PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
# Be Payroll
Katherine Gregory MCIPPdip, Head of Payroll, All3Media, discusses her experiences of studying and holding membership with the CIPP
How did you begin your career in payroll? Like many of us who work in payroll, it wasn’t a career I’d ever considered beforehand. I fell into payroll after having my first child as I required a 9-5 job, working Monday to Friday. Of course, I now find this entertaining as most of us who work in payroll dream of those hours, especially during peak payroll processing! My first 9-5 job was within a small company in their finance team. I completed my Association of Accounting Technicians qualification to gain knowledge, and with the aim of building a career in finance, as this was a widely promoted career and an industry I was aware of from career workshops at school and college. The payroll team within the company asked me to step in when one of the team left. I found I enjoyed this role more than the one within finance and I’ve been in payroll ever since. Not only did the payroll role provide the logic and numbers aspect my finance role provided but also having the employee queries presented me with the opportunity to help others, which motivated me and gave me job satisfaction. What prompted you to study for a CIPP-approved qualification? I decided to study to increase my payroll knowledge and to give me the confidence that my understanding was correct. I was also keen to have exposure to payroll areas that I might not come across within a small company. In payroll, we’re always learning and having the appetite for this is, in my opinion, essential. Although having a qualification wasn’t always required from an employer’s
perspective, my preference was to study with the CIPP, as it ensured I dedicated the time to learn and had the resources and expertise of the tutors available. The volume, detail and speed of what I learnt was greater than it would have been from on-the-job training. Studying with the CIPP also gave me the opportunity to learn from others within the payroll industry.
It was beneficial for my children to be aware I was studying, as learning is part of working life and working hard to achieve your goals and preserving even when things are challenging is a great mindset to have.
Why did CIPP membership appeal to you?
Ensuring we’re up to date and accurate within payroll is crucial. Having the updates and knowledge provided via Professional magazine, conferences and the Advisory Service are excellent and efficient ways to keep up to date. There are also a great variety of events offered, and I’m keen to attend more of these going forward. Do you have any tips and guidance for people entering the profession? Working in payroll requires resilience, dedication, diligence, accuracy and the ability to adapt and change with the times (the list could go on). Learning how to persevere when things are challenging is essential. Viewing a challenge as an opportunity to learn really helps. We’re continuously learning in payroll, as it’s continuously changing, and I’d always encourage asking questions – especially the question, “Why?” Working in payroll is extremely rewarding and it’s great to see payroll being promoted as a career. Networking and joining the forums available is a great way to ensure working in payroll isn’t lonely. Building relationships with other payroll professionals enables us to learn from each other’s strengths. An area I might find challenging / more complex will be another person’s area of expertise. n
How has your qualification helped with your career?
When I decided to study it wasn’t with the aim of climbing the ladder. However, I feel the qualification has supported me in my career progression as it’s given me the confidence that my knowledge is accurate and up to date. Having a CIPP-approved qualification has also become something employers often now look for, especially for management level roles within a payroll department. I think it’s great to see qualifications being encouraged, as from my perspective, it promotes payroll as a profession. The knowledge gained during my studying has remained with me over the years and has supported in ensuring compliance with ever-changing legislation. The responsibility for adhering to and implementing legislation changes, continuously improving processes and creating business cases is part of career progression. Studying supported this mindset. How did you manage studying with your other commitments? Studying was challenging as, at the time, I had three very young children and was also working. I frequently reminded myself why I enrolled on the course, and I was determined to complete the qualification.
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | October 2025 | Issue 1 14 18
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