PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
# Be Payroll
Tracey Smith MCIPPdip, reward manager, human resources and payroll at South East Water , tells us about her experiences of studying with, and being a member of, the CIPP
How would you describe your experience of studying with the CIPP? Like most people, I fell into payroll. I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do when I left school, but I worked in a finance department and an opening came up for a payroll assistant at the same company. I jumped at the chance. I learnt from the company’s fantastic payroll manager – we used to call it the ‘sitting by Nellie approach’, and I knew instantly this was the career for me. I enjoyed working with figures, performing the manual calculations, using the old hard copy tables and I liked the interaction with people. I found something I wanted to learn, which I enjoyed doing. That’s still the same now. I love sharing my knowledge and helping people understand about how net pay is calculated and how a tax code is worked out. It’s great to know you’ve helped someone, as for many people, payslips can be confusing. What course(s) have you studied? It was only in the very first few years of the qualifications being launched that I signed up for the Diploma in Payroll Management, encouraged and supported by my manager and company. It was a two-year distance learning course with some study weekends, and I really enjoyed it. I’m not going to lie – it was hard fitting all the reading and tutor-marked assignments into the busy working week, but it really helped my confidence and knowledge. I was ecstatic when I passed. I was then offered the retiring payroll manager’s job and I have no doubt that the decision in offering me this role was largely due to my qualification achievement. Which membership benefits have you used or enjoyed most and are you able to provide me with some examples? I’ve remained a member of the CIPP since being a student and that was nearly 30 years ago. I’m a huge supporter of what’s been achieved by the CIPP – it really has put payroll on the map, no longer a poor cousin to the accountancy profession. CIPP Chartered status didn’t exist when I first joined and look at how widely recognised that is now. The CIPP works tirelessly for members and the payroll industry, and I’m proud to be part of it. I’ve benefitted from attending conferences, training courses and using the Advisory Service, but what I have enjoyed the most are the roundtable events. They’ve always been really rewarding and
helpful, covering subjects such as off payroll working and gender pay gap reporting. The information delivered and networking opportunities are real benefits of attending these events and they’re always expertly chaired by a member of the CIPP. I’m sometimes astounded by the detailed knowledge the chairs of these events have, as well as the payroll tutors who work for the CIPP. There’s so much to payroll and a lot to understand and remember. It’s certainly never boring! Why was it especially important to you to gain your payroll qualification? I’ve worked at two other companies since acquiring my qualification, and each one has asked for it in the job specification as a mandatory requirement. I’ve actively encouraged my team to become qualified in payroll and pensions, and interestingly, it’s something our external auditors ask about too. I think it’s essential for people wanting to progress their careers in payroll to have a CIPP qualification. We’re experts in our field and can really support companies with our knowledge, experience and attention to detail. The qualifications are structured to support business needs and the syllabus remains current year-on-year. How do you feel about working in payroll? What does working in payroll mean to you? I’m getting on a bit now and have recently slightly reduced my working week, which means I have to pack a lot more into four days, but I have a great team and they have the same payroll passion that I do. We’re always working on projects to automate processes and save us time, so we can add value to the business in other ways. Going forward, I want to continue to work more strategically, helping to move the business forward with new ideas and implementing new legislation. Companies rely on their payroll experts to meet contractual and current legislative requirements, as well as suggesting how to proceed with all the new tasks being thrown our way by the government. That’s been the big change for me over the last 30 odd years – being recognised as an expert in my area. That wouldn’t have happened if a group of passionate payroll people hadn’t grabbed the bull by the horns and shouted about how great we are. When I retire, I want to leave reward and payroll in the best shape I can. I’m forever grateful for the support and encouragement of my payroll manager long ago to progress my career, and I would love it if my team said the same about me. n
18 | Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | September 2023 | Issue 93
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