- By Maja Edborg-Torjussen
What is it really like to work as a payroll consultant? Is it routine and monotonous, or is it exciting and varied? And do you have to work on projects, or can you work with your "own" regular customers? To find out what a career as a payroll consultant might entail, I had a chat with two of my wonderful and talented colleagues, Hilde and Eva. Hilde and Eva are quite different, both in terms of background, preferences and personality. Fortunately, they also have a lot in common, including the fact that they are both really passionate about the payroll profession, as well as a slightly unusual route into the profession.
I'll start with a quick chat with Eva. Eva has worked at Sariba for 12 years and has been working with payroll since 1984! I would say that's long enough to be able to say that she has gained a good breadth and depth of experience in the field. Eva is otherwise an outgoing and cheerful lady, with an eye for detail and a heart for both people and progress.
-Hi Eva! So nice that you took the time for a chat!
-Offcource! I think it's fun to show what my job actually entails, why I find it so exciting!
-Can you tell us how you ended up on the payroll, career-wise?
-Yes :) ! The payroll adventure actually began with me driving the subway! I was employed by Sporveien, and I enjoyed beeing employed there, but shift work and a small child simply didn't add up. So I changed departments to what was then called "Kassakontoret" (cash office). At the" cash office", several tasks were solved; from ticket sales, to debt collection, to sick leave, to the production of pay slips. I've always been a curious soul and always wanted to learn something new, and I eventually became deputy to the head cashier. At some point I was given the choice of whether I wanted to immerse myself in accounting or in payroll. I chose the latter, and started in the payroll department. This was so long ago that everything was manual - we wrote payroll in books and worked with pencils and crayons.
And that's where the payroll ball started rolling. Eventually I moved to Selvaag Bygg, where I was responsible for payroll from A to Z. I wanted to try management, and I had the opportunity to do so at Coca Cola, before I got a job as payroll manager at NorgesGruppen. When NorgesGruppen was implementing SAP payroll , I worked 100% in the implementation project, which I really enjoyed! After the project was finished, I moved on to a role in administration, and it was in this role that I met Sariba for the first time and became curious about the consulting role. I attended a really good and exciting course run by Sariba, and I was so impressed! I quickly realized that this could be the place for me, applied for a job - and the rest, as they say, is history. And I haven't regretted for a second that I made this choice.
-What an incredible journey you've had Eva! From subway driver to Senior payroll consultant in Sariba's project department! What is the best thing about working in a project?
-Project work is so exciting! I get to meet new people, new customers, and I get new challenges. I actually learn something new every single day! I'm quite outgoing - and this is a definite advantage in projects. I love meeting new people and I like building new relationships. I can get restless if I think things are moving too slowly - that doesn't happen in projects!
Project work is varied and exciting, so it never gets boring!
-Can you describe a typical day at work?
-No 😊 And the reason for that is that when you work on a project, no two days are the same! However, there are some common denominators in projects. You have to get to know the customer and their needs in order to understand what they need. My job is all about setting up the system to suit the customer's needs, so it's important to have good, clear communication and a good dose of technical interest. The solution we deliver comes with a standard basic package, but it has to be adapted to each individual customer, so it's important to both know the regulations related to payroll and understand the customer's internal processes.
Otherwise, the content of a day varies greatly. Some days I sit with the customer in workshops, other days I dig into the details of the solution. So I have to be able to combine seeing the big picture with focusing on details. It's important to know the payroll profession and the associated regulations, and it's also important to have an interest in keeping up to date. payroll MUST be right. That's why the details are so important.
Otherwise, collaboration is a key word. I work closely with almost everyone in Sariba, from sales to other specialist consultants and integration consultants. Once the project is completed, I hand over the solution and the customer to the Customer Excellence department, which is responsible for maintaining and further developing both the solution and the customer relationship. Once again, communication is an important keyword.
I work mainly from home and definitely appreciate the flexibility Sariba offers as an employer. The home office gives me many advantages, and it suits me and my life situation perfectly.
-What do you like most about working at Sariba?
-The knowledge we share with each other. We are each good in our own areas, and together we become even better! It's thanks to Sariba, all my colleagues, the sharing and the culture of helpfulness that I am where I am today.
-Thanks for the chat Eva!
