Happy Birthday, UKG!

Happy UKG Day!

All across the world, today we’re celebrating one year since we officially rebranded as UKG. And what a ride it’s been.

When we first announced that Kronos and Ultimate Software would bring our two renowned organizations together in February 2020, we promised it would be a merger like no other. During what turned out to be a year like no other, we stayed true to our purpose and doubled down on taking care of our people and their families. In return, they took care of our customers and the tens of millions of people worldwide who use our human capital management (HCM) solutions every day.

Thanks to the commitment, care, and determination of our people, I’m proud to say the merger has been an overwhelming success as we celebrate one year with one name — and we’ve accomplished so much together despite many of our employees (a.k.a. “U Krewers”) never having met in person!

As we celebrate UKG Day, I took some time to reflect on some of the incredible work our U Krewers were able to achieve during our first year together.

Welcoming Thousands of New Customers and Employees

When we first merged, we had only a few hundred common customers between the two organizations. Since, we’ve added thousands of new customers of all sizes and across all industries and nearly quadrupled the number of customers leveraging the full power of UKG for their combined HCM and workforce management needs. We consider each and every one of our customers to be “Partners for Life,” and we will work to deliver unparalleled, personalized service and support to them and their people.

Speaking of people, our own UKG family grows by the day, as we’ve welcomed over 2,300 new U Krewers in the last 18 months (and we’re still hiring — make your best career move yet and apply today!). Among those, we announced the arrival of Brian Reaves as our first-ever Chief Belonging, Diversity, and Equity officer in April 2021, and, just last week, Hugo Sarrazin as the new UKG Chief Product Officer.

Surpassing Even Our Own Expectations

We just wrapped our Fiscal Year 2021, and we’re thrilled to report that we’ve continued to grow — expecting to surpass $3 billion in annual revenue and achieving our financial goals despite continued economic uncertainty. This is not only a testament to the hard work of our more than 13,000 U Krewers worldwide, but also to the UKG products that have helped organizations survive and thrive over the course of the pandemic.

We continue to refine and enhance our HCM, payroll, HR service delivery, and workforce management solutions to make work a better experience for all people. We invested over $500 million in R&D in 2020 and introduced several product capabilities to help organizations everywhere adapt to the changing workforce and COVID-19 impacts, such as contact-tracing capabilities and Wellbeing at Work solutions to protect and connect employees while adapting the business.

Achieving So Much More Together

U Krewers around the world also helped UKG earn more than 100 industry accolades for our culture, products, and service in the past year! Among these honors, we ranked #2 on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Large Employers and earned 100% scores on both the Disability Equality Index and Corporate Equality Index. In April, we made history by becoming the first-ever company to rank on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list in our first year as a merged entity, debuting at #6! 

Also in April, UKG was named a 2021 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for Cloud HCM Suites for 1,000+ Employee Enterprises, with the highest overall rating among Customers’ Choice HCM providers. Our customers also honored UKG with nine 2021 Top Rated Awards from TrustRadius, an industry standard for end-user software reviews, and this awards program comprises one of the most influential assessments of a customer’s experience.

Leading the Charge in Creating For All™ Cultures

Our now one-year-old UKG brand was born out of a promise to keep people at the center of everything. In other words, “our purpose is people.” One of the ways we aim to do that is by becoming one of the world’s best people companies.

A bold aspiration, I know — and just last month, we took a major step toward achieving that goal by bringing Great Place to Work into our UKG family. Led by CEO Michael C. Bush, Great Place to Work is the world’s most trusted authority on workplace culture, with a mission to help organizations become great workplaces For All. Together, we can lead the charge in helping companies across the world create the best workplace cultures for their employees (read more in my blog post announcing the news, and what it means for the future of UKG and Great Place to Work).

In addition to Great Place to Work, we also acquired EverythingBenefits, Inc. this year. EverythingBenefits helps HCM providers, benefits brokers, and payroll service bureaus streamline data connectivity between businesses and insurance and retirement plan providers. UKG Ready and EverythingBenefits are already tightly integrated through an existing technology partnership, and this acquisition will create new opportunities to further unify the solutions and harmonize the customer experience.

Making a Difference in Our Communities

We can’t say “our purpose is people” without also making a commitment to serving our global communities and making a difference for people in need. We give because it’s the right thing to do, and it’s a responsibility we never take lightly. Together with our employees, UKG donated millions of dollars to help people all over the world this past year. This includes creating our own 501(c)(3), the PeopleInspired Giving Foundation. What started as an Employee Relief Fund in response to COVID-19 is now another critical way we can support our employees and their families in times of any unforeseen tragedy. Since establishing our foundation, we’ve delivered over $325,000 in direct relief to U Krewers in need.

Of course, our pledge to help people extends to our customers too. We created UKG Pro Giving for easily administering corporate giving campaigns, which we provide to customers free of charge. Giving makes it possible for employees to give in any amount, with donations deducted directly from payroll — so people can effect change in just a few clicks. It only takes a small act of kindness to make a meaningful difference, and we’re honored to be a conduit for change.

Looking Forward to the Future

If I had to choose only one word to describe our first year as UKG, it would be Wow! What a rewarding ride it has been, and we’ve only just begun. Congratulations and a huge thank you to U Krewers all around the world. You truly make UKG the special company we are. And thank you to our 50,000+ customers for joining us on this journey, and for the privilege of serving you every day.

Happy Birthday, UKG! Here’s to a standout first year, and to so many more ahead.

Onward!