In Issue 26, we take the opportunity to pause, reflect, and consider where payroll is heading next.
ISSUE 26 I 2026 04:05 GLOBAL PAYROLL GLOBAL PAYROLL TRANSFORMATION
It’s a Business Transformation, Not a Technology Project
PAYROLL’S IT MOMENT: ARE WE THERE YET? That’s the Conversation Going Round Payroll Circles Every Few Months
PROTECTING ENTERPRISE VALUE Compliance is No Longer Enough in an Era of Scrutiny, Workforce Complexity, and Transaction Risk
WHAT GLOBAL EMPLOYERS HIRING IN SOUTH AFRICA NEED TO KNOW RIGHT NOW South African Labour Law
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Beyond the Next Deadline
That spirit of mindfully looking ahead echoes throughout this month’s issue. In our cover story, Rick Hammell argues that successful global payroll transformation begins not with technology, but with a broader vision for business change. Eric Liaw explores how strong payroll governance protects enterprise value in an increasingly complex landscape, and Jenni Flaherty examines how closing the payroll confidence gap empowers organisations and the people behind them. Whether you are taking a well- earned break or simply enjoying a bit more breathing room between meetings, I hope this issue offers a chance to pause, reflect, and perhaps look towards the road ahead with new perspective. Remembering that the future of payroll is not abstractly waiting for us in the distance. It is being shaped by the decisions we make daily.
T here is something about this point in the calendar that invites a different pace. Meeting invitations become a little less frequent, Out of Office notifications drift into inboxes like pollen, and for many of us, the relentless rhythm of the working year briefly alters. While payroll never stops, these quieter weeks sometimes deliver something that is otherwise in short supply: the chance to step back and think beyond the next deadline. The seasons have a habit of reminding us how quickly “later” becomes “now”. Before long, new priorities will be upon us, making these gentler days a rare opportunity to reflect on where we are heading, both individually and as a profession.
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18 GLOBAL PAYROLL’S IT MOMENT: ARE WE THERE YET? There’s a conversation that does the rounds in payroll circles every few months... 26 GLOBAL WHAT BUSINESS CAN LEARN FROM SPORT In sailing races, the winning boat is not always the one with the most powerful engine 34 GLOBAL BETWEEN THE LINES Ramona Greenhalgh is an internationally recognized payroll leader with more than 20 years of experience leading global payroll operations
44 AMERICAS LATEST FROM THE STATES: Key mid-year changes and continued uncertainty 50 AFRICA SOUTH AFRICAN LABOUR LAW: What global employers hiring in South Africa need to know right now
08 GLOBAL
GLOBAL PAYROLL TRANSFORMATION: IT’S A BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION, NOT A TECHNOLOGY PROJECT After spending more than two decades building global workforce and payroll organizations, one lesson has become abundantly clear: the success of a global payroll transformation has very little to do with the software itself
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58 APAC PAYROLL IN REAL LIFE
REGULARS
If you ever find yourself at a dinner party next to Bruce, clear your schedule. You will not be going home early
07 GLOBAL NEWS Interactive global payroll news 84 GLOBAL DIARY OF AN HR MANAGER 86 GLOBAL GPA TRAINING Join our experts through the process of running payrolls in different countries 88 APAC ASIA BRIEFING Overview on Asia news 90 GLOBAL GPA WEBINARS The latest global and in-country payroll topics and trends 92 GLOBAL FIND A VENDOR
64 GLOBAL PAYROLL GOVERNANCE:
PROTECTING ENTERPRISE VALUE Why compliance alone is no longer enough in an era of increasing scrutiny, workforce complexity, and transaction risk 74 GLOBAL CLOSING THE PAYROLL CONFIDENCE GAP Payroll has been transformed by technology investment, but confidence in processes hasn’t kept pace
A comprehensive list of suppliers to the global payroll industry
The GPA , 49 Greek St, Soho, London W1D 4EG. Tel: +44 (0)203 871 8870 Melanie Pizzey - CEO and 04:05 Executive Editor: melanie@gpa.net Rich Robins - 04:05 Designer: hello@megandmore.co.uk Hayleigh Blinkhorne - events/vendors/advertising: hayleigh@gpa.net General enquiries/mentor scheme/training : - info@gpa.net Michael Baer - US contributor: mike@gpa.net Nilufer Gul - GM APAC/Australia: nilufer@gpa.net Tel: +61 (0)413 749 714 CONTACTS
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Global Payroll News Stay updated with news on global payroll trends, automation, compliance, AI integration, financial wellness, accurate payments, addressing wage discrepancies and more.
