The Payroll Podcast

Payroll gets noticed when it goes wrong. That's about it. Which is a strange way to treat the function that pays everybody. I'm Nick Day. Twenty years recruiting payroll professionals means I've had the same conversation hundreds of times, with people who were brilliant at the job and invisible in the business. The Payroll Podcast started because I wanted to know why that keeps happening, and what the ones who broke out of it did differently. Every week I sit down with payroll leaders, global payroll operators, payroll technology founders and compliance specialists. We get into UK and international payroll legislation that lands with three weeks' notice. Fiscal drag, and what it quietly does to the people you pay. Pay transparency, AI legislation, earned wage access, salary administration, payroll AI tools and the payroll systems everyone is being sold. Payroll systems implementations that went sideways, and what was learned on the way out. Careers come up constantly. What it takes to move from running payroll to being asked your opinion before the decision gets made. And because I run a payroll recruitment agency, a fair amount of the conversation lands on hiring. This Payroll Podcast was born out of these payroll leadership conversations. Salary administration across a global workforce. Staff wellbeing in teams that carry more risk than anyone above them realises. Should companies hire a chief payroll officer? What role should a payroll body play in supporting the payroll profession? Why do good payroll leaders leave? No script, no polite version. Mostly it's the conversation you'd have with someone who does your job, if you ever got the chance to sit down with them. Four hundred episodes in, it's the most listened to payroll podcast in the world. Which still surprises me, given nobody thinks payroll is interesting until their pay is wrong. If you work in payroll, or you're building a career in it, start by subscribing to The Payroll Podcast. Topics include UK and global payroll, payroll legislation and compliance, payroll AI, payroll systems and management tools, the payment industry, earned wage access, pay transparency, DEI, payroll leadership and strategy, payroll recruitment and career development. 🌐 Stay ahead of the global payroll curve with insights on AI, strategy, earned wage access, wellbeing, DEI and more. Perfect for payroll professionals and global payroll leaders looking to embrace the future and enhance their strategies. 👉 Subscribe now and help raise the profile and drive the future evolution of payroll! 👉 Need Payroll Staff? Contact Payroll Recruitment Agency, JGA Recruitment - www.jgarecruitment.com / info@jgarecruitment.com 👉 Want to be a guest on the show? Email Nick@jgadigital.com

  1. 6d ago

    Global Payroll Compliance: The Costly Mistakes Businesses Must Avoid

    In this episode: Global Payroll Compliance: Managing Payroll Across Borders | Michelle Solomon and Filip Terzic, BIPO, with Nick Day. How do you build a global payroll strategy when every country plays by different rules? On The Payroll Podcast, Nick Day speaks with Michelle Solomon, Country Manager ANZ at BIPO, and Filip Terzic, Sales Lead North America at BIPO, about international payroll, cross-border compliance and the risks of global expansion. 🌍 ABOUT THIS EPISODE Expanding internationally introduces complex payroll requirements. From Australia's modern awards, employee classifications and superannuation to federal, state and local rules in the United States, businesses need more than payroll technology. They need effective governance, accurate processes and local expertise. Michelle and Filip explain why payroll technology can calculate pay correctly without guaranteeing compliance, why payroll should be involved before expansion decisions are made, and how to build a consistent global payroll model that respects local legislation. 🔍 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN • Why global payroll compliance depends on local expertise. • How Australian payroll rules and employee classification affect pay. • Why compliance in one US state does not mean compliance across America. • How payroll errors, underpayments and penalties can affect businesses. • What to standardise globally and what should remain local. • How to assess payroll providers and their local capabilities. • Employer of Record (EOR) versus outsourced payroll. • How AI could support the future of payroll. 🗝️ KEY TAKEAWAY Global payroll does not mean making every country the same. Consistent governance, visibility and controls must be supported by local expertise to help organisations manage compliance across borders. 💡 MEET THE GUESTS Michelle Solomon, Country Manager ANZ at BIPO, brings more than 20 years of international payroll and workforce experience. Filip Terzic, Sales Lead North America at BIPO, helps organisations navigate international expansion through payroll, HCM and global workforce solutions. 🌐 LINKS BIPO Global Payroll and HR Solutions: https://www.biposervice.com Michelle Solomon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-solomon-877ba534/ Filip Terzic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/filip-terzi%C4%87-06486699/ BIPO Employer of Record Services: https://www.biposervice.com/employer-of-record/ Nick Day on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/ JGA Recruitment opportunities: https://jgarecruitment.com/opportunities/ The HR L&D Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thehrldpodcast ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 Why global payroll still creates risk 02:45 What does payroll mean? 04:20 Australian payroll compliance 07:23 Why technology alone cannot guarantee compliance 08:34 Global ambition, local compliance 09:08 US payroll and state requirements 11:31 Remote employees and payroll rules 12:31 International expansion challenges 16:14 Director liability and payroll compliance 17:40 Why payroll belongs in expansion planning 20:14 Payroll errors and financial risk 20:46 Building a consistent global payroll model 25:02 Standardising governance, localising expertise 26:29 Technology versus local expertise 28:35 Evaluating global payroll providers 29:32 EOR versus outsourced payroll 33:22 Assessing local market expertise 36:19 International employee onboarding 38:20 Advice for payroll leaders 40:37 US employee benefits and vendor questions 44:10 The Payroll Vault 47:45 Global payroll in 2030 49:04 Closing reflections Subscribe to The Payroll Podcast for more conversations about global payroll compliance, payroll technology, international expansion and the future of the payroll profession. If you found this episode useful, share it with a payroll, HR or finance leader managing an international workforce. Stay tuned for the next episode. #ThePayrollPodcast #GlobalPayroll #GlobalPayrollCompliance #CrossBorderPayroll #InternationalPayroll #PayrollCompliance #PayrollStrategy #MultiCountryPayroll #PayrollTechnology #EmployerOfRecord #EOR #BIPO #PayrollLeadership #InternationalExpansion #NickDay

