In the wake of a global pandemic and the rise of hybrid work, employees have fundamentally changed what they expect from their employers. With 42% of employees working on a hybrid basis and 14% fully remote, flexibility, transparency, and frictionless technology experiences are no longer perks – they’re baseline expectations in this “new reality of work.” Businesses are taking notice. Steve Elcock recently discussed how technology, remote work, and shifting employee expectations are “reshaping the workplace”, with AI and automation playing a key role in freeing HR teams to focus on human-centric work.  

For senior HR and payroll leaders, the message is clear: to attract, retain, and empower talent in this new world, we must rethink our tools and approaches. That means delivering consumer-grade user experiences, embracing AI as a helpful assistant, and doing it all in a responsible, human-first way. 

Evolving employee expectations in a hybrid world 

Employees today expect the same speed and ease from workplace tools as they experience in their personal lives. Think about how simple it is to order dinner on a food delivery app -with just a few taps, the entire process is handled seamlessly. After experiencing such frictionless digital services at home, people have little patience for clunky, bureaucratic systems at work. 

Forward-thinking HR leaders recognise that employee experience is not a “nice to have” but a strategic differentiator. Delivering on that priority starts with reimagining how HR services are carried out in this new reality of work. 

The demand for frictionless, human-first technology 

To meet evolving expectations, HR and payroll technologies must be frictionless, intuitive, and human-first by design. That matters because the experience many employees face today is the opposite: 59% of UK employees in large businesses say workplace tech leaves them feeling overwhelmed. Fragmented portals for different tasks, unclear language, and too many steps all increase cognitive load, meaning employees and managers spend more time figuring out how to do something than actually getting it done. Against that backdrop, it’s not surprising that work-life balance has overtaken salary as the #1 priority for employees worldwide for the first time in 22 years. 

Modern HR platforms are changing the game by applying UX best practices (and even principles from cognitive psychology) to streamline key moments that matter – from onboarding to payroll to benefits. The best HR tech feels invisible – enabling action without distraction. It helps people complete tasks quickly and confidently, without needing a training manual. That’s especially important when 65% of workers in large UK businesses say they want more simplified workplace technology. 

Consider how seamless design has reshaped consumer expectations: we can track a package in real time, see an Uber driver’s car approach on a map, or receive personalised recommendations in our shopping apps. These experiences are smooth and satisfying because they remove uncertainty and delay. HR leaders now have an opportunity to bring that level of ease and transparency into the workplace. Imagine an HR portal where a new hire can find every onboarding step in one place, or a payroll system that explains any anomalous deduction in plain language when an employee checks their payslip. This is what “consumer-grade” HR tech looks like: no friction, no confusion, and a clear, engaging experience at every touchpoint. And when people don’t have to battle bureaucracy or bad software, they can focus on meaningful work and innovation. 

From legacy systems to unified, AI-powered platforms 

Achieving a frictionless, modern experience often isn’t possible with a patchwork of outdated systems. This silos data, creates repetitive work, and makes the user experience disjointed. What’s needed is a fundamental shift to unified, modern platforms that break down silos and intelligently automate routine work. 

This is the vision behind ZellisONE, Zellis’ AI-enabled HR, payroll, and workforce management platform. ZellisONE was built to address the very pain points we’ve discussed – fragmented systems, clunky processes, and the high cognitive burden placed on HR teams and employees. It empowers organisations to operate more efficiently while simplifying the experience for users. All your core people processes, from hiring and onboarding, to absence tracking, to payroll and benefits, share one interface and one source of truth. 

AI as an HR assistant: From summarising policies to generating insights 

One of the most exciting aspects of today’s HR tech evolution is the rise of embedded AI assistants. In Steve’s webinar, “The New Reality of Work,” attendees saw live examples of how AI can act as a tireless assistant for HR and payroll teams, handling tasks in seconds that might otherwise take hours.

In practice, the webinar showed ELLA (Zellis’ embedded AI assistant) use cases can be broadly categorised in four levels of increasing sophistication: 

  • “Tell Me” (Ask): e.g., “Can you explain our maternity policy?” so employees and managers can self-serve without trawling documents or raising tickets. 
  • “Show Me” (Summarise) e.g., “Can you recommend my 6 month hiring plan based upon historic labour turnover trends and future forecast labour demand?” 
  • “Give me Insights” (Recommend): e.g., a payroll summary for the current pay period, surfacing hotspots, trends, and anomalies so teams can move from reporting to decision-making faster. 
  • “Do it for me” (Act): e.g., “Adjust my staffing model to reflect a 1% increase in trade” so leaders can test scenarios and translate insight into execution. 

With a tool like ELLA, routine questions and processes that once bogged down HR staff can be resolved through a simple chat interface.  

“AI is proving most valuable where it enhances people’s awareness—helping them navigate their work environment more intelligently and uncover opportunities they might have missed.”

– Steve Elcock, Director of Product – AI, Zellis 

The benefit for HR teams is huge: instead of bouncing between systems or sifting through spreadsheets, you can delegate the busywork to your AI helper and get exactly what you’re looking for with answers at your fingertips.  