UK
Canada
UK
US
Agency Director’s £900K+ tax liability upheld Read more...
Increase in job ads including salary information Read more...
AI optimism increasing among CFOs Read more...
Gen Z women losing job market ground to men Read more...
Kuwait
Nigeria
Australia
Global
Public-private employment divide persists Read more...
ICPC uncovers 908 fake workers across federal ministries Read more...
Fair pay for early childhood educators locked in Read more... Kuwait
Microsoft lays off 4,800 people, hitting Xbox hard Read more... VIEW OTHER NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD EMEA APAC AFRICA AMERICAS MIDDLE EAST GLOBAL
Zimbabwe
Global
Foreign workers permitted to switch employers early Read more...
UKG announces Afni uses its Workforce Operating Platform Read more...
Auditor-General flags missing payroll records Read more...
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Global Payroll Transformation Isn’t a Technology Project…It’s a Business Transformation
Author: Rick Hammell Rick Hammell, SPHR, is a global workforce entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in Global HR operations, payroll, and compliance. He is the Founder and CEO of Globalli, a unified Global HR, Payroll, and Payments platform transforming how companies manage and pay global teams. Rick previously founded Atlas in 2015, scaling it from a startup into the first direct Employer of Record platform supporting clients in over 160 countries. He led the company through significant growth, including raising $20 million in 2020 and $200 million in 2022, before successfully exiting the business in early 2025. He was recognized with the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Midwest Award 2021 for his leadership and impact on the global HR technology industry. Today, Rick is focused on transforming the global expansion lifecycle from contractor payments to Employer of Record services, while building the next generation of global payroll technology solutions and workforce infrastructure through Globalli.
A fter spending more than two decades building global workforce and payroll organizations, one lesson has become abundantly clear: the success of a global payroll transformation has very little to do with the software itself.
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That may sound surprising coming from the founder of a global payroll technology company, but it’s the truth. I’ve had the opportunity to work with organizations ranging from fast-growing startups entering
their first international markets to Fortune 500 enterprises operating across more than 100 countries. I’ve also witnessed transformations that exceeded every expectation and others that consumed millions of dollars, stretched over multiple years,
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Organizations that treat data as a strategic asset rather than an implementation task consistently experience smoother deployment and greater confidence once they go live. One of the biggest mistakes I see organizations make is assuming that implementing a new platform will automatically solve years of inconsistent processes. Unfortunately, technology only amplifies the processes already in place. If those processes are of virtually every critical business function. It impacts Human Resources, Finance, Tax, Treasury, Legal, Compliance, Operations, IT, and perhaps most importantly, every employee who depends on receiving an accurate paycheck every pay period. transforming it is never simply a software implementation. It is a business transformation initiative that requires executive alignment, organizational change, and a long-term strategic vision. Because payroll touches so many parts of the business,
Too often, organizations begin their transformation journey with the wrong question: Which payroll platform should we buy? The better question is: What kind of global organization are we trying to become?
and still failed to achieve their objectives. The difference between those outcomes rarely came down to technology. It came down to leadership, preparation, governance, and whether the organization viewed payroll as an operational necessity or as a strategic business function. Too often, organizations begin their transformation journey with the wrong question: Which payroll platform should we buy? The better question is: What kind of global organization are we trying to become? Technology should enable that vision. Not define it. Global payroll sits at the center
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The evolving role of payroll in Australia’s compliance landscape
In this white paper, developed by the GPA in partnership with Yellow Canary, we examine how payroll compliance in Australia has shifted from an operational concern to a core governance issue in the wake of wage theft reforms. Drawing on insights from Yellow Canary’s 2026 State of Payroll Compliance Report, we look at why organisations are increasingly expected to provide defensible evidence that employees are being paid correctly. We outline practical approaches to strengthening payroll governance, including proactive audits, clearer ownership of upstream decisions, and the role of human oversight in validating systems and assumptions to support consistent, evidence-based compliance.
