of all is thinking
herself, Bonnie the Shish Tzu. I use my morning walk to help me plan the day ahead and have a bit of fun with my three fur babies. Work starts with me checking my emails. As I lead a team who run international payrolls, I could have emails from any of these countries which needs my urgent attention, from anything concerning opening a new store to international taxation. I contact my UK and International teams to ensure they have no issues that they need to discuss with me first thing. Working in retail is fast paced so you never know what could be coming your way. Then I move on to meetings I have scheduled, in an average day I’ll attend around five. They’ll mainly be with human resources, the senior leadership team or audit. They can also be with the chief executive officer, looking at ways to make an employee’s time with TFG rewarding and satisfying by launching new incentives and ensuring we’re compliant, and meeting our obligations to about how that can be communicated. Writing policy papers is a major part of my role – finding creative ways to explain the details while identifying the key headlines and decisions is at the heart of my work. I also really enjoy speaking to scheme members and other interested groups about pensions. I always have done. At some point, nearly everyone needs to think about their pension, so a large part of my day involves preparing presentations – and how you can show and explain your pension effectively, with clarity but also with care. Knowing what you can and (most importantly) can’t say, being accurate, stimulating interest and
our South African owners. I also oversee the processing of the final payroll for the UK and the Republic of Ireland to ensure it’s completed and ready for the chief financial officer to sign off. Once my day job is complete (which on a normal day is around 6.30pm), just like many payroll professionals, I review any actions, return any missed phone calls and list the challenges for the next day. Then it’s time to move onto my CIPP inbox to review any emails: these could be from students who need my support, the education team kindly asking me to lead a module workshop or the CIPP board. I’ve been a tutor for 20 years and have supported hundreds of students in completing their Foundation Degree. It’s so satisfying to give back to the profession and I would highly recommend it. Being a CIPP board member is a real privilege. When I was voted on to the board by the CIPP membership, I was truly honoured. I take the role and the responsibilities that come with it very seriously. encouraging questions are all important. My afternoon is often dedicated to these presentations and communications, also meeting with colleagues to draw on their knowledge and to consider all parts of an issue. Often (in my case anyway), there are better approaches to take than the one you were thinking of. These are the most interesting discussions, which undoubtedly improve outputs, and it’s something very apparent already within the CIPP (rarely have I seen people with such a strong sense of purpose and openness to learn and improve). It’s very motivating to see, and I hope I can play even a small part in it.
Dianne Hoodless MSc ChFCIPP FHEA I’ve been a payroll professional for 36 years, and like many payroll professionals, I fell into the position. I recall going for my first interview for a position in finance, where I was asked, “do you like maths?” I replied yes and that’s how my career and passion for payroll started. Today, I’m the head of group payroll for The Foschini Group (TFG) (London), as well as a tutor and, of course, a board member of the CIPP. My day starts with a walk with my three dogs, Broadie the Bearded Collie, Barney the Tibetan Terrier and the diva
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 93 | September 2023
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