04:05

Strategic has become a frequently used word in recent global payroll thought-leadership and in the everyday conversation of global payroll professionals, for very good reason. As payroll’s influence continues to grow, payroll leaders are increasingly expected to contribute insight, foresight, and leadership across the wider organisation.

This issue explores what being strategic really looks like in practice. From navigating complex global payroll migrations and leading responsible AI adoption, to understanding payroll’s often unseen role in mergers and acquisitions, our contributors examine how payroll teams can shape business outcomes beyond compliance. Together, these perspectives reinforce payroll’s position as a critical, strategic function that has earned a place at the heart of the most agile and forward-looking organisations.

Global payroll is becoming ever more complex as regulatory, workforce and business demands grow. But 04:05 is here to help you make sense of it all. This month, our contributors bring insight and practical guidance to help you navigate change with confidence.

Grant Geraghty’s Decoding the New Egyptian Labour Law highlights key reforms and what businesses need to know. In Managing Payroll Complexity in a Changing US Workforce, Kristi Jones explores how evolving employment patterns and obligations are reshaping operations. And Eric Liaw’s Beyond the Headlines: The Hidden Cost of Payroll Underpayments uncovers the risks of underpayments with strategies to protect employees and organisations.

Thought leadership and clarity from our subject matter experts continue to inspire the drive to succeed we all need to achieve our goals determinedly, with greater understanding and agility, no matter what new challenges are thrown in our paths.

As the new year unfolds, it’s the perfect time to rethink what progress really means for global payroll. It’s not about moving faster for the sake of it, but about making thoughtful decisions that genuinely support our organisations and people to become more agile. In this issue of 04:05, we explore the value of pausing to ask the tougher questions: why are we transforming, outsourcing, or adopting new technology, and are these choices truly aligned with our goals?

Our contributors challenge complacency, examine what real workplace empowerment looks like in practice, and unpack how shifting political landscapes are influencing payroll strategy worldwide. Together, they encourage us to look beyond trends and dig deeper, so we can move forward with clarity rather than simply following the crowd.

For our final issue of the year, 04:05 is celebrating positive change and the powerful ways new technologies are intersecting with the skill and resilience of global payroll professionals. As 2025 drew to a close, we took time to pause and reflect on a year of challenges, growth, and achievements big and small across our community. This edition explores the transformative impact of earned wage access in Türkiye, how payroll maturity strengthens businesses, and how an employer of record could flip the HR script. Let’s stay mindful that behind every process
are real people and real outcomes, and that beyond the shiny tech, the curiosity and commitment of global payroll professionals remain our greatest assets.

Trust has always been integral to global payroll, but today it’s being challenged in brand new ways. With AI, automation, and digital transformation reshaping how we work, the stakes around security and transparency have never been higher. Recent high-profile breaches are a reminder that even well-established organisations can be vulnerable and that lost data often leads to a costly loss of confidence.
In this issue of 04:05, our contributors explore how the global payroll industry can innovate responsibly. From building trustworthy AI and navigating deepfakes to strengthening the human connections behind every payslip, they take a frank look at what it really takes to balance progress with integrity. Because as a community, we understand that technology evolves quickly and innovation drives us forward, but the human touch remains essential.

This month’s 04:05 arrives at a pivotal moment for the global payroll community. The recent CIPD scandal has dominated headlines but, for payroll, there is an opportunity to see beyond the drama and reframe the conversation. We can showcase the singular role our industry plays in avoiding costly compliance pitfalls, maintaining and improving talent retention and providing rich veins of data that can drive strategy.

In this issue, we dig into the challenges and big issues defining payroll today. Our contributors look at the complexities of navigating compliance risks when expanding into Africa, explore how EORs are evolving from providers to partners, and share an important update on gender pay gap reporting across Europe. They also reflect on lessons payroll can take from HR’s recent missteps and examine how harassment, far from being an HR issue, mirrors company culture.

