‘I’m in the trenches’: The payroll processor on her own front line

Jennifer Morgan, the first female co-CEO of a DAX-listed company and now at US payroll processor UKG, oversees a business processing $1 trillion in payroll data annually. Founded in 2020 from the merger of Ultimate Software and Kronos, UKG provides HR services and workforce management technology to organizations employing 65 million hourly and frontline workers.

Morgan, appointed in 2024 from private equity firm Blackstone, believes AI will enhance worker agency, allowing them to plan schedules around childcare and volunteer for overtime when needed. She views AI as a better advocate for workers' needs, providing real-time insights into wages, absenteeism, and schedule inefficiencies that can cut billions from corporate America's $1 trillion-a-year attrition bill.

Morgan has restructured her leadership team, replacing 80% of her direct reports and 40% of the tier below, and spends a quarter of her time directly with customers like Marriott, the Mayo Clinic, and the Transportation Security Administration. She emphasizes the importance of sharing both positive and critical feedback with her staff.

Morgan sees AI as the key to bridging the gap between companies and workers, enabling employees to request additional shifts and receive their pay sooner. She believes she has a better understanding of workforce dynamics than many employers, providing them with real-time data on overtime, wages, absenteeism, and attrition. However, she acknowledges that private capital brings a necessary objective perspective to the AI transition, offering unemotional insights that complement the nuanced viewpoints of company operators.