Thinking about a career in Payroll? Why Payroll is critical and can prove to be a satisfying and rewarding career.

As we enter National Payroll week, we thought it would be a great time to explore why being a payroll professional could potentially be such a fulfilling and rewarding career.

Ensuring employees are paid correctly and on time is critical to every business. There are many reasons why people may choose to work for their employer but being paid incorrectly, late or over / under taxed is hugely demotivating and time consuming often resulting in being a reason an employee may commence looking for a new role elsewhere. It is therefore of paramount importance for payroll to be calculated accurately and to agreed deadlines. Those working within the payroll arena are often some of the most highly respected and trusted employers. Payroll professionals have access to the most private and confidential information regarding a business’s employees.

Successful individuals within payroll departments are highly numerate and have strong IT / spreadsheet skills and also are effective communicators.  Much of their time is spent dealing with queries from colleagues who believe they have been remunerated incorrectly and with this in mind tact, patience and diplomacy are essential.  To secure a trainee role within a payroll department you may not need a particular qualification, however, to “climb the ladder” a CIPP qualification will put you in a strong position. 

Working in Payroll promises to continually give you opportunities to acquire new skills. It is an area where there are constant legislative changes to comprehend and interpret. In the last 20 years we have seen radical change from Working Time Regulations, minimum wage changes, RTI, changes to SSP, SPP, SMP and more recently furlough. The changes and alterations seem to be never ending!

Payroll provides a range of opportunities to progress. It is a field to where hard work and dedication will allow you to progress to more senior higher paid roles. The vast majority of people commence their career in Payroll Administration where they are given the opportunity to become familiar with the basics before progressing to becoming a Payroll Manager or Supervisor.  The further you progress up the organisation the more varied your role promises to be. You will be given the opportunity to become involved in creating new payroll policies and procedures, giving feedback to the senior management team and ensuring all your company’s IT payroll specific functions are fit for purpose and “best in class”.

So is a career in payroll for you? If you enjoy the responsibility of working with sensitive information, have strong numerical skills and are comfortable solving colleague’s queries and seek a career in which you will continuously acquire more skills then this could be an avenue definitely worth exploring. Please do reach out to one of the Wade Macdonald specialists to explore the potential opportunities.