How to Make the Case for Your Payroll Congress Attendance

Payroll professionals can easily see the value of attending PayrollOrg’s annual Payroll Congress Convention & Expo: educational sessions, compliance updates, industry networking, career growth opportunities, and exploring the latest tools and technology at the Expo. However, convincing an employer to cover the cost can be a different challenge altogether.

For payroll professional Denise Knight, CPP, employer-sponsored attendance at Payroll Congress became a reality not once, but twice. Her experience offers insights into how payroll practitioners can position professional development as an investment that benefits both employees and their organizations.

Making the Initial Request

Knight, Payroll Manager for Dolese Bros. Co. in Oklahoma City, first became interested in Payroll Congress after reviewing the conference curriculum. The payroll-focused sessions and workshops caught her attention, but the blend of technical education and leadership development, such as the Leadership Excellence Series, made the conference especially compelling.

“My organization is very big on leadership and development training,” Knight said. “I noticed that there was not only payroll-specific content, but there was also a lot of leadership content. What really drew me was the ability to get both of those things at one conference.”

To build her case, Knight reviewed the workshop offerings and highlighted those she believed would benefit both the payroll and HR teams.

“I kind of presented it to my manager as, ‘Hey, this seems like it could be something useful. I think this would be a great investment, not just in the payroll team but in the HR team as well,’” she said.

Because Dolese Bros. Co. emphasizes employee development, gaining approval was relatively straightforward. Still, Knight knew she needed to show how Payroll Congress would support more than her own professional growth.

Knight’s manager, Toni Ashley, Executive Director of HR at Dolese Bros. Co., said that mindset reflects the company’s broader approach to professional development.

“We want to equip our employees with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their roles while supporting Dolese’s strategy, culture, and long-term success,” Ashley said.

Turning Attendance Into Organizational Value

Knight believes professional development opportunities provide the greatest return when participants share what they’ve learned with colleagues. For her, the value of Payroll Congress extends well beyond compliance education.

“I think our job is so people-focused,” she said. “We should know just as much of the people side as we do of the compliance side.”

That broader perspective additionally reinforced her business case for attending. For Knight, attending Payroll Congress wasn’t just a payroll training event; it was a chance to strengthen leadership, communication, and management skills that could benefit the whole organization.

Ashley said her company weighs several factors when evaluating training and conference opportunities, including cost, time away from work, the relevance of the content, and how the learning can benefit the employee, team, and company.

In Ashley’s view, Payroll Congress delivered on that broader promise by giving Knight access to education, industry updates, and a wider professional network.

The Benefits of Attending

One of Knight’s biggest takeaways from her first Payroll Congress two years ago wasn’t a technical session or regulatory update. It was the payroll community itself.

“I will say, I have never gone to a conference where there were so many friendly people,” she said.

Attending on her own initially felt intimidating, but the welcoming environment quickly helped her connect with other payroll professionals. That sense of community continued into her second Payroll Congress experience this past May, where she reconnected with attendees she had met the previous year and expanded her professional network even further.

 

Need Help Convincing Your Boss?

Don’t miss out on payroll knowledge, leadership growth, and networking! Use this letter to inform your manager of the ways both you and your company can benefit from attending Payroll Congress.

 

Demonstrating ROI

Knight returned from Payroll Congress with both immediate compliance takeaways and longer-term management ideas she could bring back to her organization. One session on SECURE 2.0 legislation proved particularly valuable.

“I really was feverishly taking notes,” she said. “I loved how they opened the floor for people to talk about their experiences. How are different companies handling those things? That was the biggest thing I took away.”

She also attended workshops that focused on leadership development and employee management, collecting ideas she later shared with her team and HR leadership colleagues.

Ashley said she has seen that follow-through in Knight’s work after her Payroll Congress attendance.

“Denise consistently seeks opportunities to strengthen both her technical expertise and leadership skills,” Ashley said. “She brings that learning back to her team and has recommended new ideas and improvements based on what she learned at Payroll Congress.”

Rather than letting those lessons sit in her conference notebook, Knight intentionally revisits her materials in the weeks following Payroll Congress.

“You come back full of ideas and information and excitement,” she said. “Then it kind of settles a little bit, and you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, I remember this from Congress.’”

Knight uses those notes to drive future discussions with her payroll staff, ensuring the benefits of the conference continue long after the event ends.

 

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Advice for Other Payroll Professionals

For payroll practitioners interested in attending Payroll Congress but unsure how to approach management, Knight offers simple advice: just ask.

“What’s the worst answer you’re going to get? Not this year, right?” she said.

She encourages professionals to focus on the breadth of the learning experience rather than presenting Payroll Congress as purely a compliance-focused event.

“It’s not just payroll-specific,” she said. “There is a lot of leadership content. There is a lot of people management content in there that is also helpful.”

Knight suggests framing attendance as a comprehensive development opportunity that strengthens technical expertise, leadership abilities, and professional networks, saying “I think really seeing it as a full training experience is going to make it feel more beneficial to the organization.”

Networking also remains one of the conference’s most overlooked benefits.

“Just making a connection with more payroll people is always great, in my opinion,” she said. “Having someone you can call and say, ‘Hey, this is what we’re dealing with. Have you ever had that?’”

For leaders weighing whether to support conference attendance, Ashley said the decision should be viewed through a different lens.

“Look beyond the time and cost of attending and consider the broader return on the investment,” Ashley said. “The right conference can develop and reenergize an employee while exposing them to new ideas, best practices, and a valuable professional network.”

Professional Growth Beyond Congress

Knight’s commitment to professional development also extends beyond conference attendance. She earned her Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) credential after completing PayrollOrg’s CPP Boot Camp® and passing the CPP exam in the fall of 2021, reinforcing the same theme that shaped her Payroll Congress experience: development gains value when it builds confidence, validates expertise, and helps professionals contribute more effectively.

She said, “I felt like all these things I had been taught were the right way to do things. But to hear it from PayrollOrg and know, ‘Okay, if you’re doing this, you’re doing it right,’ now I have some validation.”

Final Thoughts

Together, Knight’s Payroll Congress experience and her CPP journey indicate that professional development has the greatest impact when individual growth is connected back to team knowledge, organizational goals, and practical improvements.

Ashley said that kind of leadership development strengthens the organization beyond any one employee.

“When leaders expand their knowledge, skills, and perspectives, they bring those capabilities back to their teams,” Ashley said. “That creates stronger leaders, encourages knowledge sharing, supports continuous improvement, and ultimately strengthens the organization.”

Whether pursuing a certification, attending Payroll Congress, or seeking new growth opportunities, Knight’s experience shows that professional development pays dividends for employees and employers when learning is tied to action. The strongest business case begins before the request is made and continues after the event ends: identify the learning that matters, connect it to organizational goals, and bring the knowledge back to the people who can use it.

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Raul Plata, Jr., is the Editorial Assistant of Membership Publications for PayrollOrg.