Skip to main content
Contact Sales Support Login Help Careers
United States (English)
Americas
  • United States (English)
  • Canada (English)
  • Canada (Français)
  • Mexico (Español)
  • Brasil (Português)
Europe, Middle East & Africa
  • United Kingdom (English)
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland (Deutsch)
  • Nederland (Nederlands)
  • Other EMEA Locations
Asia/Pacific
  • India (English)
  • Australia (English)
  • Other ASEAN Locations
UKG logo UKG logo
Search Get started
Search
Get started
    • Solutions
      UKG Solutions
      Human Capital Management
      Workforce Management
      Global Payroll
      Workforce Management and Payroll
      See all
      Solutions by size
      Small Business
      Midsize Business
      Enterprise
      Industry Solutions
      Retail
      Hospitality and Food Service
      Manufacturing
      Healthcare
      Public Sector
      Logistics and Distribution
      Financial Services
      Field and Contract Services
      See all
      A brighter workplace is yours to create
      Experience UKG Bryte AI
      Reference Image
      Woman sitting at desk in front of a laptop smiling

      Discover AI powered by decades of people, work, and workplace culture data that’s designed to help every organization become a great place to work.

    • Customers
      Our Customers

      More than 80,000 organizations across all sizes, industries, and geographies trust UKG HR, payroll, and workforce management, and culture cloud solutions to drive great workplace experiences.

      UKG customer logos
      Customer Stories
      Belle Tire

      UKG Pro streamlines and automates administrative and HR tasks, so that field teams and managers can spend more time with customers, and coach, train, and listen to their people.

      Eventide Senior Living Communities

      Eventide Senior Living Communities uses UKG to drive employee engagement and streamline workforce management and HCM, including cutting PBJ reporting time by 99%.

      Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants

      Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, a nationally recognized restaurant group, is building a culture of belonging and engagement for its frontline workforce with the AI-powered UKG Pro suite.

      See all customer stories
      Customer Experience

      We think you’re pretty special when you’re a UKG Customer. That’s why we build products designed to inspire your people — and your organization — to grow and thrive.

      Partner for Life
      Implementation
      Support Experience
      Community and Collaboration
      Working Smarter Café
      Get support, collaborate, and learn more about your UKG solution!
      Visit UKG Community
    • Resources
      Research & Insights
      • By Business Need
        • Payroll
        • Human Resources
        • Time & Attendance
        • Workforce Management
      • By Type
        • Analyst Report
        • Webinar Replay
        • Product Info
      See all research & insights
      Events
      Tradeshows
      Conferences
      Webinars
      See all events
      Blog
      The People Purpose Blog

      Your source for the latest workplace trends and ideas from UKG experts and leaders. Stay informed and put people first in all you do.

      Labor Market Insights
      Workforce Activity Report

      Labor market insights and trends to help executive leaders understand the rapidly changing economy.

      Workplace Resources
      Great Place To Work
      Small Business Resource Center
      UKG Developer Hub
      UKG Recognized as a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Cloud HCM Suites for 1,000+ Employee Enterprises
      Download now
      Reference Image
      An excited woman wearing a white blazer points upwards with both hands.

      Gain in-depth insights into the human capital management (HCM) market to help identify the solution that aligns perfectly with your organization’s needs.

    • About Us
      About UKG

      Learn more about UKG and how our HR solutions inspire workforces and businesses around the world to drive people-focused results.

      About Us
      Why Choose UKG
      UKG Leadership
      Newsroom
      Awards & Recognition
      UKG Ambassadors
      Culture
      Belonging, Equity, and Impact
      Our ESG Program
      Partners
      UKG Marketplace
      Analyst Reports
      Careers

      Look to your future. If you're interested in working for a company that truly invests in their people to create a culture of belonging and innovation, we want you on our team.