  2. Oct 29

    Why Payroll's Future Depends on Being Seen with Jody Cox

    Payroll leadership and career visibility aren't about self-promotion, they're survival. Payroll professionals connect with people through life's most sensitive moments: births, deaths, marriages, financial struggles. Yet many fell into the role, and few are resourced for what it demands. In this episode, Nick Day explores why payroll career visibility matters and how strategic leaders stop being invisible. Your organization's trust depends on it. In this episode of @thepayrollpodcast, Nick Day, CEO of JGA Recruitment, sits down with Jody Cox, Founder of the Payroll Support Network, to ask what payroll needs to become next and why visibility might be the missing piece. This is not just a conversation about community. It is a conversation about what happens when a profession stays quiet for too long, financial wellbeing left untapped, salaries left undiscussed, talent left to fall in rather than choose in. Jody and Nick explore why payroll is under resourced for the strategic role it is being asked to play, why teams are working extra hours every week, and why hidden salaries and diluted job titles are quietly devaluing payroll expertise. They also cover the Payroll Support Network's accreditation concept for employers, the difference between coaching and mentoring, why payroll careers can progress faster than finance or HR, and the payroll paradox, the idea that the precision making payroll excellent is the same trait holding it back from being seen. It is not just about processing pay accurately. It is about the confidence, community, and visibility payroll professionals need to be valued for it. And if you have ever felt invisible doing this job, this episode is for you. Whether you are a payroll professional working in isolation, a leader trying to build a stronger case for resourcing your team, or someone who never considered payroll as a career, this episode will change how you see one of the most important functions in any organization. This episode is sponsored by Deel Managing a global team is complex, Deel makes it simpler with payroll, HR, IT, and compliance all in one place. That's why over 35,000 businesses trust Deel to hire, pay, and manage their teams worldwide. See how Deel works at https://www.deel.com/nickday Guest and Host: Connect with Jody Cox: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodycoxpsn/ Payroll Support Network: https://www.payrollsupportnetwork.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Connect with Nick Day: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/ Find your ideal payroll candidate with our job vacancy system: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/919cf6b9ea Sign up to the Payroll Podcast Newsletter: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/23e7b153e7 Stay tuned for the next episode of The Payroll Podcast, brought to you by Nick Day, CEO at JGA Recruitment, landing soon! Enjoyed this? Check out our sister podcast @thehrldpodcast for more great content! Timestamps: (00:01) Introduction: What Should Payroll Become Next? (02:11) What Payroll Really Means: Beyond the Numbers (04:04) Financial Wellbeing: Where Payroll's Responsibility Begins (07:40) Becoming Strategic: The Resourcing and Skills Gap (13:26) Quick Wins: Practical Financial Wellbeing in Action (15:43) Outdated Titles: Why Job Descriptions No Longer Fit (19:43) Inside PSN: The Mentorship That Became a Movement (27:16) The PSN Standard: Accrediting Employers Who Get It Right (29:12) Salary Transparency: Benchmarking Fair Pay (36:26) Falling In vs Choosing In: Payroll's Career Story Problem (44:31) The Payroll Paradox: Precision vs Visibility (50:19) Payroll Vault: Career Advice, Predictions, and Final Takeaways

