In late November we were delighted to host Zellis Connect Ireland for the first time, with a tailored agenda that brought together HR, payroll, finance, and workforce leaders from across the country. Held in Dublin, the event centred on one core theme: how Irish organisations can navigate rapid change while building people-first workplaces.
Here’s a recap of the conversations, insights and innovations that shaped the day!
A fresh perspective on the future of work in Ireland with ZellisONE
This year’s event opened with a look at how work is changing across Ireland, from shifting employee expectations and tightening labour markets to new regulatory demands and the growing pressure to modernise HR and payroll systems.
Against this backdrop, we announced the launch of ZellisONE and were proud to share how we support organisations with more connected, intelligence-driven people technology designed to remove complexity and improve the employee experience.
In a ‘real world’ demonstration, attendees were given an exclusive look at how ZellisONE supports every stage of the employee lifecycle – from hiring and onboarding to scheduling, absence management, pension auto-enrolment, benefits, and beyond – empowering organisations to:
- Take advantage of smarter and faster hiring
- Engage and retain employees more seamlessly
- Unlock productivity by minimising admin burdens and expediting workforce upskilling
- Empower decision-making with real-time insights
All in all, ZellisONE offers a new and improved way of working, enabling organisations to simplify processes, make smarter decisions, and ultimately become the best versions of themselves.
The AI Revolution: Turning ambition into meaningful transformation
One of the standout sessions of the day was from Steve Elcock (Product Director for AI and HCM) who shared data on the fierce appetite among Irish organisations to accelerate AI adoption and broader digital transformation. Steve explained that HR should rightly embrace AI as ‘human first’ enabler of workplace performance and while enthusiasm for AI is high, early deployments across industries have revealed a clear pattern. The biggest barrier to success is not the technology itself, but a lack of understanding around how to use it effectively.
Steve stressed that simply introducing AI tools is not enough. To achieve real, sustainable outcomes, organisations must invest in supporting their people by giving them the knowledge, confidence, and structured frameworks needed to embed AI into day-to-day work. It is this way that we will build an AI-confident, collaborative and skilled workforce.
Putting people at the centre of workforce optimisation
Principal Product Manager Leigh Joynson and Five Guys UK’s Lee Vallett shared insights into why transformation efforts succeed when employees are part of the journey. They showed how modern workforce tools – from predictive scheduling to advanced optimisation – can not only improve efficiency but also meaningfully enhance the employee experience in complex, high-throughput operations.
My Future Fund pension auto-enrolment: readiness, compliance, and what happens after 1 January 2026
A topic of much discussion amongst HR and payroll leaders in Ireland, Zellis’ payroll expert Sean Murray, together with Lockton Ireland CEO Niall O’Callaghan, discussed the upcoming introduction of pension auto-enrolment – a major regulatory shift set to reshape payroll processes, employer responsibilities, and the long-term financial wellbeing of employees.
With 1st January fast approaching and Zellis research showing that nearly 8 in 10 Irish organisations are not ready, the session laid out a clear, practical roadmap for what must happen next and what organisations should anticipate once auto-enrolment becomes mandatory.
The session also provided a clear and pragmatic view of what organisations need to prioritise now. The overwhelming message: this is not just a payroll change but a long-term transformation in how employers support financial wellbeing in Ireland.
What’s next for HR and Pay?
Zellis Connect Ireland 2025 reinforced just how fast the world of work is evolving – and the central role HR and payroll professionals are playing in shaping it.
We’re especially excited to see how ZellisONE will help organisations unlimit what’s next – bringing together HR, pay, workforce management, talent, and benefits into one AI-enabled platform. By reducing complexity and unifying the people experience, it opens up new possibilities for Irish organisations and the employees they support.
