Payroll Perspectives - Agnes Achetraritei, Flybuys
Summary
Agnes Achetraritei reflects on her 15-year career in payroll, progressing from payroll administration into global leadership, systems management and people data analytics. She discusses her passion for problem-solving, improving processes and the growing career opportunities available beyond traditional people management roles.
Managing payroll in rapidly growing and international businesses presents unique challenges. Agnes explores the importance of strong controls, reliable reporting, local legislative expertise and involving payroll teams early when organisations expand into new markets or introduce new entities.
Payroll technology can improve efficiency, but the right system isn't always the same across every business or country. Drawing on her experience with implementations and integrations, Agnes shares why system suitability, accurate data and a willingness to reconsider technology decisions are essential.
Beyond systems and compliance, Agnes discusses the increasing pressures facing payroll professionals, her early experience with Payday Super and the importance of taking ownership of career development. She encourages payroll professionals to question established processes, seek opportunities to improve and learn from others across the industry.
Keeping pace with a changing payroll landscape
As businesses grow, expand into new markets and adopt new technologies, the demands placed on payroll teams continue to evolve. Processes that once worked effectively can quickly become inadequate, requiring payroll professionals to adapt while maintaining accuracy, compliance and business continuity.
For Agnes Achetraritei, who has spent more than 15 years working across payroll administration, global leadership, systems management and people data analytics, navigating this complexity has been a defining part of her career.
Having worked in rapidly growing organisations across technology, banking, fintech and retail loyalty, Agnes has developed a particular interest in improving systems, strengthening processes and finding more effective ways of working.
In Season 2, Episode 4 of Payroll Perspectives, Agnes joins Shawny Smith to discuss the challenges of managing payroll across different countries, the importance of choosing systems that suit the business, and why payroll teams need to be involved early in organisational change. They also explore the increasing demands on payroll professionals, the opportunities available beyond traditional leadership roles and the value of continually questioning how things are done.
Episode transcript
Shawny: Hi Agnes, thank you so much for joining me for season two, episode four of the Payroll Perspectives podcast. How are you going?
Agnes: Thanks, Shawny. I'm good, and I'm excited to be here amidst all the busyness of payroll, as you know.
Shawny: I know. Like we were saying before, it's very hard to lock people down right now. The industry just seems to be getting busier.
Agnes: It is. It never ends.
Shawny: I really appreciate you taking the time. You've worked with some interesting and technology-focused businesses, so I'm eager to pick your brain. I'll introduce myself first. I'm Shawny Smith, and I work in payroll recruitment at Atlas Partners. I've been doing this for almost ten years, which makes me feel a bit old! Over the last few years, I've been focused on adding more value to our network through events, this podcast and advocating for the industry. I think, bit by bit, we're seeing greater recognition for payroll, and I'd love to help that continue. But enough about me. Tell us a bit about yourself and your career so far.
Agnes: Like a lot of people, I fell into payroll. I was given a great opportunity at a young age to step into payroll administration, and I've never looked back. I've worked in payroll for around 15 years, starting in administration before moving into global payroll leadership, then banking and fintech. I'm currently in a standalone role as a Payroll, People Data and Analytics Manager in the retail loyalty space. When you say ten years and I say 15, I feel even older!
Shawny: It's crazy. I wear almost ten years as a badge of pride, but it feels strange to say it. Time has gone so quickly.
Agnes: It does. When you're younger, you worry that you don't have enough experience, but now it's almost the opposite. I'm proud of what I've learned over that time.
Shawny: I remember feeling proud when I had two years of experience, too. Let's jump into our first question. You've built your career across some varied industries and environments. Was there a common thread connecting those moves, or did new opportunities just arise?
Finding opportunities to improve systems and processes
Agnes: I started my payroll career with one company, in a technology business connected to the car dealership industry, and I stayed for a good eight years. That's where my career grew. I became a manager and started looking after global payroll, different countries and implementations. I gained a lot of experience, but I was also nervous about going somewhere else because it was all I'd ever known. I wondered whether other companies did things the same way or whether, even after eight years in payroll, I'd feel like I had no idea what I was doing.
