Payroll Is a Trust Function with Special Guest Kelly Westfall

In this episode of HR & Payroll 2.0, Pete and Julie welcome Kelly Westfall, a payroll leader known for bringing equal parts precision and heart to one of the most mission-critical (and most misunderstood) functions in the enterprise.

Kelly shares how she found her way from HR and onboarding into payroll leadership and why the complexity, accountability, and responsibility of getting pay right drive her passion and career forward.

The conversation gets real about life in payroll: the constant exceptions, the operational risk, the employee trust equation, and the quiet heroics required to keep pay accurate, compliant, and reliable at scale. Kelly shares what’s driving burnout and talent scarcity across payroll teams, why many organizations still under-resource the function while over-relying on it.

Kelly reminds us that payroll is a trust function, and payroll leaders will advance through calm influence, fostering community connection, and communicating at the executive level!

Connect with Kelly:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-westfall-cpp-845245b6/

https://gacpayroll.org/

Connect with the show:

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0

X: @HRPayroll2_0

X: @PeteTiliakos

X: @JulieFer_HR

BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0

WRKDefined Podcast Network: https://wrkdefined.com/podcast/hr-payroll-20

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