Scholarly Success: MSP Solutions Customized for Universities

Since the pandemic, the remote workforce trend has impacted many sectors, and higher education is no exception. Like many American workers, university employees began seeking job opportunities in their home states or closer to family and friends, driven by the desire for greater personal connections and improved career flexibility. This shift compelled universities across the globe to swiftly adapt to the evolving workforce landscape to retain top talent. 

Let’s explore how DZConneX assisted one of our higher education industry customers with navigating the remote workforce trend, the challenges they faced, and the innovative solutions DZConneX brought to the table so our customer could maintain a thriving academic environment in a flexible, remote work setting. 

The Dilemma

The primary challenges for the university were twofold: not only were their top-tier staff members moving to states or jurisdictions where the university wasn't registered as a business entity, but without a structural adjustment, they couldn’t tap into top talent outside of their historically sourced area.

These issues resulted in several downstream challenges, including:

• Legal and compliance hurdles
• Complexities in tracking and managing employee residency and tax obligations 
• The need for the institution to adapt to a remote workforce while maintaining operational effectiveness and regulatory compliance

To address these issues, the university needed a partner who could:

• Act as the talent's employer of record (EOR) in these new locations
• Enhance talent attraction and retention
• Provide comparable benefits
• Ensure cost savings
• Seamlessly implement these innovative solutions

The Strategy

To address the university's unique challenges, we crafted a customized vendor-neutral managed services program (MSP) and transition strategy. This solution allowed full-time university employees to transition onto DZConneX's payroll as contingent workers, ensuring they retained their positions and comparable benefit packages. Additionally, our approach enabled the university to recruit talent from across the United States. 

The detailed transition plan included:

• Worker Outreach and Communications: Comprehensive communication strategies to keep employees informed and engaged throughout the transition.
• Road Shows and Live Training Sessions: Interactive sessions to educate employees and managers about the new processes and benefits.
• Hands-On Training for Workers and Hiring Managers: Practical training to ensure a smooth transition and efficient adaptation to new systems – providing the knowledge and tools needed to excel in a remote environment.

By leveraging our scalable back-office operations and technology, we were able to automate and streamline processes, including payment and deduction management and benefits administration across various jurisdictions. We also customized modules in the VMS to build tax tables and provided custom reporting, ensuring compliance and operational efficiency. 

The Impact

DZConneX's innovative MSP solution delivered outstanding results for the university, demonstrating our ability to navigate and solve complex workforce challenges.

Key outcomes include:

• 99% of Workers Transitioned: Nearly all of the university's full-time employees successfully moved onto DZConneX's payroll as contingent workers, ensuring continuity and satisfaction.
• Payroll in 15 States: Our solution enabled payroll management across 15 states, highlighting our capability to handle multi-jurisdictional compliance and administration.
  
• Access to a Larger Talent Pool: The university gained access to a broader talent pool, allowing them to recruit top-tier candidates from across the US.
• Increased Satisfaction: Both candidate and hiring manager satisfaction saw a significant boost, reflecting the effectiveness and efficiency of our tailored solution.

Additional benefits observed: 

• Streamlined Operations: Leveraging scalable back-office operations and technology, we automated processes, including payment and benefits administration, ensuring seamless operations.
• Customized VMS Modules: Our technology integrations, including custom VMS modules and tax table configurations, provided comprehensive reporting and compliance tracking.
• Enhanced Communication and Training: Our detailed transition plan, featuring worker outreach, roadshows, and hands-on training sessions, ensured a smooth transition and high engagement levels. 

DZConneX has successfully implemented similar customized solutions for several colleges and universities facing the need to accommodate a remote workforce. Our experience and expertise in this sector have consistently delivered exceptional results, helping institutions adapt and thrive in a dynamic workforce landscape. 

If your college or university is facing similar workforce challenges, let the DZConneX experts help you navigate your workforce complexities.