to connect as humans will only grow more valuable. Technology can process data faster, but it cannot replace empathy, collaboration, or trust. Those are uniquely human skills, and they are what make payroll not just a function, but a community. My career in global payroll has taken me across continents and cultures, and every interaction has reminded me of the shared humanity that underpins what we do. I have witnessed firsthand how a payroll issue in one part of the world can affect someone’s ability to care for their family in another. I have seen teams rally across time zones to fix problems, not because they had to, but because they cared.
When you take the time to get to know your colleagues beyond the job titles to understand what drives them, what they are passionate about, or what challenges they face, collaboration becomes easier, and communication improves. Building relationships requires intention. It is about showing up for your team, your clients, your partners, and the wider payroll community. It is about sending a quick note to someone you met at a conference a month ago just to say hello. It is about remembering that behind every email is a person with a story. In an increasingly digital world, where automation and AI are transforming how we work, our ability
These are the moments that remind me why I do what I do. It is about the relationships behind them. It is about the connections that make the work meaningful.
When you have spent years in this field, you realize that your true
professional legacy is not just the payrolls you have processed or the systems you have implemented, it is about people whose lives you have touched and the relationships you have built along the way. As payroll professionals, we are uniquely positioned to connect across cultures, functions, and industries. We cannot take that for granted. We must be intentional about nurturing relationships, seeking out new perspectives, and talking to strangers. And as Esther Perel reminds us, “The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives.” I would argue it also determines the quality of our work.
These are the moments that remind me why I do what I do. It is about the relationships behind them. It is about the connections that make the work meaningful.
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ISSUE 17 GLOBAL PAYROLL MAGAZINE
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