Meet Sean Cunningham, a Payroll & Benefits Coordinator at Xenium HR. Sean graduated from Washington State University with a degree in Business Administration focused on HR and found his way to Xenium through a staffing referral. In this spotlight, he talks about his passion for HR, overcoming early challenges, and why variety is one of the best parts of working for an outsourced HR and payroll firm.
What is your role at Xenium, and how long have you worked here?
I’m a Payroll and Benefits Coordinator at Xenium, and I’ve been here for a little over a year.
Can you tell me about your career progression? How did you get into payroll and HR, and what led you to work at Xenium?
It’s a funny story, actually. I graduated from WSU—go Cougs!—in 2023 with a degree in Business Administration and a focus on HR. I was already involved with my school’s HR society club, which was affiliated with SHRM, so I had some exposure. After graduating, I worked as a recruiting coordinator at a staffing firm in Portland, but I got laid off due to budget constraints. Express Employment in Vancouver recommended I apply at Xenium. There weren’t any open positions at the time, but I submitted my resume anyway, and eventually, Sarah Murphy reached out to me. That led me here.
What’s your favorite part of working for an outsourced HR and payroll firm?
I’m sure everyone says this, but the variety is really nice. We see needs from so many different businesses, and that unique perspective is valuable—especially for someone like me early in their career. It helps me understand the various challenges and how to handle them.
When you were in school and learning about HR, and now that you’re in the world of payroll, benefits, and HR, what’s most surprising, or what weren’t you expecting?
In school, everything seemed simpler. We covered laws, regulations, compensation, leaves of absence—things like that—but we didn’t really talk about the day-to-day tasks like updating handbooks or the complexities of payroll. There are just so many moving parts and much more that goes into HR than you might think when you’re in class.
What are the challenges facing our industry in the near and long term?
Funding can be uncertain for some of our nonprofit clients, impacting how we support them. There’s also AI. It’s a big thing right now, and we need to be mindful about how we use it—both its pros and cons.
Can you tell me about a project or accomplishment you’re particularly proud of here?
I’m not usually one to boast, but I’m proud of my progress. About six or seven months ago, I wasn’t performing at the level I could have been. With a lot of coaching and support, I developed systems to stay on top of my work and even took on additional responsibilities like helping with our Monday.com board implementation for our Payroll team. Getting back on track has been a big accomplishment for me.
What advice would you give to someone just starting in this field?
I have two pieces of advice. One: be confident but not cocky. Know the difference between simply doing your job and going above and beyond. Two: be coachable. You have to be open to hearing that you made a mistake or that something isn’t efficient. That’s how you learn.
Can you tell me about your best memory, working with a client or just here at Xenium?
I enjoy running reports for clients. There was a time when I took some PTO, and the team struggled with specific monthly reports I’d been handling. It made me realize how much ownership I had of that process. Being able to jump in, explain the audit process, and help everyone out was satisfying.
How do you see your role evolving in the future? What are your goals?
A natural progression for my current role is to become a Payroll or Benefits Specialist or move toward an HR Generalist or HRBP position. I’d love to get my SHRM certification and work up to a Business Partner role in the long term.
What do you wish more people knew about working in our industry?
I wish people knew just how many moving parts there are and how many clients we handle simultaneously. It’s easy to forget that each person is juggling multiple businesses and needs. Being kind, thoughtful, and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes goes a long way in this industry.