  3. Oct 29

    Payroll Compliance Without the Chaos: Reduce Errors and Key Person Risk

    In this episode: Payroll process documentation and payroll compliance | Adi Klevit, Founder and CEO of Business Success Consulting Group, with Nick Day. How much of your payroll operation would disappear if your most experienced payroll person left tomorrow? On The Payroll Podcast, Nick Day speaks with Adi Klevit about payroll processes, key person risk, business continuity and why businesses should understand and improve a process before automating it. This episode is sponsored by Deel. Managing a global team is complex. Deel makes it simpler with payroll, HR, IT and compliance all in one place. That's why over 35,000 businesses trust Deel to hire, pay and manage their teams worldwide. See how Deel works at www.deel.com/nickday ABOUT THIS EPISODE Critical payroll knowledge often sits with experienced employees rather than in documented procedures. That can become an operational risk when someone leaves, the business grows, a system changes or the organisation tries to automate. Adi Klevit, Founder and CEO of Business Success Consulting Group, joins Nick to discuss documenting payroll processes, reducing dependency on individual knowledge, improving handoffs and controls, and preparing payroll for AI and automation. Adi shares a real example of documented procedures helping a team complete payroll after a key employee left, alongside practical advice for payroll leaders who need to start building a Payroll Playbook. KEY TAKEAWAYS • Identify the process that would stop payroll being released if one person were unavailable. • Document the decisions, exceptions and important information that are not obvious from the software alone. • Fix and simplify a workflow before introducing AI or automation. • Make processes easy to find, understand, follow and maintain. • Use automation to reduce repetitive work and create more time for employee support, analysis and strategic work. ABOUT ADI KLEVIT Adi Klevit is Founder and CEO of Business Success Consulting Group. Her work focuses on process documentation, process improvement, knowledge transfer and building systems that scale. LINKS Business Success Consulting Group: https://bizsuccesscg.com/ Connect with Adi Klevit on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adiklevit/ Book a free process mapping session: https://calendly.com/meetwithadi/free-process-mapping-session Connect with Nick Day on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/ JGA Recruitment opportunities: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/691ee4537e The HR L&D Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thehrldpodcast CHAPTERS 00:00 What happens if your best payroll person leaves? 01:44 What does payroll mean? 02:28 What a process specialist sees in payroll 05:40 When payroll knowledge lives in someone's head 06:38 A real example of key person risk 09:11 The hidden complexity of spreadsheets 09:58 Why AI cannot fix a broken process 13:10 Understand, document and optimise the workflow 13:55 Making time for process documentation 15:50 Why documentation needs a clear purpose 19:40 Making process documentation a decision 21:09 The cost of putting documentation off 21:56 How documented processes helped a business scale 25:03 Process documentation can reveal wider business risks 39:04 Will AI document processes itself? 42:22 Why human judgement becomes more valuable 43:10 Using automation to give payroll teams time back 44:22 Free process mapping session 45:11 The Payroll Vault 46:03 The one process to document first 46:25 Final takeaways 47:37 Guest closing words Enjoyed this episode? Follow or subscribe to The Payroll Podcast and share it with a payroll leader who needs to hear this conversation. #ThePayrollPodcast #Payroll #PayrollProcessDocumentation #PayrollCompliance #PayrollSOPs #PayrollAutomation #AIinPayroll #PayrollRisk #BusinessContinuity #ProcessImprovement #PayrollTransformation #PayrollLeadership #OperationalExcellence #AdiKlevit #NickDay

