Global Manufacturer Transforms its Frontline Worker, Manager Experience with Flexible Scheduling Powered by UKG

Key Points

• Managers at Simpson Manufacturing’s largest U.S. plant cut scheduling time by up to 80%, saving more than 300 hours a year, with the UKG Pro Workforce Management suite
• Frontline workers filled 600+ open shifts in just the first few months live on advanced scheduling, with the ability to pick up open shifts and swap shifts with colleagues
• The manufacturer boosts retention and engagement as UKG reimagines “how we manage our workforce…making employees feel more valued"

LOWELL, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UKG, a leading global AI platform for HR, Pay and Workforce Management, today announced that Simpson Manufacturing, one of the world’s largest suppliers of structural building products, is revolutionizing its frontline worker and manager experience and achieving significant operational efficiencies with flexible scheduling powered by the AI-led UKG Pro Workforce Management™ suite.

Headquartered in California, Simpson Manufacturing employs 5,700 workers across 24 countries, 2,300 of those on the front lines. To better compete for next-generation talent in a shrinking labor pool and provide its workforce more flexibility and autonomy over their schedules, the manufacturer implemented UKG^® advanced scheduling at one of its largest U.S. facilities in McKinney, Texas with tremendous success — with managers reducing scheduling time by up to 80%, saving more than 300 hours a year.

“Guided by one of our core values which is ‘Everyone Matters,’ we prioritize our employees, and UKG flexible scheduling enables us to address their needs fairly and consistently,” said Richard Wood, Production Manager at Simpson Manufacturing. “UKG gives employees the freedom to adjust their schedules according to their personal circumstances without needing to contact their leaders in most situations. This flexibility has proven to be a significant benefit for the entire branch.”

Simpson Manufacturing first piloted advanced scheduling in its automatics department before rolling it out to its fabrication and warehouse departments. UKG empowers workers with greater control over their schedules by allowing them to post their shifts for others to take, swap shifts directly with colleagues, or volunteer for extra shifts posted by management. Leveraging AI guidance, UKG Pro Workforce Management automatically approves these changes based on pre-established rules, ensuring only workers with the correct skills and qualifications are eligible, while also accounting for Simpson’s overtime and compliance requirements.

Within the first six months, employees collectively picked up more than 600 open shifts without manager intervention in UKG, while plan-to-manned alignment — a key productivity measure ensuring the right number of people are scheduled on the right machines — increased considerably.

“The results have been transformative for both our business and our people,” said Sindhuri Adepu, UKG Product Lead at Simpson Manufacturing. “We’re not only running more efficiently but our employees feel empowered to take control of their schedules. That balance has made a tremendous difference in engagement and retention, and the changes we’ve put in place are a direct result of feedback we received from our employee engagement surveys for more work-life balance.”

Employees at the McKinney plant can easily coordinate their schedules through the UKG Pro^® mobile app, which has reduced attendance points and improved overall retention. To help prevent fatigue while maintaining scheduling flexibility, UKG includes safeguards such as only allowing people to work up to 52 hours per week and enforcing mandatory rest periods between shifts.

“Employees have told us this is the best thing that has happened, and advanced scheduling is allowing us to reimagine how we manage our workforce,” added Adepu. “They can sit with their families at home, look at the week ahead, and plan overtime or shift changes without needing to walk over to a supervisor. That kind of empowerment builds trust, loyalty, and satisfaction.”

As manufacturers worldwide continue to experience labor shortages, retention issues, and an aging workforce population, the benefits of flexibility are clear: A UKG global survey of nearly 13,000 frontline workers shows almost half (44%) said flexible hours and self-scheduling are the most desirable work arrangements, while a quarter (25%) indicated they would quit their job due to lack of workplace flexibility.

“The manufacturing industry at large has yet to adopt flexible scheduling, which presented an opportunity for us to really innovate in this area. It’s rare to find a solution that saves time, improves efficiency, and makes employees feel more valued — but that’s exactly what we’re seeing with UKG,” said Adepu, who added that Simpson Manufacturing now plans to roll out of flexible scheduling across its locations, globally.

"Simpson Manufacturing is a leader because they've turned their frontline workforce into a competitive edge," said Rachel Barger, President, Go-To-Market, at UKG. "Using UKG's AI-guided Workforce Operating Platform, they've transformed scheduling into a process that works for everyone. Employees can now plan work around their lives instead of the other way around. There are fewer absences, so every day is more productive and improved scheduling flexibility drives higher employee retention. And managers are spending significantly more time tackling big picture priorities. This is what the future of work should look like for every manufacturer."

Supporting Resources

• About Simpson Manufacturing.
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About UKG

UKG is a leading global AI platform for HR, pay, and workforce management. Unifying award-winning solutions with the world’s largest collection of workforce data and people-first AI, UKG delivers unrivaled insights into today’s workforce, helping organizations in every industry turn data into decisions that elevate productivity, culture, and the customer experience. Trusted by more than 80,000 organizations across 150 countries, tens of millions of employees — from small businesses to global enterprises — use UKG every day.

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