Sponsored by
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rather than an implementation task consistently experience smoother deployment and greater confidence once they go live. Compliance is another area where organizations cannot afford shortcuts. Every country introduces unique tax regulations, statutory reporting requirements, labor laws, pension obligations, leave policies, and banking standards. As businesses continue expanding internationally, manually tracking these requirements becomes increasingly unsustainable. Modern payroll technology should embed compliance directly into the payroll process, reducing reliance on spreadsheets and ahead of changing regulations. Compliance should never be an afterthought; it should be built into the operating model from day one. Perhaps the most manual verification while helping organizations stay underestimated component of any payroll transformation is changing management. Organizations spend months selecting technology, negotiating
Every payroll transformation should begin by asking how the experience will improve for employees.
fragmented, manual, or poorly governed, modern software simply executes those inefficiencies faster. Before introducing automation, organizations should invest the time to standardize how payroll operates across the enterprise. Defining governance, establishing consistent approval workflows, aligning reporting structures, simplifying pay codes, and documenting global operating procedures create the foundation upon which technology can truly deliver value. Another lesson I’ve learned is that data deserves far more attention than it typically receives. Every payroll implementation depends on the quality of employee information, compensation history, organizational structures, banking details, tax records, and historical payroll balances. Yet data cleansing is often postponed until late in the project, creating unnecessary delays and avoidable payroll issues. Organizations that treat data as a strategic asset
contracts, and designing integrations, yet frequently underestimate the human
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Pour homme. Pour femme. Pour Pay Day.
Discover the allure of global payroll and mobility at www.activpayroll.com/love
04:05 GLOBAL
side of transformation. Payroll professionals have often spent years developing processes that work for their local teams. Asking them to adopt new systems, new responsibilities, and new ways of working requires thoughtful communication, comprehensive training, executive sponsorship, and ongoing support. The organizations that invest in their people ultimately realize far greater returns from their technology investments. What is often forgotten in these conversations is the group that matters most: the employees. Payroll is one of the few business functions that every employee experiences directly. Employees rarely think about payroll when everything works as expected, but one inaccurate paycheck can erode trust almost instantly.
Every payroll transformation should begin by asking how the experience will improve for employees. Will onboarding become easier? Will employees have immediate access to digital payslips and tax documents? Will they receive proactive notifications? Can they resolve questions more quickly? Will payroll be more accurate and transparent? These improvements may appear operational, but they have a meaningful impact on employee confidence, engagement, and ultimately retention. measurable business value. HR teams spend less time answering routine payroll questions. Finance gains greater confidence in labor cost reporting. Managers have better visibility into payroll information. Payroll teams spend less time correcting errors and more time delivering strategic insights. Employees gain confidence knowing they are being paid accurately, on time, and in accordance with local regulations regardless of where they work in the world. An exceptional employee experience also creates I’ve also seen organizations make the mistake of evaluating payroll providers primarily on price. While cost is always an important
The true value of a payroll platform should be measured by its ability to reduce risk, improve efficiency, simplify operations, and support future growth, not simply by its licensing fees.
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consideration, choosing the lowest-cost solution often results in significantly higher operational costs over time. Fragmented service models, multiple third- party vendors, inconsistent support, manual processes, and disconnected technologies frequently create more complexity than they eliminate. The true value of a payroll platform should be measured by its ability to reduce risk, improve efficiency, simplify operations, and support future growth, not simply by its licensing fees. The choice of implementation partner is equally important. A successful transformation depends on much more than configuring software. The right partner should challenge assumptions, share best practices from hundreds of global implementations, identify risks before they become problems, and provide guidance that extends well beyond go-live. They should understand not only payroll technology but also global employment, compliance, finance operations, and organizational change. In many ways, your implementation partner becomes an extension of your leadership team throughout the transformation. This is one of the principles that
shaped how we built Globalli. Rather than simply creating another payroll platform, our vision was to build a modern Global People Platform designed around the realities multinational organizations face today. Native global payroll, employer of record services, workforce management, entity management, embedded compliance, AI-driven automation, and global payments all work together within a unified ecosystem. Just as importantly, our implementation approach focuses on helping organizations modernize their operating model, not simply replacing one payroll system with another. Artificial intelligence is now accelerating what organizations can achieve through payroll transformation. AI is no longer Just as importantly, our implementation approach focuses on helping organizations modernize their operating model, not simply replacing one payroll system with another.