It’s important to stress, however, that AI is not an autopilot. Steve emphasised the idea of AI as “an intern or assistant”- incredibly fast and capable but still requiring human oversight and direction. The partnership between human expertise and AI efficiency is where the real magic happens. With AI handling the heavy lifting of research, paperwork, and number-crunching, your team can focus on higher-value activities – building relationships, crafting people strategy, and driving organisational change.  

Of course, embracing AI in HR comes with responsibility. When AI is involved in decisions about people – whether it’s hiring, promotions, or policy enforcement – we must ensure fairness, transparency and accountability. The Zellis webinar addressed this head-on, underscoring the need for human-first AI.

Any AI deployment should be governed by clear ethical guidelines and human oversight. For example, organisations should establish an AI usage policy that defines where AI can or cannot be used, who will monitor its outputs, and how bias checks and privacy safeguards will be enforced. Transparency is key: employees should know when an AI is assisting in a process and understand that final decisions rest with humans. By keeping humans embedded at every stage of AI design and deployment, companies build trust and mitigate risks. Done right, AI becomes a trusted assistant that augments human judgment, not a black box making unchecked decisions.  

Zellis has built ELLA with these principles in mind. As an embedded AI within a secure HR platform, ELLA inherits the organisation’s role-based access controls and data permissions by design, preventing it from overstepping bounds (for instance, an employee can’t prompt the AI for someone else’s salary if they wouldn’t normally have access to that data).  

Key takeaways from Steve’s webinar

The webinar reinforced that frictionless design is no longer a “nice to have” for HR and payroll systems. When tools are intuitive and seamless, they remove unnecessary barriers and allow employees, managers, and HR teams to focus on meaningful work rather than navigating process or technology. 

Strong UI and UX play a critical role in driving engagement and adoption. Simple, consistent, and accessible design reduces cognitive load, builds confidence, and ensures that digital tools genuinely support people rather than adding to their workload. 

AI has emerged as a powerful enabler rather than a replacement for human expertise. When embedded directly into HR and payroll platforms, AI can connect data, processes, and systems more intelligently, improving productivity and helping teams make faster, better-informed decisions. 

Empowering colleagues through self-service, mobile-first, and personalised experiences was a recurring theme. Giving employees greater control over everyday tasks not only improves their experience but also reduces reliance on HR teams for routine queries, freeing up capacity for higher-value work. 

The session also highlighted the role of technology in shaping workplace culture. Thoughtful digital experiences can reinforce trust, transparency, and inclusivity by making policies clearer, processes fairer, and outcomes easier to understand. 

Ultimately, the key message was that strategic technology adoption is foundational to building a thriving, future-ready workplace. Organisations that invest in frictionless, human-centred platforms are better positioned to support engagement, productivity, and adaptability as the world of work continues to evolve. 

Watch the full webinar on-demand here

Conclusion

The new reality of work calls for HR and payroll teams to reimagine their technology and practices with a people-centric, innovation-friendly mindset. For senior leaders planning the path forward, here are some key takeaways and action items: 

Start your AI journey with purpose and guardrails. Begin with a clear AI policy and small, high-impact use cases. Even a basic framework covering scope, governance, ethics (fairness & transparency), security, and training will give your team confidence to experiment safely. Identify repetitive, time-consuming tasks (e.g. answering FAQs or data entry) where an AI assistant could make an immediate difference, and pilot solutions there. This “think big, start small” approach lets you build momentum while managing risk. 

Prioritise user experience, eliminate friction for your people. User-friendly, human-first design is a competitive necessity. If your HR systems are hard to use, employees won’t use them (or will work around them), undermining the value of your investments. Focus on frictionless self-service and intuitive interfaces that meet employees’ consumer-grade expectations. Solicit user feedback, simplify workflows, and measure adoption. A better employee experience will drive engagement, productivity, and even retention, paying dividends to the business. 

Break down silos with unified platforms. Consider consolidating disparate HR, payroll, and workforce systems into a single, cohesive platform for a seamless experience. A unified platform not only reduces maintenance overhead; it unlocks better data insights and consistent processes. The result is less duplication, fewer errors, and a more connected experience for your workforce from hire to retire. 

Leverage embedded AI to elevate (not replace) your team. AI can be a game-changer for HR and payroll productivity, but it works best when it’s woven into your existing tools and workflows. Embedded AI solutions like ELLA operate within your secure systems and understand HR-specific context, so you get the benefits of automation without introducing new complexity or risk. Use AI to handle the repetitive grunt work and surface insights, thereby augmenting your team’s capabilities. Your HR staff can then focus on strategic, human-centred work – with AI as a reliable assistant at their side. 

Maintain a human touch and strong governance. No matter how advanced your technology stack becomes, HR is, and will remain, about humans. Make sure every AI or new system deployment aligns with your values and regulatory responsibilities. Be transparent with employees about how AI is used and keep experts in the loop to review outcomes. Responsible AI adoption, with proper oversight and ethical checks, will ensure you harness innovation safely. This not only protects your organisation but also builds trust among your people that new tools are there to help them, not to watch or judge them unfairly. 

By focusing on these areas, HR and payroll leaders can confidently navigate the new reality of work. The future will undoubtedly bring more change, from evolving employee expectations to new AI breakthroughs, but with a foundation of great user experience, intelligent platforms, and responsible AI, you’ll be ready to turn these challenges into opportunities. The organisations that thrive will be those that embrace innovation with a human-first mindset.