Payroll Like a Boss: The Movement Begins

In Episode 204 of It’s About Payroll, Brian welcomes two powerhouse voices in payroll leadership: John Bernatovicz, founder of Willory, author, keynote speaker, podcast host, and HR/payroll leader, and Tammy Gillenwater, CPP, senior consultant at Willory, speaker, and advocate for the payroll profession. Together, John and Tammy discuss their upcoming book, Payroll Like a Boss, scheduled for release on April 28, 2026, during Global Payroll Week. The conversation explores how payroll professionals often feel invisible, why payroll must be seen as a strategic business function, and how leaders can develop payroll teams beyond gross-to-net processing and tax compliance. Tammy shares her journey of “falling into payroll” and later realizing it was a true career, while John explains how the “Like a Boss” concept grew from HR leadership into a payroll movement. Listeners will gain encouragement, practical perspective, and a renewed understanding of payroll’s role in business strategy, workforce planning, compliance, technology, and organizational impact.