PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
# Be Payroll Deborah Sharpe BA (Hons) MCIPPdip , head of payroll, Historic England, shares her experiences of studying with, and being a member of, the CIPP
Can you describe your payroll journey to us so far? I have worked in payroll on and off for around 30 years, having stumbled across payroll very accidentally. I was offered a job and part of it was running the payroll which I had no experience of, but the company was more than happy and willing to train me up internally. I absolutely loved it until I was hit with redundancy, at which point I took ten years away from payroll. What qualification(s) have you studied / are you currently studying? When I returned to payroll, to ensure a managerial position I realised I needed to obtain my payroll qualifications and most companies were asking for the CIPP Diploma in Payroll Management. So, I reached out to the CIPP and enrolled. What a course! I absolutely loved it, proving to myself that I knew all the calculations for tax, statutory payments, National Insurance and beyond. I sailed through the exams (admittedly, I wasn’t as keen on the academic writing part of the course), but it was a great experience and a benefit to meet other like-minded people in the industry. Six months before I had finished the Diploma, I was successful in securing a managerial position in payroll. This was all due to training from the CIPP. How would you describe your experience of studying with the CIPP? At a job interview, I mentioned I would be keen to further my training through the CIPP and undertake the BA (Hons) in Applied Business and Management. The company were eager to support and committed to investing the time and money into this. I completed the qualification even though I thought I would never go back to study again. It was hard work but more importantly, it was extremely rewarding.
How has your membership helped your career? I have been a member of the CIPP for several years and value the benefits the membership has to offer. I often contact the Advisory Service for clarification on certain issues which arise, as the support at the end of the phone is crucial in certain situations. I’m regularly invited to join round tables to discuss upcoming changes and trends. Professional magazine is read by all my team and keeps us up to date on new legislation, and the vast number of webinars on a variety of subjects are extremely useful. I ensure that my team all attend the year end updates delivered by the CIPP. The highlight of my payroll year, however, is attending the CIPP’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in October, what an event! Why was it particularly important to you to gain this qualification? For the last five years, I have been head of payroll at Historic England, and have so much support to always ensure that I’m progressing in the ever-evolving world of payroll. I also encourage this for my team. What advice do you have for someone thinking of studying a qualification with us? I‘m a firm believer that unless you know how to manually calculate a payslip, you’re simply not a true payroller. Get trained up! The CIPP is the best place to look for the training and you’re never too old to begin or continue learning. Do you have any plans for further study with us? In October 2023, at 57 years old, I started the Master’s Degree in Strategic Leadership through the CIPP and Loughborough University. I am so excited. n
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 96 | December 2023 - January 2024
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