From Layoff to CEO: Kim Pollok Discusses AI, Mentorship, and Navigating Modern HR Challenges

In Episode 79 of the Rock Solid: Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast, titled "Kim Pollok | From Layoff to CEO," host Bryan Eisenberg traces Pollok's journey from a December 31 call-center shutdown to the CEO office at SWBC Payroll & HR. The conversation, published June 23, 2026, arrives as employers grapple with hybrid work, multigenerational teams, and the rapid integration of AI into HR and payroll systems. Pollok, who advanced her career without a college degree, offers a candid guide for leaders on developing talent, retaining clients, and ensuring compliance in a changing environment.

Pollok recounts the pivotal moment when her previous employer, with over 2,000 workers, gave staff the choice to relocate to El Paso or face layoffs. SWBC ran the closing job fair and offered her an entry-level benefits coordinator role at $10,000 less than her HR-manager salary. She accepted that afternoon, a decision that ultimately led to her ascent to CEO. Across roughly an hour, Pollok and Eisenberg unpack several threads pulled from her 16-year run in the industry, including saying "yes" through the SWBC PEO acquisition when no one on the team knew what a PEO was, and the importance of finding and asking for mentors, such as SWBC Mortgage CEO Susan Stewart and FI division CEO Mark Hine.

A key lesson from Stewart reshaped how Pollok leads: "Stop letting people give you dead birds. Don't allow people to just give you their problem and then you are taking on everybody's problem without some solutions, because you're collecting everyone's dead birds and you can't do anything with it." Pollok now uses this framing with her own team, alongside a second mandate: "You have a seat at the table, you've earned a seat at the table, use your voice." The podcast also covers managing baby boomers, Gen X, and Gen Z under one roof without abandoning fairness.

On AI, Pollok discusses implementing a secure, private AI system for research and workflows, ensuring client and financial data remain protected. This move reflects SWBC Payroll & HR's commitment to staying ahead of technological changes while safeguarding sensitive information. The firm, privately held by Charlie Amato and Gary Dudley, serves clients from five employees to 7,000 across roughly 42 states, with industries ranging from hospitals and urgent cares to construction, property management, nonprofits, train-car refurbishers, and pig farms. Pollok describes the firm as an essential back-office partner for small and mid-sized businesses, providing over 70 specialists at a cost-effective rate.

The episode also explores why SWBC sponsored the Round Rock Chamber's Women Who Mean Business event featuring Olympian Cat Osterman, highlighting the company's investment in community and leadership development. Pollok's plainspoken, practitioner-first voice shines throughout, offering actionable advice for leaders navigating modern HR challenges.