Historic Country Club Delivers Modern Employee Experience

By switching to Paylocity, Interlachen upgraded their HR and payroll system to enhance its employee experience.

Interlachen is a classic country club with a storied tradition and historic golf course. But it’s their start-up mentality that makes them a modern employer of choice in a challenging industry. 

Making things harder was Interlachen’s legacy HR and payroll system. “Many of our processes were manual, and there weren’t many ways to do what I wanted to achieve on mobile,” said Mariah Wild, Director of Team Member Engagement.

Charged with modernizing the talent management cycle, Mariah looked for a solution that could tee up both HR efficiency and an employee experience that would stand out in a competitive job market.

The Challenge: Legacy Limitations Hinder Flexibility

“This might work for a team that’s scheduled nine to five, Monday through Friday, but we’re in hospitality. It’s much different.”

Scheduling Comes Up Short

Mariah had a list of capabilities she was looking for, and flexible scheduling was a top priority. Her research, however, mostly unearthed shortfalls.

“Many scheduling platforms don’t show a team member’s availability,” she laughs. “But when you think about it, if you’re a nine-to-five organization, you can assume everybody will work those hours. Meanwhile, we have team members coming in at 6 a.m. and team members leaving at midnight.”

Onboarding Is Frustrating 

New employees had trouble filling out onboarding paperwork with the platform they had been using, even with step-by-step instructions. “And we all know how important the first onboarding experience is for a new team member,” Mariah says. “It would frustrate me when it wasn’t seamless.”

Troubleshooting with new hires was taxing enough, but Mariah also found herself manually entering employee data in the system on Sunday nights before orientation.  

Mobile App Leaves Gaps

“People use their phones to do almost everything, especially Gen Zs, which are a huge part of our workforce,” Mariah says. Considering most of the Interlachen team doesn’t sit at a desk, employees needed a reliable mobile app that helped them do more than see their pay stubs.

“We analyzed the data, and our team wasn’t checking their emails often. We host many engagement activities, and we want them to receive communication so they can participate. This will help us connect as a team across the board. We needed an app the team would use.”

The Solution: Unified Platform Shows Promise

“With Paylocity, I could customize so many things.”

Managing Complex Schedules

Interlachen needed a solution that allowed scheduling across different shifts for a single employee per day. “Jim might work as a valet in the morning and a banquet bartender at night,” Mariah explains. “Managers in both areas need to be able to see where Jim’s working so he doesn’t get overscheduled.” 

Visibility was crucial. With multiple managers responsible for scheduling, they needed a tool that made collaborating easy.

Nailing the Mobile App

“One of the first questions we would ask vendors was to show us their mobile app.” 

To reach a tech-savvy workforce that’s always on the move, Mariah wanted employees to have a mobile experience that was engaging as well as convenient. “A team member in the kitchen rarely looks at their email, but they look at their phone daily. If they get a notification, they’re most likely going to see it.”

Narrowing Down the Decision

Having decided to move away from their old HRIS system, choosing a new system came down to a few contenders. Comparing costs, features, and customer service, Paylocity came out ahead.

“I did extensive research on HRIS systems, and I was confident when we signed our agreement with Paylocity,” Mariah says. “And a year later, I’m happy with our decision.”

The Results: Winning the Day with Paylocity

Simpler Scheduling Makes Teams Stronger 

Not only does Paylocity’s Advanced Scheduling help ensure shift coverage and minimize no-shows, it also unifies teams — down to which color polo shirt to wear on a particular day.

“Making everything easier for employees and leaders is important. My goal is to make it easier to focus on their department, whether it’s the kitchen or the wellness center,” Mariah says. “That has always been a core goal of my position — making it easier for leaders to put effort and energy into their teams. That results in a happier, engaged team.”

Onboarding Is a Time Saver

“I can now onboard more than half the people in the same time,” Mariah reports. Now, she can move new hires into the system when they sign their offer letter. “I couldn’t believe how seamless and fast it was.”

Paylocity lets Mariah track where new hires are in the process so she can clear up any bottlenecks. While Onboarding saves her time, it also provides opportunities to engage employees before they start. “Now we can add steps to help us provide a more tailored experience, like get-to-know-you questionnaires and gathering how they like to be appreciated.”

Mobile App Connects 

Community, Paylocity’s communication platform, is fully mobile and keeps on-the-go employees connected to critical information, like construction updates or weather alerts.

Mariah introduces new hires to Paylocity’s mobile app during orientation. “I always get good feedback from new team members,” she says. “They can instantly start looking at their schedule, playing with some of the other features, trying out Community, and seeing all the fun activities we are doing as a team.”