While the intention might have been right - to bring "the best of Ultimate & Kronos together" - the execution has been rough. IMO, at the heart of it is the identity of each company - Kronos, the dominant 800 lb gorilla in the WFM space, paired with Ultimate, the scrappy payroll/HCM underdog (to ADP in midmarket, Workday in enterprise).
I came from the U-side, and that underdog, "us against them" mythology (the "300" references and all) was front-and-center to the Ultimate identity, but after the merger, it was hard to tell if UKG is still "Sparta" or a part of the "Red Horde". And nowhere in the Mission/Vision/Values or in establishing the origin story of UKG did we form a unifying identity. "We're United, Kind, and, Growing", "we have unparalleled HCM & WFM", and "we inspire greatness", are all great messages. But without that core internal identity - and often conflicting identity representing/selling/supporting both a dominant WFM and a scrappy HCM - no one seems to know what the "main thing" is anymore.
What does this lead to? Everyone is afraid of doing something wrong, so nothing gets done, no decisions made. Following a process & "operationalizing" become the only objective. Nothing bold, Nothing creative. Nothing innovative. No purpose.
