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UKG Advances Workforce Operations Leadership with Expansion of UKG Frontline Worker Network
UKG®, the AI-first Workforce Operating Platform for HR, payroll, and workforce management, today announced the addition of Cash App to the UKG Frontline Worker Network, expanding the curated ecosystem of partners that connects frontline workers with benefits and support directly in the flow of their UKG work, pay, and collaboration experience.
UKG serves more than 65 million workers and more than 80,000 organizations across 150+ countries, including two-thirds of the Fortune™ 1000. That scale gives UKG a unique view into where work, financial, and everyday needs intersect, like the need for cheaper groceries, the ability to build better credit faster, and even getting tax refunds earlier. The Frontline Worker Network extends UKG's ability to support workers in those moments by connecting them with trusted services directly through UKG's Workforce Operating Platform.
"UKG is the center of gravity for frontline workforce operations, and that gives us an opportunity to support workers beyond the traditional boundaries of HR and benefits administration,” said Suresh Vittal, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at UKG. “Through the Frontline Worker Network, we are bringing trusted services directly to employees in the flow of work — before, during, or after pay day, and through mobile tools like UKG Talk that help frontline teams stay connected."
The UKG Frontline Worker Network is a value-add experience for all UKG customers, available to customer employees in a way that makes it easier for everyone to benefit from trusted services at scale.
Supporting Frontline Workers Before, On, and After Payday
Traditional benefits experiences often start with what an employer offers. The UKG Frontline Worker Network starts with the everyday realities of frontline workers — identifying where, when, and how support can make work and life easier — then making relevant support accessible through UKG. Since launching the network in 2025, UKG has focused its expansion on critical moments in the frontline worker journey, including:
- Between paydays: Just 46% of U.S. adults have enough money saved to cover three months of expenses, according to Bankrate. Through partners Payactiv and ZayZoon, UKG helps frontline employees access earned wages when bills or unexpected expenses arrive between paydays.
- On payday: Nearly one-in-five U.S. households are in underbanked or unbanked communities, according to the FDIC. UKG helps workers set up accounts and direct deposit with providers including OnePay and Cash App, facilitating faster and easier access to employees' pay, which allows them to manage their everyday money in one place.
- At tax time: The IRS says a federal tax refund is often one of the largest cash inflows an employee receives during the year. UKG helps frontline workers simplify filing through services such Cash App Taxes, including the ability to use W-2 information available through UKG to file more quickly and accurately.
“In a world where recruitment and retention is in a totally different market than it's ever been, and it's tougher than it's ever been, earned wage access is something that we know employees want,” said Kayla Linn, Chief People Officer at Eventide | Tabitha. “It isn't something that's very commonly offered in our market. We wanted to be different and provide more to our employees than we ever have before, when financial situations arise.”
For employers, supporting financial stability isn't simply an employee benefit. 2026 research from PwC found financially stressed employees are 5x more likely to be distracted at work, with 57% of employees citing finances are their top life stressor. When workers have greater financial flexibility and fewer everyday barriers to showing up, organizations have an opportunity to improve retention, attendance, engagement, and workforce stability.
“Our research with thousands of frontline workers shows that many feel their needs are not met as fully as those of office-based employees," said Ben Eubanks, Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory. "UKG’s Frontline Worker Network is designed to help close that gap by connecting workers with meaningful support — benefiting employees and helping employers attract, engage and retain the frontline talent their businesses depend on.”
By connecting trusted services directly to the UKG experiences employees already use, like UKG Talk, the Frontline Worker Network helps UKG customers extend their employee value proposition beyond traditional HR and benefits. Workers gain easier access to meaningful support, while employers gain another way to strengthen the frontline experience and the workforce outcomes that depend on it.
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