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The Paradies Shops Makes a Smart Purchase with UltiPro

By Staff Report

Dec. 3, 2003

For businesses with a decentralized workforce, creating a united company culture and communicating with employees can be a challenge. Add to that continual government reporting obligations such as equal employment opportunity (EEO) reports, and it’s a recipe for potential communications havoc.



    So when The Paradies Shops, the country’s leading airport retailer with 330 stores throughout the United States and Canada, began searching for a new system that would ease regulatory compliance, reduce expenditures, and complement its employee-focused company culture, it found UltiPro, Ultimate Software’s Web-based payroll and workforce management solution. With UltiPro, The Paradies Shops discovered a way to speak to all its audiences–employees, managers, and the government–using one in-house system that provided a secure, central Web site and robust business intelligence tools.


    “Because The Paradies Shops is a decentralized retail chain with locations throughout the United States, we needed a Web-based HR/payroll solution to bridge the gap of distance, yet still be able to save us time and money. UltiPro’s incredible functionality and flexibility have been wonderful additions to our company and will yield us a cost savings of almost $100,000 per year,” said Lauren Gabbidon, compensation and benefits manager for The Paradies Shops.


    Once the company implemented UltiPro’s workforce portal in April 2000, after an on-budget, 10-week implementation, it immediately began encouraging managers to check the Web for information regarding their employees. As that became a popular feature, The Paradies Shops took the next step and gave employees the opportunity to view their own data online. Now they can make changes to their important documents, benefits information, and pay stubs at their convenience, at a place of their choosing.


    “UltiPro’s Web self-service is one of the largest benefits of the system for us,” said Gabbidon. “It allows us to maintain contact with our expansive workforce and provide our employees with instant access to their employment information. As an employee-centric organization, we believe that the UltiPro portal aligns well with The Paradies Shops’ desire to maintain a positive, fulfilling work environment for all of our employees.”


    Another benefit The Paradies Shops has realized since switching to UltiPro is a time savings for the payroll and benefits team of a minimum of 260 hours per year (13 percent of the time it used to spend) on reporting alone. Because The Paradies Shops is located in airports, the company is required to provide EEO reports for each location every month to six months, depending on the state. Prior to UltiPro, The Paradies Shops struggled to remain compliant and meet the government deadlines. In addition, there are other compliance guidelines the company must follow, and the airport retailer relies on UltiPro to help it fulfill regulatory requirements for all of its locations. Nearly 100 percent of the compliance reports required by The Paradies Shops are delivered standard with UltiPro.


    The Paradies Shops states confidently that these powerful and flexible business reporting tools, coupled with UltiPro’s functionality and ease of use, have made Ultimate Software’s workforce management solution a communications dream for both the company and its workforce.


Workforce Management, December 2003, p. 59Subscribe Now!

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