Key Points
- With the UKG Ready suite, Bedford County manages multiple payrolls, streamlines compliance reporting, offers employees and managers direct access to HR tasks and resources, and easily scales its workforce during election cycles
- Automated recruiting and onboarding help the county compete for private sector talent by expediting hiring and eliminating paperwork
- 24/7 access to HR tools in the UKG Ready mobile app boosts employee engagement and improves workplace communications across 21 different county departments, especially for employees who do not have a work email address
UKG, a leading provider of HR, payroll, and workforce management solutions, today announced that Bedford County, Virginia is transforming all aspects of workforce operations — from recruiting and onboarding, to payroll and compliance reporting, to how it engages and communicates with its multigenerational staff — with the UKG Ready® suite.
“UKG has triggered a seismic shift in how we keep our frontline workforce connected and engaged and has opened our eyes to what’s possible when you have the right partner and right solutions in place,” said Nicole Campbell, director of human resources for Bedford County, which employs more than 650 full-time employees across 21 departments. “Our implementation of UKG Ready was more than a technological upgrade, it was a cultural shift for us. We have embraced efficiency, flexibility, and employee empowerment as cornerstones of our operations. The productivity gains we’ve achieved are not only measurable in hours saved but also in improved morale, enhanced delivery, and a workforce better equipped to meet the needs of our community.”
Bedford County’s workforce fluctuates throughout the year depending on the needs of the community, with a mix of full-time, part-time, and temporary employees. During election cycles, its workforce nearly doubles to more than 1,100 people, and the UKG Ready suite makes it easy to manage that fluctuation. Employees can now access their schedules and accruals in real time, which has fostered a sense of transparency, autonomy and trust by giving employees the flexibility they need to manage their work and personal lives. It’s also improved workforce coverage across the county, and the shift away from paper schedules and timesheets has given the county peace of mind when it comes to paying people correctly.
“Our finance staff manages multiple payrolls, including monthly, biweekly, and a separate payroll for the library,” said Campbell. “Employees can now clock in and out of shifts digitally and submit timesheets electronically. Our staff is no longer buried in paper, which allows them to deliver accurate and on-time payroll faster and easier. The time we used to spend on manual paper processes is now devoted to strategic initiatives that support organizational growth.”
One of those strategic initiatives is recruiting and onboarding talent which, as many industries experience, comes with unique challenges.
“Recruitment can be tough in government as we’re competing for talent alongside the private sector, but UKG Ready helps us recruit better candidates and onboard them faster,” said Campbell. “We’ve saved countless hours and mounds of paperwork by automating and digitizing our recruiting, onboarding, and benefits enrollment processes. We’re creating a better experience for new hires because we can communicate with them more quickly through UKG and they can complete forms electronically before new hire orientation.”
The ability to communicate with all employees quickly, in real time, through the UKG Ready mobile app has been a game changer for the county as it’s something it wasn’t able to do previously. And despite employing a multigenerational workforce, Bedford County says UKG is intuitive and easy to use for all employees, no matter their age or experience with technology.
“Not every employee has email, which can create challenges in communicating with our employees, especially first responders who work 24-hour shifts, in the field, or on-call schedules. Now that everyone has access to UKG and the UKG Ready mobile app, we can provide timely communications to bridge that gap along with access to timesheets, schedules, paystubs, and benefits, ensuring a consistent experience for all employees,” said Campbell.
UKG Ready has not only improved internal communications and accessibility for employees but has also streamlined compliance and reporting processes for the county as it navigates ever-changing labor laws and regulations.
“As a government entity, we must adhere to the demands of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and may have to disclose information that is requested by the public,” said Campbell. “In the past, that has been a time-consuming endeavor, but that burden has been eased considerably with compliance in the UKG Ready suite. Now, information that used to take hours to compile is available instantly through reporting in UKG, and we have the comfort of knowing we’re being transparent with the public while safeguarding employee privacy.”
“AI-powered technology allows government agencies to transition from routine tasks to strategic initiatives, revolutionizing the way they serve the public,” said Chris Kiklas, vice president of SMB product management at UKG. “Through intelligence and data-driven decision-making, UKG technology empowers public-sector employees to concentrate on their core mission: supporting and serving their communities. This transformation boosts operational efficiency and empowers government workers to make a significant and positive impact on residents’ lives, fostering more responsive and effective public service.”
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