UKG, a leading provider of HR, payroll, and workforce management solutions for all people, today announced that ARCH Global Holdings, a consolidated contract manufacturing company, is using UKG Pro to create an inclusive and empowering employee experience, to easily scale its acquisition strategy.

ARCH Global Holdings has achieved success by acquiring companies and building platforms of similar businesses, with a goal to integrate and grow each business. Currently, the company consists of two segments: ARCH Cutting Tools and ARCH Medical Solutions. ARCH Global Holding’s workforce declined after the sale of the ARCH Precision Components segment in 2021 but grew back within a year to the largest employee base in the company’s history.

“UKG Pro drives our growth because we can efficiently import the companies we acquire into just one system of record,” said Jessica Lash, senior director of HR at ARCH Global Holdings. “Pro’s scalability also means our employee count can flex up or down without a change in administrative headcount. As a result, HR has become a strategic partner in the company’s business acquisition strategy. To create a consistent employee experience across all our companies, we most often merge new employees immediately onto the Pro platform.”

One way HR partners with the business is by providing accurate data from Pro to the finance team quickly. Pro’s analytics engine allows Lash to deliver any kind of report requested by finance, such as an audit or month-to-month financial reporting. In addition, ARCH Global Holdings is leveraging UKG Pro Document Manager to facilitate its acquisition strategy while improving the employee experience.

“Before Document Manager, we would acquire companies across the country, but we would retain duplicate files at our headquarters in Michigan,” said Lash. “Documentation for HR activities would require the local HR business unit to scan and email paperwork. Resolving issues and providing employees with benefits was a slow process. When we implemented Document Manager, we were able to access vital employee information instantly, from anywhere. If I am traveling, if I am visiting the site of an acquisition, I can pull up whatever documentation I need on my phone. Because I can expedite our processes, Document Manager has significantly improved our employee experience.”

The range of UKG functionality at ARCH Global Holdings makes the workplace experience meaningful and fulfilling for the company’s people. For example, UKG Employee Voice, which keeps a pulse on employee sentiment and enables leadership to make changes that matter to employees, has been a key factor in building employee trust.

“Almost all our employees (workers on the factory floor involved in the manufacturing of critical infrastructure) were considered essential workers from the beginning of the pandemic,” said Lash. “Consequently, we used Employee Voice to send a survey to ask whether they felt safe, how the company was managing the situation, and whether there was more the company could do. This survey became a spectacular opportunity to build trust, and the employees gave us fantastic ideas that we were able to roll out quickly. We even had our CEO personally address specific problems, a demonstration of how our leadership took employee concerns seriously.”

ARCH Global Holdings is also taking advantage of Mercer Benchmarking, global benchmark data that is integrated into the UKG best-practice survey templates within Employee Voice. The company can compare their own employees’ engagement and satisfaction ratings against averages for the same questions in the same industry. At ARCH Global Holdings locations scoring above industry benchmarks, the company is studying what tactics were used to optimize the employee experience.

“At one of our most diverse locations, the staff implemented valuable employee resource groups that led to high sentiment scores,” said Lash. “We have talked with the staff there to find out how they started their groups from scratch, how they expanded the groups to reach more employees, and why the experience has increased employee trust.”

“To remain competitive, manufacturers know that they must implement digital transformation strategies that support their processes and their people,” said Chris Todd, CEO at UKG. “Visibility into HR data at all levels is critical to achieve operational agility, performance improvements, and a better employee experience. ARCH Global Holdings is leveraging UKG technology to drive its business strategy while simultaneously creating a more engaging, empowering, and inclusive workplace.”