Gusto has helped Arklign grow and support its distributed team through efficiency-focused features
Faster, smoother onboarding and HR processes
When Ray Alde, co-founder of Arklign Laboratories, began the process of scaling the small company into what it is today, he knew he needed to partner with an HR platform that could handle the company’s ever-changing operational needs and growing employee base. Gusto’s easy-to-navigate user interface, especially when it comes to onboarding, payroll and time tracking, was the first thing Alde noticed when he switched over from his previous HR provider.
Gusto’s suite of onboarding tools have enabled Ray to quickly progress critical steps in the onboarding process through automation such as creating personalizable offer letter templates and prompting new employees to fill out important paperwork such as I-9 forms and NDAs. Having all documents stored in a centralized location makes trackability for both onboarding and payroll much easier, with minimal management oversight needed. Arklign has reduced time spent on its onboarding process by 20%, freeing up time to connect with new customers and focus on developing new products and technology to automate their company workflows. With Gusto, Arklign has also saved an hour and a half per month on payroll by utilizing the employee time tracking features to ensure employees get paid accurately and on time.
“Our previous HR management tool couldn’t cater to all of our needs,” says Alde. “Gusto’s onboarding tools provide new employees with a smooth onboarding process and gives Arklign the onboarding capabilities of a much larger organization, providing a polished and professional look for our company even before a new hire’s first day.”
Supporting a distributed workforce through streamlined compliance processes
When the pandemic hit, Arklign adopted a remote-first hiring philosophy after realizing that it could easily complete the tax compliance process in any state using Gusto. However, with The Great Resignation fueling a tight labor market, it was business-critical to open up the talent pool to states across the country, making it easier to find candidates without geography constraints.
“We knew that Gusto would have our back when it came to compliance, so it was no longer an obstacle for widening our talent search,” explains Alde. “Instead, we now can focus on finding qualified candidates and not fixate on where they are located. So far we’ve hired 10 remote employees in five states.”
“We knew that Gusto would have our back when it came to compliance, so it was no longer an obstacle for widening our talent search”
Co-founder, Arklign Laboratories
Arklign’s ability to remain compliant across states and uphold its remote work policy has given the company a competitive hiring advantage. With Gusto, Arklign has streamlined tax processes, including each state’s unemployment filings. Arklign has saved 2 hours of time related to navigating the compliance landscape when hiring new employees.
An adaptable HR platform to support employee retention
Gusto’s platform is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of small and medium-sized businesses, especially when it comes to hiring strategy and employee retention.
“I’m a huge proponent of the Gusto platform because they are quickly and proactively adding features that align with changes in the market or in the world,” says Alde. “One example of this is Gusto’s job posting feature, which has been a huge help. It became costly and time-consuming to post open job positions on other websites, which slowed down the hiring process during a time when we needed additional support. Using the Gusto hiring tool really helped remove the friction associated with our original talent search process and we’ve been able to hire 2 people within a month of trying it out.”
Arklign had also retained a robust workforce throughout the pandemic, thanks to Gusto quickly developing tools that helped the company secure access to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. Arklign’s access to these loans helped it continue paying all of its employees and enter its next phase of growth with an experienced workforce.
Preparing for the future with an evolving HR tool
As Arklign looks to grow its employee base to 15% by 2024, having a platform that can support critical HR operations will be key to navigating external environmental factors.
“Gusto has supported us through challenges of the pandemic and the current hiring landscape,” states Alde. “Just the fact that the platform provides timely resources and features as changes happen in the world makes us feel that we made the right decision choosing Gusto.”
