Most businesses think payroll is working. People get paid, deadlines are met, and no one raises a flag. But compliant payroll is not the same as strategic payroll, and in a regulatory landscape that is shifting faster than most employers realise, the gap between the two has never been more costly.

In this episode of @thepayrollpodcast, Nick Day, CEO of JGA Recruitment, sits down with Julie Gunnell, Associate Director of Growth Payroll at Azets, one of the UK's leading accountancy and business advisory firms, to make the case that payroll is no longer a back-office function. It is a compliance risk, a strategic asset, and a direct reflection of how much an organisation respects its people.

This is not just a conversation about processing pay. It is a conversation about what is coming, what most employers are not ready for, and why the payroll profession is quietly becoming one of the most important functions in any business. Julie and Nick explore the three game-changers that have transformed the profession, auto-enrolment, furlough, and the imminent arrival of the Fair Work Agency, and why the FWA represents the most fundamental shift in how businesses manage HR and payroll data that the UK has ever seen.

They also cover why six-year holiday record retention from April is a wake-up call for every employer, how payroll data is one of the most underused strategic assets sitting inside any organisation, why salary sacrifice and benefits review should be on every employer's agenda right now, the case for making internal payroll audits a non-negotiable part of the annual calendar, and why the next generation of payroll professionals, many of them post-graduates, are choosing payroll as a deliberate, informed career decision.

It is not just about getting the numbers right.

It is about the trust, compliance, and business intelligence sitting behind every single payslip.

And if you are not thinking about payroll that way yet, this episode will change that.

Whether you are a payroll professional navigating the wave of regulatory change heading your way, an HR or finance leader trying to understand the real risk sitting inside your payroll function, or a business owner who has never questioned whether your payroll is truly working for you, this episode will give you a new way of seeing one of the most business-critical functions in your organisation.

This episode is sponsored by Deel

Managing a global team is complex, Deel makes it simpler with payroll, HR, IT, and compliance all in one place. That's why over 35,000 businesses trust Deel to hire, pay, and manage their teams worldwide.

See how Deel works at www.deel.com/nickday

Guest and Host:

Connect with Julie Gunnell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliegunnell/

Connect with Nick Day: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/

Find your ideal payroll candidate with our job vacancy system: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/919cf6b9ea

Sign up to the Payroll Podcast Newsletter: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/23e7b153e7

Stay tuned for the next episode of The Payroll Podcast, brought to you by Nick Day, CEO at JGA Recruitment, landing soon!

Enjoyed this? Check out our sister podcast @thehrldpodcast for more great content!

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction and Meet Julie Gunnell, Associate Director of Growth Payroll at Azets

(01:49) What Payroll Really Means and Why Julie Calls It the Best Profession in the World

(03:29) How Julie Fell Into Payroll and the Mentors Who Built Her Foundation

(06:30) Bureau vs. In-House and Why Processing for Multiple Clients Changes Everything

(08:50) The Three Game-Changers: Auto-Enrolment, Furlough, and the Fair Work Agency

(14:55) AI in Payroll: Powerful Tool, Not a Replacement

(19:16) The Next Generation and Why Post-Grads Are Choosing Payroll as a Career

(23:10) Julie's Proudest Moment: Getting Payroll a National Shout-Out on BBC Radio 2

(27:13) Growth Meets Compliance and How Julie Balances Both at Azets

(31:01) Payroll as a Strategic Asset and the Data Your Business Isn't Using

(34:39) Why Every Employer Needs Regular Internal Payroll Audits

(37:35) The Future of Payroll: Recognition, Qualifications, and What's Coming Next