Workforce Management
UKG | January 04, 2024
UKG, a leading provider of HR, payroll, workforce management, and culture solutions for all people, announced that Heartland Motor Company, the family-owned parent company for a group of auto dealerships and car washes, is transforming its workplace culture to create a great place to work by building a foundation of trust and belonging with the help of the AI-powered UKG Pro suite.
With a mission to create remarkable experiences for its people and the communities it serves, Heartland Motor Company partnered with UKG to empower frontline staff through innovative technology that gives employees a voice to communicate and collaborate with each other and leadership.
“I’ve never experienced an HCM solution with as much engagement power as UKG,” said Tina Barte, vice president of HR for Heartland Motor Company. “UKG has generated amazing outcomes for our people with technology that allows us to meet them where they are by soliciting feedback — and then taking action on that feedback — to elevate our culture and build trust as well as a deepened sense of belonging.”
Since going live on Pro, Heartland has received positive feedback from employees through regular surveys powered by modern AI and natural language processing (NLP) technology that help the auto dealer understand what is working and where there are opportunities to create an even better experience, no matter where employees are located.
“We consistently receive glowing feedback on our onboarding process, driven by our UKG suite, and how the automation of previously manual tasks shows respect for our employees’ time,” said Barte. “We can also automatically schedule performance reviews in UKG and deliver meaningful manager feedback, which has been a big driver of employee engagement. Additionally, we’ve used the responses from exit surveys to raise our wage scales and change our vacation policy and benefits so we’re better supporting our people.”
To further engage employees, in line with its great place to work mission, Heartland recently upgraded to UKG AI-powered workforce management, which gives employees access to mobile-first technology that provides greater flexibility and work-life balance.
“Our employees love the ability to clock in and out of shifts with their phones, which is something we didn’t have with our prior solution,” said Barte. “For our HR team, UKG makes leave tracking easy for FMLA and other types of leave.”
Barte noted that Pro makes work easier for all by empowering employees in every role to focus on meaningful work for themselves and the business, which has led to an overall increase in retention and engagement.
“With UKG HR service delivery, we know we are processing every employee inquiry, and with document management, we have created a centralized electronic system that administrators and employees both find easy to use,” said Barte. “UKG has done a phenomenal job launching products that make life easier for everyone and allow us to communicate clearly with employees in support of our great workplace culture.”
“Great workplaces like Heartland Motor Company prove that innovative HR technology increases productivity, lowers turnover, and grows the bottom line,” said Hugo Sarrazin, chief product and technology officer at UKG. “Most importantly, the power of AI, coupled with a deep focus on creating a workplace where all people feel heard, valued, and a sense of belonging, leads to incredible people and business outcomes.”
About UKG
At UKG, our purpose is people. We are on a mission to inspire every organization to become a great place to work through HCM technology built for all. More than 80,000 customers across all sizes, industries, and geographies trust UKG HR, payroll, workforce management, and culture cloud solutions to drive great workplace experiences and make better, more confident people and business decisions. With the world’s largest collection of people data, work data, and culture data combined with rich experience using artificial intelligence in the service of people, we connect culture insights with business outcomes to show what’s possible when organizations invest in their people.
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HR Practice
Aston Carter | January 05, 2024
Aston Carter announced deeper strategic specialization for its business. The brand will exclusively provide talent solutions across accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions. Its other solutions within governance, risk and compliance; customer support; and creative and marketing will shift to Allegis Group sister company TEKsystems, which has existing complementary services in those areas. The specialization will enhance Aston Carter's capabilities across its core offerings, increase capacity, and create efficiencies to support the unique needs of accounting, finance and corporate talent.
"At Allegis Group we are committed to refining and realigning our businesses to ensure that our customers' needs are always our top priority," said Jay Alvather, CEO of Allegis Group. "Aston Carter's clients and talent can expect the same level of excellent service today, with significantly enhanced capabilities and scale to better support those ever-evolving needs and opportunities."
To support the enhanced focus of Aston Carter's talent offerings, the brand has aligned under the leadership team at Actalent, an Allegis Group company that was built around a strategy of specialization. Led by Chad Koele, who will serve as president of both brands, Aston Carter will benefit from leadership, strategy and infrastructure that will support the business' ability to fill a growing need for specialized talent solutions in the marketplace.
"For over two decades, Aston Carter has provided highly sought-after talent to organizations around the world — and this move is another step in our evolution to help clients and professionals navigate changing business needs," said Lauren DeMarco-Stadtlander, Aston Carter managing director. "With the guiding hand of Chad's leadership team and their experience, Aston Carter is well-positioned to help our customers innovate and lead in their respective industries."
