Rapidly Growing Apparel Brand Cuts Payroll Processing Time from Hours to Minutes, Reduces Turnover by Triple Digits with UKG

Key Points:

• Drake Waterfowl consolidated seven systems into the all-in-one UKG Ready suite, reducing administrative workload and improving workforce visibility
• The multi-state retailer used UKG Ready to help accelerate payroll processing by over 97%, minimizing errors and freeing HR to focus on higher-value work
• UKG Bryte AI and built-in Great Place To Work insights enable Drake to save time, act on employee feedback, and strengthen culture with on-the-ground data

LOWELL, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UKG, a leading global AI platform that unifies HR, pay, and workforce management, today announced that Drake Waterfowl, a premium hunting apparel and gear brand headquartered in Mississippi, has transformed its people operations with the UKG^® Workforce Operating Platform, using built-in AI to simplify how work gets done, accelerate decision-making, and strengthen culture as the business rapidly scales.

Drake Waterfowl, which has more than doubled its business over the past two years, employs 120 people, including part-time, full-time, and seasonal workers across 17 states. To support that growth, the retailer deployed the all-in-one UKG Ready^® suite to unify recruiting, scheduling, engagement, and payroll in one system —combining automation, AI-powered assistance, and employee feedback to reduce manual work, move faster across day-to-day operations, and ensure the right people are in place to support the business.

“Before UKG, we had seven systems that didn’t talk to each other and no consistent view of our people,” said John Walbrecht, Chief Executive Officer at Drake Waterfowl. “With UKG bringing everything together, we finally have accurate, consistent workforce data we can trust. If you’re trying to grow and don’t know if you have the right people in the right roles, you can’t plan, you can’t scale, and you can’t win. HR touches every decision, and having clarity with UKG has fundamentally changed how we operate.”

With a unified solution in place, Drake was able to simplify one of its most time-consuming processes: payroll. What once required 5 hours of manual work can now be completed in just minutes. Payroll in the UKG platform has helped free up the team’s time, allowing them to focus on supporting employees and the business.

“What used to take almost an entire half-day of processing per payroll cycle is now a 7-minute sprint. We've seen no errors, no issues, no hiccups. It’s just easy and seamless,” said Casey Barnett, Director of HR and People Operations at Drake Waterfowl. “UKG is the most intuitive HR system I’ve used. It’s incredibly user-friendly, and it’s changed how we operate, saving time, reducing stress, and letting us focus on our people.”

Beyond simplifying processes, the UKG Ready suite is designed specifically for growing businesses, embedding AI directly into everyday work to increase efficiencies and make work easier for all employees. With UKG Bryte™, the retailer can automate routine tasks, generate content, and deliver faster answers without adding complexity.

“UKG Bryte was one of the best decisions we made, and it was a no-brainer,” said Barnett. “The world is moving to AI, and if you’re not, you’re going to get left behind. UKG Bryte helps with everything from job postings and descriptions to analyzing employee feedback and answering questions in real time. That means our team saves time, employees aren’t waiting on HR, and we can make faster, more informed decisions across the business.”

To capture the insights needed to better understand and enhance its culture, Drake turned to Great Place To Work^® tools embedded within the UKG Ready suite — helping reduce turnover from 347% to double digits by combining employee feedback with actionable insights. By bringing together real-time sentiment and AI-driven analysis, Drake gained a clearer understanding of its workforce and where to focus improvements.

“With UKG, we’ve been able to listen to our employees, understand where we needed to improve, and back our actions with real data,” said Barnett. “When we earned Great Place To Work Certification, I was proud to show our C-suite and board that what we were doing was working.”

“We have a simple belief: people plus culture equals results,” said Walbrecht. “With UKG, we now have the consistent, accurate information to truly put that into practice. When employees have access to the same information, feel empowered, and trust the organization, they perform differently — and that’s what separates a good company from a great brand.”

“For growing organizations, simplifying the experience for frontline employees is essential to keeping people engaged and supported, especially in fast-paced environments like retail,” said Chris Kiklas, General Manager, SMB Solutions at UKG. “When work is easier and more intuitive, employees are more productive, managers are more effective, and retention improves. Drake Waterfowl demonstrates how bringing HR, payroll, employee feedback, and AI together in a single platform helps organizations scale while strengthening culture.”

Supporting Resources

• About Drake Waterfowl.
• Register now for the 2026 UKG HR and Payroll eSymposium to attend Drake Waterfowl’s session, “Redefining Performance: Why Recognition Is the Driver of Retention and Results,” on Wednesday, June 10, at 11:15 a.m. E.T.
• Follow UKG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.

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.

Copyright 2026 UKG Inc. All rights reserved. For a full list of UKG trademarks, please visit ukg.com/trademarks. All other trademarks, if any, are property of their respective owners. All specifications are subject to change.