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limited to automating repetitive tasks. It can validate payroll data before processing, identify anomalies, surface compliance risks, reconcile year- to-date balances, streamline implementations, generate insights for Finance and HR leaders, and dramatically reduce manual effort. The organizations that embrace AI responsibly will spend less time processing payroll and more time using payroll data to make better business decisions. Looking ahead, I believe global payroll will continue evolving from a transactional function into one of the most valuable sources of operational intelligence within an organization. Payroll data reflects workforce growth, hiring trends, compensation strategies, labor costs, compliance exposure, and financial performance. Organizations that successfully transform payroll will not only process payroll more efficiently, but they will also gain better visibility into their global workforce and make more informed strategic decisions. The organizations that succeed won’t necessarily be those with the biggest budgets or the newest technology. They’ll be the ones that recognize payroll transformation for what it truly is: an opportunity to redesign how
the business operates, empower internal teams, elevate the employee experience, and build a scalable foundation for global growth. Technology is an important part of that journey. But it is only one part. The real transformation happens when people, processes, and technology come together behind a shared vision of what the future of global workforce management should look like. And in my experience, that’s where lasting success begins. Looking ahead, I believe global payroll will continue evolving from a transactional function into one of the most valuable sources of operational intelligence within an organization.
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The Pay Transparency Gap
The GPA partnered with Remote to examine how payroll teams can prepare for new pay transparency requirements across Europe and the UK. Drawing on Remote’s survey of 6,260 professionals across seven countries, we explore the gap between employee expectations and organisational readiness, and the growing need for accurate, transparent, and defensible payroll data.
Sponsored by
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Payroll’s IT Moment: Are We There Yet?
Author: Helen Dooley Helen Dooley is the
Director of Operations and Engagement here at the Global Payroll Alliance (GPA). Through her experience in multiple disciplines and verticals, she brings decades of experience and a genuine passion for people support and problem-solving. At the Global Payroll Alliance, she works across community, education and professional development. She firmly believes that payroll professionals deserve the same investment and recognition as any other
There’s a conversation that does the rounds in payroll circles every few months...
I t usually starts with someone posting a hot take about where payroll should sit organisationally, gets a few hundred comments of people either vigorously agreeing or taking deep personal offence, and then disappears until the next
person rediscovers the topic and starts the whole thing again. But underneath the noise, there’s actually something worth looking at. And the most useful place to start isn’t payroll at all. It’s IT. Weird, perhaps, but you can
discipline in business. Helen believes in the
power of really listening and the value of gaining different perspectives. Everyone has a story worth listening to.
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blame my background for my thoughts on this one! Cast Your Mind Back Not that long ago, IT was the team in the basement. Now, I never actually sat in
Now, I never actually sat in a basement; some conditions were dodgy at times but never an actual basement IT Crowd style. But I did software test using floppy disks!
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a basement; some conditions were dodgy at times but never an actual basement IT Crowd style. But I did software test using floppy disks! At that time, IT generally fixed printers, kept the servers running, and was largely consulted only when something broke. They were a cost centre. A necessary overhead. A function that the business tolerated rather than valued. Then something shifted. The internet happened. Cloud computing happened. Cybersecurity threats became existential. Digital transformation became the difference between businesses that survived and businesses that didn’t. And suddenly IT wasn’t just keeping the lights on anymore. It was the lights. The C-suite didn’t invite IT to the board table out of goodwill or as a gesture of professional respect. They invited them because the business genuinely could not function, grow or protect
itself without them being in the room. So, here’s the first
Which raises the second question: Does your leadership actually understand the risk that lives inside your payroll function? Not in a vague “Yes, of course payroll is important” way, but genuinely and specifically? Do they know what happens to your organisation if your payroll team has three people leave in the same month? Do they know what your regulatory exposure looks like? Do they know how many manual interventions your team makes every single pay cycle just to get the numbers right? If the answer is no, that’s not entirely their failure. It’s also a communication problem that sits with the function. The Uncomfortable Bit Here’s where my IT comparison gets a little less comfortable for payroll, and I reckon it’s worth being honest
question I’ve wondered about: Is payroll on the same trajectory? And if so, where are we on that journey? The Risk Argument The case that payroll people most often make for greater recognition is built on risk, and it’s a legitimate one. Get payroll wrong, and you aren’t just having a bad quarter. You have legal exposure. You have regulatory findings. You have employees who can’t pay their rent and who will absolutely remember that when they decide whether to stay or leave. You have a workforce that no longer trusts the business to meet its most basic obligation to them. That risk is real, and in many organisations, it is still not fully understood by the people not sitting in payroll in the structure.
