Recently merged Ultimate and Kronos rebrand as UKG – Europe’s PeopleDoc differentiates

Two giants of the HCM market combine to create a new powerhouse in the industry.

Kronos Incorporated, PeopleDoc, and Ultimate Software recently announced a rebrand and new company name, UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group). The rebrand included the unveiling of a new tagline, “Our purpose is people.”

The announcement of a rebrand normally calls my attention to naming, messaging, and tone of voice. However, in this case, the announcement is coming just four months after Ultimate Software and Kronos Incorporated made big global HCM market news with a merger resulting in a new $22 billion powerhouse.

While much of the analysis of this year’s merger has focused on the Ultimate and Kronos, who rightly are the principal parties in the transaction, the rebrand quickly brings my attention to PeopleDoc, a strong European-based HR service delivery tech provider that has retained its brand independence since Ultimate acquired it in 2018.

This rebrand represents a strong early commitment to bring all three brands together as one and sends a message to the market that UKG is becoming a unified brand that also has a codified plan for its future platform and product offerings.

Kronos and Ultimate combine core HCM platform capabilities and impressive people data and analytics together with time, attendance, workforce management, and planning. An impressive suite of capabilities for HR leaders in the enterprise. Having market-leading HR service delivery in the suite is amplified, as many B2B technologies have been when the experience delivered by HR to the employee is in direct correlation not only to employee experience but also to trust in leadership and resilience.

Companies face uncertainty and inconsistencies in work models and the guidance and policy of the return to the office or shop floor from region to region. The resulting demands on the HR chief for leadership in both policy and employee experience thrust them into the spotlight and require HR to rethink service delivery strategy and the key performance indicators (KPIs) that demonstrate HR’s success.

Our new brand, UKG, truly unites Kronos, PeopleDoc, and Ultimate both as a business and as people.

Aron Ain, CEO of UKG

As brands come together, it isn’t just about the integration of products and marketing assets. The alignment of cultures is often an overlooked factor for success. In this case, the cultures across Ultimate and Kronos are not just known as high performing, but both employee bases are known as downright cheerleaders for both companies’ styles of leadership and overall employee experience. As the firm goes to market globally they draw from decades of experience serving thousands of customers globally in myriad industries.

“After announcing PeopleDoc’s acquisition by Ultimate Software and merger with Kronos, it’s now time to announce that we’re becoming one family unified under a single name.”

Jonathan Benhamou and Clement Buyse, co-founders of PeopleDoc

The new UKG is positioned well globally to deliver integrated HCM and workforce management with leading HR service delivery capabilities that enable organizations to address challenges of the future workforce today by connecting employees to their work and each other, providing insights that help promote better business outcomes, and helping organizations develop people-centered HR programs and effective operations.

While there is much left to do to bring these teams and products onto one platform, this rebrand represents an energetic start. UKG is definitely one to watch.

Access UKG’s European press release on the rebrand here.