UKG a leading global provider of HCM, payroll, HR service delivery, and workforce management solutions, announced today that Biltmore, a 125-year-old historic estate and cultural destination, is using UKG Pro and UKG Dimensions to transform the work experience for HR and employees with more robust and efficient HCM and workforce management.
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Biltmore is an 8,000-acre U.S. National Historic Landmark located in North Carolina, encompassing Biltmore House, a hotel and inn, winery, gardens, retail shops, and restaurants. A UKG customer since 2001, Biltmore recently migrated from UKG Workforce Central to the cloud-native, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered UKG Dimensions workforce management solution for its mobile-first and advanced scheduling capabilities, and to provide a unified view of its HCM and workforce management operations.
“Our UKG solution works seamlessly to save us time and improve the employee experience,” said Kathryn Poslusny, HR systems administrator at Biltmore. “With the UKG merger, our systems are connected, and the support we receive is unmatched. It’s refreshing to hear from our partners at UKG about how we can continue to enhance and extend our solutions to improve operations, drive productivity, and empower employees.”
Since going live on HR and payroll, Biltmore has reduced the time it takes to process payroll by several hours each week. And with the addition of timekeeping, managers no longer have to calculate employee overtime manually, leading to improved payroll accuracy. Overall, Poslusny reported that the merger between Kronos Incorporated and Ultimate Software to create UKG has lived up to her expectations, and that the overall work experience has improved.
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“My UKG account team is working to find synergies and to maximize what the solution can do,” said Poslusny. “Furthermore, now that I’m working with just one company, I no longer have to explain our payroll interfaces when collaborating with customer service. I have found everyone on my support team to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful.”
One of the many hospitality organizations worldwide impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Biltmore scaled back its workforce and operations over the last year, at one point furloughing more than 2,000 hourly employees. Through UKG, the organization was able to temporarily extend benefits to those employees.
“We wanted to do right by our employees. So, for the first four months — and subsequent months later in the fiscal year — they were furloughed, we paid all of their benefit premiums and managed that all through UKG. Also, we were able to suspend all deductions and import those into supplemental payrolls to show those employees had been paid,” said Poslusny.
Biltmore is also leveraging UKG for recruiting and onboarding, making it easy for managers to hire, rehire, and onboard employees year-round — an especially critical function as staffing levels continue to fluctuate as a result of the pandemic. The ability to track and maintain employee documents such as W-4 and I-9 forms has also expedited the process.
“The overall experience is easier and quicker for employees,” said Poslusny. “We’ve streamlined onboarding into a single process, and that has made a world of difference to our managers. They can also access information on their mobile device so they’re hiring all the time, without limitation.”
Poslusny noted that Biltmore will soon leverage SMS Shift Fill functionality via the mobile app, which will allow managers to fill open shifts across the company quickly, easily, and fairly, and enable employees to sign up for shifts that match their schedule preferences. In addition, employees will be empowered to swap shifts — a critical function for teammates who often need to switch roles and locations across Biltmore’s vast estate to meet staffing needs and guest demand.
“It’s important to have the right people with the right skills in place to serve our guests,” said Poslusny. “UKG gives us the visibility into our people and operations that we need to make informed business decisions.”
“Technology is crucial to creating a meaningful and connected workforce experience,” said Chris Todd, president at UKG. “Hospitality organizations such as Biltmore, facing unprecedented challenges related to the pandemic, understand the importance of investing in solutions that offer maximum flexibility. We’re pleased that UKG is helping Biltmore achieve operational excellence and provide an empowering, engaging, and rewarding employee experience.”
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