When it comes to legendary sports teams, the Chicago Bulls sit right at the top of the list. The six-time NBA champions helped capture a global audience for the NBA in the 1990s.

While the NBA regular season runs from October through to April, managing operations off the court is an all-year-round job. For example, the People & Culture team at the Bulls has a stacked agenda, handling everything from payroll and employee benefits to recruiting and onboarding the game-day staff who help fans enjoy an unforgettable experience at the United Center.

Natalie Huddeston, VP of People & Culture, picks up the story: “When I joined the Bulls over 12 seasons ago, I was the first dedicated HR person in the organization. Back then, we were handling everything with spreadsheets, until we implemented our first HR software.”

Having expanded to five people, the People & Culture team recently decided to make a strategic switch. The Bulls selected fellow Chicago business Paylocity to take over as the official HCM platform partner.

“Paylocity made the whole process seamless. Their team was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. What was really great was having people available to explain the capabilities of each module,” Natalie said. “The ease of use and extensive capabilities in the Paylocity platform, plus the support, have helped us to become much more efficient and make a stronger impact as a HR function.”

The Challenge: Calling a Strategic Timeout

The Bulls global fandom extends to its employer brand. “We can receive upwards of one thousand applications for a single role, but there was no efficient way to analyze them at speed,” added Natalie.

The Chicago Bulls’ People & Culture team was looking to enhance recruiting and the employee experience and to streamline HR processes. Whether it was managing paychecks, tracking vacation time or sifting through applications for open roles, there were opportunities to automate manual work in a way that would bring clarity and efficiency to both current and prospective employees.

The Solution: Planning the Next Play

Natalie and the team set out to find a solution that would enhance the employee experience, unlock efficiencies, and generate time savings. One option leapt higher than the rest: Paylocity.

Paylocity has helped the Bulls:

• Simplify payroll and time tracking
• Streamline the hiring and onboarding process
• Gather useful employee feedback in a streamlined manner
• Aid employee growth and development

“While we are just starting to untap the full potential of what Paylocity has to offer, we have already seen our processes improve and our work become more efficient, and employees come back to us with positive feedback of their experience using the platform,” Natalie said.

The Results: Nothing but Net

Here’s how the Bulls are building a championship-level HR function with Paylocity:

Unlocking Time Savings with Smarter Processes

Using Paylocity, the People & Culture team has replaced some manual work with faster, more efficient workflows. In the case of vacation time tracking, the team can now pull reports showing accurate accrual balances with just a few clicks, eliminating the need for labor-intensive audits. “We were completing the reconciliation process three times a year, and every time it would take at least a day and a half,” explained Natalie. “Paylocity has been a big time-saver.” 

Resolving Bottlenecks During Hiring

Similarly, Paylocity has helped to remove bottlenecks during recruitment, which has improved the process for the organization. “The interface makes it easy for hiring managers to work though masses of applications, narrow them down and find the specific experience or skills we need,” Natalie said. 

Offering Employees Convenience and Simplicity

The switch to Paylocity has also helped to enhance the employee experience. The Bulls are always on the move – whether it’s traveling on the road or hosting games in Chicago, employees need easy-to-access tools and resources at the click of a button. “Many of our employees are traveling or on their feet all the time, so the app makes things so easy for them,” Natalie noted.

As the Bulls move towards next season, the team plans to keep evolving with Paylocity’s help and identify ways to refine processes and automate more tasks.