Record Number of UKG Innovation Award Winners Showcase the Power of AI-Led Workforce Transformation

Campbell’s, Primark, and Randstad among visionary organizations leading the way

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UKG, a leading global AI platform for HR, pay and workforce management, today announced a record number of Innovation Award winners at UKG Aspire. The awards honor 16 organizations using UKG solutions to achieve measurable business impact — from cutting costs and boosting efficiency to transforming culture and collaboration — across seven categories, celebrating innovation, implementation, and people-first results.

“This year’s Innovation Award winners showcase how UKG customers are using our technology to turn data into action, drive measurable results, and shape the future of work,” said Bob DelPonte, Chief Customer Experience Officer at UKG. “We’re proud to partner with these exceptional organizations leading the way through innovation.”

This year’s winners are:

ROI/Measurable Results

• Children’s Hospital Colorado unified staffing data across four hospitals with the UKG Pro Workforce Management™ suite, driving rapid, data-driven decisions that saved more than $1 million in labor costs while improving operational efficiency and collaboration.
• YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas used advanced reporting in its UKG Ready® suite to build detailed budget models and confidently raise the minimum hourly wage for workers and also saved 600+ hours over several years by streamlining workflows and automating processes such as payroll and benefits enrollment, allowing HR to focus on strategic employee support.

Exceptional Implementation

• Primark replaced fragmented legacy systems with its AI-powered UKG workforce management solution in locations across nine countries, achieving 100% on-time delivery and zero payroll disruption while completing the implementation nearly 20% under budget.
• Micro-tronics used UKG Ready to streamline HR operations, cutting payroll processing time from 2.5 hours to one hour, saving 2-3 hours a week with digital self-service tools, and reducing internal errors 95% by eliminating manual workflows.
• The NFL migrated to the UKG Pro Workforce Management suite under intense time pressure at the start of the 2025 season, with zero disruption to payroll and scheduling for more than 4,000 employees during one of the most operationally demanding times of the year.

Innovation in Culture Strategy

• Black Hills Works transformed its staffing model with UKG Ready, reducing unplanned overtime and manual scheduling across 30 residential homes, while improving coverage, boosting staff satisfaction, saving administrative time, and restoring financial predictability by turning overtime into a planned, budgeted expense.
• Schlegel Villages added workforce management to its UKG Pro® suite using a phased, people-first approach with strong change management — including early engagement, tailored training, and a superuser network — that improved payroll accuracy, delivered rapid time-to-value, and elevated the organization’s operations and morale.

Innovation in Payroll Strategy

• GRAND Mental Health automated payroll for 24/7 staff coverage with UKG Ready, cutting monthly processing time from 30+ hours to 4 hours, eliminating manual errors, improving accuracy, saving $10,520 annually in labor costs, and enhancing employee satisfaction.
• Deckers Brands used UKG to automate timekeeping, scheduling, and accrual management across 15+ countries and 25 U.S. states, turning payroll from a manual, back-office task into a strategic partner that improved compliance, cut administrative work, and gave employees mobile access to real-time payroll information.
• The George Washington University modernized payroll operations with UKG, reducing time spent on audits and reviews from 12 to 3 hours, cutting weekly student position processing by 4.5 hours, automating a six-day holiday pay review, and improving accuracy, compliance, and scalability while saving significant costs.

Innovation in Productivity

• Randstad streamlined workforce scheduling across 250+ customer locations with Shiftboard, which reduces manual work and saves site managers significant time, boosting efficiency, reducing turnover, and increasing the flexibility of talent management to help drive improved time to fill and fill rate. Randstad's customers experience these efficiencies via Randstad's signature flexible scheduling solution: reducing labor cost with improved retention and overtime, increasing productivity with better workforce continuity.
• The Campbell’s Company modernized its workforce management system for approximately 13,500 users and delivered $1.35 million in savings in just seven weeks after go live in June 2025. The project standardized 18 policies, reduced 87% integrations, completed over 15,700 trainings, and ensured zero missed payroll deadlines — all while driving efficiency and compliance across the organization.
• Amsted Industries implemented workforce management to replace separate, manual processes across North American sites, saving supervisors several hours each week through automated timekeeping and scheduling, thereby reducing payroll delays, improving labor forecasting, enhancing mobile access, and boosting employee engagement.

Innovation in Data, Insights, and Automation

• Daikin Comfort Technologies, N.A. replaced outdated, siloed systems with the UKG Pro suite and UKG Bryte™, streamlining payroll, HR, and workforce management for 14,000+ employees, reducing frontline administrative work, measurably improving employee access and engagement, saving time on routine HR tasks, and positioning the company for scalable, efficient growth.
• Merlin Entertainments saved time and costs by standardizing forecasting across attractions, enabling real-time staffing adjustments via UKG FleX and long-term planning with UKG Strategic Workforce Planning, transforming workforce scheduling into a scalable, data-driven system that aligns daily operations with financial strategy.

Collaboration Champion

• The Chicago User Group exemplified collaboration by evolving a local network of UKG users into a global community hub with its flagship podcast, Logging Into UKG, which fosters ongoing engagement and knowledge-sharing across 18 countries, making them true champions of collaboration in the UKG ecosystem. The podcast is available on Apple Podcast, Amazon Podcast, and Spotify.

Supporting Resources

• Learn more about UKG and our leading global AI platform for HR, pay, and workforce management.
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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. To learn more, visit ukg.com.

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