      Careers at UKG
      Early Career & Internships
      Benefits
      Life at UKG
      Featured Locations
      Hiring FAQs
      Experience awesome at work.
      Search jobs at UKG
    Contact Sales Support Login Help Careers
    United States (English)
    Americas
    • United States (English)
    • Canada (English)
    • Canada (Français)
    • Mexico (Español)
    • Brasil (Português)
    Europe, Middle East & Africa
    • United Kingdom (English)
    • France (Français)
    • Deutschland (Deutsch)
    • Nederland (Nederlands)
    • Other EMEA Locations
    Asia/Pacific
    • India (English)
    • Australia (English)
    • Other ASEAN Locations
    News people icon
    Life at UKG

    Inside the Virtual UKG Connections Experience

    Inside the Virtual UKG Connections Experience
    • Share
    May 3, 2021

    Written By

    UKG Staff Editors
    UKG Editors
    UKG Editors

    UKG editors contribute stories about people, products, and events at UKG, as well as life-work trends and technologies that help UKG customers, employees, and partners put people first.

    Topics

    UKG News and Culture
    Subscribe via RSS

    Over this past year, one of the things I’ve missed about adjusting to a socially-distanced world have been the live events. Holiday parties with my family and extended family, concerts, and of course conferences of all kinds. But, those opportunities to be surrounded by like-minded people haven’t vanished entirely — they’ve just evolved. That’s been especially true of our annual UKG Pro™ customer conference, UKG Connections. For the first time, we held a 100% virtual Connections conference that brought over 10,000 customers, partners, analysts, thought leaders, and inspirational speakers together for two days of fun, education, and all-around great experiences.

     

    If you're unfamiliar with Connections, it's one of our annual conferences that brings us together with our customers, partners, and employees to celebrate everything we’ve done together and the incredible innovations to look forward to. We share company updates, industry trends, product innovations, networking opportunities, prizes, and so much more. If you’re looking for the latest product updates from UKG, head on over to our official press release here. If you want to experience the intangible, special kind of magic that happens at UKG Connections, keep reading.

     

    Incredible Hosts

     

    At our 2020 Connections conference, Aron Ain stepped on stage to share  the excitement of our merger. Now, fully-merged and with a brand new name, our CEO Aron stepped on stage alongside other leaders from UKG, like our president Chris Todd and our vice president of product innovation Cecile Alper-Leroux, to share everything we’ve been able to accomplish over the last year.

     

    Every great event also needs a great MC, and we’re lucky enough to have our chief relationship officer Bill Hicks as our MC since 2012. Bill not only wows our customers as our chief relationship officer, but he’s been known to wow the audience too. Even with a new format for Connections, Bill made a point to entertain by jumping in a wind tunnel to show off his very impressive indoor skydiving skills.

     

    Inspirational Guest Speakers

     

    Every Connections conference features some truly remarkable people who join us to share their stories and inspire us to act. Our virtual UKG Connections was no different.

     

    Laila Ali, world-champion athlete, TV host, and entrepreneur took the virtual stage to give us a look into her personal life story, self-titled Finding Strength, Spirit and Personal Power. After an action-packed career in boxing, Laila was ready to tackle the next chapters of her life and reinvent herself. She touched on the difficult transition going from boxing, starring on and hosting television shows, spreading her passion for health and wellness, and starting a family with her husband and two children. She left us with her three keys to success to be the greatest version of yourself during times of change: 

     

    • Qualify Yourself
    • Embrace the Process
    • Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

     

    The Vision of Life-Work Technology

     

    No matter the format, you can always expect to learn about the industry’s latest and greatest human capital management (HCM) solutions. At this year’s Connections conference, we also unveiled our Life-work Technology™ vision. Simply put, life and work are intertwined, and employees need solutions designed with that reality in mind. Cecile Alper-Leroux, vice president of products and innovation at UKG, said it best. “This is an entirely new vision for designing enterprise HCM solutions, factoring in people’s emotions and preferences, allowing them to work in a way that supports their lives and empowers them to thrive both at work and in life.” To learn more about our Life-work Technology vision and new innovations like UKG Pro Candidate Cultivation, read our full press release on our website.

     

    Feel Good Moments

     

    Connections has always been bigger than just us. This conference has been an opportunity for us to recognize and amplify the good we can all do together — and that starts by taking care of our neighbors. To help people across North America who are struggling with food insecurity, UKG partnered with Feeding America and Daily Bread Food Bank of Canada and donated $5 for every time the hashtag #UKGConnect was used during the conference. Customers filled our social media notifications with tweets, posts, and photos throughout the two-day event with our hashtag #UKGConnect, and in response we’re donating $25,000 to these great organizations!

