Canadian Payroll Reporter

News News May 2018 | CPR Compensation most important consideration suggests employers look closely at what they are offering. "Compensation is the most important thing that payrollers consider when they are consid- ering a job, but it is pretty closely followed by benefits and work- life balance," he said. The Hays' report showed that 33 per cent of survey respondents listed compensation as the chief factor they look at when consid- ering a job, followed by benefits package (18 per cent), and work- life balance (17 per cent). "Money is not everything and, at the end of the day... if you are competing on salary alone, that is not a great way to compete," said McElwee. The top three benefits that payroll professionals said they valued in the Hays survey were health/dental, extended health, and pension/RRSP contribu- tion/matching. Flexible work hours and training and/or certi- fication support rounded out the top five. However, the survey results also showed that only 41 per cent of employers offer all of the top three benefits and only 19 per cent offer all of the top five, said McElwee. "Less than one in five are of- fering the five top things that payrollers really want. I think there is a fairly easy way to try to differentiate yourself in the mar- ket," he said. "If, at the very least, you can do the top three things, then you are going to get yourself way ahead of the competition, given that less than half the mar- ket offer those things already." When making a job offer to a payroll candidate, French ad- vised employers to ensure that their pay and benefits package is a strong one. "Always start with your best offer. It is likely that candidates will be entertaining multiple opportunities. Offer enhanced benefits packages with addition- al perks, like gym memberships or healthy food options, to dem- onstrate their wellbeing is a pri- ority, and make the position that much more appealing," he said. "Do not keep great candidates waiting long during the hiring process. Talented payroll profes- sionals are in demand, and you need to act quickly to keep them engaged." While an in-demand market for payroll may make it easier for payroll professionals look- ing to change jobs, they still have to make sure that they have the education, skills, and experience that employers want. "Great payroll candidates are certified (PCP or CPM) and often have their diploma in ac- counting or HR," said French. "The ideal candidate is up to date on new regulations and recognizes how important these are to keep the payroll function compliant within the business. Ideal candidates are also very savvy with payroll software and emerging technology," he said. "Ideal candidates will also have experience with payroll regula- tions across multiple provinces." Beyond payroll experience, it is essential that payroll profes- sionals have strong communica- tion skills, said French. "They must be able to discuss and explain payroll concepts to employees at all levels and areas of the business. They are often the front-line for fielding ques- tions from staff," he said. "They need to be patient and take the time to provide employ- ees with details around their pay, or how to use back-end sys- tems. But beyond patience, pay- roll professionals need to have strong listening skills, to under- stand and adequately answer questions or concerns." Communication skills will be- come even more important as payroll continues to evolve from a back-office function to a stra- tegic role within organizations, said McElwee. "They will be answering more queries around, 'Can you explain my pay to me? Can you tell me why I do not qualify for over- time? Can you tell me about the averaging agreement and what that means to me?" They may also be spending more time analyzing payroll data and making recommendations on business process improve- ments, he said. "Ideally, I think (employers) are looking for progressive can- didates as opposed to those who just want to clock in and clock out and run the pay. They are looking for people who can look objectively at a situation and say, 'Are we working the most efficient way possible? Can we change what we are doing here and how would we do it?'" said McElwee. "I think we will see payrollers performing more of that type of function and need- ing to be better qualified to do it. What I think we will see is actu- ally an elevation of the profes- sion, which is a great thing." Finding the right job is also about finding the right fit. Be- fore embarking on a possible job change, McElwee advised payroll professionals to think about what they are seeking to get out it. "Are they looking for career progression? Is it better work- life balance? Is it a higher salary? Do they want to report to HR instead of finance? They need to be clear in their mind about what it is that they are looking for," he said. Without considering these is- sues in advance, payroll profes- sionals could end up unhappy in a new job, said McElwee. "Generally speaking, I think that people who do not go and do that, end up making a move and then six months later real- ize that the grass is not neces- sarily greener and they have not really gotten what they were looking for." from CANDIDATE on page 3 Published 12 times a year by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher (Thomson Reuters, Media Solutions, Canada). Return Mail Registration # 1522825 | Return Postage Guaranteed Paid News Revenue Toronto Canadian Payroll Reporter is part of the Canadian HR Reporter group of publications: • Canadian HR Reporter — www.hrreporter.com • Canadian Occupational Safety magazine — www.cos-mag.com • Canadian Payroll Reporter — www.payroll-reporter.com • Canadian Employment Law Today — www.employmentlawtoday.com • Canadian Labour Reporter — www.labour-reporter.com See carswell.com for information "Always start with your best offer. Candidates will be entertaining multiple opportunities."

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