Payroll professionals may do the majority of their work behind the scenes, but they remain the reason the working world keeps turning. Seeing our payroll industry peers celebrating their wins during National Payroll Week was an important reminder of the skill, diligence, and resilience behind every accurate payslip and timely payday and why it’s worth celebrating the people who make that happen. In that spirit, Issue 15’s contributors look at payroll’s next chapter; what AI really delivers today, why intelligence matters as much as automation, and who is handling your payslips. Alongside new tools and technologies, they highlight the intelligence and dedication shaping payroll’s global community. And our HR Manager has come to an important decision…

Global payroll never stands still, and neither do the professionals shaping its future. In this issue, we explore the tech innovations, people, and perspectives shaping our industry. Rick Hammell breaks down how to choose the right global payroll tech stack, Helen Dooley reminds us of the very real human impact of payroll delays, Ayşe Nazmiye Uça challenges us to consider the future of young talent, and we kick off our new series, Law in Real Life, with Nilly Gul unpacking how workplace law works in practice. We’re proud to continue to platform real voices and fresh thinking from across the global payroll community. Thanks for being part of the
conversation!

This month, as preconceptions about
payroll professionals swirl on social media once again, we take a look at the surprising amount of common ground that Love Island and payroll share. We also get Between the Lines with Tracee Bowles, who provides insights from her fascinating career, and Helen Dooley gives voice to the people Behind the Payslip. Ayşe Nazmiye Uça reveals the quiet progress closing the gender pay gap, and Victoria Thatcher breaks down how to make strategic compliance a competitive advantage. Issue 13 is bursting with inspiring thought leadership and essential country-specific updates. Proof, once again, that global payroll has never been more relevant, dynamic or surprising.

This month, it’s awards season at the GPA, and we have been discussing the attributes of a winner and the winning qualities that so many payroll professionals personify: drive, creativity, perseverance, diligence, courage, motivation, innovation, and dedication. For Issue 12, our contributors capture a number of those qualities. Richard Rowell is harnessing the power of emotional intelligence, Ayşe Nazmiye Uça ponders how we can redefine workforce and payroll,
Rick Hammell charts the rise of intelligent payroll, and Helen Dooley dares to consider what might happen if payroll professionals permitted ourselves to be less than perfect.

We started the month of May with Global Payroll Day, spotlighting the professional pride and achievements of the individuals and organisations that make our industry so extraordinary. It’s only fitting that Issue 11 continues in that spirit. Staying in a celebratory mood, we revisit the GPA Global Payroll Summit 2025, plus Chris Kirby of LACE Partners examines the strategic importance of mindset, Ayşe Nazmiye Uça creatively explores the evolving landscape of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, and Richard Rowell of Ascend Payroll Ltd questions the sustainability of managed payroll services in an era of technological advancement and changing business needs.

Recent headline-hitting payroll and HR news
has got our entire industry talking about the things we value. In 04:05 this month, we are reflecting on those tough but necessary conversations with articles exploring integrity, trustworthiness, ethics and our personal and professional priorities. For our cover story, Ayşe Nazmiye Uça helps us centre the things that matter by asking Are You Feeding Your Elephant or Your Frog? Helen Dooley is back to shine a light on payroll professionals who go above and beyond with some real-life examples from 04:05 readers, and big changes are coming for our HR Manager!

This month in 04:05 we are celebrating payroll wins as we anticipate some of our favourite events on the Global Payroll calendar and explore how an investment in statement advertising could benefit us all. Featured articles include an illuminating piece on the positive impact of neurodiversity on working life and the strategic win of accommodating neurodiverse employees, to mark the start of Neurodiversity Celebration Week on March 17th. There are lessons from an industry CEO on building a global business, with insights into the pitfalls of international expansion, and our cover story breaks down how ESG criteria are transforming payroll practices.

We are proud to introduce the new look 04:05, fresh from a New Year’s transformation! Inside, you will continue to find the same high standards, with quality content from some of the payroll industry’s
inspiring thought leaders and experts. This month, Ayşe Nazmiye Uça asks us to consider the faces we present to the world, Helen Dooley begins her brand new series sharing real-life stories of payroll excellence under pressure, and Fred Van Der Tang explores why we should all be paying closer attention to wage compliance in mergers and acquisitions.

