Develop Analytics, Leadership Skills at PLC

PayrollOrg’s annual Payroll Leaders Conference (PLC) returns to MEET Las Vegas, September 14-17, with four empowering certificate programs and three general sessions offering next-generation training for payroll professionals. Attendees can earn up to 15 RCHs, 1.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs), or 18 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits when attending this program. 

The conference, sponsored by activpayroll, will also announce the recipients of the 2025 Prism Awards, recognizing payroll and shared services departments for their best practices in management, processes, technology, and more.

“The Payroll Leaders Conference is a great opportunity for leaders of all levels to meet and compare their specific talents, opportunities, and challenges,” said Cari Breitinger, CPP, Director–HRIS and Payroll, North America for BELFOR Property Restoration and a 2024 Prism Award recipient. “The intimate setting provides attendees with the opportunity to improve their payroll operations and set them up for success.”

Conference Certificate Programs

Payroll leaders and professionals aspiring to leadership positions should take advantage of PLC’s in-person certificate programs to increase their leadership and management skills. Attendees can choose from one of the following four programs to enhance their knowledge and skills:

1. Foundations of Payroll Analytics Certificate Program: The data that payroll professionals handle drives business results across entire organizations. Through payroll analytics you can strategically provide valuable insights that contribute positively to your organization’s bottom line. This program will help you demonstrate dynamic leadership by demonstrating the value of payroll analytics to an organization, overcoming barriers to using analytics, and constructing a step-by-step benchmarking plan.
2. Intermediate Payroll Analytics Certificate Program: Those already familiar with payroll analytics can take their expertise to the next level with this program showing how to harness analytics data to enhance business results. Gain the skills to demonstrate the value of analytics in payroll operations and timekeeping, utilize payroll analytics to develop key performance indicators (KPIs) for tracking your department’s performance, and recognize best practices for both analytics governance and data security.
3. Global Payroll Management Certificate Program: Payroll professionals who are preparing for their next global initiative or are going global for the first time should attend this transformative learning experience. Learn how to tackle the toughest challenges of managing global payrolls, such as achieving standardization, ensuring consistency, and understanding the importance of a country’s culture and how it will impact your project.
4. Strategic Leadership Certificate Program: Arm yourself with the knowledge, resources, and skills necessary to face challenges, inspire others, and deliver remarkable results. Become the intentionally inclusive leader needed for today’s ever-changing environment by understanding the impact of courageous curiosity and emotional intelligence, exploring the eight-step decision making process, and communicating your vision.

“As my first experience with PayrollOrg training, the Payroll Leaders Conference left me fired up and proud to be a payroll professional,” said Joshua Hardwick, Global Payroll Manager, Dragados USA, Inc. “I left this event feeling recharged, refueled, and ready to take my payroll team to the next level.”

Keynote Speakers

PLC will kick off its Opening General Session on Monday, September 15, with Keynote Speaker Garth Sheriff, CPA, CA, CPA (Illinois), CIA, CGMA, MAcc, the founder of Sheriff Consulting.

During his presentation “Professional Ethics for Payroll: A Boeing Story,” Sheriff will examine the ethical challenges faced by the aerospace giant in recent years and explore how these failures can serve as vital lessons for payroll professionals. Payroll professionals play a crucial role in upholding ethical standards within organizations, and this session will equip you with the tools to navigate complex ethical dilemmas, avoid conflicts of interest, and promote integrity in the workplace.

During the conference’s Closing General Session, Michelle Clawson, CPP, Director, Americas HR Services at Agilent Technologies, Inc., will address attendees with her presentation, “Surviving and Thriving in a Constantly Changing Environment.”

Clawson’s presentation is designed to equip payroll professionals with the skills and mindset needed to not just survive but inspire and guide their teams amid continuous change. Focusing on understanding the nature of change and its impact, Clawson will teach techniques to build resilience, create flexible strategic plans, and enhance emotional intelligence to support your team through transitions. Additionally, she will cover leadership skills for guiding teams through change and provide real-life examples of successful leadership during periods of change.

Prism Awards

PayrollOrg’s Strategic Payroll Leadership Task Force (SPLTF) will present the annual Payroll and Shared Services Prism Awards to the respective departments of any size that have demonstrated improved business practices and overall best practices. The Payroll Prism Awards will be presented to innovative departments that have exhibited best practices in the following categories:

• Overall Best Practices
• Management
• Processes
• Technology

Additionally, the Shared Services Prism Award is given to one payroll department that has demonstrated excellence and effective leadership in shared services. Shared services is the consolidation of business operations that are used by multiple parts of the same organization, providing cost-effective, flexible, and reliable services.

The Prism Awards will be presented during Tuesday’s luncheon on September 16. Learn more about the Prism Awards and nominations process.

Accommodations

MEET Las Vegas has partnered with several downtown Las Vegas hotels for discounted rates. Stay at the historic and luxurious Golden Nugget, the Downtown Grand in the downtown entertainment district, or enjoy the boutique comforts of The ENGLiSH Hotel in the Las Vegas Arts District. Find more information online.

Register now to reserve your spot at PayrollOrg’s Payroll Leaders Conference.

Sean Tait Bircher is Writer and Editor of Membership Publications for PayrollOrg.