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Westminster Services Gets Improved HR and Payroll " Plus Enhanced Wellness Management " with UltiPro

^{Published on 2008-12-11 06:43:22 - Market Wire}
 

WESTON, Fla.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Ultimate Software (Nasdaq:ULTI), a leading provider of end-to-end strategic human resources, payroll, and talent management solutions, today announced that as a result of using UltiPro, Westminster Services, a Florida-based retirement community provider with 2,500 employees, has enhanced compensation programs, developed more strategic talent acquisition, and improved employee and resident communications to better promote wellness programs.

Before becoming an Ultimate Software customer, Westminster Services relied on a payroll service bureau and the HR team had to perform hours of manual entries for day-to-day administration. Without a comprehensive, centralized payroll and HR solution, the organization could not easily monitor or analyze workforce components like labor costs and pay scales, nor could it adequately track and measure the effectiveness of recruitment efforts or benefits and wellness programs.

Going live on UltiPro in 2006 gave Westminster Services the ability to easily adjust for different pay scales and work shifts based on a range of variables, such as budgeted versus non-budgeted staffing and staffing around holidays. This flexibility resulted in improved compensation practices and a better adherence to program budgets.

"Our services are unique. Half of our business is in healthcare and half is in hospitality, so we have many different pay ranges," said Mary Klein, vice president of human resources at Westminster Services. "Employees may be skilled nurses or work in dining, transportation, or maintenance. All jobs are different, and employees who work multiple shifts may be paid using special crossover payment plans. We really needed UltiPro because it can handle our special issues. We also wanted a savvy, patient, and dedicated customer service team to assist us when necessary. We got that with Ultimate Software."

By centralizing HR and payroll and tapping into UltiPro's analysis tools, Westminster Services can better identify hiring needs and develop more strategic, long-term recruiting plans.

"The strategic reporting functionality in UltiPro is phenomenal. We are able to create reports instantly. And we can use the superb analytics to get everything from a simple birthday list to reports that analyze hiring practices or pay scale compensation for a particular job class to make sure everyone is paid equitably," said Klein.

UltiPro's Web portal allows employees to quickly access pay history, W-2s, and benefits information from home or on-site kiosks—providing a convenient way to ensure that an employee's work-related information is accurate and up-to-date. Plus, employee access to compensation details on the UltiPro portal has enabled Westminster Services to stop printing pay stubs and use more eco-friendly direct deposits and pay cards, thereby supporting the company's "paperless" initiative.

"UltiPro is so easy to use, regardless of an employee's level of experience with the Internet," said Klein. "The UltiPro portal has become an important business tool for our entire workforce."

Westminster Services also uses UltiPro to track and compare health and benefit programs by popularity and costs. Because the company strongly encourages wellness initiatives, the HR team places links on the UltiPro site to online health assessments and wellness news to motivate employees to take responsibility for their overall health and ultimately to reduce healthcare costs. With UltiPro, Westminster Services is able to measure who is engaged in the company's wellness initiatives and can reward them through discounted health premiums, resulting in cost savings for employees, residents, and the company. Westminster also uses the UltiPro portal as a communication hub for workplace news and notifications of community wellness events.

"UltiPro is more than a human resource management system," said Klein. "It helps to connect everyone in our organization and to promote our companywide objectives."

"Ultimate Software is committed to helping companies like Westminster Services that understand the power HR has to positively impact the business. By taking advantage of UltiPro, HR managers can make better business decisions that ultimately save money and improve employee satisfaction," said Greg Swick, chief sales officer for Ultimate Software. "Westminster Services is an outstanding example of an innovative company that is using UltiPro not only to create greater HR efficiencies, but also to implement other business initiatives like wellness programs."

About Ultimate Software

A leading provider of end-to-end strategic human resources, payroll, and talent management solutions, Ultimate Software markets its award-winning UltiPro products as on-demand services through its software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering, Intersourcing, and as licensed software. Based in Weston, FL, the Company employs more than 900 professionals who are focused on developing the highest quality products and services. In 2008, Ultimate Software was cited as a "Leader" in Forrester Research Inc.'s 2008 Wave evaluation of HR Management Systems in both the U.S. Midmarket and Multinational Enterprise Market, was the first HR/payroll SaaS provider to be audited and awarded the ISO/IEC 27001:2005 Certification for security management, and was named the #1 "Best Product Development Team" in the nation by the American Business Awards. Ultimate Software was ranked the #1 best medium-size company to work for in America by the Great Place to Work® Institute in June 2008. Ultimate Software has approximately 1,600 customers representing diverse industries, including such organizations as The Container Store, Elizabeth Arden, Major League Baseball, The New York Yankees Baseball Team, Nintendo of America, Ruth's Chris Steak House, and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. More information on Ultimate Software's products and services can be found at [ www.ultimatesoftware.com ].

UltiPro and Intersourcing are registered trademarks of The Ultimate Software Group, Inc. All other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.