UKG Innovation Award winner Leslie’s, Inc. builds great place to work with UKG Pro suite
UKG, a leading provider of HR, payroll, workforce management, and culture solutions for all people, today announced that Leslie’s, Inc., the largest direct-to-consumer brand in the U.S. pool and spa care industry, is creating a great place to work by providing frontline employees with empowering experiences through the UKG Pro suite.
Leslie’s employs thousands of hourly associates, pool and spa care experts, and service technicians at 1,000 retail stores across the country. Understanding the importance of inspiring its workforce through technology that makes their lives easier, Leslie’s deployed UKG Pro across its enterprise so associates can work efficiently and confidently in support of an exceptional customer experience.
“UKG has simplified life for our frontline staff. It’s our source of truth for all workforce and HR information and is a one-stop shop for our employees as everything lives in one place,” said Jessica Foster, senior HR operations manager at Leslie’s. “For my team, HR is our main focus, but for leaders and associates, HR is just one part of their day. We need them to be focused on our customers. So, when they interact with UKG, we want that experience to be as easy and intuitive as possible.”
UKG supports Leslie’s employees throughout their work journey, starting with recruiting and onboarding, and then with real-time access to pay information, benefits administration, schedules, learning tools, performance reviews, and HR service delivery. As a result, associates can focus on what matters most delivering the highest quality service to customers.
“Our associates work traditional retail hours including nights and weekends that don’t necessarily align with our corporate office. That means we need to make it quick and easy for them to get the support and information they need so they can return to interacting with customers,” said Foster. “UKG helps us fulfill our great workplace mission by servicing our associates, no matter what time of day or night. We do that through a library of self-service content that includes everything from answers about benefits to learning how they can apply for a new role.”
This knowledge base allows Leslie’s to centrally manage and automate manual tasks as well as actions that involve multiple touchpoints and stakeholders. The retailer configured UKG Pro to simplify HR processes for its leaders and streamline the company’s performance review process, which won Leslie’s a 2023 Innovation Award for its innovative use of Pro to empower employees and achieve strategic goals, such as developing talent and supporting the professional growth of its associates.
“Simplicity is essential for our managers and leaders so they can spend less time in the system and more time developing associates and discussing performance,” said Foster. “With HR service delivery we were able to customize our performance review process, so it aligns with our specific development model. We can control what steps are being pushed to leaders, in what order, and what guidance we include. As a result, our leaders are having more meaningful and impactful conversations with their teams.”
Another way UKG helps Leslie’s care for its people is with real-time visibility into labor data and schedules. With this insight, leaders can make decisions for their people that are fair and accommodating, while also managing the business. Behind Leslie’s success with Pro is its collaborative partnership with UKG that helps Leslie’s drive better people and business outcomes.
“Our UKG team understands our unique needs and are dedicated to our success,” said Foster. “The overall support from UKG gives me confidence as I lead the HR operations team to fulfill the needs of our employees.”
“Leslie’s is an example of how UKG partners with organizations of all sizes across all industries to meet frontline employees wherever they are on their work journey, and live out their great workplace mission,” said Bob DelPonte, senior vice president of customer success and global delivery services at UKG. “Our solutions are purposely designed to engage and support every person, no matter their role or where, when, and how they prefer to work, resulting in exceptional outcomes for all.”
Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure. Public relations, investor relations, public policy and marketing professionals rely on Business Wire for secure and accurate distribution of market-moving news and multimedia. Founded in 1961, Business Wire is a trusted source for news organizations, journalists, investment professionals and regulatory authorities, delivering news directly into editorial systems and leading online news sources via its multi-patented NX network. Business Wire’s global newsrooms are available to meet the needs of communications professionals and news media worldwide.
Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure. Public relations, investor relations, public policy and marketing professionals rely on Business Wire for secure and accurate distribution of market-moving news and multimedia. Founded in 1961, Business Wire is a trusted source for news organizations, journalists, investment professionals and regulatory authorities, delivering news directly into editorial systems and leading online news sources via its multi-patented NX network. Business Wire’s global newsrooms are available to meet the needs of communications professionals and news media worldwide.