  4. Oct 26

    Payroll Question Time: Employment Rights, Holiday Pay & Compliance Risks

    Payroll Question Time returns with a packed discussion on the issues facing payroll professionals, employers and HR leaders. Hosted by Steve Yardley of JGA Recruitment, this episode brings together an expert panel to discuss the latest developments in payroll, employment law and compliance, including what could be coming in the Budget. We're joined by Steve Yardley (JGA Recruitment Group), Mathew Akrigg (CIPP), Jeni Morris (Minimum Wage Specialists), Karen Thomson (Armstrong Watson), Simon Parsons (SD Worx), Sam Mann (Armstrong Watson) & Richard George (MHA). In this episode, the panel explores: • Budget predictions: What could upcoming announcements mean for tax thresholds, National Minimum Wage rates and employers? • Employment Rights Act: Key changes on the horizon and what businesses should be preparing for. • Working time and National Minimum Wage: Why accurate records matter and how employers can demonstrate compliance. • Digital evidence and investigations: How working patterns, laptop activity and other business records could be used to corroborate working hours. • Worker status: The challenges of distinguishing between employed, worker and genuinely self employed status. • Holiday pay: Why incorrect calculations and outdated approaches remain a concern, particularly for irregular workers. • The Fair Work Agency: The potential implications for employers, payroll teams and compliance. The panel shares practical experience, professional insight and differing perspectives on the issues shaping the future of payroll. Watch the full discussion and share your thoughts in the comments. Which of these developments do you think will have the biggest impact on payroll teams? Subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping payroll, HR and employment practice. 🌐 Stay ahead of the global payroll curve with insights on AI, strategy, earned wage access, wellbeing, DEI and more. Perfect for payroll professionals and global payroll leaders looking to embrace the future and enhance their strategies. 👉 Subscribe now and help raise the profile and drive the future evolution of payroll! 👉 Need Payroll Staff? Contact Payroll Recruitment Agency, JGA Recruitment - www.jgarecruitment.com / info@jgarecruitment.com 👉 Want to be a guest on the show? Email Nick@jgarecruitment.com Website: www.jgarecruitment.com #Payroll #PayrollProfessionals #EmploymentLaw #HR #NationalMinimumWage

  5. Oct 23

    Why Payroll Isn't Finished at Gross-to-Net with Jonny Nash

    Imagine approving a payroll that has been calculated perfectly, only for millions in salaries and taxes to leave your control in a spreadsheet that can be downloaded, edited and emailed. For thousands of organisations, that is still how payroll payments work, and Jonny Nash believes it is time the global payroll profession declared war on the bank file and rethought payroll payment security. In this episode of @thepayrollpodcast Nick Day, CEO of JGA Recruitment, sits down with Jonny Nash, Global Head of EOR, Payroll and Pensions at Navro, to unpack what really happens between payroll approval and payday. From employee data sitting on desktops and GDPR exposure in finance teams to bank details that are never validated until the bank rejects the file, Jonny explains why the calculation is rarely the problem and the payment so often is. The conversation also dives deep into the hidden complexity of statutory and tax payments in global payroll, from Spain's approved bank rules to Singapore's GIRO requirements, and why one US manufacturer paid more than $50 million in late tax payment fines. It also covers how to win over security and IT teams, why first-time right payments matter as much as first-time right payroll, and how to start modernising payroll payment infrastructure one country at a time. It is not pay and pray. It is not just gross-to-net. It is end-to-end payroll. Jonny shares how documenting the end-to-end payment process, validating bank details at the point of entry and choosing partners who genuinely understand payroll payments can cut manual touch points, fraud risk and costly penalties. Whether you lead payroll, HR or finance, this episode will change how you measure payroll accuracy and why the journey from approval to confirmed payment belongs at the top of your agenda. This episode is sponsored by Deel. This episode is additionally sponsored by Navro Managing a global team is complex, Deel makes it simpler with payroll, HR, IT, and compliance all in one place. That's why over 35,000 businesses trust Deel to hire, pay, and manage their teams worldwide. See how Deel works at https://www.deel.com/nickday Guest and Host: Connect with Jonny Nash: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathonnash/ Explore Navro: www.navro.com Explore Navro Workforce and global payroll payments: https://navro.com/solutions/navro-workforce Connect with Nick Day: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/ Find your ideal candidate with our job vacancy system: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/691ee4537e Stay tuned for the next episode of The Payroll Podcast, brought to you by Nick Day, CEO at JGA Recruitment, landing soon! Enjoyed this? Check out our sister podcast @thehrldpodcast for more great content! Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction: Declaring War on the Bank File (01:33) What Does Payroll Mean to Jonny Nash? (04:52) The Calculation Was Fine, the Payment Was the Problem (09:55) Redefining Clean Data: Validating Bank Details at Point of Hire (12:52) From First-Time Right Payroll to First-Time Right Payments (17:28) How Integrated Payments Replace the Bank File (21:07) Why Bank Files Won't Disappear Overnight (24:55) Security Exemptions and Documenting the End-to-End Process (27:39) When Protecting a Legacy Process Becomes the Bigger Risk (36:50) Authority Payments: The Hidden Ugly Duckling of Payroll (40:21) How to Migrate Payroll Payments Without Risking Payday (46:48) The Payroll Vault: Predictions and Final Takeaways

