This course is the second core course of the Payroll Leadership Professional (PLP) designation program.
Building on the operational mastery from Foundations of Payroll Leadership, this course transitions payroll professionals into strategic influencers within their organizations. Students will learn to communicate payroll’s value, build cross-functional partnerships, and lead change initiatives using data-driven insights and business case development.
Prerequisite: Foundations of Payroll Leadership
Upon completion of Payroll as a Strategic Partner (PSP), students should be able to:
- Demonstrate active listening and inclusive communication skills to foster collaboration within payroll teams and cross-functional partners.
- Analyze and overcome barriers to effective communication in payroll leadership contexts using targeted strategies.
- Adapt communication approaches to build strong relationships across diverse roles, styles, and organizational contexts.
- Apply influence strategies to achieve desired outcomes in situations where formal authority is limited or absent.
- Align payroll objectives with organizational vision, mission, and strategic goals to support overall business performance.
- Develop SMART objectives that connect organizational goals with team priorities and individual performance expectations.
- Evaluate interdependencies between payroll and other departments and design strategies to enhance collaboration and trust.
- Create and present a compelling business case for payroll initiatives, including strategic objectives, financial projections, and anticipated outcomes.
- Conduct cost-benefit and gap analyses to inform payroll system upgrades or new implementations aligned with compliance and business needs.
- Analyze payroll metrics and trends to develop data-driven insights and visualizations that support strategic decision-making.
- Apply change management models and best practices to lead payroll-related transitions effectively and ensure compliance.
- Design and deliver professional presentations tailored to diverse leadership audiences, incorporating strategies for clarity, engagement and objection handling.
Online Courses: Online directly through the National Payroll Institute (excluding challenge)
The National Payroll Institute offers online courses, which are primarily self-directed, meaning that, for the most part, there are no scheduled class times or lectures. Students work through the material at their own pace; however, students must complete assignments, discussion questions, and exams by the dates outlined at the start of the course. Students are assigned to an instructor and can email course-related questions to them at any time during the course.
In addition, there are instructor-student live “Check-in” sessions, scheduled at various intervals throughout the course. These live sessions are opportunities for students to meet virtually with their instructor, to ask any questions they might have about the content, and to understand more about the exam experience, including a review of the exams proctoring requirements. The sessions will be recorded for students who cannot attend
The assignments, the discussion activities, and the exams have pre-determined due dates. All of the coursework is completed online through the Institute’s Learning Management System, Brightspace.
The online final exam is remotely proctored through Integrity Advocate. The remote proctoring fee is included in the online course fee.
Live Courses: Post-Secondary Classroom and Virtual Classroom
Live, in-class and virtual courses, completed through a post-secondary institution, are directed by the post-secondary institution’s instructor. Students will attend and participate in classes and lectures at the same time as their peers.
The online final exam is remotely proctored through Integrity Advocate. The remote proctoring fee is included in the classroom course fee.
Both an overall grade of 65% and a mark of at least 65% on the final exam are required to pass the course. An online grade report will be available four weeks after the official end date of the course. For confidentiality reasons, marks cannot be given by phone, fax, or email.
Withdrawal Policy
Students who withdraw within the first three weeks of the term will receive a full refund from the National Payroll Institute, less a withdrawal fee of $100.00, plus applicable taxes.
PLP Designation Completion Timeline
Students must complete all of the PLP courses, including the transfer of credit courses, within 5 years from the start of their first successful FPL course.
Maximum Course Attempts
Students are permitted a maximum of three attempts at any individual PLP course. If a student fails a given PLP course three times (through the classroom, or online study option), they will no longer be permitted to register for the course.