REWARD
of the team and they would teach you all about it. Today, there’s so much to learn, and we continue to learn, no matter where we are in our careers. Learning from other payroll professionals is still a necessity but there are other options available. When discussing if the way into the payroll profession – and to having a career in the profession – is through education or experience, I would say that it’s necessary to have both. Someone may complete the qualifications which are now available, but it isn’t until you have worked in the payroll environment that you really learn about payroll and benefits.
“A qualification helps you to progress in your career as it provides your new employer with the confidence it’s engaging a qualified payroll professional”
With the advancement of qualifications in the payroll profession, you can be reassured of your teaching and your knowledge. A qualification helps you to progress in your career as it provides your new employer with the confidence it’s engaging a qualified payroll professional. I feel the qualifications available today enable someone to come into the profession with the aim and goal of having a full career as a qualified payroll professional. Qualifications allow payroll professionals to be equal to finance and human resource colleagues. Having both the qualifications and the experience provides the pay and reward professional with the confidence they need to conduct the most important role in any organisation. Why would an organisation not expect their payroll professionals to be qualified? Raising the profile of payroll, pensions and benefits professionals is so important. One way is for companies to invest in their payroll and benefits teams, encouraging them to become fully qualified payroll and reward professionals. With the debate and consultation on what constitutes as tax advice, having people within the payroll and benefits team who have successfully completed payroll and benefits qualifications as well as having the relevant experience is key. Experience is the way to learn the soft skills of payroll and benefits. Communication is an integral part of working in payroll. The payroll and reward professional needs to be able to explain about payroll, benefits and pensions in ways that people not working in the profession can understand. We need to act as interpreters of legislation, terms and conditions of service and explain about tax, National Insurance and payslips. We need to be good communicators through listening, reading and writing. These skills develop over time as the professional interacts with staff at different levels. The payroll and benefits profession has come a long way since I began my career. It has been great to work through the
many changes and it keeps the profession interesting. No two days are the same and they will continue to be different as there will be more changes to come. To keep up to date with those changes, it’s essential for the profession to continue to adapt. For me, that adaptability will take the profession to the next level. My thoughts are that every person working in the payroll and benefits profession should, in time, be qualified. It’s such an important field that cannot be handled incorrectly. People rely on and expect us to get their pay correct each pay period. People’s pay affects their future income through their pension. With the cost-of-living crisis, people are looking to their employers to provide support. As payroll and reward professionals, we have a responsibility to get pay and pensions correct. In doing so, I believe we have a responsibility to educate others about what we do and what a career in payroll and reward can look like. To be the best isn’t either education or experience. For me, to be the best payroll and reward professional that you can possibly can be, you need both education and experience. You need to understand the principles behind payroll, pensions and benefits. As a payroll and reward professional, you need to learn the soft skills and develop them as your career develops. If you want to progress your career to being a manager, you’ll need leadership skills, which come through both experience and education. Working directly in the payroll and reward environment is the only way to keep up to date with the many changes that happen every year. I’m sure some will disagree with my opinion that you need both education and experience; that’s what keeps payroll and reward interesting. How the profession further progresses will also be interesting. Hopefully, not only will education and experience be required, but being a qualified and registered payroll and benefits professional will be the next step. It will be interesting to see what the future of the profession will look like. n
“Someone may complete the
As previously mentioned, I fell into payroll. In doing so, I have made it my career, starting out as a payroll trainee and eventually becoming the head of payroll and benefits with a team of 35 payroll, pensions and reward professionals. I had no experience of payroll when I started, and I certainly had no payroll qualifications. During my career, I have studied and successfully completed several courses which have covered payroll, pensions and leadership. Having both the experience and education has many benefits. The benefit of experience is that you can learn from others. There’s nothing better than being able to debate the meaning of a piece of legislation and coming to an agreed conclusion. Working in a team, not only can you share knowledge, but you’re able to listen to the conversation and learn from others. When I started working in payroll, I was reliant on one person to teach me and hoped that they were correct in that teaching. qualifications that are now available, but it isn’t until you have worked in the payroll environment that you really learn about payroll and benefits”
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 101 | June 2024
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