Dayforce’s 2026 SKO brought together partners, brokers, analysts, and product leaders for thoughtful conversations around program evolution, product innovation, and the changing needs of HR and payroll teams. The energy throughout the event was collaborative and solutions-focused, with a clear emphasis on strengthening the partner ecosystem while advancing platform capabilities.

Below are some of the key themes and highlights.

Partner Program: Building on a Strong Foundation

The Partner Council session reflected a highly engaged partner community that has fully embraced Dayforce’s resources and is eager for what’s next.

Elevating Training and Enablement

Partners shared that they’ve extensively leveraged existing training materials and are ready to go deeper. There is strong enthusiasm for:

• Advanced 201-level and beyond content
• Scenario-based demonstrations
• More detailed positioning guidance for client conversations

This feedback speaks to a maturing partner base that wants to expand expertise and drive even stronger outcomes for shared clients.

Growing Into Structured Support

As the ecosystem expands, brokers discussed opportunities to further refine how support is delivered across different engagement levels. Conversations included:

• Evaluating thresholds for named partner manager access
• Exploring structured forums like a Broker Advisory Council
• Enhancing clarity around available resources

The overarching theme: partners are invested in long-term alignment and want scalable structures that reflect the growth of the program.

Improving Resource Visibility

The partner portal continues to serve as a central hub, and feedback centered on making it even easier to navigate as content and resources expand. The appetite for information is high — a strong signal of partner engagement.

Product and Integration Momentum

Benefits Edge and Aflac Integration

Aflac is the first partner in Dayforce’s new Benefits Edge program, signaling a strategic commitment to deeper benefits integration.

Current capabilities include:

• Same-day EOI processing via API
• EDI support for dental, vision, and ancillary benefits
• Planned enhancements to plan configuration and ID mapping

The focus is clear: reduce administrative friction and improve data flow between systems — an increasingly critical priority as benefit costs continue to rise and efficiency becomes paramount.

Global Payroll: Expanding Reach with a Unified Vision

The global payroll session highlighted meaningful progress and a cohesive strategy.

Key updates:

• Nine native countries currently supported, with Germany and Mexico on the roadmap
• Unified Payroll leveraging in-country providers while simplifying integration
• Continued positioning of WFM + Payroll as an integrated strategy

A particularly insightful takeaway: many “global payroll challenges” originate upstream in workforce management configuration. By addressing WFM and payroll together, Dayforce continues to reinforce its value as a unified platform rather than a collection of modules.

Engaging the C-Suite: Speaking the Language of Outcomes

One of the most impactful sessions centered on executive engagement — particularly CFO alignment.

Key insights included:

• CFOs prioritize financial impact and risk mitigation
• Payroll resiliency matters — especially when processes depend on a single administrator
• Executive conversations should focus on partnership, not product features
• Framing value in terms of measurable business outcomes increases success rates

For brokers and partners, this reinforces the importance of translating HR technology decisions into financial strategy discussions.

Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP): A Strategic Growth Area

Ali Nawab, founder of the acquired workforce planning solution, shared the roadmap and long-term vision for Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP).

The tool enables organizations to:

• Assess current workforce composition
• Model future scenarios
• Build data-driven plans aligned to projected needs

Roadmap highlights include:

• Real-time dashboards
• Robust what-if analysis
• Future integration with succession planning
• Expanded data source integration
• Closer alignment between SWP, WFM, and position management

As these capabilities converge, workforce planning is poised to become a central pillar of enterprise strategy — not just an HR initiative.

Overarching Themes

Across sessions, several consistent themes emerged:

• A highly engaged partner ecosystem ready for advanced enablement
• Ongoing refinement of broker support structures as the community grows
• Continued investment in integration, automation, and administrative simplification
• A strong emphasis on financial outcomes and executive alignment
• Workforce planning as a long-term strategic differentiator

Final Reflection

Dayforce SKO ‘26 demonstrated a platform and partner network that are actively evolving together. The conversations were constructive, forward-looking, and centered on shared success. As HR technology becomes increasingly tied to financial performance and workforce strategy, the alignment between product innovation and partner enablement will be a defining factor in continued momentum.