"I am excited by the prospect of creating new value for Aston Carter's clients and talent," said Chad Koele, president of Aston Carter. "Our team has put rigorous focus into a strategy of getting smaller to get better, specializing and segmenting across all lines of business and taking great care of our talent. Applying that same strategy to Aston Carter will bring increased growth and opportunity to its clients and talent as well as its internal teams, who we are thrilled to gain as part of the Actalent family."
About Aston Carter
Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® double diamond winner for both client and talent service.
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Payroll
Check | January 25, 2024
Novo, the powerfully simple® financial solutions platform for small businesses, announced Novo Payroll. Working with Check, the leading payroll infrastructure company that pioneered the ability for platforms to embed payroll into their products, Novo has launched a payroll solution that is fully integrated into Novo’s platform of small business banking, budgeting, and working capital solutions, enabling small businesses to manage their finances from a single platform.
“Traditional small business payroll solutions consist of standalone applications characterized by high fees, burdensome cash-on-hand requirements, and either clunky or non-existent integrations between payroll and business bank accounts,” said Michael Rangel, founder and CEO of Novo. “In collaboration with Check, we built a payroll solution that simplifies and speeds up the process of paying small business employees."
Novo leveraged Check’s embedded payroll API to build Novo Payroll. With coverage in all 50 states, Novo Payroll streamlines the entire payroll process, from calculating wages to facilitating direct deposits and managing tax withholdings. This provides businesses with a comprehensive payroll solution that not only reduces administrative burdens but also ensures accuracy and compliance with regulatory standards.
Novo has conducted a beta of Novo Payroll, and will make the product available to Novo’s more than 200,000 small business customers in the coming weeks. Key features of Novo Payroll include
Affordable, flat-rate pricing: Unlike other payroll platforms where individuals have to pay extra for a range of features, Novo offers all of its essential features — including state and tax filings, end of year reports, and more — at $35 per month plus a small fee per worker.
Working capital for payroll: Small businesses who may need additional funds for a payroll cycle can apply for Novo Funding, a fast and flexible way to access working capital that’s available exclusively to Novo customers. Once approved for Novo Funding, customers can use the capital in minutes.
Next day payments: With Novo Payroll, recipients can opt in to receive their paychecks the day after payroll is processed at no additional charge. Instead of needing the necessary payroll funds days in advance, small business owners simply need to have funds available the day of payroll processing.
Built-in accounting and budgeting tools: Since Novo Payroll is fully embedded into the Novo platform, customers can seamlessly set aside funds for payroll, taxes, savings, and more using Novo Reserves.
Single- and multi-state payroll: Novo Payroll automates state tax filings for small businesses that have employees in a single state, as well as in multiple states.
Human-powered customer service: Novo Payroll customers have access to a range of resources to assist with payroll questions, including the option to call a Novo Payroll expert.
“We founded Check with the goal of making payroll easier for as many small businesses as possible. By partnering with Novo, we’re able to reach an even broader set of businesses, giving them the tools they need to save time and money on what is all-too-often a cumbersome task,” said Andrew Brown, co-founder and CEO of Check. “Novo has already burnished its credentials as a leading provider of financial services for small businesses. By embedding Check’s payroll, Novo is able to provide a one-stop-shop for small business financial needs.”
Novo Payroll is the latest in a series of products Novo has built for its small business financial solutions platform. Recently, Novo announced a range of updates to Novo Invoices, the company’s free invoicing application that small businesses have used to receive more than $500 million in payments. Novo also announced Novo Funding, offering small businesses a fast and flexible way to access working capital.
About Novo
Novo Platform, Inc. (“Novo”) is the powerfully simple financial platform for small businesses.
About Check
Check is the leading payroll platform that pioneered the ability for companies to differentiate and open up new revenue streams by embedding payroll into their platforms. Historically, complex regulatory structures stagnated payroll innovation, making it harder for businesses to create their own payroll offerings. By building on Check’s best in class infrastructure, flexible API, and deep expertise, platforms can launch profitable payroll businesses much faster, and with little overhead or administrative burden.
Since Check’s public launch in January 2021, leading vertical SaaS companies and large scale workforce management horizontal platforms have built successful payroll businesses on its infrastructure. Check’s partners collectively serve more than 250,000 businesses and over 4 million employees. Check is backed by Stripe, Thrive Capital, Index Ventures, and Bedrock.