  6. Oct 15

    Your Payroll Knows Something Your Credit Score Doesn't with Nico Simko

    Most conversations about on-demand pay stop in the same place. Employees want their money sooner, employers want to hold onto cash for longer, and an app sits somewhere in the middle. But a product that only moves payday forward will never fix the real problem, and a system that judges people on credit scores alone will keep shutting out those with stable jobs. Behind every early pay request lies a much bigger question about what payroll data could make possible. In this episode of @thepayrollpodcast, Nick Day, CEO of JGA Recruitment, sits down with Nico Simko, Co-Founder and CEO of Clair, to explore how on-demand pay really works, what it takes to deliver it responsibly, and why payroll could be the key to fairer, cheaper credit for working people. This is not just a conversation about early wage access. It is a look at what payroll is becoming, a source of trusted data, a home for financial services, and the place where credit finally connects to the workplace. Nick and Nico unpack why some US states treat on-demand pay as lending, why Clair chose to get licensed in every state, and why countries like Brazil already repay around 30% of credit through payroll. They also cover how Clair reached 330,000 businesses in about two years by embedding inside payroll systems, why access is free by default with one flat fee for instant pay, and why it is capped at 35% of net pay to avoid debt traps. It is not just about getting paid sooner. It is about using payroll to open the door to fairer credit. And if you still think on-demand pay is just a nice-to-have employee perk, this episode will change your mind. Whether you are a payroll leader weighing up an on-demand pay provider, a payroll vendor deciding how to build it into your platform, or someone curious about where payroll and financial services are heading, this episode will show you exactly what to look for. This episode is sponsored by Deel. This episode is additionally sponsored by Clair. Managing a global team is complex, Deel makes it simpler with payroll, HR, IT, and compliance all in one place. That's why over 35,000 businesses trust Deel to hire, pay, and manage their teams worldwide. See how Deel works at https://www.deel.com/nickday Guest and Host: Connect with Nico Simko: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nsimko/ Explore Clair: https://getclair.com/ Connect with Nick Day: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/ Find your ideal payroll candidate with our job vacancy system: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/919cf6b9ea Sign up to the Payroll Podcast Newsletter: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/23e7b153e7 Stay tuned for the next episode of The Payroll Podcast, brought to you by Nick Day, CEO at JGA Recruitment, landing soon! Enjoyed this? Check out our sister podcast @thehrldpodcast for more great content! Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction: When Payday Doesn't Match the Bills (03:03) Nico's Story: Employed but Refused Credit (06:08) Is On-Demand Pay a Form of Credit? (12:03) Why Payroll Is the Future of Financial Services (14:34) What Makes Clair Different (17:16) From Zero to 330,000 Businesses in Two Years (20:32) Building Credit and Transparent Pricing (22:05) How Payroll Data Can Help Employees (27:55) The 35% Cap: Avoiding Debt Traps (30:16) The Employer Experience and Why Clair Embeds (39:13) Advice for Payroll Leaders (47:10) The Payroll Vault and Closing Thoughts

