Career Change from Restaurants to Payroll – Sari’s Leap into the Unknown Paid Off

I joined Staria as a career changer in 2018. My previous education is Bachelor of Hospitality Management, and I worked in that field for over ten years. In 2017, I decided to switch careers because I wanted to leave shift work behind. Having small children and a spouse who also worked shifts made the idea of a daytime job was very appealing. For some time, I had been thinking about accounting, and payroll was also in the back of my mind. So, I began studying Business Administration and, thanks to a tip from my then restaurant manager — who knew Staria well since the restaurant was Staria's client — I ended up doing my internship here.

The flexible remote work that Staria offers is absolutely fantastic and fits my life perfectly. In practice, you can work wherever you want, which is a wonderful benefit.

Colleagues supported the start of Sari's new career

During my internship, I quickly realized how challenging yet diverse the work of a payroll specialist is. I got to work for many different companies during my internship, which gave me a good understanding of everything the job entails. After the internship, I was supposed to stay at Staria on a fixed-term contract, but that eventually turned into a permanent position. At first, I was nervous, but my team had my back, and I received help and support whenever I needed it.

I’ve been able to grow in my work at my own pace. Staria is a flexible employer and to those who are interested, there are plenty of challenges and growth possibilities. Staria also offers various training opportunities, both internally and externally.

My experience and skills grew quickly as I was given my own clients to manage. As my expertise increased, I was able to move on to larger and more demanding clients. My manager probably saw my potential better than I did myself, because in the summer of 2019, I was given a lot of substitute assignments that I initially didn’t think I could handle. But a little pressure worked, and I got through the summer successfully, trusting myself even more.

A Payroll Specialist does more than calculating salaries

In addition to payroll, I’ve also had the chance to influence customer processes in my work, and together with the system teams, we’ve worked on process development. From the very beginning of my career, I’ve been interested in modernizing working methods, and my intention was to work more on the service development side. However, my plans changed when I was offered the opportunity to become a team leader.

At first, I was a bit hesitant – would I be suitable for the job? After talking with a colleague about what the team leader’s job actually involves, I decided to take on the challenge, and I’ve stayed on that path. I didn’t give up calculating salaries completely, though; once I had settled into my new role, I wanted to take on one client whose payroll I handle myself. This way, I keep my professional skills up to date and can offer my team better support, for example, with systems. This field is constantly changing, after all.

The varied everyday life of a team leader

As a team leader, my workdays are very different from what they were as a Payroll Specialist. There’s a lot of variety in my days, and you can hardly plan them in advance. Usually, my days consist of meetings with both colleagues and partners, as we are always striving to develop processes and working methods. In addition, I need to be ready to react to issues that arise during the day, as something unpredictable comes up all the time.

Of course, supporting and helping my team is at the core of my job. This means supporting development, giving feedback, providing guidance, and making sure my team has everything they need to succeed in their work. In the end, as a team leader, I’m also responsible for clients.

Although I went through a manager training when I was working in the restaurant industry, in my current role as a team leader, my experience in payroll supports me the most. I know the work I’m leading and because I understand the substance so well, cooperation is easy, and my team and I speak the same language.

The most challenging part of my job is managing my own time; you have to be able to delegate tasks to team members, even though the Payroll Specialist in me says I don’t want to bother them. But the most rewarding thing is seeing how my team develops and grows – that wouldn’t be possible if I didn’t delegate work and protected them too much.

When I started as a team leader, I received recruitment training from Staria’s People & Culture team, which was a completely new area for me. In addition, we have comprehensive and clear training and guidance materials in our internal portals to support managers. However, the most important thing in growing into the role has been the support of my colleagues and my own manager.

I am proud of how I have grown in my role over the years. I couldn’t have reached this point without openness, proactivity, and courage. Perseverance, stress tolerance, and a constant desire to seek out information and learn have also enabled my growth journey from an insecure trainee to a skillful professional.

Sari's tips for career growth

Growing in your career doesn’t always have to mean title changes. Growth is about developing in your own work; you can grow and challenge yourself in new ways in the same position as well. The world of payroll offers endless opportunities for this.

At Staria, the opportunities for career development are excellent. If you’re open-minded, you don’t have to pigeonhole yourself into any particular job description here. At first, I also thought I was “just” a Payroll Specialist, but later I realized that there are many other opportunities as well, from service development to leading roles.