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DH CONSULTING : COACHING
Coaching. Now available to GPA members. Exclusively for GPA members: the confidential, psychologically grounded coaching trusted by leaders at the world's biggest organisations is now open to you. A private space to think, recalibrate and lead from strength. 1-2-1 Leadership & Performance Coaching with Dannielle Haig The Payroll Coach · Business Psychologist HCPC Registered You've trained with The Payroll Coach. Now work with her, one to one. DH | CONSULTING Coaching. Now available to GPA members. You've trained with The Payroll Coach. Now work with her, one to one. 1-2-1 Leadership & Performance Coaching with Dannielle Haig The Payroll Coach · Business Psychologist HCPC Registered Exclusively for GPA members: the confidential, psychologically grounded coaching trusted by leaders at the world's biggest organisations is now open to you. A private space to think, recalibrate and lead from strength. Coaching. Now available to GPA members. 1-2-1 Leadership & Performance Coaching with Dannielle Haig The Payroll Coach · Business Psychologist HCPC Registered 1-2-1 Leadership & Performance Coaching with Dannielle Haig The Payroll Coach · Business Psychologist HCPC Registered DH CONSULTING : COACHING Confidential 1-2-1 sessions, delivered digitally at times to suit you Flexible packages: The Six Pack, The Coaching Dozen & retained contracts Optional psychometric and resilience profiling add-ons 4,000+ hours coaching executives, politicians and elite athletes “ Coaching is not just an investment in personal development; it is a strategic asset for the whole 1-2-1 Leadership & Performance Coaching with Dannielle Haig The Payroll Coach · Business Psychologist HCPC Registered DH CONSULTING : COACHING DH CONSULTING : COACHING DH CONSULTING : COACHING Exclusively for GPA members: the confidential, psychologically grounded coaching trusted by leaders at the world's biggest organisations is now open to you. A private space to think, recalibrate and lead from strength. DH | CONSULTING DH CONSULTING : COACHING DH CONSULTING : COACHING DH CONSULTING : COACHING
You've trained with The Payroll Coach. Now work with her, one to one. 1-2-1 Leadership & Performance Coaching with Dannielle Haig The Payroll Coach · Business Psychologist HCPC Registered Exclusively for GPA members: the confidential, psychologically grounded coaching trusted by leaders at the world's biggest organisations is now open to you. A private space to think, recalibrate and lead from strength. EMPOWERING PAYROLL. TOGETHER. Exclusively for GPA members: the confidential, psychologically grounded coaching trusted by leaders at the world's biggest organisations is now open to you. A private space to think, recalibrate and lead from strength. Exclusively for GPA members: the confidential, psychologically grounded coaching trusted by leaders at the world's biggest organisations is now open to you. A private space to think, recalibrate and lead from strength. Confidential 1-2-1 sessions, delivered digitally at times to suit you Flexible packages: The Six Pack, The Coaching Dozen & retained contracts Optional psychometric and resilience profiling add-ons 4,000+ hours coaching executives, politicians and elite athletes Confidential 1-2-1 sessions, delivered digitally at times to suit you Flexible packages: The Six Pack, The Coaching Dozen & retained contracts Optional psychometric and resilience profiling add-ons 4,000+ hours coaching executives, politicians and elite athletes Coaching. Now available to GPA members. organisation. DANNIELLE HAIG Exclusively for GPA members: the confidential, psychologically grounded coaching trusted by leaders at the world's biggest organisations is now open to you. A private space to think, recalibrate and lead from strength. DH CONSULTING : COACHING 1-2-1 Leadership & Performance Coaching with Dannielle Haig The Payroll Coach · Business Psychologist HCPC Registered DH CONSULTING : COACHING 1-2-1 Leadership & Performance Coaching with Dannielle Haig The Payroll Coach · Business Psychologist HCPC Registered DH CONSULTING : COACHING Confidential 1-2-1 sessions, delivered digitally at times to suit you Flexible packages: The Six Pack, The Coaching Dozen & retained contracts Optional psychometric and resilience profiling add-ons 4,000+ hours coaching executives, politicians and elite athletes Confidential 1-2-1 sessions, delivered digitally at times to suit you Flexible packages: The Six Pack, The Coaching Dozen & retained contracts Optional psychometric and resilience profiling add-ons 4,000+ hours coaching executives, politicians and elite athletes “ Coaching is not just an investment in personal development; it is a strategic asset for the whole organisation. “ Coaching is not just an investment in personal development; it is a strategic asset for the whole organisation. “ Coaching is not just an investment in personal development; it is a strategic asset for the whole organisation. DANNIELLE HAIG You've trained with The Payroll Coach. Now work with her, one to one. “ Coaching is not just an investment in personal development; it is a strategic asset for the whole organisation. “ Coaching is not just an investment in personal development; it is a strategic asset for the whole organisation. “ Coaching is not just an investment in personal development; it is a strategic asset for the