HR & Payroll 2.0

In this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Karen Kaplan, CHRO at People Incorporated, for a real-world look at what it takes to lead HR transformation inside a complex, mission-driven healthcare nonprofit.

Karen shares her journey from operations and administration into HR leadership, and why the mission of supporting mental health care professionals has kept her in the field for more than two decades. The conversation explores the unique workforce challenges of a highly regulated nonprofit healthcare environment, including 24/7 residential programs, community-based care, mobile workers, shift differentials, scheduling complexity, credential tracking, and the need to equip frontline managers with tools that work.  

The group unpacks People Incorporated’s HR and payroll systems transformation journey, from persistent friction, manual workarounds, data reliability issues, and trust gaps to a more structured assessment, RFP, and implementation process. Karen offers a candid view into the hard decisions leaders must make before replacing technology, including where to change policy, where to adapt process, where to preserve requirements, and why stakeholder engagement is essential to rebuilding trust.  

The episode also highlights what happens after go-live, including phased implementation, benefits enrollment, talent acquisition, communications planning, employee paycheck previews, reduced manual checks, and the growing role of analytics and AI in supporting workforce planning and care delivery. 

Connect with Karen: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-kaplan-sphr/ 

Connect with the show:

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

X: @HRPayroll2_0 

X: @PeteTiliakos 

X: @JulieFer_HR

BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0 

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

Thank you to our marquee sponsors for powering the HR & Payroll 2.0 podcast forward! 

G-P ‘Globalization Partners’: https://www.globalization-partners.com/ 

OneSource Virtual: https://hubs.ly/Q03YFNR90

Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/press.html

Thank you to our ‘wizard behind the curtain’ and show producer Ryan Kielma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kielma/

In this episode, Pete welcomes Anand Pandya, VP and GM of Specialty Solutions for SMBs at ADP, for a timely conversation on the rise of embedded technology and why payroll is becoming mission-critical infrastructure inside modern SaaS platforms.

Anand shares why small businesses are increasingly overwhelmed by fragmented back-office software, often juggling multiple systems for payments, accounting, cash flow, employee data, and payroll. 

Pete and Anand explore why payroll is uniquely complex as an embedded financial solution, from employee data and tax jurisdictions to deductions, state registrations, garnishments, worker’s compensation, retirement mandates, and ongoing regulatory change. They also discuss why SaaS providers cannot treat payroll as a tech-only add-on and why the technology matters, but so do service, compliance support, onboarding, regulatory updates, and the ability to help small businesses when payroll gets complicated.  

The conversation also looks ahead to where embedded payroll is headed next, including the growing role of AI, self-service support, real-time compliance prompts, and the movement toward SaaS platforms becoming the operational hub for small businesses.

Connect with Anand and ADP:  

For C-suite and developers interested in exploring ADP’s embedded payroll solution: adp.com/embedded

For SMB’s interested in exploring ADP for their small business: adp.com/smallbusiness

Anand’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anpandya/

Pete’s e-book: ‘Payroll In The Flow of Business: How Embedded Payroll Is Becoming Mission-Critical for Modern SaaS Platforms’ 

https://www.payrollinfluences.com/researches/payroll-in-the-flow-of-business%3A-how-embedded-payroll-is-becoming-mission-critical-for-modern-saas-platforms

*The annual Payroll Profession Confidence Index (PPCI) survey is open now through September 30, 2026. Payroll professionals and stakeholders interested in participating in the research can complete the survey at: https://www.payrollinfluences.com/ppci-2026. 

Connect with the show:

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

X: @HRPayroll2_0 

X: @PeteTiliakos 

X: @JulieFer_HR

BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0 

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

Thank you to our marquee sponsors for powering the HR & Payroll 2.0 podcast forward! 

G-P ‘Globalization Partners’: https://www.globalization-partners.com/

OneSource Virtual: https://hubs.ly/Q03YFNR90

Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/press.html

Thank you to our ‘wizard behind the curtain’ and show producer Ryan Kielma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kielma/

In this episode, Pete and Julie welcome “The Payroll Nerd”, Troy Markussen, global payroll leader, founder of Nerd Outfitters, and champion of the Payroll 2040 movement, for a timely conversation on the future of payroll talent.

Troy shares how he “chose payroll” early in his career, why the profession offers one of the most dynamic and resilient career paths in business, and what his research with students and early-career professionals reveals about pay trust, payroll education, and the expectations of the next generation. The discussion explores why payroll is more than a back-office function, how payroll data can help leaders uncover broader business issues, and why payroll professionals must become more visible, more vocal, and more strategic.

Connect with Troy & Nerd Outfitters:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/troy-markusson/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/nerd-outfitters/

https://www.nerdoutfitters.shop/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs1MhTbTid2Y_fAWy2Qd0ZQ

https://www.instagram.com/nerdoutfitter/

https://www.tiktok.com/@nerdoutfitter

https://www.facebook.com/nerdoutfitter

*The annual Payroll Profession Confidence Index (PPCI) survey is open now through September 30, 2026. Payroll professionals and stakeholders interested in participating in the research can complete the survey at: https://www.payrollinfluences.com/ppci-2026. 