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Recruitment & Retention
Principal Financial Group® | January 16, 2024
The picture of retirement is evolving with more Americans turning 65 in 2024 than any year1 before. According to new research from Principal Financial Group®, expectations around how and when to retire by generation vary greatly – placing increased focus on employee engagement and personalized investment strategies to help improve financial security and retirement readiness.
Phased retirement appeals to younger workers who want to retire earlier
According to the Principal Financial Well-Being IndexSM, among Americans in the workforce, gradually decreasing hours is the most desired way to retire (52%) and is most preferred by Generation X (67%) and millennials (56%). Baby boomers and Generation Z report similarities in how they want to retire, with nearly half preferring to move immediately from working full-time to not working at all. This echoes the most common approach taken by current retirees surveyed2, a group in which just over one quarter (28%) either transitioned careers or gradually phased down from their primary career.
“Attitudes and expectations for retirement continue to evolve, and we expect the desire to approach retirement in phases will continue to grow with future generations,” said Chris Littlefield, president of Retirement and Income Solutions at Principal®.
While there are some similarities in how generations want to retire, they have different expectations on timelines and the age at which they plan to retire. The youngest generation, Gen Z, expects to retire at 55 – approximately 10 years earlier than baby boomers (68) and Gen X (64), and four years sooner than millennials (59).
Employees prioritize saving for retirement
The survey revealed employees are focused on balancing basic needs with long-term savings outcomes against a backdrop of ongoing economic pressures that continue to top their list of concerns. Employees of all generations ranked saving for retirement as their top financial priority, followed by affording basic needs and paying off consumer debt3.
"Saving for retirement is the No. 1 financial priority for employees surveyed, which validates that access to workplace benefits and financial wellness programs is helping Americans save for retirement and achieve better financial outcomes,” Littlefield said. “Going forward, increased personalization as well as tailored savings and investment strategies that take into account an individual’s financial goals, lifestyle, health care needs, dependent care obligations, retirement income expectations, and other unique factors will help achieve improved financial security in retirement.”
Retention and recruitment of older employees critical for business success
Employee interest in phased retirement has added value for employers. Most employers (77%) agree that the knowledge older employees have about their company is crucial to their business’s success. Employers concerned with “having valuable employees retire” are more likely to take actions to either retain them or hire employees who previously retired from other companies.
Despite this, not all employers have experience with offering phased retirement. Only 11% of small and midsized businesses4 reported they offer phased retirement job opportunities on a regular basis compared to nearly one quarter of large businesses5. However, interest is there, as 61% of businesses that don’t offer a phased retirement still receive questions from employees about the options.
See all results and insights from the latest Principal Financial Well-Being IndexSM (PDF).
According to the Alliance for Lifetime Income
This wave included a survey of 137 individuals between the ages of 50 and 75 who consider themselves retired or have previously fully retired and gone back to work.
In order to be included in the survey sample, employees must work full-time, and their employer has to offer either health insurance or retirement as an employee benefit.
Businesses with 2-499 employees
Businesses with 500-10,000 employees
About the Principal Financial Well-Being IndexSM
The Principal Financial Well-Being IndexSM surveys business owners, decision makers and business leaders aged 21 and over who work at companies with 2-10,000 employees and offer either health insurance or retirement as an employee benefit. The nation-wide survey, commissioned since 2012, examines the financial well-being of American workers and business employers. In 2020, the Well-Being Index was transformed from an annual survey to a regular pulse, offering three waves, revisiting questions and measuring sentiment regarding timely issues in the small and midsized business marketplace. In the first pulse of the Well-Being Index in 2022, the employee audience was added to the survey to compare and contrast key sentiment from employers. The survey was commissioned by Principal® and conducted online by Dynata from November 6-13, 2023, with a total of 500 business owners, decision makers and business leader participants and a total of 200 employee participants. This wave included a survey of 127 individuals who consider themselves retired or have previously fully retired and gone back to work. The research report focuses on providing a holistic perspective on key trends and timely issues in the small and medium business market.
About Principal Financial Group®
Principal Financial Group® is a global financial company with 19,500 employees1 passionate about improving the wealth and well-being of people and businesses. In business for more than 140 years, we’re helping more than 61 million customers1 plan, protect, invest, and retire, while working to support the communities where we do business, and build a diverse, inclusive workforce. Principal® is proud to be recognized as one of the 2023 World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere2, a member of the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, and a “Best Places to Work in Money Management3.”
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