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
    Timesheet clock people icon
    Workforce Management

    Building a Financially Sustainable Future: Lessons Learned From the CAFO of Springfield, Massachusetts

    Springfield Resurgent Book Cover
    • Share
    November 15, 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

    Government Digital Transformation Future of Work
    Subscribe via RSS

    TJ Plante is the Chief Administrative and Financial Officer (CAFO) for the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, where he directly oversees the city’s financial functions and serves as the principal city management advisor to the Mayor. In 14 years of service to the city, he and his cohorts have overcome tremendous fiscal challenges, putting Springfield on the map for strong financial management. Read TJ's insights below and the lessons he learned along the way. 

    Like many working cities across America, my city — the City of Springfield, Massachusetts — has endured a decades-long uphill battle to rebuild our economy and civic infrastructure. At its worst, Springfield was facing a $41 million deficit in 2004 and had fallen under the control of a state-imposed financial control board. 

    But the tides began to turn in the latter half of the 2000s: We implemented a new financial management software program in the summer of 2007 and, in 2009, we deployed an automated workforce management system from UKG (formerly Kronos, prior to its merger with Ultimate Software) that allowed Springfield to centralize city and school payroll teams into a single payroll department serving all 6,300 city employees.

    It was also around this time that Springfield elected former city council president Domenic J. Sarno to the mayor’s office — where he still serves following re-election in 2019. It was his vision for city leaders to embrace data as a change agent. With automated systems and data analytics providing real-time visibility into citywide spending, he believed we’d finally be able to address the workforce and payroll challenges plaguing our city. And he was right.

    With UKG bringing data and trends to the surface, we were able to do more than correct and prevent financial neglect: we reigned in overtime costs, negotiated pivotal changes to contracts with labor unions, and became more efficient in deploying full- and part-time workers. 

    In 2009, the financial control board returned control to local leaders. By then, we had gotten our financial house in order and many of the savings generated by Springfield’s technology investments and data-driven processes were being successfully reallocated to improve education, public safety, economic vitality, and our local neighborhoods. 
     

    After a long period of doubt, we managed to generate $4.7 billion in economic development and are well on our way to reclaiming Springfield’s legacy as one of the most innovative cities in America.

    Knowing that Springfield is not the first nor the last city to climb our way out of debt and build ourselves a fiscally sustainable future, here are three recommendations for city finance leaders looking to replicate Springfield’s success:

    #1: Embrace digital transformation

    Everything we have accomplished in Springfield — from the marquee achievements to the small yet meaningful projects that have bettered our communities — relied on this. Embracing digital transformation was the first step.

    Prior to the implementation of our UKG workforce management system, we were trapped by a series of paper-based timesheets and punch cards and were using spreadsheets to track labor expenses. We knew that significant gaps, lapses, and abuses of the system were present, but we just didn’t know where or didn’t have the data to back up our questions.

    Once deployed, however, our digital systems and data-based policies helped us find and reallocate millions of unmonitored funds in various city budgets, identify and correct many instances of timecard fraud and wasted labor hours, and uncover legacy processes that had resulted in the mismanagement of payroll deductions and retirement payouts. The impacts were rapid, meaningful, and widespread: 

    • Total savings in salaries and overtime topped $900,000 within the first year of implementation
    • Our fire department lowered its use of overtime by 11%
    • The budget for substitute teachers decreased by more than $1 million, just as teacher and paraprofessional attendance rates improved

    Not every administration wants to look closely at their labor data, but these kinds of insights and corrective actions were unthinkable with our previous paper-based processes. The fact is, you need systems to collect, store, track, and analyze city data. And once those systems are in place, you have to be ready to face the music and fix the issues.

    #2: Commit to financial stewardship 

    At the administration level, strong financial stewardship requires not only a roadmap for future capital spending but a cooperative environment that fosters teamwork and trust. In Springfield, the data-backed processes we implemented together continue to yield time and cost savings that enable us to take bold action in accordance with our capital improvement plan to reinvest in our communities and provide better services to residents. For instance, using just $50 million in city funds, we completed $350 million of direct improvements across a wide portfolio of commercial and residential projects.

    While it is extremely important to root out waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars and to restore citizens’ confidence in city government, it’s equally important to make good choices with those savings. As one example, in the aftermath of an EF-3 tornado that pummeled our city in 2011, FEMA awarded Springfield $25 million to replace two structures: one was being used as a community center and the other a storage facility. However, rather than using those funds to restore the damaged buildings to their former condition, we realized these FEMA dollars represented an opportunity to invest in our communities in ways we never previously had the financial means to do. 

    With FEMA’s approval, we reallocated recovery funds towards projects in other locations that would far better serve our residents: a brand-new community center, senior center, expansion of an environmental education center, and renovations to a facility used by our police force.

    #3: Invest in community programs, resources, and schools

    The success of our reinvigorated finances and data-driven approach to managing our city’s workforce gave us new and remarkable latitude to invest in community-based programs and resources to improve the quality of life for our citizens, education for our children, and public safety. 

    One of our greatest landmark achievements has been Springfield Schools’ districtwide rollout of the universal-free “Breakfast in the Classroom” program and subsequent opening of the Culinary Nutrition Center in 2019 (which has already generated a $1.3 million efficiency that is being reinvested into further improving school meals).

    Investing in school meals for more than 30,000 students, we are getting more people to school, consistently and on time, which has reduced hunger and improved students’ temperament during the school day, making them more ready to learn. Whether directly or indirectly, there’s no doubt among city and school leadership that this investment in our students is improving academic outcomes.

    In closing

    Residents and businesses alike want to see financial stability and strength. They want to see clean, solid financials. They have every right to hold their local leaders accountable, so that when the hard times come — like when a global health crisis forces an economic shutdown impacting residents, businesses, and students, alike — together we are prepared to take the punch and keep moving forward. We’ve done that here in Springfield, accomplishing something together we can all be proud of.

     

    zigzag


    Download the Springfield Resurgent eBook, authored by TJ Plante, Chief Administrative and Financial Officer for the City of Springfield, to learn more about how the city built a fiscally sustainable future.
     

    • The People Purpose Blog
    • Building a Financially Sustainable Future: Lessons Learned From the CAFO of Springfield, Massachusetts

    Related Stories

    Two women in a warehouse look at a laptop and paperwork.
    The People Purpose Blog
    The Definitive Guide to Creating an Annual Labor Plan

    How to better plan your people strategy for the upcoming year to boost productivity and customer satisfaction.

    The People Purpose Blog
    6 Tips for Hiring Seasonal Employees and Managing Complex Scheduling

    See how simplifying hiring seasonal employees with modern HR and payroll tools can enhance recruitment, onboarding, and management, ensuring efficiency and high standards during your peak business periods.

    A bald man with a beard wearing a blue shirt sits at a desk and looks at his laptop thoughtfully.
    The People Purpose Blog
    Finishing 2024 Strong: Year-End HCM Technology Strategies

    Get expert tips to help you wrap up the year, refine your HCM technology strategy, and prepare for a powerful start to 2025.

    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.