  7. Oct 7

    Real-time Payroll, Mandatory Payrolling and National Minimum Wage

    Payroll Question Time is brought to you by SD Worx. SD Worx offers smart, tailored and integrated HR and Payroll solutions, along with the local expertise, global reach and reliable service you need to grow your business today! Payroll keeps carrying the blame for data it doesn't control. Is your business ready for the real-time reporting shift that lies ahead? In this episode of Payroll Question Time, host Steve Yardley and our expert panel break down why payroll takes the blame for data owned by HMRC, HR, finance and benefit providers. From HMRC disputed charges and duplicated employee records, to mandatory payrolling of benefits and real-time Class 1A contributions. With April 2027 approaching fast and the Fair Work Agency naming more employers, this is essential viewing for every payroll professional in the UK. From PAYE registration delays and medical benefit reporting to minimum wage naming and unrecorded working time, this session covers the operational, compliance, and strategic issues you need to act on today. We cover: • How HMRC's online disputed charges process cut resolution times from years to months • Why duplicated employee records throw employer accounts out of balance with HMRC • Why resending your FPS can make an HMRC account imbalance worse, not better • RTI as "right time" not real time, and why clients trust the HMRC portal over payroll • New PAYE scheme registration delays and the activation code problem for overseas employers • Mandatory payrolling of benefits from April 2027: cars, vans, fuel, and medical in phase one • Why voluntary payrolling experience does not mean you are ready for mandatory payrolling • Fuel cards, car allowances, and what counts as a medical benefit under the new rules • The 50% regulatory limit and why employee communication is critical before April 2027 • Real-time Class 1A on all payrolled benefits and the first-year cash flow double hit • Globally mobile employee exemptions and the new rules for reporting medical renewal premiums • Why finance, HR, and benefit providers share accountability for payrolling data • HMRC's light touch penalty approach and whether employers can expect support in year one • National Minimum Wage naming round 24 and the common errors still catching employers out • Unrecorded working time, salaried hours, and why high earners can still breach minimum wage Don't forget to subscribe and turn on notifications to stay updated with every Payroll Question Time and the latest insights on UK payroll changes 2026 and ongoing payroll legislation updates. Learn more about SD Worx Academy training courses: https://www.sdworx.com/en-en Find your ideal candidate with our job vacancy system: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/691ee4… Steve Yardley's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syardley/ Nick Day's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/ Enjoyed this? Check out our sister podcast @thehrldpodcast for more great content! Our Panel: Simon Parsons, Director of UK Compliance Strategies, SD Worx Samantha Mann, Payroll Team Manager, Armstrong Watson LLP Richard George, Senior Payroll Director, MHA Advisory Steve Yardley, Host, Managing Director, JGA Recruitment Group Timestamps: (00:00) Welcome & Panel Intro (07:36) HMRC Disputed Charges Explained (17:45) Is HMRC Getting Better? (20:59) PAYE Scheme Registration Delays (24:13) Mandatory Payrolling of Benefits: Phase One (27:22) Audience Q&A: Fuel Cards & Medical Benefits (29:55) Voluntary vs Mandatory Payrolling (34:29) Class 1A in Real Time & Cash Flow (41:14) Who Owns the Data? Payroll's Accountability (47:12) NMW Naming Round 24 & Working Time (57:42) Audience Q&A: Unpaid Extra Hours (1:01:37) Wrap-Up & Next Session Hashtags: #PayrollQuestionTime #UKPayroll #MandatoryPayrolling #PayrollingBenefits #PayrollCompliance #HMRC #DisputedCharges #RTI #PAYE #Class1A #BenefitsInKind #P11D #NationalMinimumWage #NMW #FairWorkAgency #PayrollLegislation #PayrollProfessionals #SDWorx #JGARecruitment

  8. Sep 29

    The Strategic Payroll Leader | Beyond Compliance at Payroll Summit 2026 with Vickie Graham

