Getting involved in NPW
National Payroll Week (NPW) only comes around once a year, so now is
your chance to recognize your staff and get involved! Taking part in
NPW
events means taking pride in your profession. Help your colleagues and
the community to better understand payroll and what it means to be a
payroll professional!
How can I recognize my payroll employees?
Courtesy of Robert Half
International
Employee recognition should be an ongoing
priority for managers. Like all personnel, payroll staff who see their
efforts are appreciated are more motivated, productive and likely to
remain with the company over the long term. Taking time to acknowledge
your payroll employees’ achievements during National Payroll
Week
can be especially powerful. This is the time to shine the light on
payroll professionals and all of the ways they help your
organization.
Following are seven ways you can recognize your
team during this celebration:
1. Say “thank you.” It may
sound simple, but perhaps the best way to recognize staff is to thank
them for their contributions. Whether in-person, via email or with a
handwritten note, letting employees know you appreciate their work
will
show you care and motivate them to continue performing at a high
level.
2. Take the team lunch. Set aside a day
during National Payroll Week to treat the group to a meal. Keep the
atmosphere fun, and let them – and their colleagues from other
departments – know this is their time to be honoured.
3. Give out bonuses. Consider spot
bonuses. Alternatively, look for options that will mean the most to
your
staff. For instance, you could offer movie passes to your cinema
aficionados or baseball tickets to the sports fans in your
department.
4. Call out employees’ achievements to
executives. Everyone likes to see their contributions highlighted,
and it’s particularly special when senior managers recognize
their
great work. If you send an email with kudos, copy your manager and, if
appropriate, his or her boss.
5. Let the group leave early one day.
It’s easy, free and always appreciated. Perhaps the Friday of
National Payroll Week, give your team the afternoon off to get a head
start on the weekend.
6. Decorate staff members’ desks. Adorning
professionals’ workstations will encourage colleagues
from throughout the company to recognize their contributions.
7. Throw a party. Set up a celebration,
and invite other managers and personnel who interact regularly with
the
payroll department to join. It could be over a meal or refreshments
later in the day, but the key is to make it festive and focused on
your
team.
However you choose to recognize your payroll
staff, make it personal and sincere. The time you take and effort you
make will be greatly appreciated and lead to stronger relationships
between you and your team.
Founded in 1948, Robert Half International
is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm. The
company’s financial staffing divisions include Accountemps,
Robert
Half Finance & Accounting and Robert Half Management Resources,
for
temporary, full-time and senior-level project professionals,
respectively. The company has more than 350 staffing locations
worldwide
and offers online job search services on its divisional websites, all
of
which can be accessed at www.roberthalf.com.
How can I get involved?
NPW provides us with the opportunity to educate others, take pride in
our work, and demonstrate the value of a system that works for all
Canadians.
- Share your payroll knowledge and expertise
It’s as easy as sharing what you already know. Reach
out to
your local community, your workplace, local schools and
youth
groups, co-workers and small business owners, literacy organizations
and
job re-entry programs. You have something to teach individuals in
all of
these settings.
- Spread the word
If presentations are not your style, you can still
educate. Choose what is most comfortable for you:
- Set up an information fair for employees and bring in outside
partners, such as the Canada Revenue Agency, Service
Canada, your
payroll service or your benefits provider.
- Write a short article for your company newsletter or intranet,
or
send daily messages via email.
- Set up a payroll information table in the cafeteria.
- Decorate your payroll department with balloons, streamers and
NPW
posters. This will definitely entice your colleagues to visit
your
department and inquire about NPW.
- Don’t forget to take lots of digital pictures to share
with
the CPA!
- Educate your co-workers
There are many individuals at your own company who could
greatly
benefit from learning about their paycheque, direct deposit, savings
plans, benefits, T4 slips, ROE forms – to name only a few. Use
NPW
as an opportunity to educate your colleagues. For example, you could
organize a Lunch & Learn program for the week of NPW,
focusing
on a different payroll function or initiative every day.
- Youth outreach
Approach your local high school with an offer to teach
students about
payroll. Call the school principal or central office and ask for the
name of the business, social studies or economics teacher. Be sure
to
include some information with your request. Rest assured that your
efforts will be much appreciated – many other payroll
professionals have done this before, and we’ve heard nothing
but
glowing reviews.
Also, meet with school guidance counselors to inform them about
career possibilities in payroll – don’t forget the
CPA’s certification program. Meet with younger students to
explain
how the system works – what their salary can buy for them and
how
statutory deductions help build schools, parks and roads.
If you have any other ideas or suggestions on how to get involved in
NPW, please email us at npw@payroll.ca.
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