Flora-Bama Leans Into Tech and Safety to Stay Compliant
With its eye on continued growth, entertainment and hospitality outfit had to replace its archaic, paper-based processes with a fully integrated HR platform, as well as improve its safety measures to handle a 1,200-person workforce in its peak season.
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Client
Amanda Dickens, HR Director
Company
Flora-Bama Enterprise
Employees
Industry
Hospitality/ Restaurant & Entertainment
Locations
Pensacola, Florida
"From FMLA to workers’ comp, having that support means that as long as we do our part correctly, we know we’re covered."
– Amanda Dickens, HR Director
Challenge
Flora-Bama Enterprise was trying to manage during peak season across multiple hospitality-related properties along the Gulf Coast of Florida and Alabama — and trying to do so with paper-based processes, disconnected systems, and manual data entry. Add to that a heightened sense of safety with more staff working high-attendance events such as the Interstate Mullet Toss and Bulls on the Beach rodeo, the business needed to remain on top of workers’ compensation insurance and stay compliant.
How Paychex Helped
Amanda Dickens started working with the PEO team to connect HR, payroll, onboarding, applicant tracking, compliance, training, and safety into one ecosystem. Spearheaded by Relationship Manager Lisa Barton, HR Business Partner Roberta Harris, Payroll Specialist Cassie Carter, and Risk & Safety Representative Jim Van Duzen, the Paychex PEO team created a true extension of Flora-Bama’s HR staff. The result for Amanda, her team, and all the Flora-Bama holdings: more time for strategic work, measurable cost savings, and a culture built on data-driven decisions.
Success Strategy
Cassie Carter helped transition the business from manual payroll, hand-keyed tip pools, and multiple time clocks to web approval and payroll import. Using data, the PEO team created custom reports to look at staffing, workers’ comp and payroll to correct classification errors, and safety metrics that helped with understanding mishaps and correcting them. The development of a formal safety program that included multi-lingual training helped eliminate slip-and-fall incidents over a four-year period, reduce an OSHA fine, and create a culture of “see it and say it.” The Paychex PEO also helped the business prioritize compliance with Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements, demonstrating a measurable value.
"We created an [in-house] safety position because our Paychex rep showed executives how critical safety and risk mitigation is.”
– Amanda Dickens, HR Director
Onboarding with Paychex Flex® Can Help Retention
