04:05 FOREWORD
A New Year’s Resolution for Global Payroll
Our contributors take up that interrogative challenge. In
The End of “Good Enough” Payroll , Rick Hammell questions complacency, calling for higher standards across the function. Franz Patrick Abundo’s What Workplace Empowerment Really Looked Like in 2025 explores what empowerment requires in practice, not just in principle. And in The Trump Effect and Payroll , Michael Baer examines how political shifts are directly influencing payroll strategy and operations. Thought leadership is most impactful when we can experience it together. The opportunity to contribute to the meaningful dialogues shaping our industry will continue at the GPA Payroll Summit 2026 , taking place on Thursday 5 March in London. As we move further into this brand new year, my hope is that we remain curious, thoughtful, and intentional. Asking not just what we are changing, but why so we can go forward with clarity and purpose.
A new year invites fresh thinking and motivates us to make positive changes. But in global payroll change should also invite scrutiny. Progress in our profession has never been about moving faster for its own sake; it’s about moving with intent. As technology, geopolitics, and workforce expectations continue to alter the terrain, the ability to pause and question our decisions has never been more important. In 2026 I’d like to see us vigorously interrogating the decisions we’re making. Being unafraid to consider why we’re adopting new tech, outsourcing, reducing our teams or committing to transformation. Insights from our latest Global Payroll Payments Report have reiterated that change is needed, now I think it’s essential that we go deeper. Are the steps we are taking going in the right direction for us? Are we being motivated by genuine need or by FOMO?
Melanie Pizzey
Melanie Pizzey GPA CEO
04:05 I 03
ISSUE 19 GLOBAL PAYROLL MAGAZINE
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