Louise is a payroll specialist and systems administrator

Tell us about your role at SMHI!

I am part of SMHI's HR department, working both with payroll administration and payroll-related issues, as well as with the system administration of our payroll and scheduling systems.

The role of a payroll specialist involves, in addition to ensuring that salaries are processed accurately and on time, supporting employees and managers with various legal, contractual, and payroll-related questions. This also includes interacting with other authorities. As a systems administrator, my role is to oversee our payroll and HR systems and address any challenges that arise.

What does a typical day look like at your job?

A workday can vary greatly from one day to another, but generally involves answering questions from employees and managers about laws and agreements, administrating incoming payroll data, and producing various certificates or reports. A workday might also include contacting other authorities, such as the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) and the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket). Sometimes, system-related problems arise that need to be resolved, and occasionally I act as the link between an employee and the system provider when an action is needed that we cannot perform in-house.

What is the best part of your job?

The best part is probably the variety of tasks and the fact that no two days are the same, which keeps the work engaging. For example, understanding laws and agreements can be complex if you are not directly involved in payroll administration. It is a challenging and rewarding experience to answer contractual and payroll-related questions from the organisation in a clear and pedagogical manner. Having insight into and control over the administration of SMHI’s payroll system is also both interesting and enjoyable for a problem-solving mind. Additionally, SMHI is a very pleasant workplace with friendly colleagues and many benefits.