Connect with the show:

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

X: @HRPayroll2_0 

X: @PeteTiliakos 

X: @JulieFer_HR

BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0 

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

Thank you to our marquee sponsors for powering the HR & Payroll 2.0 podcast forward! 

G-P ‘Globalization Partners’: https://www.globalization-partners.com/

OneSource Virtual: https://hubs.ly/Q03YFNR90

Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/press.html

Thank you to our ‘wizard behind the curtain’ and show producer Ryan Kielma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kielma/

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Katharine ‘Kat’ Smith, an Australian payroll leader and one of the emerging voices behind the idea of ‘payroll diplomacy’, for a thoughtful conversation on advocacy, literacy, risk, and the evolving role of payroll in the enterprise.

The conversation explores ‘payroll diplomacy’: the skill of translating payroll’s operational complexity into language that executives, HR, finance, recruiters, and business leaders can understand. She shares why it’s all about influence, storytelling, community, and building the language needed to make payroll’s value visible.

The group explores why payroll needs stronger advocacy, why literacy is still one of the profession’s biggest gaps, and how leaders can move beyond fear-based messaging to tell better stories about risk, compliance, records, employee experience, and business value.  

They also dig into the growing pressure on payroll professionals in markets like Australia, where compliance complexity, recordkeeping expectations, and potential criminal liability are raising the stakes.  Plus, how to build payroll foundations from the ground up, with governance and controls to documentation, employee experience, and trust.

Connect with Katharine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smithkatharine/

Connect with the show:

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

X: @HRPayroll2_0 

X: @PeteTiliakos 

X: @JulieFer_HR

BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0 

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

Thank you to our marquee sponsors for powering the HR & Payroll 2.0 podcast forward! 

G-P ‘Globalization Partners’: https://www.globalization-partners.com/

OneSource Virtual: https://hubs.ly/Q03YFNR90

Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/press.html

Thank you to our ‘wizard behind the curtain’ and show producer Ryan Kielma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kielma/

On this episode, Pete and Julie share their POV’s and insights on a long list of HR and payroll tech marketplace news and updates rounding out Q2, 2026. 

Vendors discussed in the episode include: ADP, Argano, CloudPay, datascaleHR, Deel, isolved, G-P, HiBob, Multiplier, Nuvei and Payoneer, OnePay, Paylocity, Payslip, Remote, Strada Global, and Workday.

Mentioned in the episode: 

CloudPay Payroll Efficiency Index: https://www.cloudpay.com/press-releases/payroll-performance-increasingly-defined-by-integration-maturity/ 

Time & Statista: Top Worktech companies of 2026: https://time.com/article/2026/06/09/america-top-worktech-companies-methodology/  

Connect with the show:

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

X: @HRPayroll2_0 

X: @PeteTiliakos 

X: @JulieFer_HR

BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0 

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

Thank you to our marquee sponsors for powering the HR & Payroll 2.0 podcast forward! 

G-P ‘Globalization Partners’: https://www.globalization-partners.com/

OneSource Virtual: https://hubs.ly/Q03YFNR90

Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/press.html

Thank you to our ‘wizard behind the curtain’ and show producer Ryan Kielma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kielma/

On this episode, Pete and Julie share their POV’s and insights on the spring updates for analysts from across the HCM tech vendor landscape ahead of summer. 

Vendor events and news discussed in the episode include: PrismHR: PrismHRLIVE, SAP SuccessFactors: HCM Experts Workshop, Cornerstone Connect, and UKG Virtual Analyst Day. 

Connect with the show:

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

X: @HRPayroll2_0 

X: @PeteTiliakos 

X: @JulieFer_HR

BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0 

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

Thank you to our marquee sponsors for powering the HR & Payroll 2.0 podcast forward! 

G-P ‘Globalization Partners’: https://www.globalization-partners.com/

OneSource Virtual: https://hubs.ly/Q03YFNR90

Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/press.html

Thank you to our ‘wizard behind the curtain’ and show producer Ryan Kielma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kielma/

In this special episode, Julie is joined by Kristy Durst, Sr. Manager of Payroll & HR Administration at Uline, live from the annual World at Work Total Rewards event in San Antonio, TX, for a practitioner conversation grounded in what modern payroll leadership really looks like inside a complex, frontline-heavy business.

The conversation explores Uline’s move from ADP to the full Workday suite, what it means to optimize a platform after go-live, and why payroll’s value increases when leaders stop treating it as a back-office process and start bringing it into decisions earlier.  

Julie and Kristy also dig into the realities of running payroll for a workforce of nearly 10,000 employees across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, including the importance of local timekeepers, shared services, compliance ownership, paid sick leave complexity, tax accountability, employee self-service, and the trust that comes from getting pay right. Kristy offers a clear view into the controls, data, judgment, and cross-functional collaboration required to make payroll work at scale.  

The conversation looks ahead to the future of payroll talent and technology, from AI adoption and Workday optimization to succession planning, cross-training, and the changing skills payroll leaders need next. 

