Cindy Forget dabbled in law, HR and the admin world before settling on payroll
Cindy Forget didn’t last long in the legal profession.
Working as a legal secretary when she was just 18, she had to deal with calls from detention centres and listen to screaming matches coming from the board room as couples tried to settle divorces.
“I couldn’t deal with it, especially at that age,” the Ottawa-based payroll professional said.
A second career path, as an administrative assistant, also proved to be short-lived.
“I needed to do something else to keep my mind active.”
At the time, Forget was working at Combustion Engineering, where she was doing administrative work for a vice-president.
After taking some courses she moved into the company’s HR department.
She quickly realized the payroll-related tasks in the department were more her style than what human resources did.
“Because I’m a more black and white person, yes/no, where HR is kind of that warm, fuzzy in between,” she said. “And that is not me.”
Forget knows her story is not unique for people who started in the payroll profession when she did.
But now she sees a change occurring in the industry as newcomers start their careers, she said.
“I think people actually make a decision to do payroll now,” she said.
After 12 years at the company Forget left and joined JDS Uniphase as the Canadian payroll manager.
When she started in 1996 the company had 500 employees. By 2001 she was paying 10,000 employees.
Unfortunately the growth didn’t last. The high tech bubble burst and she was left with what is certainly one of the least enviable tasks in payroll.
“In 2001, I processed 7,000 terminations,” she said. “It was not a good year.”
After the hit to the tech industry, Forget transferred the company’s payroll to the United States in 2008, at which time she had a decision to make: seek out work with another company or use her skills to work for herself.
“You know you often hear people say getting let go or leaving that company was the best thing that ever happened to me and I can honestly say that,” she said, adding self-employment as a consultant is a life that has treated her well the past three plus years.
At first, Forget admits she was nervous she wouldn’t get enough work, but she quickly realized she was going to be in demand.
“I hate to put it this way, but it’s almost like things kind of just fell into place.”
At the same time, Forget had been on the board at the Canadian Payroll Association (CPA) for three years. When she left her job at JDS she started her tenure on the board’s executive committee, working as secretary, then vice-chair and in 2011 she became chair.
“Having that connection made my work life a lot easier.”
Forget is currently serving the board in the past chair role and will leave the board in July. It’s an experience she has appreciated for many reasons.
“It’s been the biggest growth experience professionally and biggest personal growth experience,” she said. “When I initially joined the board in 2005, I was apprehensive, a little nervous, a little scared. I didn’t know what to expect.”
But the experience has been very positive and Forget doesn’t have a problem talking about why she decided to stay on the CPA’s board.
“They are an association that I cannot say good enough things about,” she said.
And it seems the feeling is mutual.
“Cindy’s knowledge of payroll is one of the best in the country,” said CPA president Patrick Culhane, adding that this is why she was asked to be on the board and why she was made chair.
“She’s just been a great ambassador for the CPA.”
The CPA needs good talent and a diversity of talent on the board, said Culhane.
They look for skills in HR, payroll and accounting when recruiting and electing people to fill board positions so there will be a variety of background on the board, he said.
“Cindy’s main contribution is as a payroll professional, she’s got 20 years experience as a payroll professional she’s worked in all attributes of payroll from small, large, multinational organizations,” he said. “She’s got international experience as well so that helps a lot.”
Each year the board tackles five key strategies. One of the things the CPA wanted to focus on in Forget’s year as chair was the value of membership, said Culhane.
“We did well with that because in our member census… 87 per cent are very satisfied with the products and services they receive,” he said. “That’s pretty significant. I’m just delighted with those results.”
In her new professional life as a consultant, Forget said she is still amazed at the approach some organizations continue to take with their payroll departments.
“What boggles my mind a lot is that companies put people in a payroll position that don’t have any payroll experience.”
It’s still happening in many companies, maybe not as much as it used to, she said.
But having a professional do such a compliance-heavy job seems like common sense.