Looking back, I think the common thread is that I'm drawn to environments where I can fix and improve things. I want to make systems more reliable and ask how we could do something better, rather than continuing a process simply because that's the way we've always been taught to do it. Sometimes the answer is that there isn't a better way, and that's fine. But I think it's important to ask whether something could be improved or automated. The industries have changed, but my motivation hasn't. I want to come to work, make a difference and make sure people are paid correctly. That's the main driver.
Shawny: You've worked in roles with a lot of individual ownership, including your current standalone position. Do you see yourself moving into larger team leadership, or do you prefer technology-focused roles where you can make changes directly?
Agnes: It's a good question, and I've thought about what my next step might be. I've managed teams before, up to around five people, and I enjoyed coaching and nurturing their payroll careers. But these days I find I enjoy the back end more: looking at systems, managing how an HR system integrates with payroll, cleaning things up and doing a health check on the configuration.
In the future I could see myself moving into consultancy, reviewing how an organisation's systems are set up and helping the team improve them. I'm happy where I am at the moment, so we'll see. I don't think I'd want to return to people management as my main focus. It's a lot of responsibility, and it can pull you away from the technical work you enjoy.
Shawny: That's what's interesting about payroll now. Previously, career progression often meant following a fairly defined management track. But the industry has changed so much, particularly over the last five years. We're seeing specialist opportunities in systems, compliance and consulting. People can take their careers in different directions instead of feeling that management is the only way forward. And managing a big team means a lot of your day becomes performance management, delegation and people responsibilities, when you might really want to get into the payroll detail yourself.
Agnes: Exactly. I'm a doer. I want to get things done.
Shawny: Some people love team management and that's where they want to go. It's great that there are more choices now.
Agnes: There are definitely more options available to us, which is really good for the payroll profession.
Supporting payroll in a fast-growing business
Shawny: You've worked with businesses that have scaled quickly. What does payroll look like in that environment, and how do you keep up when an organisation is constantly growing?
Agnes: In a high-growth environment, payroll can feel like you're renovating a house while you're still living in it. Processes that worked when the organisation was smaller suddenly stop working. Headcount grows, new countries or entities are introduced, systems change, and expectations move very quickly.
For me, it's about staying close to the detail, building strong controls and reporting, and fixing issues before they become bigger problems. Having the right team and support matters too. In a high-growth environment, everyone needs to be on the same page and clear about who is responsible for what.
Shawny: I think the impact of a good senior leadership team is underrated, particularly in a scaling business. I've worked with organisations where payroll is lagging because leadership is still thinking about it as a small-business function, or because the focus is on revenue and growth and payroll gets left behind. It requires adaptability and ongoing assessment. Adding employees, entities or countries can change which systems and processes are appropriate.
Agnes: Definitely.
Managing payroll across different countries
Shawny: You've mentioned global payroll a few times. What are the biggest challenges when you're running payroll across different countries? And what do you wish businesses understood before they expand?
Agnes: Every country has different legislation, tax rules, deadlines and ways of working. In one role, for example, we had five different pay runs across different countries, all on different dates. You have to manage those deadlines. You can't just not pay someone because you're busy or there's another pay run to complete.
You need to understand each country's requirements and rely on strong local knowledge. At the same time, you want consistent governance, data security and good relationships with local providers. Just as there are tax obligations in Australia, there are different requirements in places such as the Philippines or China, and you may be dealing with different providers as well as the actual payroll.
There's a lot to manage, which is why the right support and the right people in each country are so important. I also find that payroll can get brought into an expansion or change quite late. Businesses need to involve payroll as early as possible, because planning and putting the right people and processes in place takes time.
Shawny: I completely agree. I'm also interested in how the complexity compares between countries. Have you found Australia to be the most complex, or is there another country that stands out?
Agnes: I hear people say Australia is the most complex, but I've worked with Italian payroll and found that very complex as well. Italian payroll law and processing had a lot of different components, and in some ways I found it more complex than Australian payroll.
Shawny: Was that because it was inherently complicated, or because the processes were so different from ours?
