Wendy Muirhead: “What’s more important than paying your employees?”

Muirhead will be speaking at the conference, ran in partnership with The Payroll Centre, taking place digitally during National Payroll Week on September 8th and 9th.

Reward Strategy (RS): What has been the story of your career so far?

Wendy Muirhead (WM): “I have spent most of my career in the global human capital management (HCM) industry supporting clients as they transform their businesses across payroll and HR.

“I am extremely passionate about supporting global organisations drive real quantifiable value across their business, through technology, to help get the right talent in the right place, at the right time.”

RS: Why is it important National Payroll Week is celebrated?

WM: “What’s more important than paying your employees? Your people are your greatest asset.

“Payroll professionals have been key workers during this pandemic – sometimes struggling in from home in order to keep everyone solvent, negotiating furlough and continuous legislation changes, etc. National Payroll Week gives us the chance to celebrate their massive contributions and great achievements in the last 12 months.”

RS: What do you think are currently and will be the biggest trials facing global payroll professionals?

WM: “One of the things I am really passionate about is giving global organisations a choice. The global payroll industry has many providers out there who offer varying models. These typically offer one option or another, which limits global payroll managers’ ability to choose exactly the right operational structure that best fits their changing business. I believe that the biggest trials facing us in the future are:

• The ever-changing legislation and compliance;
• The access to employees and building governance and structures to empower employees to choose to work from their preferred locations - home versus office.”

RS: What is going to be the biggest area of investment for your clients’ payroll function in the next 12 months?

WM: “Cloud technology. One thing the pandemic has shown us is that people need to be able to access their operational platforms easily. Cloud enables us to work anytime, anywhere.”

RS: Without giving too much away, what will delegates learn from your session?

WM: “I’m passionate about payroll professionals having a strategic voice! The session I am leading at this conference focuses on how payroll professionals have all the experience and the skills required to drive strategic change in their business. Hopefully, payrollers will see how they can drive real value across their organisation.”

RS: What other sessions are you looking forward to at this year’s Payroll & Reward Conference?

WM: “There are so many great speakers, good friends and industry leaders speaking at this year’s conference. I’m particularly keen on hearing more about COVID-19 and furlough – What did we learn? Plus, Trends and challenges in payroll, and Me and my team: What’s our future and encouraging the next generation.

“Whilst we might not all be together, the agenda for this years’ conference looks great.”

The Payroll & Reward Conference, sponsored by Ceridian, Cintra HR & Payroll Services, SD Worx, Frontier Software and the CIPP, has a range of free and discounted passes available to attend. Book now by contacting James Hunter on email or 020 7940 4821.