whole organisation. DANNIELLE HAIG EMPOWERING PAYROLL. digitally at Confidential 1-2-1 sessions, delivered digitally at times to suit you Flexible packages: The Six Pack, The Coaching Dozen & retained contracts Optional psychometric and resilience profiling add-ons 4,000+ hours coaching executives, politicians and elite athletes 1-2-1 Leadership & Performance Coaching with Dannielle Haig The Payroll Coach · Business Psychologist HCPC Registered Exclusively for GPA members: the confidential, psychologically grounded coaching trusted by leaders at the world's biggest organisations is now open to you. A private space to think, recalibrate and lead from strength. DH | CONSULTING Confidential 1-2-1 sessions, delivered digitally at times to suit you Flexible packages: The Six Pack, The Coaching Dozen & retained contracts Optional psychometric and resilience profiling add-ons 4,000+ hours coaching executives, politicians and elite athletes DANNIELLE HAIG Flexible packages: The Six Pack, The Coaching Dozen & retained contracts Optional psychometric and resilience profiling add-ons 4,000+ hours coaching executives, politicians and elite athletes “ Coaching is not just an investment in Coaching. Now available to GPA members. Now work with her, one to one. 1-2-1 Leadership & Performance Coaching with Dannielle Haig The Payroll Coach · Business Psychologist HCPC Registered organisation. DANNIELLE HAIG
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Confidential 1-2- digitally at times Flexible package Coaching Dozen Optional psycho profiling add-on 4,000+ hours coa politicians and e “ Coaching is not
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about rather than glossing over.
One of the arguments for IT at board level wasn’t only “you need us or something bad will happen.” It was also “You need us, or something good will never happen either.
IT’s elevation wasn’t just about risk. It was about value creation. IT stopped being the team that fixed things and became the team that built things, enabled things, and in many cases became the product itself. One of the arguments for IT at board level wasn’t only “You need us or something bad will happen.” It was also “You need us, or something good will never happen either.” Payroll’s case is still largely built on the first argument. And that’s not a criticism because protecting a business from legal, financial and reputational harm is genuinely valuable. But it is a different argument, and it’s worth asking yourself honestly: Is payroll in your organisation purely a risk mitigation function, or does it create value in ways that go beyond accurate and timely processing? Some payroll functions
absolutely do. They provide workforce cost intelligence that drives hiring decisions. They identify anomalies that expose fraud or process failures. They hold data that nobody else in the business has in the same form. But not all payroll functions are there yet, and pretending otherwise doesn’t help anyone make progress. The Technology Question One of the things that accelerated IT’s strategic elevation was technology. Automation took over the routine work, which freed IT professionals to focus on higher- value activity, which in turn changed how the
function was perceived and resourced. Payroll is being sold a very similar story by some vendors who would very much like your budget. And there’s something in it. Technology is genuinely changing parts of what payroll does. But here’s the reality that the vendor brochures don’t tend to feature (although it is changing!): complex, multi-country, multi-legislative, multi- entity environments is still more promise than delivery for most organisations. The human is still very much in the loop. Not because payroll end-to-end payroll automation across
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it built the professional infrastructure to support that elevation. Recognised qualifications. Clear career frameworks. Industry standards that businesses could benchmark against and understand. A language that translated across into finance, operations and the boardroom. Payroll is building this. The professional bodies are doing important work. But payroll is behind IT on this curve, and that gap matters more than most people in the function want to acknowledge. So, ask yourself this: If your CEO was interviewing for a senior payroll leader tomorrow, would they know what good looks like? Would they know which qualifications to look for, which experience to value, which questions to ask? Or would they be largely dependent on whoever was in the room to tell them? If the answer is the latter, that’s a professional
The honest answer is that payroll is earlier in its journey than IT was when IT started having its strategic moment. The trajectory is similar. The destination could absolutely be the same.
professionals are resistant to change, but because the technology to fully replace their judgment, their application and understanding of legislative knowledge and their ability to solve the problem that doesn’t fit the system simply does not exist yet at scale. Which leads to a third question, and it’s one for both payroll professionals and the business leaders above them: Are you investing in technology because it genuinely improves your payroll operation, or because someone told you it would solve a problem that actually requires people and expertise to solve?