Agnes: A little of both. There were lots of allowances, additions and specific requirements around timesheets and checking in and out. The processes were quite rigid. It was a while ago now, but that's how I remember it.
Shawny: That makes sense. We're familiar with Australia, so of course we talk about how complicated it is. Sometimes other countries are just as complex, or so different that it's hard to compare them directly. It can feel like learning another language.
Agnes: And even within Australia, the complexity can come down to the particular award you're working under.
Shawny: Exactly. People working in health payroll, for example, may have a very different experience from people in other sectors. It's hard to compare complexity across an entire country without looking at the actual environment.
The responsibilities and pressures people underestimate
Shawny: You've worked in payroll through some transformative years. What do people coming into the industry tend to underestimate?
Agnes: When I used to hire payroll staff, I felt I had to explain just how important and broad the work is. There's that cliché that people think payroll is just pushing a button. I almost hate repeating it, but people do underestimate how much is involved.
It's not only processing a pay run. You're checking leave, managing terminations, understanding legislation and tax, looking after systems and their configuration, and working with finance, HR and employees. When an error happens, you're also dealing with the human side of it. There are so many moving parts. You need the right attitude and work ethic. I want people who are prepared to get involved, learn and understand the process, because if they have the right attitude, the technical skills can be taught.
Shawny: Definitely. Salaries and recognition have also come a long way. People can build a strong career as a Payroll Officer or Senior Payroll Officer without necessarily going into management or consulting. But payroll isn't purely an HR role or purely a numbers role. You need both, plus an investigative and compliance mindset. If there's a system issue and people haven't been paid, you can't simply walk out at five o'clock and leave it unresolved. There's a lot of pressure.
Agnes: Exactly. Even taking sick leave can be complicated. You find yourself thinking, how sick am I really? I've got things that need to be done today, and who else will do them? The same goes for holidays. Can I take time off next month, or will it fall during payroll? Those considerations can affect your personal life.
Shawny: That must be especially difficult in a standalone role, where you're thinking about who can cover your responsibilities. You have to manage your own availability around the payroll calendar. I love working in payroll recruitment, but I don't know how I'd go with that pressure myself!
Agnes: I think that's what many people don't realise. Some people come into payroll and find the pressure and workload much greater than they expected. It can be really stressful.
Shawny: You need to be able to handle the responsibility without letting it burn you out. We saw the additional pressure and fatigue during COVID, and a lot of payroll people were exhausted. It's a career worth considering, but people need to understand what's involved.
Agnes: I agree. It's a good career, but it's not for everyone.
Choosing payroll systems that are fit for purpose
Shawny: I always like to ask people about their favourite payroll system. What have you used, and what stands out?
Agnes: Whenever I've considered a new role, I've wondered what system that organisation uses, because I like learning different platforms. I've used a few, but I've mostly worked with ADP Payforce, so I feel very confident with ADP.
There was a bit of a learning curve initially, and it's quite an old-school system in some respects. No system is perfect, but once you really understand how to use it, things become easier. What's most important to me is being able to get good reporting out of the system and having reliable integrations between HR, leave management and payroll. A lot comes down to how the system is set up, rather than simply which product you've chosen.
Shawny: A lot of global organisations use ADP because of its presence in different countries.
Agnes: Yes. At my first company, when we expanded, we wanted to use ADP in as many countries as possible so we could have a more consistent approach. Its global availability was useful, although finding the right global payroll overview is still a challenge.
Shawny: Even when a system is available in different countries, you have to ask whether it actually fits the local payroll requirements. If it requires too many workarounds, another system may be better for that particular country or business.
Agnes: That's exactly what happened in one company I worked for. We acquired another business, and it had its own payroll system. We wanted to change it so it was consistent with ours, and we went through the full implementation. But it simply didn't work for our needs, so we had to revert to the system the acquired company had been using.
That was a lesson. As much as you want the same system across the business, sometimes it just doesn't work.
Shawny: There's a lot of talk about streamlining and bringing everything together, but it has to work in practice. At least you were able to revert. Sometimes businesses have invested so much time and money that they feel committed to making a system work, even when it's not the right fit.
