A 100-Year-Old Business Lowers Healthcare Costs and Increases HR Efficiency

The Challenge

Faced with rising healthcare premiums, the departure of their internal HR team, and feeling overlooked by a big-box outsourced HR provider, the COO of a 100-year-old, family-owned, medium-sized business was under pressure to find a cost-effective, long-term solution that would support the company’s future.

The Backstory

White Plains, NY-based Wallauer Paint & Design has been in business for over 100 years, spanning five generations of family ownership. With 120 employees across 16 locations, Wallauer’s is a thriving organization with HR needs that have evolved alongside a century of changing legislation and industry best practices.

The company had been using a large, big-box HR provider for their payroll, healthcare, and benefits administration. However, as healthcare costs surged for both the business and its employees, leadership sought a more cost-effective solution.

Additionally, Wallauer’s depended on a single in-house HR administrator to manage communications with their third-party HR provider. When that individual left the company, the burden of addressing rising healthcare costs and finding a new HR administrator fell squarely on the shoulders of the COO.

With these challenges in mind, Wallauer’s identified three critical priorities:

• Implement a new healthcare benefits solution
• Hire a qualified HR administrator to fill the vacant role
• Transition from their big-box HR provider to a more personalized, boutique HR partner

The Solution

After discussing their complex challenges with ExtensisHR, our team of HR and benefits experts developed a solution that would tackle their most pressing needs first.

To fill the vacant HR/payroll coordinator role, an ExtensisHR recruiter sourced, interviewed, and presented a selection of highly qualified candidates. This allowed Wallauer’s to quickly hire an ideal team member who would play a key role in the upcoming transitions.

Next, by conducting a thorough analysis of the company’s healthcare costs and benefits, ExtensisHR developed a more cost-effective healthcare package. The new plan reduced expenses for employees, lowered the company’s premiums, and ultimately enabled Wallauer’s to extend coverage to more staff members.

Transitioning away from their previous payroll and HR provider also proved to be a seamless experience. ExtensisHR established clear timelines, provided detailed guidance on necessary documentation, and ensured a smooth, efficient switch to their new HR partnership.

The ExtensisHR team provided comprehensive training to Wallauer’s new HR and Payroll Coordinator on our human resource information system (HRIS), which in turn offered a level of convenience and accessibility that was previously unavailable.

Reflecting on the benefits of the new tech platform, the HR and Payroll Coordinator shared:

“I have worked on many payroll and HR systems, so I asked a lot of tough questions to the ExtensisHR team. Not only does the system conform to exactly what I need it to do, but storing all HR, payroll, and recruiting information digitally, instead of in a filing cabinet, saves hours of time digging through paperwork.”

ExtensisHR PEO Services Provided

By partnering with ExtensisHR, Wallauer’s reduced costs and increased efficiency across every aspect of their HR administration.

Our comprehensive PEO solution involved a full-scope offering of:

• Recruiting
• Payroll and tax services
• HR guidance and support
• Benefits administration
• Employee time and attendance system

The Results

Within just a few months, Wallauer’s leadership team saw firsthand that ExtensisHR’s solutions were a perfect fit for their needs. Not only did they achieve cost savings, but ExtensisHR became a personalized, single point of contact to assist with every aspect of HR administration.

Key outcomes included:

• Employer healthcare premium costs reduced by ~$5k/ month. These cost savings enabled the company to expand healthcare coverage to an additional 10% of its workforce.
• Employees can complete essential HR-related tasks through ExtensisHR’s HRCloud platform and mobile app.
• Due to the reduction in administrative busy-work, Wallauer’s internal HR and Payroll Coordinator is free to focus on updating and streamlining important aspects of the company’s HR processes, including standardizing job descriptions, improving hiring practices, updating and distributing employee handbooks, and refining staff training programs.

Interested in learning more? Explore ExtensisHR’s solutions for specialty retailers.