Because replacing headcount with a platform that then requires significant
human intervention to actually function is not a cost saving. It’s a cost that’s been moved and partially hidden. And as a number of organisations are beginning to discover with some of their “AI implementations”, the reversal cost when it doesn’t work out is rarely cheaper than the people you let go. The Professional Infrastructure Gap One of the less discussed reasons IT earned its place ‘at the table’ is that
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maturity problem that no org chart change will fix on its own. Where Does This Leave Us? The honest answer is that payroll is earlier in its journey than IT was when IT started having its strategic moment. The trajectory is similar. The destination could absolutely be the same. But the road is longer, the technology isn’t as far along, and the value proposition is harder to translate into the language that gets functions invited into rooms they weren’t previously in. None of that means the conversation isn’t worth having. It must be had. But the conversation needs to move on
from debating org structures and sweeping generalisations about where payroll belongs, and start asking sharper, more specific questions. So, here’s where to start. Not with LinkedIn. With your own organisation. Then absolutely tell your story on LinkedIn! Does your leadership understand the real risk inside your payroll function, or do they only find out when something goes wrong? Is payroll in your business resourced and invested in as a critical compliance function, or is it treated as an overhead to be minimised? Is the technology you’re running actually fit for what you’re being asked
to do, or are your people compensating manually for its gaps every single cycle? And finally, are you telling the story of what payroll does in language that the business understands and values, or are you telling it in language that only makes sense to other payroll people? IT didn’t get its seat at the table by waiting to be invited. It got there by making itself impossible to ignore. The question for payroll isn’t whether it deserves the same. It clearly does. The question is what you’re doing in your specific organisation, right now, to make that case. Some of you are already telling that story. You know who you are. As for the rest… Let’s start.
IT didn’t get its seat at the table by waiting to be invited. It got there by making itself impossible to ignore.
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What Busin Can Learn from Sport
Author: Ayşe Nazmiye Uça is the Founder and Chairman of the Turkish Payroll Association and established Turkey’s first payroll outsourcing company 26 years ago. Her company, Datassist, leads the market in technology-centered payroll services, catering to Fortune 500 companies and major Turkish corporations. Datassist excels in Regulation Technologies (RegTech) and continues to expand through strategic investments and business partnerships, aiming to offer comprehensive services in an evolving market. In 2024, Ayşe ranked 20th among Turkey’s top 100 female founders by Fast Company magazine, based on company turnover. Her life purpose is to shape organizations, create new opportunities, and guide her employees toward achieving their career goals.
T o describe the business world, it’s worth thinking about a rather singular sport: sailing. In sailing races, the winning boat is not always the one with the most powerful engine. What makes the real difference is the ability to read the wind, adjust course according to changing conditions, and move as one with the team at the same moment. Look closely at the careers of successful business leaders and a
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ness
2026 FIVB (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball)
pattern emerges: many of them have a deep connection with sport. Not because sport is good exercise, but because it teaches things a boardroom rarely can. It teaches focus. It teaches discipline. It teaches patience. It teaches investing in long-term development rather than short- term results. Like successful athletes, successful leaders know that great results do
not emerge in a single moment of performance. They are the product of the right habits repeated every day, invisible effort, and a culture of continuous improvement.
Like successful athletes, successful leaders know that great results do not emerge in a single moment of performance.
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For this reason, the business world is not simply a race; it is a long journey that demands the right strategy, the right pace, and the right endurance. Türkiye’s elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup saddened all of us. But it wasn’t just the scoreline that made me think. Before the tournament, there was enormous excitement: commercials, social media posts, star players, rising expectations. But when we looked at the pitch, we couldn’t see a game mature enough to carry those expectations. It reminded me of a clip that went viral a few years back. Fatih Terim, one of Türkiye’s most celebrated football coaches, stood in front of the cameras after a loss. “We had the control,” he said. “We had the chances, the big occasions, something like that. But what can I do, sometimes? That’s the football. Something happened.” People laughed at the time. But the real question it raised wasn’t funny at all: When results don’t match
expectations, do we look hard at why, or do we just shrug and move on? In business, “Something happened” doesn’t cut it; this is not a situation unique to football. We see a similar mistake frequently in the business world. We make large investments in marketing, visibility, and communication. But are we making the same investment in the product, in competence, in the organization, and in continuous improvement? Because marketing creates expectation, the product creates trust. Marketing wins the first customer, and the product wins the second. And this is exactly where leadership begins, not in raising expectations, but in building a system capable of carrying them. Around the same time, we watch another of our national teams: the Sultans of the Net, Türkiye’s national women’s volleyball team. Just days ago, they did it again, defeating Brazil 3-1 in the final of the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Nations League to claim their second VNL title. And they did it the hard way: losing the first set, then coming back to win the next three. Watching them, we didn’t just see the matches they won; we saw a culture built on years of
One cannot help but ask the question: Is success the sum of star players, or the natural outcome of a strong system?
