HR & Payroll 2.0

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome VP of HR Technology and Operations at Signify Health, Kamal Pradhan, to the show to talk about the role of “empathy with action” in leadership and the workplace!

Kamal shares his personal journey from engineering to HR, his POV on building trust through empathy, and the importance of balancing technology, human connection, and strategic decision-making as modern leaders. The group explores how proactive empathy, data-driven policies, and technology can empower leaders to create more inclusive, productive, and engaged workplaces. They also tackle the challenges of quantifying the ROI from empathy and the role of emotional intelligence in shaping the future workforce and its leaders.  

Connect with Pradhan:

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kpradhan-hr/

Pradhan’s episode of The Source by DailyPay: 

https://tinyurl.com/2p9uny24

Chicago Booth Review article: “CEOs’ Soft and Interpersonal Skills Have Not Increased over Time”  https://tinyurl.com/322hfhrm  

Connect with the show:  

LinkedIn:  http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0 

X: @HRPayroll2_0 @PeteTiliakos @JulieFer_HR

The 2025 Payroll Profession Confidence Index survey is now live! Be sure to join in and share with your peers: https://www.payrollinfluences.com/ppci 

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome a cohort of global employer of record (EOR) industry execs and all-stars to discuss a recent and unexpectedly polarizing LinkedIn post regarding the global EOR marketplace! 

Pete shares his POV and context on the ‘why’ behind his post and observations regarding the lack of differentiation amongst the global EOR providers. The group discusses the post and the current state of EOR and the potential inflection point it's reaching, sharing their thoughts on the current state of the market and its innovation. The guests provide insights and perspectives derived from all facets of the marketplace for global employment solutions, shedding light on how buyers and vendors should approach the organizational agility and human opportunity-enabling capability of Global EOR, and what the marketplace might look like in the next 5-10 years.

Pete’s Global EOR differentiation post: https://shorturl.at/EPsfV

Connect with our guests on LinkedIn:

Pierce Brehm: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piercebrehm/

Dee Coakley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deecoakley/

Jerome Gouvernel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeromegouvernel/

John Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/j0hnlee/

Connect with the show:

LinkedIn:  http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0

X: @HRPayroll2_0 @PeteTiliakos @JulieFer_HR

The 2025 Payroll Profession Confidence Index survey is now live! Be sure to join in and share with your peers: https://www.payrollinfluences.com/ppci

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Amy Travis, CPP, to discuss her journey from buttering garlic bread to embracing cutting-edge technology to transform payroll. Amy shares how her passion for process improvement and innovation led her to integrate AI tools into her daily workflow, and how to navigate the challenges of adopting AI, build AI-driven agents for employee self-service, and engage the transformative potential of intelligent automation in payroll operations.

Connect with Amy:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-travis-cpp-81b543a7/

Connect with the show:

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0

X: @HRPayroll2_0 @PeteTiliakos @JulieFer_HR

The 2025 Payroll Profession Confidence Index survey is now live! Be sure to join in and share with your peers: https://www.payrollinfluences.com/ppci

On this special ‘HR Tech Marketplace Quick Take’ episode, Pete and Julie discuss the recent announcement by Paychex to acquire HCM technology provider and competitor Paycor for $4.1B.

They discuss the acquisition by the numbers, sharing insights on what it means for the new couple, what Paycor brings and why it makes sense for Paychex, how the marriage impacts the broader marketplace and the Paychex GTM. Plus, tips for buy-side leaders and organizations considering or already a customer of Paycor.

Paychex Press Release on its acquisition of Paycor:

https://www.paychex.com/newsroom/news-releases/paychex-enters-agreement-to-acquire-paycor

Connect with the show:

WRKDefined: https://wrkdefined.com/podcast/hr-payroll-20

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0

X: @HRPayroll2_0 @PeteTiliakos @JulieFer_HR

In this episode, Pete and Julie revisit the highly downloaded and now annual “Where HR and Payroll Leaders Should Focus…” episode, sharing POVs and insights for the Top 5 focus areas for HR & Payroll leaders in 2025!

Connect with the show:

WRKDefined: https://wrkdefined.com/podcast/hr-payroll-20

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0

X: @HRPayroll2_0 @PeteTiliakos @JulieFer_HR

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome the distinguished HCM technology advisor and expert, Steve Goldberg, to the show!

After getting to know Steve and his career path in HR that took him from social worker to Wall Street, to Switzerland and Silicon Valley, Steve shares his knowledge, passion, and insights into the subject of organizational agility. He explains why ‘org. agility’ is THE critical acumen for modern businesses and how HR’s role in facilitating it has changed. Steve highlights the importance of organizational culture, technology, metrics, and data in successfully shaping an agile organization. Steve also opines on where he believes HR leaders should be focused as we head into 2025.

