UKG, a leading provider of HR, payroll, workforce management, and culture solutions for all people, announced that Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), the state agency responsible for managing transportation infrastructure in Arkansas and a long-time UKG customer, is leveraging the AI-powered UKG Pro^® suite to accurately budget-plan, reduce compliance risk, minimize employee turnover, and, most importantly, empower its primarily field-based workforce with anywhere-access to real-time information.

“HR data is critical to effective decision-making, and UKG has been a game-changer for us,” said Alicia Hunt, division head of HR at ARDOT. “With UKG, our workforce data lives in one place, which means we can generate real-time reports for everything from payroll to turnover to employee overtime. Before UKG, it could take weeks to get that information, which meant it was already out of date and not actionable by the time we received it. With UKG, I have confidence in the timeliness and accuracy of the data.”

As a government agency, ARDOT relies heavily on federal funding for large highway and infrastructure improvement projects, so access to data such as employee hours worked and incurred overtime is crucial to reimbursement efforts and budget planning.

“UKG has been an incredibly valuable tool, especially for budget planning,” said Hunt. “During payroll processing, the UKG Pro solution generates a payroll history table that includes all employee activity data that we can pull into our accounting system. Having that data available in the UKG Pro suite means we can run reports on-demand and access a plethora of information instantly, which we can present to our executive management for monitoring. The information is also used for federal reimbursement from the Federal Highway Administration, which audits and monitors our compliance. And, because the information is in real time, after closing out each pay period, we know exactly how we’re tracking to our budget and how much we’re projected to spend for the rest of the year.”

Like many employers who strive to be a great place to work, retention is top-of-mind for ARDOT. With the UKG Pro suite, the agency can more precisely pinpoint where in the organization turnover is occurring so it can take steps to improve the employee experience for people in those areas.

“We rely on business intelligence and analytics within the UKG Pro suite to continuously monitor and identify turnover trends, and I can get those turnover numbers in a heartbeat,” said Hunt. “Then, my team can analyze that information, including if we’re having problems in any particular districts, and dig deeper to determine why that’s happening and why rates might be increasing, so we can take action.”

One of the ways ARDOT aims to retain workers is by providing a more immersive experience through the UKG Pro mobile app so they can access information important to them and their families no matter where in the state they may be working.

“Traditionally, employees haven’t had access to their own data because they’re not at a computer. If they wanted to see their pay stubs, they’d have to hunt down paper stubs or someone in HR had to look it up for them. But now, with the UKG Pro mobile app, they can access their pay stubs, W2s — those things most important to them,” said Hunt. “To further improve the employee experience through the UKG Pro mobile app, we plan to post news and information such as policy changes in the app for everyone to access on their smartphones.”

Looking to the future and committed to the wellbeing of its employees who often spend their time engaged in road-side projects, ARDOT has also developed unique plans to capture health and safety information in the UKG Pro suite with the goal of implementing new trainings and policies to keep people safe.

“We’re excited to use document manager to better analyze incidents happening on our roadways,” said Hunt. “Our plan is to take historical data — at least the last five years’ worth of accidents involving our employees — and leverage analytics in the UKG Pro suite to identify the types of accidents we’re seeing, the types of injuries our people are experiencing, and which particular districts, work zones, or crews are being impacted, so we can do more targeted safety training and put new safety policies in place.”

“Technology plays a crucial role for public sector organizations looking to build a great place to work for all employees, maintain compliance with evolving regulations, and optimize resources to better serve the community,” said Hugo Sarrazin, president, chief product and technology officer at UKG. “As a global leader in HCM technology, we have a deep understanding of the nuances of each industry we serve, including those of government agencies like ARDOT. That expertise, combined with the power of AI, helps our customers build workplaces where people are inspired to support their communities.”

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