Meet Kristie Mascioli, Payroll Specialist.
Tell us about your background.
I grew up in Northern Ontario and completed my degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Human Resources at Nipissing University. Once I finished schooling, I moved to Ottawa to find work in my field. My first job in HR was working for a staffing agency as an office coordinator/security clearance processor and eventually I moved into the role of recruiter.
After a few years of recruiting at a 360 desk, mainly for government and crown corporations, I realized that I really did enjoy the more administrative side of recruitment—best to leave the business development to the professionals. I took a chance and was able to secure an entry level role in a corporate payroll department.
I was fortunate to have some very experienced colleagues that coached me along the way in both Canadian and US payroll, learning everything from the basics of payroll up to handling acquisitions, HRIS reporting and enhancements, and preparing for the many different types of audits. In 2021, I completed my Payroll Compliance Professional certificate with the National Payroll Institute and haven’t looked back!
What is your role at Calian? Tell us about the type of work you do.
My role at Calian is a Payroll Specialist and I work on a team that processes biweekly payroll for both internal and contract employees. We process pay for 2000+ employees across four separate legal entities. I also process US payroll for a handful of employees.
On any given day, I could be processing pay, or working on resolving payroll discrepancies, reporting requests, preparing tax or worker’s compensation or RRSP or benefit remittances. I was also involved in the testing and implementation of Calian’s new GRSP program, as well as the implementation of a new Payroll Control Centre—which will help us with the quality assurance of payroll.
What do you like most about working for Calian?
I really appreciate the team spirit at Calian. Payroll is a close-knit group—we are always in the office on a pay week, working together and supporting each other to make sure we meet our deadlines. Many people think that Payroll is just clicking buttons, but it is truly much more of a team effort. We work closely with the HR, IT, and CA teams and couldn’t do what we do without their hard work and input. A phrase you’ll hear often in the Payroll department is, “Teamwork makes the dream work!”
Do you have a favorite story from your time at Calian?
Although I have only been with Calian for about a year and a half, a memory that stands out would be the first time I ran payroll on my own. After shadowing for a few payrolls, the training wheels came off and I completed the payroll for our direct (contract) staff on my own. Of course, support was nearby, but being able to navigate a system as complex as SAP and drive the pay on my own after a short time is something I consider a big accomplishment.
What keeps you busy outside of work?
I have a three and half year-old daughter and two dogs, so when I am not entertaining or chasing them around, you will likely find me weeding my flower garden or helping my husband in his vegetable garden. And with winter now here, we’ll be outside sleigh-riding and enjoying hot chocolate over a bonfire.