Our Between the Lines interview is with Nathan North. Nathan is pushing for credible payroll standards for payroll operations worldwide; he shares the benefits that such universal standards would bring. This is another richly informative issue with payroll voices from around the globe generously sharing their knowledge and perspectives. As we move further into 2025, it is clear that this will be another challenging year for payroll. It’s reassuring to know that we have a professional community with the drive and commitment to rise to every single one.

04:05 has been a fine example of the unity and inspiration that payroll professionals can find in the global payroll community. It's been great to connect with our writers, hear new voices emerge and learn from their unique points of view in the seven months since our launch and our final issue of the year illustrates the extensive knowledge our peers have to share. With articles exploring the differing impact of and uptake for payroll tech across the African continent, securing payroll data from festive threats, whether giant CEO pay cheques equate to success and some important New Year’s Resolutions for payroll, we are seeing 2024 out in style! 

We’ve reached our sixth month of 04:05 and are thrilled with the incredible support we’re receiving from the global payroll community and our loyal and growing readership. We’re marking the occasion with a striking, information-rich issue to bring us to year-end and beyond. This month, our expert writers take deep dives into Leveraging Year-end Data Insights for Business Growth, Navigating Payroll in the Gig Economy, Removing Fear from the EU Pay Transparency Regulations, and championing payroll as the Career You Didn’t Know You Needed for upcoming generations.

In October, we mark both Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Halloween, so hopefully, we’ll all be extra prepared to face down scares of the technical and metaphysical kind! And if you aren’t feeling ready, never fear; 04:05 has your back with articles helping you recognise the 5 Spooky Signs of a Payroll Compliance Nightmare, how to be empowered when cyber issues attack, and how to move beyond an Implementation Horror Story.

We’re also asking for your take on how we can put our best face forward next National Payroll Week after baked goods rather overtook public posts this year. Could we change the way the world beyond the industry perceives us by sharing more aspirational stories and images on our social feeds? A conversation that began on LinkedIn has ignited a really constructive debate, learn more about Mel’s Cake Fight in the brand-new issue!

04:05 is going from strength to strength so we’re putting our best foot forward this month with a bumper issue for National Payroll Week that showcases global payroll talent in all its forms and the amazing, inspiring people who are making things happen in our industry today.

Cybersecurity, strategies for resilience and recovery, overcoming an underdog mindset and the impact of Payday Super are among the topics our expert contributors are exploring. And we are proudly sharing a personal insight into the battle of late-diagnosed neurodivergent women.

Although August is the height of the holiday season for many parts of the world, the summer holidays aren’t necessarily a picnic for payroll professionals. This month in 04:05 our expert contributors have your vacation reading covered with topical features and takes. Jo Marshall shares what it takes to keep those pay cycle balls in the air when half your workplace is away, Zennie Sjölund explores the flipside of embracing technology in the wake of the global IT outages and Melise Hasip walks us through the talent challenges arising in Australia's evolving work landscape.

This month 04:05 is celebrating excellence, from the story of a remarkable woman who charted her course to become a payroll pioneer to coverage of the winners and highly commended nominees at the 2024 Global Payroll Awards. We proudly introduce this month’s talented writers – a host of industry experts worldwide. Ayşe Nazmiye Uça established Turkey’s first payroll outsourcing provider. Victoria Thatcher opened our eyes to the untapped potential of neurodiverse people as a powerful force for good in payroll, and the GPA’s US insider Michael Baer dares to imagine the ripple effect of Donald Trump’s tax proposals on payroll.

In this month's cover story Beyond Numbers: Empowering People Through Payroll Transformation, Victoria Thatcher gets behind the headline-grabbing payroll system failures of recent years to focus on
the humans beyond the payslips, while Ayse Nazmiy Uca guides us through the birth of the Turkish Payroll Association. Features to look for inlude our monthly columns: Jeni Morris's straight-talking and informative NMW Agony Aunt and the witty Diary of an HR Manager plus articles with a regional insights from all over the global payroll community.