With more than 12,000 employees and 50,000 customers worldwide, UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group) — the newly merged Kronos Incorporated and Ultimate Software — is a leading provider of workforce management and human capital management cloud solutions. Bolstered by the credo, “Our purpose is people,” UKG supports organizations and their workforces with peoplecentric solutions designed to drive business outcomes, improve the employee experience, and manage the entire employee lifecycle — from pre-hire to retire.
Prior to its April 2020 merger with Ultimate, Kronos first started using the HERO Scorecard as part of its application for the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts (WWCMA) WorkWell Massachusetts awards program, which uses the HERO Scorecard and a set of supplemental questions to assess an organization’s overall wellness programming. The information from the HERO Scorecard allowed Kronos to benchmark its programs and identify ways to strengthen its wellness offerings, which inspired the Kronos wellness team to complete the HERO Scorecard each year as part of the WWCMA award application. As a result, the wellness team has been able to assess yearover-year progress in program improvements, moving from Bronze level recognition by the WWCMA to Gold level recognition in recent years.
Here are a few specific changes Kronos has made based on the information gained during its completion of the HERO Scorecard:
- When Kronos moved its Massachusetts headquarters in fall 2017 (moving from facilities it owned into a tenant-shared building), it no longer had control of the cafeteria options. However, as a way to maintain healthy food choices for employees, Kronos considered other alternatives in its building design efforts. At its new location, the wellness team worked to offer fresh fruit on every floor, implemented nutrition fact labeling at the coffee bar, and partnered with the cafeteria vendor to offer healthy options and highlight them on the menu. Kronos also brought in a vendor that offers healthy grab-and-go options using a refrigerator system on its amenities floor accessible only to employees. Despite no longer having control of the shared cafeteria offerings, these initiatives ensured employees had a selection of healthier options throughout the building.
- In its move to a new Massachusetts headquarters, Kronos took into consideration all the built environment policies that would support employee well-being, including designing a floor specifically for employees to gather, collaborate, rest, and recharge. The space is very well utilized in the office. Once employees moved into the space, the wellness team implemented key
- well-being-focused branding projects, including posting prompts near the staircase to get more steps: Inspirational messages throughout each floor encourage employees to take the stairs and white boards allow people to stake their “claim to fame” for reaching floors 6 and 12 via the stairs. Encouraging elevator buttons, with messages such as “Two floors or less? Stairs are best” and “Step into your best day, take the stairs,” nudge employees to take the stairs; plus, each floor has a different message, which is fun and keeps employees engaged in taking part in the company’s #StairWellness initiative.
- Based on HERO Scorecard content, Kronos explored the idea of an onsite clinic — and when its budget didn’t support a full clinic, the wellness team got creative and implemented an innovative virtual clinic. The existing HQ building had a wellness room on every floor. After a year in the building, it was clear that almost no employees used the wellness room adjacent to the shared amenities floor. Thus, the team redesigned this wellness room for employees to use as a space to access telemedicine. The room houses a computer with a camera that navigates the user to the telemedicine options, as well as provides over-the-counter medications, a blood pressure cuff, and a scale, should those resources be needed. The room is well used and Kronos has seen a significant increase in virtual medicine claims since it was opened.
- Another area addressed in the HERO Scorecard that Kronos has steadily focused on is improving its campus smoking policy. In the previous Massachusetts headquarters, there were designated and comfortable smoking huts very close to the building. At the company’s new location, the designated smoking area is uncovered and exposed to the environment as well as further away from the entrance.
In the coming year, UKG plans to continue using the HERO Scorecard to identify new ways to strengthen its wellness initiatives, particularly focusing on improving and expanding virtual wellness offerings and streamlining these offerings across the company’s global locations. In combination with anecdotal feedback and corporate strategy, the HERO Scorecard metrics will continue to help the UKG wellness team identify opportunities for growth, strengthen existing global initiatives, and ultimately reinforce the company’s ongoing commitment to the health and wellness of its people
Source: 2020 HERO Scorecard Progress Report
