Bedford County, Virginia, has revolutionized its workforce operations by implementing the UKG Ready suite, a comprehensive HR, payroll, and workforce management solution. Serving over 650 full-time employees across 21 departments, the county has streamlined processes, improved employee engagement, and enhanced compliance, marking a significant cultural and operational shift.
The UKG Ready suite has enabled Bedford County to manage a dynamic workforce that fluctuates to over 1,100 employees during election cycles. “UKG has triggered a seismic shift in how we keep our frontline workforce connected and engaged and has opened our eyes to what’s possible when you have the right partner and right solutions in place,” said Nicole Campbell, director of human resources for Bedford County. The platform’s automation of payroll, scheduling, and compliance reporting has eliminated manual processes, saving time and improving accuracy.
Bedford County manages multiple payrolls, including monthly, biweekly, and library-specific schedules. “Our finance staff manages multiple payrolls, including monthly, biweekly, and a separate payroll for the library,” said Campbell. Employees now clock in/out digitally and submit timesheets electronically, ensuring accurate and timely payroll. Compliance reporting, particularly for the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), has been simplified, with instant access to data that previously took hours to compile, enhancing transparency while protecting employee privacy.
Competing with the private sector for talent, Bedford County leverages UKG Ready to automate recruiting and onboarding. “Recruitment can be tough in government as we’re competing for talent alongside the private sector, but UKG Ready helps us recruit better candidates and onboard them faster,” said Campbell. Automated processes have eliminated paperwork, allowing faster communication and electronic form completion, creating a seamless experience for new hires.
The UKG Ready mobile app provides 24/7 access to schedules, paystubs, and benefits, bridging communication gaps for employees without work email, such as first responders. “Not every employee has email, which can create challenges in communicating with our employees, especially first responders who work 24-hour shifts, in the field, or on-call schedules,” said Campbell. This accessibility fosters transparency, autonomy, and trust across the county’s multigenerational workforce.
Bedford County’s adoption of UKG Ready has driven measurable productivity gains and improved morale. “AI-powered technology allows government agencies to transition from routine tasks to strategic initiatives, revolutionizing the way they serve the public,” said Chris Kiklas, vice president of SMB product management at UKG. By empowering employees and streamlining operations, the county is better equipped to serve its community effectively.
At UKG, our purpose is people. We are on a mission to inspire every organization to become a great place to work through HCM technology built for all. More than 80,000 organizations across all sizes, industries, and geographies trust UKG HR, payroll, and workforce management cloud solutions to drive great workplace experiences and make better, more confident people and business decisions. With the world’s largest collection of people data, work data, and employee sentiment data, combined with rich experience using artificial intelligence in the service of people, we connect employee and workforce insights with business outcomes to show what’s possible when organizations invest in their people.
TechIntelPro empowers B2B technology decision-makers with the latest industry trends, deep insights, leadership perspectives and actionable intelligence to drive both organizational and professional milestones—and thrive on the tech pulse.