Meet the Team: Stacey Kerry – Payroll Manager

Q: How long have you been with Contract Personnel?

I am well into my 18th year here at CPL.

Q: What does your role involve?

Mastering payroll software, understanding compliance with tax laws and regulations and accurately processing payroll in a timely manner.

Q: Why is payroll so important in recruitment?

I think payroll is a critical function in any business. Specifically in recruitment sector, I believe it’s important to have an inhouse payroll department to enhance the ability to help our workers directly with wages queries and explain the complexities of tax and national insurance etc…

It is so much better to speak to the person involved rather than a message being relayed to an outsourced payroll company that doesn’t have a vested interested in their workforce.

Q: How do you ensure accuracy in payroll calculations?

We follow a standard set of procedures each week to avoid errors, these are reviewed and updated as needed so we don’t miss things.

We also have several checklists to verify and track what we do and the software we use has programable exceptions to ensure our calculations are accurate.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?

I guess, as a methodical person it appeals to me – I prefer to work in an organised logical manner and I do have a tendency to be meticulous…perfect for payroll! 😊

Q: What’s the biggest challenge in payroll?

I would say the biggest challenge is explaining why a workers tax code has changed and its affecting their pay.. HMRC tends to treat everyone generically which can cause confusion and frustration especially if it’s a recently new starter and HMRC haven’t updated their employment records their end.

I have referred to overpayments of tax as a really bad savings account in the past, thankfully the worker understood my joke!

Q: How do you unwind outside of work?

To unwind I attend a lot of exercise classes at my local leisure centre, I enjoy strength training in the gym too.

I have recently bought a house so I’m returning that to its former Victorian glory but that’s more labour than fun to be honest!