I have been involved with Payroll in one form or another for most of my working career. It started when I worked for a construction company in the mid-1980’s, paying about 100 people on a weekly basis. After 15 years in that job, I applied for a position with our local Public-School Board (pre-amalgamation) to work in the Adult Education department. One year later I took on the role of Payroll Supervisor for that same school board. We were a team of four, paying 1800 employees on a bi-weekly schedule. Once amalgamation occurred, I eventually became Manager of Payroll Services with a staff of seven responsible for paying 4000 employees. It was challenging, exhilarating and, at times very stressful.
As most will attest, working in Payroll has its great moments and has what can best be described as “real downers.” The one thing I never dwelled on was the magnitude of the job. The responsibility associated with assuring that employees are paid accurately and on time, if you stop and think about it, is kind of scary!
Luckily, I always felt supported by my superiors and staff as well as colleagues in other departments such as finance, HR, and IT and of course, by my family at home. The idea that “someone had my back” made me feel like there was always a way to weather any payroll storm that may be coming my way. That is not to say that I never felt anxious or depressed at times (I have experienced this firsthand! But that is for another blog).
There is an interesting article on JGA Recruitment Group’s website that identifies ‘seven tell-tale signs that you work in payroll and you are working too hard. You are probably familiar with some of these signs.
Working more than 50 hours a week
Trouble switching off
Making mistakes
Not exercising
Not socialising
Feeling frustrated and fed up
Feeling Depressed or Anxious
I can tell you that I am familiar with these signs from personal experience! (with the exception of course of #4... I never make mistakes!) 😊 My mentor at the old SD&G Public School Board reassured me by saying, “Claude, don’t worry, mistakes can always be fixed.” She was right as rain!
Here is the link to the article. It is well worth the read. https://jgarecruitment.com/7-signs-that-you-work-in-payroll-and-youre-working-too-hard/
Payroll is an essential service and although you will not treat anyone who has Covid-19, you are ensuring that people are paid as expected and as deserved. There are mortgages, bills, groceries and so much more that depend on a paycheck. The positive impact you have on so many people’s lives is something to feel good about. And, when you feel supported by those around you, “You Never Walk Alone” as the song says!
In my role at HRPLink I feel that same sense of support from those around me that I had when I worked in payroll. But it does not end there. We extend that support to you, our customers, by constantly looking for new and creative ways to make your job easier. Because we have been in your shoes, we are acutely aware of the delicate details that must be considered to bring efficiency and simplicity to the work that you do. Our goal is to ensure that this in turn helps you to:
Work a reasonable number of hours
Minimize errors
Put your mind at ease so that you can go home and relax, go to the gym, spend time with family and friends and feel good about what you have accomplished.
The HRPLink team would be pleased to provide you with an online demonstration of our software so that you can learn about what we are doing to get you working better.
Stay well and stay safe, Claude
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