UK 
United States
- 12/03/2026
HR Grapevine
Payroll teams are adopting AI faster than ever. Yet most still rely on spreadsheets and rekeyed data, and the errors that follow land on employees’ payslips and, sooner or later, on HR’s desk.
MHR surveyed 250 payroll managers and senior leaders across the UK and Ireland to find out what’s holding payroll back, which technology is shaping the function, and the skills teams need next.
The findings reveal a profession caught between ambition and everyday reality, and what the teams breaking that cycle are doing differently.
Inside the Report:
The biggest challenges facing payroll teams
Where AI is helping and where it isn’t
The hidden cost of manual processes
The skills payroll professionals need next
How to build a connected, resilient payroll function
Every payslip is a promise. This research shows what it takes to keep it.
At MHR, we enable sustainable high-performance by making work flow – for organisations and for the people working within them. It takes a shared vision, clear goals, and effective communication to make work feel worthwhile. Learning from our own track record, we help to embed these factors in our customers’ operations.
We're the AI-enabled technology working seamlessly in the background to make sure skills are honed, voices are heard, teamwork works, data flows, and those workplace smiles are genuine. We do this by refining HR, payroll and finance processes through our integrated, AI-enabled platform. Plainly speaking. Independently minded. 40 years of experience. It’s everything you need to enable smarter, real-time decision making.
Discover more at MHRGlobal.com
