For young candidates, the very names of certain professions spark excitement. One of these is Human Resources—though today it comes with many titles: HR Business Partner, People & Culture Manager, and so on. Another is Public Relations. These professions attract candidates with their glamorous names, careers that once didn’t exist in such glittering forms. But payroll? Payroll has been with us since the time of the Sumerians.
When I ask promising, well-educated young people if they would ever consider payroll, their faces instantly turn sour, and they say they “don’t understand numbers.” Yet payroll is not about numbers alone—especially today, with technological advancements, it is much more than that.
In fact, if these young people had said, “I’m not ready to take on a complex, multi-dimensional responsibility that cuts across many areas at once”—I would have understood. Or more accurately: “I want to avoid responsibility.” Because payroll means responsibility.
Many years ago—at an age I’d rather not admit—when payroll was still calculated by hand (with master payrolls processed monthly on IBM machines), I was asked to calculate the bonus payroll for about 25 employees. I did. I calculated the difference payrolls by moving from net to gross. The company was a casino, the numbers were not small. The croupiers calmly received their net wages and left with indescribable joy on their faces. Only a month later did I understand the reason for that joy—after the mistake surfaced.
Despite those sleepless nights at a very young age, I remained at the heart of this profession. Because payroll is about responsibility, and standing firmly behind what you do. It means:
- Being checked every month by every single employee.
- Being transparent and accountable to tax and social security authorities.
- Protecting and safeguarding the organization financially.
- Working cross-functionally, managing processes that span tax regulations, labor laws, social security rules, and much more.
Someone Must Get Exit Packages Right
All of this may sound intimidating, but here’s the truth: positions with flashy titles are often the first to go during layoffs. Payroll? It’s the last one standing. Someone needs to calculate exit packages correctly.
The day salaries hit employees’ accounts is a meaningful day—for everyone. It’s the amount dreamed of, planned around, and awaited for a month. And the payroll specialist is the one who delivers that moment to hundreds or even thousands of people.
The responsibility of the payroll professional is the stress of paying salaries correctly and on time. People are extremely sensitive when it comes to their earnings being accurate and fair. Even the smallest discrepancy compared to a colleague in the same role can shake morale, escalate quickly to the CEO’s desk, or silently erode the loyalty of a once-dedicated employee.
Every month, the burden of protecting employee trust and the company’s reputation falls again on the payroll specialist’s shoulders. A small error in annual leave balance, a miscalculated overtime, a detail overlooked by another department—can snowball in payroll.
Within an organization, no other career simultaneously touches employees, key government institutions, and both internal and external reputation to this degree. And what does this responsibility bring? In today’s volatile business world, it brings stability, strong compensation, recognition, and career satisfaction.
A payroll specialist who sets their processes right can achieve a healthy work-life balance—except, of course, during pay raise periods and collective bargaining seasons. But even then, remember this: you’re the one who knows the raise rates before anyone else.