Connect with Kristy: 

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-durst-54a0a2b3/

Connect with the show:

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

X: @HRPayroll2_0 

X: @PeteTiliakos 

X: @JulieFer_HR

BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0 

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

Thank you to our marquee sponsors for powering the HR & Payroll 2.0 podcast forward! 

G-P ‘Globalization Partners’: https://www.globalization-partners.com/ 

OneSource Virtual: https://hubs.ly/Q03YFNR90

Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/press.html

Thank you to our ‘wizard behind the curtain’ and show producer Ryan Kielma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kielma/

In this special episode, Pete and Julie are joined by Amy Dufrane Ed.D, CEO of the HRCI (HR Certification Institute), live from the annual World at Work Total Rewards event in San Antonio, TX! 

Amy shares how HRCI is evolving beyond certification to become a broader career partner for HR professionals, including its global work around HR standards, its collaboration with WorldatWork, and its role in helping practitioners navigate a profession being reshaped by technology, AI, and rising business expectations.

The discussion explores why payroll deserves deeper strategic integration with HR and the business, how AI is changing learning needs across the profession, and why credentials still matter in an era where access to information is becoming more democratized. Amy also highlights the growing importance of organizational design, job redesign, change management, and technology upskilling as HR leaders work to build the capabilities required for what comes next.

The group also digs into the talent pipeline challenge facing HR and payroll, including how early-career credentialing, university partnerships, and even high school exposure can help bring the next generation into the profession sooner.

Connect with Amy and the HRCI:

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

HRCI: https://www.hrci.org/home

Connect with the show:

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

X: @HRPayroll2_0 

X: @PeteTiliakos 

X: @JulieFer_HR

BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0 

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

Thank you to our marquee sponsors for powering the HR & Payroll 2.0 podcast forward! 

G-P ‘Globalization Partners’: https://www.globalization-partners.com/ 

OneSource Virtual: https://hubs.ly/Q03YFNR90

Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/press.html

Thank you to our ‘wizard behind the curtain’ and show producer Ryan Kielma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kielma/

In this special episode, Pete and Julie are joined by Chelsea Hamilton and Sam Thomeier, live from the annual World at Work Total Rewards event in San Antonio, TX! 

Chelsea and Sam unpack why pay transparency remains one of the biggest issues facing total rewards leaders, and why the shift is being driven by more than legislation. From generational expectations and candidate behavior to the long-standing culture of secrecy around pay, the conversation explores why employers can no longer afford to treat compensation as a closed-door topic.  

The discussion also gets practical, covering why compensation structure is never truly “done,” how organizations should approach change management before communicating pay philosophy, and why salary ranges only work when managers understand how to explain them. 

Chelsea and Sam also dig into the risks and opportunities of AI in compensation, including job-matching tools, salary benchmarking, employee use of AI, and the danger of relying on noisy or biased data. Plus, why getting compensation “right” is not just about market data or compliance.  

Connect with Sam & Chelsea:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-thomeier-2898537/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-hamilton-shrm-cp/

https://herronpalmer.com/

Connect with the show:

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

X: @HRPayroll2_0 

X: @PeteTiliakos 

X: @JulieFer_HR

BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0 

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

Thank you to our marquee sponsors for powering the HR & Payroll 2.0 podcast forward! 

G-P ‘Globalization Partners’: https://www.globalization-partners.com/ 

OneSource Virtual: https://hubs.ly/Q03YFNR90

Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/press.html

Thank you to our ‘wizard behind the curtain’ and show producer Ryan Kielma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kielma/

In this special episode, Pete and Julie are joined by Sarah Severson, Sr. Manager of Compensation at Medline, live from the annual World at Work Total Rewards event in San Antonio, TX, for a practical conversation on how compensation is evolving inside fast-growing, complex organizations.

The conversation explores what happens when family-owned and high-growth companies scale faster than their compensation structures, why job architecture becomes a critical foundation for everything downstream, and how M&A, global expansion, and Workday implementations expose the need for common language, cleaner data, and stronger governance.  

Pete, Julie, and Sarah talk the practical side of AI in compensation, from using Copilot for Excel and manager communications to experimenting with AI-assisted job grading and market cleanup. Sarah offers a grounded practitioner view on where AI can accelerate work, where human judgment still matters, and why compensation teams must balance innovation with governance, transparency, and manager enablement.  

Plus, a candid look at the realities of modernizing compensation in a growing enterprise, and why the future of comp is not just about better data, but better decisions, better communication, and stronger alignment across the business.

Connect with Sarah:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-severson-6498ba1b/

Connect with the show:

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

X: @HRPayroll2_0 

X: @PeteTiliakos 

X: @JulieFer_HR

BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0 

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

Thank you to our marquee sponsors for powering the HR & Payroll 2.0 podcast forward! 

G-P ‘Globalization Partners’: https://www.globalization-partners.com/ 

OneSource Virtual: https://hubs.ly/Q03YFNR90

Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/press.html

Thank you to our ‘wizard behind the curtain’ and show producer Ryan Kielma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kielma/