FEATURE TOPIC
principles. Show consideration and appreciation for others, regardless of their role or status l personal development: self-awareness is essential for personal growth. Understand your strengths and areas for improvement. Ask for feedback and seek opportunities to learn and grow professionally. Build resilience to stay positive and recover quickly from setbacks l leadership: great payroll leaders inspire, motivate and encourage others to achieve their best. Make informed and timely decisions, take responsibility for your actions and outcomes, communicate clearly and guide your team appropriately. SS: Building effective relationships in a professional setting relies heavily on soft skills and behaviours that foster trust, collaboration and mutual respect. In my role, problem solving and finding a deeper meaning is key to maintaining the relationships we hold. When dealing with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), we act as a ‘critical friend’, proposing solutions in a way that fosters cooperation without jeopardising the trust we have with the contacts we hold. It is important to remember this is a two-way street, and we need to listen and understand the reasoning behind the words, not only for our own knowledge but to be able to pass that knowledge onto others in the profession. This is something we can all do, regardless of role. How do you maximise networking opportunities internally and externally? AM: Externally, I am always looking to expand my network by attending events held by the CIPP, the big four accountancy firms and other companies such as pension providers, benefit providers or software partners. Be active on platforms like LinkedIn and engage with other payroll professionals to encourage the sharing of knowledge, best practices and experiences. Internally, I try to raise the profile of payroll as much as possible, so other colleagues and business functions appreciate the importance of payroll to the company and understand all of the areas we are involved in. This encourages other teams to want to include us within their discussions, as we are seen as a positive force within the company, willing to help and engage with others. KB: Internally, it can be difficult to network
as payroll and reward are specialist areas. It is important to be able to raise the profile of payroll and reward within the organisation. This can be through providing regular updates using the organisation’s communication channels. Another way is to be seen out in the organisation, getting to meet the employees you pay. This will also allow you to understand the issues that employees have, and it means that payroll and reward professionals are seen as approachable and human! You can also share your own knowledge with employees to break down the barriers of staff being able to understand their pay. Externally, it is important to link in with people, either in person or on social media. LinkedIn is a good way to grow your network. It also provides you with the ability to see what is happening in the payroll and reward world on a daily basis. I also attend conferences, both as an attendee and as a speaker. This allows me to keep up to date with the latest changes and trends in pay and reward. I am also able to make new connections as well as catching up with existing connections face- to-face. In both cases, it’s good to see and be seen. MM: Treat every networking opportunity as a way to develop your knowledge and skill set, along with providing you with an opportunity to promote the great work that payroll does. Networking internally is a vital part of raising the profile of your payroll department. It helps build trust in what the team does and ensures others value the great work carried out by payroll. Equally important are your external networking opportunities, as these help you grow your own profile and develop strong, valuable relationships. To make the most of networking opportunities: l prepare ahead of meetings – do your research against contacts, topics and interests l ensure you always participate in meetings, workshops and social events – people remember those that contribute and engage l ask people about themselves – focus on them l practise active listening – demonstrate your genuine interest in what people are saying l write your notes after a meeting – good practice to keep a record of who you’ve met, and any key items for you to follow up with afterwards l follow up – networking is great, but it’s the follow up that supports relationship building. A personalised email or LinkedIn
request will assist these first steps. Externally, ensure you attend industry events such as conferences, seminars and exhibitions, as these events are perfect for meeting payroll professionals from all areas of the industry. SS: I feel privileged to be part of the policy team; not only do I get to meet and network with our valued members, but we also serve the whole of the profession. We love hearing different ideas and thoughts on everything payroll. We are also often the voice of our members; we interact with government and other organisations to push for positive change in laws, legislation and policy direction. Our connections and work to support government agencies allow us to lobby for improvements that will reduce the administrative burden on payroll professionals, improve services from organisations such as HMRC and raise important concerns with proposed plans. What challenges have you faced in networking as a professional? AM: I feel we would benefit from somewhere we can freely share experiences of providers, new entity registrations, overseas experience and so on. Build a way for our expertise and experience to be shared to enhance each other’s work lives and careers and understand how to raise the profile of payroll so it benefits us all. KB: Payroll professionals need to be seen and heard. It’s a challenge, but we are overcoming that challenge and are now considered an important part of our organisations. MM: Payroll hasn’t always been the most valued and trusted service in the firms I’ve worked for. I’ve had to work hard over the years to gain the trust of my colleagues. Through a lot of effort, payroll is now seen as a leading and trusted service with strong connections across the firm, ultimately benefiting our clients. SS: Within a business, payroll is usually the silent department that employees don’t interact with unless there is a change, and they need help or something goes wrong. In many of my previous roles, I’ve endeavoured to change internal perceptions of the payroll department, mainly by introducing a payroll induction to the new starter process – a face-to-face conversation in their first week. As a result, employees were more engaged; they were happy to contact me, whether for a simple question or for further support on understanding more complex processes. n
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | February 2025 | Issue 107 26
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