And then there was Hilde. Hilde is a generous, detail-oriented and honest lady who has worked with payroll since 2005. Hilde works as Customer Success Manager in Sariba's Customer Excellence department. This is the department that takes over the customers and their solutions after the project is completed
Hi Hilde! How are you doing?
-Thank you for asking! I'm doing well and find my job really fun! I am juggling many balls at the same time, but I find that the juggling goes well, and that I get to help many customers at once! Today I've had meetings with several different customers and helped them where they've been a bit stuck. I really like that! Today I feel that my skills are good, and that's fun. Other days I'm a bit out of my comfort zone, but that's fine too - because I can always call a (Sariba) friend, and I think that's so nice!
-That sounds pretty amazing. But you have to tell me a bit about where it all started. How did you get into the world of payroll, Hilde?
-It was completely random! I worked for a long time for Posten, both at the counter and with sorting mail, I worked for a short period as a postman, and I was also a team leader.
I'm a person who likes to contribute and help out, and when you do this, you learn a lot and new opportunities open up. It was in this way that an opportunity to work administratively opened up, and I went on to work in an office. One of the tasks was to register the variable payroll. This was some years ago, so the lists were manual and I entered the input in to MS-DOS (for those who remember that system)!
After many great years in Posten, I started as a payroll clerk at a secondary school in 2005. And this is where my official payroll career began. I have always been very fond of regulations, order and routines, and there is a lot of that at payroll, so this is simply a suitable field for me.
In 2009 I started at DFØ - and it was here that I met SAP payroll for the first time. SAP and I are a good match - we are both concerned about regulations and that things should be right😊.
-And now you work with us at Sariba - how would you describe Sariba as a workplace?
-At Sariba, we are a very diverse group of people, and there is room for each of us. I think that's really nice. We help each other when we get stuck, and we're good at sharing knowledge. Sariba facilitates this, which I would say is unique!
-You've worked both on the customer side and now as a consultant - what would you say is the biggest difference?
-The variety! As a consultant, I get the opportunity to work with different customers and with different tasks! When I log on from my home office, I'm never 100% sure what to expect, which I find both challenging and exciting.
-You've previously worked in projects, but now work in Customer Excellence - what would you say is the biggest difference?
-As Customer Success Manager in Customer Excellence, I have overall responsibility for "my" customers, and I really like that. I'm glad that I have my own customer portefolio - customers I know well. I enjoy developing relationships, and I think it adds an extra dimension to the collaboration that I know both the customers and their solutions.
-What is the best thing about working in Customer Excellence?
-Good question! I'd say it's the combination of security and variety. I enjoy working with my customers, but at the same time I find it exciting not knowing what tasks lie ahead.
When you work in support, you never know what's going to happen. Some days I get tasks where I have to go deep in to the details, other days I get tasks that are relatively easy to solve. And I really appreciate this! Being able to combine solving easy tasks with solving a dificulte ones that requires both time and collaboration with other colleagues - I like that!
-Describe a typical day at work for us, Hilde
-Wow. It's hard, because a typical day is very varied! The well-worn expression "no two days are the same" fits SO well in this job! Some days are super hectic, other days are a bit quieter - but it's never boring. In fact, it's never been boring!
For example, I'm now partially hired out to a customer. Here I work operationally in the customer's payroll department. On other days, I work with support for my customers. I'm also part of several support teams. Here I work together with my colleagues to solve support cases and improve the customer's solutions.
As Customer Success Manager , I have several responsibilities. Among other things, I have to ensure that the cases submitted by my customers are resolved - either by me or by my colleagues. I am also responsible for holding status meetings with my customers. How often these are held depends on each individual customer and their needs. Some want a lot of help - others want a little, both are of course perfectly fine. The aim of these meetings is to ensure that the customer's solution is working optimally, while at the same time providing tips and advice for improvements.
What would you say to someone considering a job in Customer Excellence with us at Sariba?
-If you like a combination of a fixed framework and variety, then a job with us is for you. If you would like to work in a department where you get to collaborate with incredibly talented people, both colleagues and customers, then a job with us is for you. If you would like a job where you can help shape your own everyday life, and where you can work from anywhere, then a job with us is for you.
-Thank you so much for your time, Hilde!
Would you like to work with us? We now have vacancies for payroll consultants in both our project department and Customer Excellence.
Read more here:⬇️
Payroll consultant in Sariba's project department
Payroll consultant in Customer Excellence
If you have any questions, you are of course welcome to contact us.