It Was Written on the Clock Cards: How Payroll Became My Whole Life with Tricia Hartley

Tricia Hartley spent 47 years doing the latter. From a chance encounter with a clock card-carrying HR manager at Heathrow Airport in 1977 to becoming one of the first women ever appointed as Director of Global Payroll Services, hers is a career that did not just keep pace with the payroll profession. It helped shape it.

In this episode of @thepayrollpodcast, Nick Day, CEO of JGA Recruitment, sits down with Tricia Hartley, global payroll pioneer and recipient of the Reward Strategy Lifetime Achievement Award, to reflect on nearly five decades of payroll leadership across some of the world's most iconic organisations, including Chevron, Reuters, Cognizant, PayPal, and Microsoft.

This is not just a career retrospective. It is a masterclass in what payroll truly means. Tricia and Nick explore why the payslip is one of the most important documents in a person's life, what it really takes to lead global payroll teams across multiple countries and cultures, and why the human touch in payroll must never be surrendered to automation. They also cover the honest realities of retiring after a career that consumed and fulfilled in equal measure, a coaching leadership philosophy that produced a generation of senior payroll directors, and what Tricia believes the next generation of payroll professionals must hold onto as AI begins to reshape the profession.

It is not just about processing pay.

It is about the people behind every payslip.

And it always has been.

Whether you are just starting out in payroll, leading a global team, or somewhere in between, this episode is proof that payroll is one of the most purposeful, adventurous, and human careers a person can choose.

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 Tricia Hartley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tricia-hartley-9189259/

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 Tricia Hartley

(01:56) What Payroll Really Means: The Human Responsibility Behind Every Payslip

(03:33) How It All Started: Heathrow Airport and a Clock Card Interview in 1977

(05:46) World Duty Free, Traveling the World and Catching the Global Bug

(10:15) Leading Payroll at Chevron, Reuters, Cognizant, PayPal and Microsoft

(12:24) Breaking Barriers as a Woman in Senior Payroll Leadership

(15:19) Navigating Real Time Information, Brexit and the Big Industry Shifts

(16:31) Winning the Reward Strategy Lifetime Achievement Award

(18:26) Mentoring Future Leaders and Building Teams That Outlast You

(24:43) The Honest Truth About Retirement and How to Prepare for It

(33:19) The Future of Payroll, AI and Why the Human Touch Must Never Disappear

(40:18) Payroll Vault: Career Advice for Every Stage of Your Payroll Journey

Hashtags:

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