Just pressing a button? Debunking the myths around payroll profession

Written by Prime Accountants Group

In the age of AI, many job roles are perceived to be under threat – while others, people assume, were always done at the push of a button.

It’s in this latter camp that the vital role of payroll professionals fall – a job which ensures people are paid accurately and on time, but which many people assume can be done cheaply by automating the whole process.

This week marks National Payroll Week (September 1-5), an annual event dedicated to recognising and celebrating the crucial role that payroll professionals play in business.

To mark the week, the payroll team at Prime Accountants Group, which has offices in Solihull, Birmingham and Coventry, are celebrating the career opportunities that payroll has given them.

Kerrie Given, an associate director at Prime, started her journey into payroll in a way she never expected.

She said: “At 18, I became a mum to my first daughter, and university plans were put on hold. I needed to provide for us, so I started a temporary admin job at Coventry City Council.

“By chance, I sat next to the payroll team. I found myself fascinated by the detail, precision, and impact their work had. So, when a permanent role in payroll administration came up, I jumped at the opportunity.

“As a single mother at the time, I was determined to build a stable future and show my daughter that you can achieve anything if you’re willing to work hard.

“That drive led me to study for my payroll qualification with the CIPP (then the IPPM), which became the foundation of my career.”

The experience led Kerrie to a job with Prime, where she began work as a payroll administrator, progressing to payroll manager, then senior payroll manager and now associate director with responsibility for payroll, HR, internal admin, social media and marketing. 

Kerrie added: “Prime has become my professional home, where I have been proud to grow our payroll service from just 80 clients to more than 600 today.

“Giving back to the profession has always been important to me.

“I became a tutor with the CIPP, first on the Diploma in Payroll Management and then on the Foundation Degree, supporting students from year one to year three and helping them build confidence and real-world understanding.

“I’ve always believed payroll is about more than just numbers. It is about people.

“Getting it wrong can have such a personal impact, so I’m passionate about improving processes, making clients happy, and ensuring excellence every time.

“Nothing frustrates me more than seeing clients come to us after experiencing poor payroll service elsewhere because payroll should always be done right.”

Life didn’t slow down outside of work either. Kerrie had her second daughter six years ago with her husband and wanted to prove again to both of her daughters that you really can achieve anything you set your mind to.

So, in 2023, while working full-time and raising a family, she completed her Business Management degree with a 2:1 and achieved Chartered Manager status with the CMI.

“Payroll wasn’t part of my original plan. I ‘fell’ into it but I wouldn’t change a thing. It has given me a career full of challenge, growth, and pride. Most importantly, it has shown my daughters that with passion, resilience, and determination, you can achieve your goals and build a career you truly love,” Kerrie added.

By complete coincidence, Prime’s senior payroll manager Martin Farrell is a childhood friend of Kerrie’s – both attended Cardinal Newman School in Coventry and reconnected at Prime in 2016.

Martin said some of the challenges around payroll are connected to misconceptions around its importance. 

He said: “A lot of people still have the impression that it’s just pushing a button, but that’s not the case. More and more things are now the responsibility of payroll, such as auto enrolment and payroll benefits.

“In addition, employees are more demanding and will question things like tax rates, so it still needs that human touch. Not everyone appreciates the complexities of it.

“A good recent example of its importance is furlough. It felt like a time when people found a respect for payroll staff alongside teachers, doctors and nurses, because the situation was ever-changing and you really had to be on top of it.

“Of course, there is automation in the role – it’s a must, but the difference is having a human who can critically analyse the data the computers produce. You still need that personal touch.”

Martin said that like “most people do” he fell into payroll, which was his first job after university at Coventry City Council.

“I was thrust into the world of payroll and taught the nitty gritty of how payroll worked and how to calculate payments. I really enjoyed the complexity of the calculations and ensuring people were paid correctly and on time,” he said.

“I moved to a few different companies within the industry and I eventually realised payroll was something I enjoyed, was passionate about and I could make a career out of. I got myself qualified by the CIPP and decided to enrol on the Payroll Managers Degree course, which I funded myself.

“It might not be a career many professionals consider after study, but as both Kerrie and I have proved, it is an incredibly rewarding job which makes a genuine difference to a company’s smooth day-to-day operations.”

Click here for more information on the payroll services available at Prime Accountants Group.

Pictured from left to right: Martin Farrell and Kerry Given