First Horizon Boosts Efficiencies, Employee Communications with UKG Pro

First Horizon National Corporation is a premier financial services company with a long history of success and traditions dating back to 1864. The company, one of the largest bank holding companies in the U.S., is known for exceptional customer service and a deep commitment to its customers and its employees. Its team of more than 5,000 employees, working across the U.S. and abroad, serves more than 460,000 consumer customers and 55,000 businesses.

Challenges

Before UKG Pro®, First Horizon had been using an in-house system that did not include the web-based functionality and consistent performance the company needed. The company also wanted a solution that could grow with its organizational expansion.

After careful evaluation, First Horizon's executive and management teams selected cloud-based UKG Pro. This human capital management (HCM) solution provides First Horizon with the flexibility to pay for the functionality it needs rather than purchase a solution with features it wouldn't need or use.

Solutions

After First Horizon went live on Pro in 2002, employees and managers in 800 locations were able to quickly access and update information — removing the burden of time-taxing data entry from the HR/payroll staff.

With Pro's 24/7 direct access, First Horizon's workforce can view individual payroll, HR, and benefits information as well as update personal details or make benefits choices during open enrollment. Managers also can explore employee information such as leave time, job history, or compensation without having to rely on HR or payroll teams for assistance.

"The Pro portal has allowed my staff to move away from tactical activities, such as changing an employee's direct deposit information or looking for an employee's review date. Now they spend more time dealing with larger issues. Plus, they can provide better service to more people because they are not caught up in administrative tasks or minutia," said Karen Sones, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at First Horizon.

“Our company has saved money while creating happier, more engaged employees. Streamlined, unified processes for HCM are tightening our alignment between workforce actions and company objectives, and our HR team can now provide a deeper level of service and support to our employees.”

Karen Sones

SVP of Operations and Systems

Results

"By serving as our central, online location for employees to view payroll information, Pro assisted us in migrating to a paperless payroll, and now we are saving $40,000 annually in mailing costs alone," said Sones.

Following changes in HR strategy, First Horizon's HR department made a series of critical business decisions to improve HCM efficiencies. The HR group was tasked with finding new ways to accomplish its mission with a leaner staff and to help new employees become productive quickly and develop rapidly into engaged contributors aligned with corporate values and priorities.

Already using Pro to effectively manage talent acquisition and compensation as well as core HR and payroll functions, First Horizon's HR team chose to leverage Pro's onboarding capabilities in order to support these strategic initiatives.

"With Pro, we can begin onboarding even before the new hire begins employment," said Sones. "We really love how Pro automates and simplifies the process of assimilating new employees into our business and our corporate culture."

When an employee is hired, Pro helps manage all of the processes, workflow, and notifications required to onboard the new hire. New employees follow a step-by-step guide through the orientation process, including completing required government and procedural forms digitally — with a government-compliant electronic signature — to reduce paperwork. Automated task notifications with built-in reminders ensure a seamless, documented process, eliminating the need for HR to 'chase down' colleagues or vendors to confirm that new hires will receive the proper provisioning.

By using Pro, First Horizon has experienced greater cost savings, increased consistency in HR operations, and improved productivity of new employees.

"We have seen new employees making contributions to our business very quickly," said Sones. "Pro is very easy-to-use, easy-to-manage technology, and our company has saved money while creating happier, more engaged employees. Every employee coming in the door is hearing consistent messaging and receiving the same materials to reference."

The business impact to First Horizon has been significant. The full suite of HCM has helped First Horizon transition to paperless operations, and all data is centralized and immediately available. First Horizon has eliminated redundant, manual data entry, and the HR team is operating with a leaner, more efficient staff.

Most importantly, First Horizon's employee retention rates have improved dramatically — with the overall voluntary turnover rates decreasing by almost 10% in a 12-month period.

"Streamlined, unified processes for HCM are tightening our alignment between workforce actions and company objectives, and as a result, our HR team can now provide a deeper level of service and support to our employees," said Sones.