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Notes from the Payroll Prof
by Roger A. Smith, CPP & Payroll Consultant
Payroll as a Career Path
If anyone had suggested writing an article about “Payroll as a Career Path” when I first got involved with payroll many years ago, they probably would have been laughed out of town. In those days, no one ever got promoted out of payroll. Actually, it seemed like no one ever got out of payroll at all. You stayed there until you retired. In fact, in many organizations Payroll was a place to put leaders who were “retiring” on the job. I remember walking into one payroll director’s office to find him sound asleep. Payroll was a career path to nowhere.
Is it different today? Well, I did a Google search, and nowhere could I find “Payroll as a Career Path” on the Internet. I found “Finance as a Career Path,” “Manufacturing as a Career Path,” “Sales as a Career Path,” “Logistics as a Career Path,” even “HR as a Career Path,” but no “Payroll as a Career Path.” While Payroll has always been an area of significant responsibility, few corporate leaders have emerged from the payroll function. Yet, I believe Payroll can and should be an excellent career path to most any leadership position.
What is different about payroll today? I have not seen any payroll people sleeping on the job lately. Employers are demanding increasing efficiency in all areas of the organization. Payroll has grown from an arcane administrative responsibility to a true professional discipline with defined industry best practices, professional certifications, and continuing education for its practitioners. There are over 12,000 Americans who have spent the time, money, and significant effort to become certified in the profession. Further, leading payroll managers are managing payroll like a business. Payroll managers are helping organizations achieve cost, time, and quality objectives. They are selecting from among a wide choice of in-house and outsourced options for the various payroll functions. Yet, the total solution must be integrated and support organizational objectives. Keeping costs in line while providing improved customer satisfaction for employees, management, and third parties requires an assortment of excellent leadership skills.
While many of us prefer to stay in the payroll profession, some desire leadership assignments in other areas of the business. The skills learned in payroll provide excellent experience for any position. What department couldn’t use a leader who has demonstrated successful multi-tasking, attention to detail, people relationship, vendor relationship, technical, and communications skills?
If you are like me, and you want to stay involved in payroll for your career, that’s great. But, if you want to move on to other areas, I can’t think of a better way to prepare than to become an effective payroll professional. Sinatra said it about New York; I will say it about payroll: “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!”
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