    Most payroll and reward events cover the same ground. Legislation updates, compliance checklists, a few case studies, then everyone goes home. But an event built only around compliance will never move a profession forward, and a profession that only talks about compliance will never earn a seat at the strategic table. Behind the awards, the keynotes, and the networking drinks lies a much bigger question about where payroll and reward are really headed. In this episode of @thepayrollpodcast, Nick Day, CEO of JGA Recruitment, sits down with Vickie Graham, Managing Director of Reward Strategy, fresh off the Reward and Payroll Summit 2026, to break down what happened, what it means, and why this year felt different from every summit before it. This is not just an event recap. It is a conversation about what the pay and reward profession is becoming, a strategic function, a boardroom voice, and a community that refuses to stay in the back office. Nick and Vickie unpack the skills shift reshaping the profession, why marketing techniques like personas are showing up in reward strategy, and what almost every person in the room said they actually want from their careers. They also cover what it really takes to win one of the Summit's 28 award categories, the story behind this year's emotional Lifetime Achievement Award, and why Reward Strategy is aiming to grow the event from 300 to 400 attendees next year. It is not just about an awards ceremony. It is about an entire profession redefining its own identity. And if you still think payroll and reward are just back-office functions, this episode will change your mind. Whether you are a payroll professional wanting a seat in the strategic conversation, a reward specialist curious about where the profession is headed, or someone weighing up whether to attend next year's Summit, this episode will show you exactly what you have been missing. This episode is sponsored by Deel Managing a global team is complex, Deel makes it simpler with payroll, HR, IT, and compliance all in one place. That's why over 35,000 businesses trust Deel to hire, pay, and manage their teams worldwide. See how Deel works at www.deel.com/nickday Guest and Host: Connect with Vickie Graham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickiegrahamdipmacim/ Connect with Nick Day: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/ Find your ideal payroll candidate with our job vacancy system: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/919cf6b9ea Sign up to the Payroll Podcast Newsletter: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/23e7b153e7 Stay tuned for the next episode of The Payroll Podcast, brought to you by Nick Day, CEO at JGA Recruitment, landing soon! Enjoyed this? Check out our sister podcast @thehrldpodcast for more great content! Timestamps: (01:10) Introduction: Debriefing the Reward and Payroll Summit 2026 (03:07) Aims and Objectives Behind This Year's Summit (06:33) Key Insight: How Pay and Reward Skills Are Evolving (10:13) Shedding the Old Identity and What 99% of the Room Really Wants (11:44) The Compliance Wake-Up Call: National Minimum Wage and Fair Work (13:10) Inside the Judging Process and What Wins an Award (17:46) Nick's Award Win and Inside the Ceremony (20:05) Networking Outcomes and a Message from JGA Recruitment (23:28) Bar Chats and the Birth of New Award Categories (25:34) Celebrating Julie’s Lifetime Achievement Award (29:01) Growing the Summit, Career Pivots, and Closing Thoughts

Ratings & Reviews

4.3
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Payroll gets noticed when it goes wrong. That's about it. Which is a strange way to treat the function that pays everybody. I'm Nick Day. Twenty years recruiting payroll professionals means I've had the same conversation hundreds of times, with people who were brilliant at the job and invisible in the business. The Payroll Podcast started because I wanted to know why that keeps happening, and what the ones who broke out of it did differently. Every week I sit down with payroll leaders, global payroll operators, payroll technology founders and compliance specialists. We get into UK and international payroll legislation that lands with three weeks' notice. Fiscal drag, and what it quietly does to the people you pay. Pay transparency, AI legislation, earned wage access, salary administration, payroll AI tools and the payroll systems everyone is being sold. Payroll systems implementations that went sideways, and what was learned on the way out. Careers come up constantly. What it takes to move from running payroll to being asked your opinion before the decision gets made. And because I run a payroll recruitment agency, a fair amount of the conversation lands on hiring. This Payroll Podcast was born out of these payroll leadership conversations. Salary administration across a global workforce. Staff wellbeing in teams that carry more risk than anyone above them realises. Should companies hire a chief payroll officer? What role should a payroll body play in supporting the payroll profession? Why do good payroll leaders leave? No script, no polite version. Mostly it's the conversation you'd have with someone who does your job, if you ever got the chance to sit down with them. Four hundred episodes in, it's the most listened to payroll podcast in the world. Which still surprises me, given nobody thinks payroll is interesting until their pay is wrong. If you work in payroll, or you're building a career in it, start by subscribing to The Payroll Podcast. Topics include UK and global payroll, payroll legislation and compliance, payroll AI, payroll systems and management tools, the payment industry, earned wage access, pay transparency, DEI, payroll leadership and strategy, payroll recruitment and career development. 🌐 Stay ahead of the global payroll curve with insights on AI, strategy, earned wage access, wellbeing, DEI and more. Perfect for payroll professionals and global payroll leaders looking to embrace the future and enhance their strategies. 👉 Subscribe now and help raise the profile and drive the future evolution of payroll! 👉 Need Payroll Staff? Contact Payroll Recruitment Agency, JGA Recruitment - www.jgarecruitment.com / info@jgarecruitment.com 👉 Want to be a guest on the show? Email Nick@jgadigital.com

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