     

    Want to help us in supporting our communities? Consider donating to either of these organizations using the links below:

     

    • Click here to donate to Feeding America.
    • Click here to donate to Daily Bread Food Bank of Canada.

     

    It’s also been a tradition at Connections to celebrate UKG customers who have used technology to uplift people as their purpose. Laila and Bill closed out virtual Connections 2021 with the customer Innovation Awards ceremony, recognizing our champions—the companies and people behind the scenes who stepped up as early adopters, solved business challenges, and added value to their organizations with our solutions. Here were this year’s winners:

     

    • In the HR Transformation category, this year’s winning companies Schlegel Villages and the City of Loveland were honored for using UKG Pro to overcome a significant business challenge, and, as a result, improve operations and deliver a world-class employee experience.
    • In the ROI/Measurable Benefits category, this year’s winners 2nd.MD and Cofense demonstrated substantial and impressive quantifiable business benefits with UKG Pro.
    • In the Innovation Evangelist category, Avalon Healthcare and The Parking Spot were recognized for the way they leveraged the latest Pro solutions.
    • In the UKG Product Suite category, Biltmore and Mosaic were recognized for using flagship UKG people technologies to improve the employee experience and drive cost savings.

     

    You can learn more about the Innovation Awards and our winners at our website.

     

     

    I’ve been fortunate enough to attend Connections live in past years, and while I missed seeing everyone in person this year, the spirit of Connections was wonderfully captured and expressed. Thank you to every U Krewer, customer, partner, and guest who helped make this event a familiar kind of magic.

     

    And from all of us here at UKG, we look forward to seeing you at our next Connections in Las Vegas on December 13-16.

     

    • The People Purpose Blog
    • Inside the Virtual UKG Connections Experience

    Related Stories

    A group of professionals shaking hands and networking
    The People Purpose Blog
    How to Build a Professional Network for Job Opportunities

    Discover how to build and leverage your professional network to uncover job opportunities. Learn effective strategies for networking events, LinkedIn engagement, mentorship, and personal growth to enhance your career prospects.

    Image of man and his son
    The People Purpose Blog
    Total Compensation Explained: Unlocking the Value of Workplace Benefits and Perks

    Explore the importance of total compensation in your job search. Learn how to assess workplace benefits and perks that contribute to your financial well-being and overall happiness.

    Image of Dennis
    The People Purpose Blog
    Navigating Cybersecurity: Insights from UKG's Director of Detection Engineering

    Explore the career path and insights of the Director of Detection Engineering at UKG, focusing on the essential skills and rewarding experiences that define a successful career in cybersecurity.

    UKG logo

    Footer menu

    • Suites
      • HCM Software for Enterprises
      • HCM Software for Midsize and Small Businesses
      • Workforce Management Software
    • Solutions by need
      • Time & Attendance
      • Human Resources
      • Payroll
      • AI in the Workplace
      • Scheduling
      • Talent Management
      • Employee Experience
      • Multi-Country Payroll
    • Customers
      • Implementation
      • Support Experience
      • UKG Community
      • Customer Experience
    • About Us
      • Why UKG
      • Culture
      • Our ESG Program
      • Leadership
      • Newsroom
      • Careers
      • Privacy and Security
      • Legal
      • Sitemap
    • Resources
      • Events
      • Analyst Reports
      • Workforce Activity Report
      • HCM and AI
      • The People Purpose Blog
      • Small Business Center
      • Enterprise HCM Demo Center
      • HR Software Demo Center

    Sub Footer

    • Accessibility
    • Cookie Choices
    • Cookie Notice
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Notice
    • Mobile Terms
    © 2025 UKG Inc. All rights reserved.

    Kronos SaaShr, Inc., a UKG Company (NMLS ID#1698726) provides money transmission services on behalf of UKG Inc. customers and in connection with certain UKG products. For more information, visit Compliance & Licenses.