OSVConnects London Recap

On Wednesday, April 30, we had the pleasure of hosting an OSVConnects event in London at the Storey Club.

This special gathering, held in partnership with Workday and Albida Consulting, brought together our mutual customers for a day of insights, innovation, and community connection.

For this event, we were honored to welcome Nick Day, payroll and HR recruitment thought leader and host of The Payroll Podcast, as well as members of Workday. The event also featured a customer panel with guests from Topgolf and Hastings Direct.

Keynote presentation: The Future of Payroll

Nick Day started the event with a compelling keynote titled “The Future of Payroll: Embracing Pay-On-Demand, AI, and Strategic Influence.” As a recognized authority in payroll and HR, Nick shared forward-looking insights on how the payroll function is evolving into a strategic powerhouse.

He opened with a striking reminder: payroll is the only team that connects with every employee every month, making it a vital source of trust and continuity within an organization.

His presentation also explored how payroll touches nearly every strategic initiative, from DEI and talent management to total rewards and the employee experience. When armed with rich, real-time data, payroll professionals are uniquely positioned to drive business outcomes and influence high-level decision-making.

He also highlighted how automation and AI are redefining payroll operations. While 60% of payroll tasks can be automated today, that number is expected to surpass 80% by 2027. Key use cases already in play include:

• Real-time error detection
• Predictive alerts for late or incorrect payments
• Auto-resolution of common queries
• Smart pay suggestions based on behavior or performance

Based on these stats, and others in his presentation, he encouraged companies to get on board with EWA now rather than waiting.

Additionally, he discussed the growing importance of earned wage access (EWA) as part of a more modern, flexible payroll strategy:

• 57% of UK employees say EWA would reduce financial stress
• Companies offering EWA report a 35% decrease in turnover
• Average usage is 1.9 times per month
• 96% of employers say EWA improves recruitment and engagement

Looking ahead, Nick highlighted the need for payroll professionals to tell stories with data, ask the right questions, influence decisions, and adapt to new tools.

He closed with a challenge: What will your team be known for in the next 12 months? Will you be the team that brought payroll data to the boardroom, implemented EWA and improved retention, or built trust through fairness, transparency, and employee experience?

Workday product update

Following the keynote, UK Product Lead Danny Rice and other members of the Workday team shared updates on the latest payroll innovations within the Workday platform.

Danny walked attendees through the UK and Ireland payroll roadmap, highlighting upcoming features in the 25R2 release and beyond. This included a live demo of Workday’s Ireland payroll solution, showcasing the latest developments in the country-specific offering.

The update also featured a forward-looking overview of Workday’s investment in AI and machine learning, including how these technologies are being built into the platform to support automation, efficiency, and user empowerment.

Attendees left with a clearer view of where Workday is headed and how customers will benefit from the next wave of innovation.

Customer panel discussion

In the afternoon, Karen Connolly, a OneSource Virtual customer readiness and enablement manager, hosted a lively panel discussion with Brendan Middleton, payroll coordinator at Topgolf, and Samantha Murphy, HR operations manager for Hastings Direct.

Their conversation covered a range of key topics, including:

• Why their companies chose Workday and OSV for payroll
• The value of human-centered service relationships
• Their views on the future of HCM and payroll in the UK
• Key lessons learned from their Workday and OSV journey

The panel provided honest, relatable insights and brought a real-world perspective to the day’s themes.

Networking reception

We ended the day with a relaxed networking reception, complete with drinks, snacks, and informal conversation. It was the perfect way to reflect on the day’s discussions, share ideas, and build new connections.

Explore how OSV can support your team

We always enjoy bringing the UKI Workday community together and are already looking forward to our next OSVConnects event. A heartfelt “thank you” to everyone who joined us in London.

If you’d like to explore any of the topics covered or how OSV can support your organization’s goals, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us with your questions or to schedule a demo.