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effort, investment in grassroots development, discipline, daily training, and a desire for continuous improvement. That comeback against Brazil wasn’t luck at all; it was the result of a system that knows how to respond under pressure. Behind their success is not a single tournament, but a system built over years. One cannot help but ask the question: Is success the sum of star players, or the natural outcome of a strong system? In the business world, the answer doesn’t change. Lasting success comes not from grand launches, but from strong processes. Not from good advertising, but from teams that try to get a little better every day. Sport teaches us a very important truth: no great athlete throws away their entire system after a defeat. First, they analyse. What did they do right? What did they fall short on? Why was the opponent better? Then the next day they go back to training. Because they know that success is won not on match day, but on the training ground. Running a Marathon in an Age of Uncertainty Perhaps this is where we need to move beyond football and think
about a different sport. Because business life is not actually a football match; it is a marathon. In a marathon, nobody cares who leads the first kilometer. In fact, those who run too fast at the start often cannot finish the final kilometers. There is a truth that experienced marathon runners know very well: you set your pace correctly, you manage your energy, you adapt to changing weather conditions during the race, you plan in advance where you will take water, you prepare for unexpected situations, and most importantly, you know that you will win the race not in the first kilometer, but in the last. The business world is exactly like this now. What matters is no longer the most brilliant quarter of the year. It is whether you are still in the game ten years from now. Today you may have the highest revenue, you may be the industry leader, everyone may be talking about you, but in an age of uncertainty, none of these things Sport teaches us a very important truth: no great athlete throws away their entire system after a defeat.
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Competitors were known. Markets changed more slowly. Past experience was enough to understand the future. Today, the rules of the game have changed. Uncertainty is no longer the exception; it is the game itself. Artificial intelligence, geopolitical developments, climate risks, digital transformation, and shifting customer expectations… The leaders of industries can change within just a few years. Tomorrow, our biggest competitor may be a company we don’t know today, one that hasn’t even been founded yet. Perhaps an idea being developed by a few entrepreneurs, perhaps a small team working in a university laboratory, perhaps a technology that nobody has even heard of today. This is exactly what uncertainty is. Uncertainty does not only generate risk. It also surfaces opportunities that previously seemed impossible. For this reason, the purpose of strategy today is no longer to predict the future. The real aim is to be ready for whatever future materializes. To be agile, to learn fast, to be able to change direction when needed, and to keep the organization’s rate of learning higher than that of its competitors.
In an age of uncertainty, the winners will not be those who run the fastest. It will be those who maintain their pace, keep learning, and continue to show up for training every day.
guarantees tomorrow. Because the company that overtakes you tomorrow may not yet have been founded today. This is why the real task of leaders is not to chase short- term applause, but to build an organization built for the long run. Football teaches us excitement; volleyball teaches us systems. The marathon teaches us sustainable success. In an age of uncertainty, the winners will not be those who run the fastest. It will be those who maintain their pace, keep learning, and continue to show up for training every day. Perhaps this is the true competitive advantage of the future. Tomorrow’s Biggest Competitor May Not Yet Have Been Founded In the past, strategy was made in a more predictable world.
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GPA Payroll Symposium Date:
Thursday 3rd September 2026
Time: Cost:
12.30pm - 5.00pm
FREE Location: Shangri-La Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd Near Financial Metro Station - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Join us on 3rd September 2026 for the GPA Payroll Leadership Symposium Dubai , where payroll and HR professionals from across the GCC will come together to explore the future of payroll in an evolving business landscape. This complimentary event will provide practical insights into the latest GCC payroll legislation, employment law developments, artificial intelligence, and the key trends shaping the profession. Hear from industry experts, exchange ideas with peers, and discover strategies to help your organisation remain compliant, embrace innovation and prepare for the future. We look forward to welcoming you to an afternoon of learning, collaboration and valuable networking with the professionals driving payroll excellence across the GCC.
Book your FREE place
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