Global Payroll: Vattenfall and SD Worx's Successful Collaboration
From complexity to control: delivering compliant, global payroll at speed.
Reading time: 5 minutes
June 4 2026
Sectors
Energy, Fuels and Mining
Company type
+2,500
International Company
Solution
Core HR & Payroll
Vattenfall is a leading European energy company with operations in Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the UK. They have an international collaboration SD Worx for their payroll services in the UK and Finland and for the management of pension salaries in Germany.
With tight deadlines, compliance challenges and the need for agile solutions, the collaboration between Vattenfall and SD Worx resulted in a seamless and smooth implementation that exceeded expectations.
About Vattenfall
Vattenfall is a leading energy company that generates electricity from various sources, including wind, hydro, nuclear and fossil-free energy. With a strong focus on sustainability, Vattenfall aims to be fossil-free within one generation.
The company is owned by the Swedish state and has operations in several European countries and supplies millions of customers with electricity.
Background to the project
Jay Chowdhury, HR Director for Vattenfall in Denmark, Finland, Poland and the UK, was aware of the project's ambitious timeline and the challenges of managing complex salary issues for different groups of employees.
Jay explains that there was a lot to think about when the team started the project in the UK. Jay explains: "The number of employees in a company is not the most important part of payroll, but it is about the complexity of the different parts of payroll for different types of employees, such as shift pay, different compensation, overtime pay, as well as average pay, retroactive pay and family-friendly pay, both statutory and increased."
The challenge
Tight deadlines: The project had a tight schedule of four months, which according to Jay would normally take eight to nine months.
Challenges with compliance and performance management: As a state-owned company, Vattenfall had to comply with, among other things, the Swedish Data Protection Act and GDPR. Jay explains that it is imperative for Vattenfall to comply with all elements of compliance, legislation, regulations and GDPR in the overall service level agreement and to ensure that best practices are applied in the company's service model.
Complex salary types in different countries: Different forms of salaries and regulations in different countries made things even more complicated.
SD Worx delivered its international payroll solution, allowing for a smooth process while maintaining compliance across the various countries. The close collaboration between SD Worx and Vattenfall ensured clear communication and responsiveness throughout the implementation.
Jay praises the partnership, saying that "throughout the implementation, the project goal and the end goal were clear to all parties. Everyone was in agreement."
The results
Effective collaboration: The strong partnership between SD Worx and Vattenfall enabled both teams to tackle challenges in a way that is both creative and time-efficient.
On-time delivery: The project was completed on time and Jay reports no disruption to the business at all, which pleased the management team.
Compliance and Corporate Governance: Both companies worked virtually around the clock to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations without compromising their ethics, principles, or working methods.
Summary
The collaboration between SD Worx and Vattenfall laid the foundation for success, overcoming tight timeframes and complex regulations to coordinate payroll services in five countries.
Jay emphasizes the importance of teamwork: "Both teams worked extremely well. I cannot stress this enough. The right competences, skills, creativity, solution-oriented, without these the project would not have been successful. At Vattenfall, we see SD Worx, not just as a partner, but as part of Vattenfall and we are a team."
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