Meridian Institute is a non-profit organization that touts the power of collaboration in solving problems. For over 25 years, the organization has served as a third party that helps bring together stakeholders to create understanding, facilitate collaboration, and garner results to address complex issues. With office hubs in Washington, D.C. and Dillon, Colorado, and team members worldwide, Meridian Institute has worked on over a thousand projects in the last quarter-century.
Jennifer Brassanini, Director of Human Resources at Meridian Institute, has been a part of the organization’s growth for nearly 20 years. “I’ve seen a lot of growth. We’re at that point where we need to move up the scale towards more system structures, processes, and standard operating procedures, and as HR, I’m driving those that affect our workforce,” said Jennifer.
Meridian Institute’s growth began to launch discussions around wanting technology to make the HR team more efficient and effective. “We’re leaning into systems, building efficiencies, and moving away from everything being in a spreadsheet,” said Jennifer. “We are moving into more reporting and into needing efficiency, especially since our numbers have grown so much.”
Working closely with the organization’s COO on strategic process updates, Jennifer knew Meridian Institute’s HR technology needed to be upscaled to manage the growing workforce. The organization worked with a PEO for a while but found that the fees were too high for what they needed. They then worked with a couple of leading Payroll and HR companies, where they discovered that the software couldn’t handle many of the nuances of Meridian Institute’s workforce. Additionally, the service levels did not provide them with the experience they sought.
Jennifer knew they needed to make a change, and she began discovery efforts. In her findings, “PrimePay rose to the top of the list for a variety of reasons. I love data, and I like the way that the system has the dashboards, the customization, and many features that felt like we could connect into our needs,” said Jennifer. In an internal partnership with its Finance team, Meridian Institute implemented PrimePay HCM in 2023 and accelerated forward.
A Complex Workforce Structure Requires Innovative Technology
Working to solve complex problems across various stakeholders introduces a unique complexity to using technology to help manage Meridian Institute’s workforce. Jennifer explains, “There are a lot of people working across so many different types of teams, and therefore, team structures are very important. For example, with our structure across different teams, there can be questions of who’s managing who. In order to do it best, it requires me collecting lots of data, and being aware of everything across clear lines.”
Many key features of PrimePay HCM appealed to Jennifer, including:
Applicant Tracking Software (ATS)
Having a team that tackles complex problems starts with hiring a talented group of employees. Jennifer has embraced PrimePay’s talent acquisition solution, along with the impact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has had on the technology and process. She notes, “The recruitment tool has been great. The scorecards are really helpful. I love the AI tools that are in the software.”
PrimePay’s ATS is designed to attract top talent, reduce bias, and improve the hiring process. As noted, Meridian Institute has embraced the AI-assisted resume screener that uses job description information to help match terms and keywords in an applicant’s resume, thus aiding and accelerating its screening processes.
Connected Time & Attendance
Managing time off and various requests can be challenging with employees working across several teams.
Jennifer said, “Something we did not have before that has been really valuable is time-tracking and leave requests. Before we moved to PrimePay, all of that was being done via e-mail. Now, the employees actually have the ability to see their balances and plan their time off accordingly. And the communication channels between the supervisors and the employees are better now because of it.”
With PrimePay’s all-in-one employee Time-tracking system, the Meridian Institute team can manage time off, track accruals, and better visualize their schedules.
Employee Self-Service (ESS)
Having technology that serves the HR team is critical, but having technology that serves the entire workforce can amplify results. With a mobile-first self-service portal, employees can see and manage their onboarding, profile, pay, time, company updates, and compliance and policy documents. This feature enables employees to update their time, which frees up valuable resources for the HR team and reduces errors.
“PrimePay is extremely user-friendly for employees. Even though we had built out these other systems in the past and they had employee self-service, you couldn’t get people to go in there and actively engage. However, I feel like it’s working with PrimePay. Now, employees go in, and they make changes themselves,” noted Jennifer.
Efficiencies Gained, Hours Saved
By streamlining common and time-consuming administrative tasks, such as leveraging automation between Time-Tracking and Payroll, PrimePay’s HCM solution can free up the HR team to focus on more strategic activities.
Using the previous hiring process as an example, Jennifer recollected, “It has saved on the HR administration side, probably an hour per position. When you’re hiring three or four positions, that ends up being a lot of time. It’s more efficient for everybody to be able to go into the technology, and access what they need.”
Exceptional Service Delivered
It’s not just the technology that has resonated with Meridian Institute. The organization was challenged by the service experiences it received from previous providers. PrimePay reversed this trend for Meridian Institute, and Jennifer noted, “Your service talent is amazing. Everyone who responds to tickets is extremely helpful. They’re extremely knowledgeable, and if they don’t know the answers, they go get them, and it’s timely.”
As Meridian Institute continues to grow, its team will continue to tackle complex problems. The organization can rest assured that its HR technology will support those team members as they focus on improving lives, the environment, and the economy.