Eimear Barron
HR Officer and Compensation & Benefits Specialist in CityJet Limited

There are 750 employees looked after by myself and one payroll administrator! I have worked in payroll for 16 years and when I first started, everything was done manually including checking timesheets, entering tax certificates, writing cheques, putting cash into envelopes, printing payslips and distributing wage packets to all employees.

I love working in payroll and when I look back at how times have changed, it makes me smile. No more cash or cheques, all EFT transfers, how you now need to know all about employment law as well as keep up with the ever changing PAYE/PRSI system, income levy, pensions, PRSAs, and all other manner of deductions that somehow become part of the payroll function.

As an airline payroll person, I have the challenge of dealing with many different nationalities and trying to explain the Irish PAYE/PRSI to employees who are used to dealing with self assessment most of the time.

With bases in the UK, London and Paris, my work involves lots of travel to meet directly with staff, so they can have an opportunity to express any concerns or queries they may have in relation to their pay. It sounds glamorous, but when you get to Paris or London and spend all your time in an office or hotel, the shine soon wears off the "Glamorous" side. What I like most about my job is the constant changing environment of payroll having to keep up to date, dealing with employees, assisting them in getting their full entitlements such as rent relief, extra tax credits for various things, etc. helping with the MED 1 & 2 at year end and ensuring that they claim all their entitlements especially in the current economic climate.

Working in payroll is much more diverse than most people realise. Apart from the obvious tasks, I also have to:
liaise with all providers of Pension, Health Insurance, Banks etc
prepare reports and payments for government agencies, insurance suppliers, etc
handle the daily activities necessary to deliver French payroll through a payroll bureau which we use for this service
ensure HR data is provided in a timely and accurate manner
provide final approval for each payroll in Ireland, the UK and France
ensure accurate and timely delivery of payroll funds into employee accounts as well as depositing of income and social taxes, benefit plan obligations and other deductions as required
liaise with the Finance Department to provide accurate cash funding requirements and appropriate documentation/authorization required for banking arrangements such as EFT
liaise with HR and ensure that the correct procedures are followed in relation to Maternity, H&S Leave, Carer's Leave, etc

The part I dislike about my job is trying to ensure management adhere to cut off dates, but after 8 years here I think I should just accept that it will never happen.

Sometimes staff and management seem to think that in payroll you just press a button once a month and the job is done, but sometimes you get a big thank you and it makes it all worth while. No two months are ever the same and once the EFT is sent and the payslips are emailed, you have a five minute window to pat yourself on the back and say 'well done', before the phone calls start and someone tells you the "You took my money and I don't want to pay that much tax!!!"

However, I would recommend payroll as a career to anyone because at the end of the day it is very interesting, constantly changing and personally very satisfying.