When you hear any job title involving the words “payroll accountant,” the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t anything to do with writing. Payroll accountants are expected to be more “left-brained,” or more oriented toward numbers and analytical problem-solving. While that might be true, good writing skills are still important to the job of a payroll accountant.
Payroll accountants verify documents and transactions for accuracy, prepare reports of payroll expenditures, set up procedures and schedules, and more. In all that they do, good writing skills are important, as they allow them to execute their responsibilities and tasks successfully and professionally. The moment when you apply these writing tips to your job as a payroll accountant is the moment when your career will be transformed.
Those in Payroll Accounting Careers Should Know How to Communicate in Writing
If you have a payroll accounting diploma, it’s likely that your future career is going to require (at least) a basic level of communication skills. What kind of skill does this require? You guessed it: writing. Being able to communicate effectively via email, memos, and more will make your job easier and garner some appreciation from your colleagues, therefore improving your relationships at work.
In order to brush up on your communicative writing skills, make sure to check your grammar and spelling before sending out an email or a document. If this isn’t your strong suit, you can use a grammar-checking tool to ensure that you’re not making any mistakes.
Translate Those Complicated Payroll Accounting Terms
Those in payroll accounting careers perform a lot of daily tasks that involve writing. They analyze reports and compile technical documents in order to provide information to various departments and colleagues. This information not only needs to be accurate, but it needs to be understood. As a payroll accounting professional, it’s important to put more technical terms in simpler English so as to not confuse those who will be reading what you write. Your writing can be improved in this area by providing explanations of terms that you think could potentially be confusing for the receiver of the document. Clear explanations will be helpful to colleagues or other professionals who are unfamiliar with payroll terminology.
Keep it Simple, Keep it Clean
When putting together reports and synthesizing information, it can be easy to get overwhelmed and use too many words. The best way to ensure that your writing is clear, accurate, and effective is to keep your sentences short and simple. Using clear language will work to avoid confusion when it comes to interpreting the reports and documents that you’re putting together. This technique can help to prevent a potential mistake from occurring. As a payroll accounting graduate, you might not be a natural-born writer, but that shouldn’t stop you from producing quality, effective writing. You can read what you’ve written aloud to yourself to ensure that you are using concise language and simple sentences. Once you’ve applied all these tips to the writing you’re doing, your experience as a payroll accountant will be that much better.
Ready to explore the Academy of Learning Alberta’s options for computerized payroll accounting?