Shemar Moore, Paycom’s ‘unnecessary action hero,’ joins HR pros at SHRM 24

Shemar Moore may not be a hero, but he does play one on TV…and in a new Paycom ad campaign.

HR pros got a chance to meet Moore this week as he joined attendees in Chicago for the Society of Human Resource Management’s 2024 annual conference.

Moore, who played Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan in CBS’s hit procedural drama Criminal Minds and currently plays Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson on the network’s S.W.A.T., is Paycom’s newest spokesperson. Moore depicts the “unnecessary action hero” in its latest ad campaign.

“I’m kind of a superhero without wearing the tights, but in real life. We try to be authentic to the men and women of law enforcement that really exist in the world and in the country,” Moore said of his work on S.W.A.T.

But as Paycom’s “Unnecessary Action Hero,” Moore’s goofy caricature takes inspiration from his more serious portrayal on S.W.A.T. mixed with his self-described goofy personality.

Moore’s character saves the day for employees and HR pros alike, by dismissing the drudgery of paperwork and HR processes of yesteryear with Paycom’s product.

“I’m already kind of a tough guy on TV…Now, in real life, I’m just a big goofball,” he said. “I get to bring out the silly side of myself, and I get to completely make fun of myself. It’s just such a good time.”

The campaign’s goal is to highlight the outdated processes that HR pros may still struggle with in the modern workplace, and showcase Paycom’s employee-driven HR and payroll solution, Casey Twenter, Paycom’s director of brand and creative, told HR Brew via email.

The platform allows employees to manage their own data and handle a number of HR procedures without needing to contact people people; with its Beti product, employees can address payroll issues directly, rather than take them to an HR pro, according to the ad campaign.

Moore, whose close friends call him “Sham,” told us he was enjoying his first SHRM conference—which if spoken very quickly sounds close(ish) to Sham.

“Oh, they’re really buying into my little hype,” he joked of the “Comic Con for HR.”