Bay Area Youth Services, Inc. (BAYS) is one of Florida’s largest Department of Juvenile Justice providers dedicated to improving the quality of life and potential of youth and families for over 40 years. With 277 employees and a strong emphasis on financial stewardship and compliance, BAYS continues to deliver innovative programs throughout the State of Florida while leveraging PrimePay’s HCM platform to streamline operations and enhance its mission-driven work.
Heidi Lacy, Chief People Officer at BAYS, oversees HR, training and development, quality, and contracts – reflecting the multifaceted needs of a growing non-profit. “My vision aligns closely with BAYS’ overarching goal: to value every individual’s worth and potential while striving to create systems and policies that adapt to the unique needs of its programs,” says Heidi. BAYS has expanded its services, transitioning from a primarily diversion-focused program to a comprehensive portfolio that supports youth and families across multiple systems.
The Challenge: Growing Pains
BAYS faced challenges in managing its expanding workforce and financial operations. The lack of a centralized system complicated workforce budgeting and hindered transparency. Manual processes in key areas such as managing position data, employee status change approvals, payroll allocations, and staffing patterns relied heavily on Excel or paper, making data centralization and trend analysis nearly impossible. Additionally, scheduling, time-off requests, and points management were handled through disconnected systems, increasing errors and inefficiencies.
As the organization grew and expanded its services, the complexity of managing government and federally funded programs introduced further obstacles.
“Because of how we’re funded with government contracts, saying we’re monitored and audited is an understatement,” Heidi says. “Some of our programs are federally funded, adding another layer of federal audits. The sheer amount of auditing can be daunting at times, especially with the limitations of traditional HR systems.”
BAYS needed accurate Budget vs. Actual reporting, real-time financial transparency, and robust funding tracking to meet stringent compliance and auditing requirements. The limitations of their existing HR system became increasingly evident, particularly its inability to separate position and person data. Traditional systems failed to account for position continuity, making it difficult to adapt to operational changes and organizational growth.
Recognizing the need for a comprehensive solution, BAYS prioritized finding a system with true position control to streamline operations, enhance financial accuracy, and integrate HR processes effectively. This need for modernization was driven by the organization’s commitment to technology-driven efficiencies and its goal of working smarter to support its mission.
The Solutions: Centralize and Streamline
BAYS implemented the PrimePay HCM platform in 2024 to address its operational challenges. This robust platform provided a centralized system for managing all workforce data, enabling the organization to consolidate previously disjointed processes.
Heidi Lacy, Chief People Officer at BAYS, praised PrimePay’s seamless implementation process: “This was by far the best and smoothest implementation that I’ve ever had in my life.”
PrimePay’s position-based architecture revolutionized BAYS’ workforce management, offering actionable reporting and enhanced budgeting capabilities that aligned with organizational goals. Automated funding tracking and compliance tools streamlined financial oversight, ensuring accurate labor allocation and compliance with stringent auditing requirements. The platform also automated critical HR processes, such as benefits management and compliance tracking, significantly reducing manual inefficiencies.
Key features like the AI-enabled applicant tracking system improved hiring and onboarding processes, while the electronic scheduler simplified time and attendance tracking, particularly for BAYS’ 24/7 operations. The AI-enabled ATS summarizes the resumes of applicants and helps write the job descriptions for new requisitions. By replacing manual Word documents with an electronic scheduling system, BAYS can now submit schedules to funders more efficiently, manage overtime costs, and ensure adequate shift coverage. Real-time data and analytics provided greater transparency, allowing managers to effectively oversee overtime, time-off requests, and workforce performance.
The Benefit: Data-driven Insights
Since implementing the PrimePay HCM platform, BAYS has experienced transformative improvements in efficiency, accountability, and operational effectiveness.
Key results include:
- Streamlined processes and improved efficiency: The centralized platform has simplified employee onboarding, reduced administrative workloads, and automated processes like payroll approvals, benefits administration, and direct deposit. These efficiencies have allowed HR to focus on more strategic initiatives.
- Enhanced accountability: The time and attendance feature has improved workforce accountability and reduced compliance risks. Managers now easily access dashboards that provide actionable insights and tasks, enhancing oversight and decision-making.
- Improved funding and budget oversight: The organization can now easily manage schedules and provide funders with electronic reports, replacing outdated, manual methods. Position management capabilities enable real-time budget tracking, allocation accuracy, and compliance with funder requirements.
- Increased transparency and data accessibility: Centralized performance data and organizational charts allow for seamless workforce planning, succession planning, and performance evaluations. Drag-and-drop functionality for org charts simplifies adjustments and saves time.
- Empowered supervisors: By expanding the role of supervisors in HR processes, BAYS has distributed responsibilities more effectively. Supervisors can now initiate workflows and access tools to manage scheduling, time-off requests, and workforce performance, reducing reliance on HR for routine tasks.
- Sustainability through intentional rollout: By introducing features like performance evaluations and succession planning gradually, BAYS has ensured staff adoption and avoided overwhelming users with new tools.
The implementation of the PrimePay HCM platform has equipped BAYS with the capabilities needed to improve efficiency, compliance, and decision-making. The ability to leverage data for actionable insights has strengthened BAYS’ ability to secure funding and support its mission.
Reflecting on the partnership, Heidi Lacy highlights the professionalism, patience, and transparency demonstrated by PrimePay throughout the implementation process.
“PrimePay’s platform helps us tell our story through numbers, which is critical when engaging with funders. The efficiency we’ve gained is invaluable,” says Heidi Lacy.
With PrimePay as a trusted partner, BAYS is well-positioned to grow and continue its life-changing work for Florida’s youth and families.