Agnes: Exactly. There's pride involved too. You want to make it work. We'd gone through the steps and ticked everything off, but sometimes you learn by going through that experience. It's important for payroll professionals to feel empowered to make decisions and raise concerns within their area of responsibility.
Adjusting to Payday Super
Shawny: Speaking of changes in the industry, we've recently been adjusting to Payday Super. How has that gone for you? Did anything surprise you once it went live?
Agnes: It's still early days, but in my current role we haven't had any issues. I think it was implemented well. There were lots of webinars, seminars and communication beforehand, and payroll professionals came together to understand how it would work and what it would mean for them.
I think the change is positive. We deal with bounced payments and refunds, for example, and the quicker turnaround means information and corrections can come back sooner. There is more pressure to act quickly, but I think that's useful. When something could be dealt with quarterly or monthly, it could be tempting to put it off because there's always something else to do in payroll. Now it becomes something you need to action sooner rather than later.
Shawny: It's been a busy few years. STP Stage 1 and Stage 2 helped lay the groundwork, and it's shown how important project and change-management capability is within payroll. There will always be another change to prepare for. I think Payday Super will have benefits for employees, although the impact on businesses will vary depending on their existing payroll frequency and processes. It's good to hear your implementation has gone smoothly.
Career advice: question the way things have always been done
Shawny: Let's move into career advice. What's the best advice you've received, and did you take it?
Agnes: It comes back to something I mentioned earlier: think outside the square, ask questions and go that extra step. I think the people who do that stand out. It was ingrained in me early in my payroll career, and it's made me a better payroll professional, manager and leader.
Don't leave something alone just because that's how it's always been done, or because someone tells you it's fine when you still have doubts. Keep asking questions and make sure you understand the answer.
Shawny: I think people need to take ownership of their career development. In some industries, the pathway is quite structured, with milestones for training, promotion or salary progression. Payroll can be so busy that managers don't always have time to map every development opportunity out for you.
You have to be proactive: put your hand up for projects, new systems, investigations and opportunities to learn from other people. That can be challenging if you're naturally shy or introverted, but getting outside your comfort zone can make a big difference.
Agnes: I agree.
Problem-solving, purpose and boundaries
Shawny: At what point did you realise payroll was more than just a job for you? You spent eight years in that first organisation, so perhaps it was somewhere along the way.
Agnes: I think it was that sense of achievement. Payroll involves tasks that repeat every week or month, but there are always new situations too. You end up investigating things. What happened to a super payment that appeared to be paid but didn't go through? I really enjoy solving those problems.
Work ethic is important to me, and I come to work to do my job properly and make sure people are paid correctly. But I also want to maintain some separation between work and my personal life. Even when you love what you do, that boundary matters.
Shawny: Definitely. Because payroll carries so much responsibility, having that separation is really important.
Learning from the payroll community
Shawny: One more question before we finish. What would you like to hear discussed in future episodes of Payroll Perspectives?
Agnes: I don't actually get to speak with other payroll professionals that often, particularly people who understand the work. I'd love to hear a conversation between people from different industries or organisations who can compare how they do things.
For example, payroll can sit within HR in one business and within finance in another. I've worked in both, and the experience can be very different. I'd be interested to hear people discuss those differences and share what they can learn from each other.
It's hard for payroll people to find a community where they can bounce ideas around. There's also sensitive employee information to protect, so you have to be careful about what you share. But there are so many different ways to approach payroll, and it would be valuable to hear how other people do things and what I might bring back to my own role.
Shawny: I think part of the challenge is that payroll professionals are so busy. Events and podcasts require people to make time, and something urgent can come up and change their plans. That's something I've seen fluctuate as the industry has become more complex.
It should be a priority for businesses to give their payroll people opportunities to network, share ideas and learn from others. I'd love to keep creating those opportunities. We should brainstorm some future events and topics. Agnes, thank you so much for joining me.
Agnes: Thanks for having me. I've enjoyed chatting with you.
Shawny: Thank you so much.