“They must realize that payroll is their largest expense and they should have someone that knows what they’re doing dealing with that expense.”
Working as a legal secretary when she was just 18, she had to deal with calls from detention centres and listen to screaming matches coming from the board room as couples tried to settle divorces.
“I couldn’t deal with it, especially at that age,” the Ottawa-based payroll professional said.
A second career path, as an administrative assistant, also proved to be short-lived.
“I needed to do something else to keep my mind active.”
At the time, Forget was working at Combustion Engineering, where she was doing administrative work for a vice-president.
After taking some courses she moved into the company’s HR department.
She quickly realized the payroll-related tasks in the department were more her style than what human resources did.
“Because I’m a more black and white person, yes/no, where HR is kind of that warm, fuzzy in between,” she said. “And that is not me.”
Forget knows her story is not unique for people who started in the payroll profession when she did.
But now she sees a change occurring in the industry as newcomers start their careers, she said.
“I think people actually make a decision to do payroll now,” she said.
After 12 years at the company Forget left and joined JDS Uniphase as the Canadian payroll manager.
When she started in 1996 the company had 500 employees. By 2001 she was paying 10,000 employees.
Unfortunately the growth didn’t last. The high tech bubble burst and she was left with what is certainly one of the least enviable tasks in payroll.
“In 2001, I processed 7,000 terminations,” she said. “It was not a good year.”
After the hit to the tech industry, Forget transferred the company’s payroll to the United States in 2008, at which time she had a decision to make: seek out work with another company or use her skills to work for herself.
“You know you often hear people say getting let go or leaving that company was the best thing that ever happened to me and I can honestly say that,” she said, adding self-employment as a consultant is a life that has treated her well the past three plus years.
At first, Forget admits she was nervous she wouldn’t get enough work, but she quickly realized she was going to be in demand.
“I hate to put it this way, but it’s almost like things kind of just fell into place.”
At the same time, Forget had been on the board at the Canadian Payroll Association (CPA) for three years. When she left her job at JDS she started her tenure on the board’s executive committee, working as secretary, then vice-chair and in 2011 she became chair.
“Having that connection made my work life a lot easier.”
Forget is currently serving the board in the past chair role and will leave the board in July. It’s an experience she has appreciated for many reasons.
“It’s been the biggest growth experience professionally and biggest personal growth experience,” she said. “When I initially joined the board in 2005, I was apprehensive, a little nervous, a little scared. I didn’t know what to expect.”
But the experience has been very positive and Forget doesn’t have a problem talking about why she decided to stay on the CPA’s board.
“They are an association that I cannot say good enough things about,” she said.
And it seems the feeling is mutual.
“Cindy’s knowledge of payroll is one of the best in the country,” said CPA president Patrick Culhane, adding that this is why she was asked to be on the board and why she was made chair.
“She’s just been a great ambassador for the CPA.”
The CPA needs good talent and a diversity of talent on the board, said Culhane.
They look for skills in HR, payroll and accounting when recruiting and electing people to fill board positions so there will be a variety of background on the board, he said.
“Cindy’s main contribution is as a payroll professional, she’s got 20 years experience as a payroll professional she’s worked in all attributes of payroll from small, large, multinational organizations,” he said. “She’s got international experience as well so that helps a lot.”
Each year the board tackles five key strategies. One of the things the CPA wanted to focus on in Forget’s year as chair was the value of membership, said Culhane.
“We did well with that because in our member census… 87 per cent are very satisfied with the products and services they receive,” he said. “That’s pretty significant. I’m just delighted with those results.”
In her new professional life as a consultant, Forget said she is still amazed at the approach some organizations continue to take with their payroll departments.
“What boggles my mind a lot is that companies put people in a payroll position that don’t have any payroll experience.”
It’s still happening in many companies, maybe not as much as it used to, she said.
But having a professional do such a compliance-heavy job seems like common sense.
“They must realize that payroll is their largest expense and they should have someone that knows what they’re doing dealing with that expense.”
