Gusto’s intuitive technology supports soona’s rapid growth
Smooth HR tools that simplify remote hiring and onboarding
During the pandemic, soona faced a unique problem: finding an HR partner that could meet the needs of their rapidly-growing, newly-remote team. In a period of significant growth, Gusto helped soona simplify the hiring and onboarding process as they made the shift to a hybrid workforce.
“At soona, we cannot hire or onboard fast enough,” says Elizabeth Giorgi, CEO and Co-Founder of soona. “Top of mind for me is making sure my employees are onboarded and trained on appropriate processes and procedures so they feel supported with the tools they need to do their job effectively. That includes people and HR tools,” explains Giorgi.
When the pandemic hit, hiring and onboarding became increasingly complicated. With only 30% of soona’s photographers and crew members working remotely, the learning curve to convert to a mostly remote business was a steep one. In addition to this, soona was busier than ever, growing their revenue by 400% over the past year. However, Gusto was there for support every step of the way.
“In a new hybrid work environment, it was really important for my employees to have a central source of truth,” says Giorgi. “Gusto has been that source of truth, providing our employees with the resources and answers to every question they have along the way. This has been imperative as we plan to continue growing our team remotely in 2022.”
“In a new hybrid work environment, it was really important for my employees to have a central source of truth...Gusto has been that source of truth, providing our employees with the resources and answers to every question they have along the way.”
Intuitive and resourceful benefits selection
soona is focused on retaining experienced team members, so offering a full package of health and financial benefits for employees is a top priority. Navigating the complexities of health insurance can be an overwhelming task, especially for employees who are doing it for the first time. Fortunately, Gusto helps ease the burden for soona employees by explaining and offering them multiple benefit options like health, dental and vision coverage, and life insurance. Employees are able to access their benefits through one easy login via their Gusto account and get support from Gusto's customer service team. Gusto’s transparent pricing also makes it easy for soona to translate the cost of coverage to their employees.
“I was a freelancer for a majority of my career and had limited knowledge about what it requires to procure health insurance and select the right insurance for me. 25% of my staff come from similar creative backgrounds and so it was important for me to give my employees the tools and knowledge to select the right benefits for them,” explains Giorgi. “With Gusto’s intuitive benefits selection and transparent pricing, my employees feel supported when making selections for healthcare, dental, vision, and life insurance for the first time. I’m very proud that we are able to not only offer multiple levels of health insurance, but we’re able to do it in a way that makes it really easy for our employees to understand the bird’s eye view, the cost, what the company is going to pay, and what the impact might be for them.”
Flexible off-cycle payroll and transparent pricing
soona relies heavily on Gusto’s modernized payroll solution and flexibility, particularly when it comes to paying their employees in a timely manner. Unlike other payroll solutions, Gusto’s transparent pricing means there are no additional fees when running off-cycle payroll. This has resulted in peace of mind for the soona team, who can rest easy knowing their employees are taken care of without an overcomplicated, expensive off-cycle payroll process, which means that soona employees have access to their hard earned paychecks at any moment.
“Being able to run off-cycle payrolls really quickly without a ton of fees and costs is really important for us. When you’re starting a large amount of new hires as well as working with teams that sometimes have to work odd hours, nights, or even weekends, having a payroll provider like Gusto that meets the demand of the shifting work week is pivotal. Not having to wait every two weeks for a paycheck is a pretty big deal and allows for a peace of mind knowing my team is taken care of,” shares Giorgi. “Gusto’s flexible payroll solution sets our team up for success and ensures my employees are paid with their approachable, intuitive platform.”
Looking to the future with modern technology
As soona plans to scale and grow their company for another record year, it’s pivotal to have modern technology that will continue to meet them where they are. Gusto is the ideal partner to support as they reach new levels of scale.
“When we use external tools, we always want to make sure the services we use are aligned with our mission and always thinking about the future. We ask ourselves, are they continuing to do new and interesting things to support us? Do they have their ear on the ground to build tools that service businesses like ours? With Gusto, the answer is yes and they deliver every time.”