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Kevin Fitzgerald, Managing Director UK at Employment Hero, joins Nick Day on The Payroll Podcast to unpack one of the boldest moves in HR tech: free payroll software for UK SMEs.

They dig into why a third of small businesses still run payroll on spreadsheets, how AI-powered checks can flag anomalies before pay run, and why consolidating HR and payroll into one platform reduces errors, saves time, and lifts payroll’s strategic profile.

Kevin shares early UK results, lessons from global markets, and how Employment Hero is rethinking earned wage access to improve cash-flow for employees without predatory costs.

If you care about accuracy, compliance, employee experience, and turning two and a half days of processing into a couple of hours, this one’s for you.

Employment Hero UK: https://www.employmenthero.com/uk

Free Payroll Software: https://www.employmenthero.com/uk/products/free-payroll-software/

Kevin Fitzgerald’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-fitzgerald-acca/

Nick Day’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/

Find your ideal candidate with our job vacancy system: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/691ee4537e

Stay tuned for the next episode of The Payroll Podcast, brought to you by Nick Day, CEO at JGA Recruitment, landing soon!

(00:00) Preview and Intro

(03:05) Payroll as a strategic opportunity

(04:25) Why Employment Hero made payroll free in the UK

(07:28) What free payroll includes (and what it doesn’t)

(08:42) Proving payroll’s value to leadership

(12:19) Spreadsheet risks and hidden costs

(16:05) Overcoming fear of payroll change

(19:20) AI-powered pre-payrun error detection

(22:32) Turning saved time into strategy

(27:09) Why SMEs are adopting new payroll tech

(29:19) UK rollout results and case studies

(33:24) Global lessons shaping UK payroll

(36:20) Benefits of unified HR and payroll systems

(41:37) Enhancing employee experience with accuracy and access

(44:47) The Employment Hero app for hiring and ratings

(47:32) Quickfire: career lessons, digitisation, and Fast & Furious