Connect with Steve:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbgoldberg/

X: https://x.com/SBGHRTech

Link to register for the January 15th, UKG HR & Payroll E-symposium:

https://cvent.me/m81DDB?RefId=petetiliakos

Connect with the show:

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0

X: @HRPayroll2_0 @PeteTiliakos @JulieFer_HR

On this special “swap-cast” episode with The Source by DailyPay, Pete is LIVE from the annual HR Tech Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, on the Workday Forever Forward bus with DailyPay’s Chief People Officer, Jon Lowe!

After a ‘geeking’ out on the amazing recording location (thank you Workday), Pete and Jon catch up to talk the big event, and the rapidly advancing innovation powering the future of HR. Jon shares his lens as the Chief People leader for a fast moving, global organization, sharing challenges, trends, and opportunities. Jon explains where the value and ROI is in tech adoption and skills investment for the critical practice and profession. Jon shares his vision and outlook for fintech and HR tech to further converge and modernize employee wellness, to facilitate enhanced inclusivity, personalization, and education for all employees while returning measurable value to their businesses.

Connect with Jon:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lowejon/

Connect with DailyPay and The Source podcast:

www.dailypay.com

www.dailypay.com/podcasts

Connect with the show:

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0

X: @HRPayroll2_0 @PeteTiliakos @JulieFer_HR

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Mike Bollinger, Global VP, Strategic Initiatives at Cornerstone OnDemand! The group explores the elusive yet critical concept of workforce alignment. Mike shares how technology, skills-based succession planning, and agile strategies are reshaping talent management. From strategic workforce planning to the role of AI in bridging skills gaps, Mike shares actionable insights and real-world examples that empower organizations to foster workforce agility that drives measurable business outcomes.  

Connect with Mike:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebollinger/ 

Cornerstone On Demand resources mentioned:

Workforce Agility for Dummies book: https://shorturl.at/EhEJ2 

Global State of the Skills Economy report: https://shorturl.at/s2NA3 

Links to other mentions in the episode: 

Chime webinar: “The Top 3 Financial Wellness Trends Shaping HR Strategies in 2025” https://shorturl.at/ye1RO 

Goldbelly’s “PieCaken”: https://shorturl.at/q63L8 

Connect with the show:  

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0 

X: @HRPayroll2_0 @PeteTiliakos @JulieFer_HR

In this special multi-part episode, Julie shares a few recorded conversations live from the Michigan SHRM Conference in Grand Rapids, and a new ‘Voice of GenZ’ chat on what employees and candidates think.

First, Julie catches up with Brown and Brown colleagues, Kevin Cumings, Amy Gerard, and Tyrone Jordan to talk the Michigan SHRM Conference in Grand Rapids. The conversations highlight key trends through the lens of the HR practitioner and leader. The importance of effective benefits communication and engagement strategies for the modern workplace, and the evolving role of brokers and HR professionals and their need to adapt to the changing workforce and legislative landscape.  

Next up, Julie chats with Nico Fernandez who shares what employees and candidates are thinking as seen through the lens of GenZ. Nico shares his POV as an engineer for a small firm and navigating life as an early career professional. He talks his onboarding, offer and benefits experience. Plus other key workplace observations on how HR decisions impact Nico, his peers, and the multigenerational workforce.  

Connect with Brown & Brown guests:

Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevincumings/

Amy:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amygerard/

TJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjordan2/

Connect with Nicolas Fernandez:

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-fernandez00/

Connect with the show:

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0

X: @HRPayroll2_0 @PeteTiliakos @JulieFer_HR

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Co-Founder and CEO of Work from Anywhere, John Lee, to the show to talk remote working strategies that keep WFA from becoming WTF!

John shares his unique insights from the front lines of advising some of the largest corporate enterprises creating agile talent models through remote working strategies. The group talks the value and impact of remote working on the employee experience, and how employers are enabling successful Work From Anywhere (WFA) programs. John shares key characteristics and best practices for organizations winning with WFA in contrast with those failing, and tips for how to measure and drive business outcomes and ROI through a thriving WFA model. 

Connect with John:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/j0hnlee/

https://x.com/john_w_lee

Connect with Work from Anywhere:

https://wfa.team/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-work-from-anywhere-team/

https://x.com/AnywhereTeam 

Connect with the show:  

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0 

X: @HRPayroll2_0 @PeteTiliakos @JulieFer_HR