The popularity of the Earned wage access benefit from Advanta is constantly growing among both companies and their employees. Not only does access to their earnings reduce turnover and increase employee efficiency, but more importantly, it offers them a way to avoid predatory lending in difficult financial situations and provides them with a financial safety net. This is also why ORLEN Unipetrol Group decided a few years ago to provide this modern benefit to its employees.
The ORLEN Unipetrol Group, which employs almost 6,000 people, includes refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo in Pardubice, Spolana in Neratov, REMAQ in Otrokovice and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. ORLEN Unipetrol also includes a network of ORLEN petrol stations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. With a broad base of employees and a long history dating back to 1939, ORLEN Unipetrol has revenues of CZK 166.4 billion1. The care of its employees by such a major employer on the Czech market has already been recognised several times, including at the Sodexo Employer of the Year 2023 Awards, both in the Ústí Region and in the national finals. The regional title was also defended in 2024.
Longtime player opts for modern solution
As part of employee care and development, the company provides a number of above-standard benefits. "We are constantly trying to develop our employee care and come up with new ideas," says Michał Chmiel, HR Director of ORLEN Unipetrol Group. In 2022, the company was looking for a way to expand the range of employee benefits in order to provide assistance in the event of finding itself in a difficult financial situation. The solution was based on the condition of avoiding unthinking debt with micro-loans. After researching the market, the ideal solution was discovered and provided by Advanta's Earned wage access benefit.
This benefit from Advanto consists of making earnings available to employees via a simple app. If necessary, the user can send a portion of his/her already worked but not yet paid wages to his/her bank account. The service does not involve interest, individual approval of withdrawals or an abode of administrative work. Everything happens automatically without interference with the company's cash flow. At the end of the calendar month, a single spreadsheet with the advances paid is imported into the accounting system, which processes the statements. Employees will automatically have their pay reduced by the amount they have withdrawn before the payroll deadline via Advanto. The remaining amount, i.e. the advances paid, will be sent by the company to Advanto.
Connecting to a comprehensive system is not a barrier for Advanto
Integration is often almost a dirty word. Even though ORLEN Unipetrol is a large company with robust information systems, high standards in data protection and a wide geographical scope, the introduction of the benefit went smoothly. In order for the benefit to work in the company, it must first be linked to the payroll and possibly attendance systems. Due to Advanta's cooperation with most payroll and time and attendance systems, this is generally a very quick, simple and hassle-free process. In the case of ORLEN Unipetrol, the connection to the SAP system has been made, which enables Advanta to obtain the necessary data on registered employees, who are then gradually loaded into the application with the available part of their salary, based on hours worked and other internal criteria.
At the beginning of the summer of 2022, the pilot operation of the benefit was launched at ORLEN Unipetrol RPA. It proved to be very successful very quickly and the further extension to Paramo and ORLEN Unipetrol Transport took place after only half a year. At that moment, the benefit is also available to Spolana employees. For employees of all the companies mentioned above, the Earned wage access has been made available according to a uniform setup. Based on attendance, employees employed on the main employment contract have a portion of their earnings loaded in the application, amounting to a maximum of 50% of their salary and a maximum of CZK 25,000. Users of the mobile or web app can withdraw their earnings at any time during the month with a few clicks.
Satisfied employees, satisfied company
The benefit has received positive feedback from both employees and management. A total of 91% of registered users have already withdrawn their money before the payday. "Employees who use the benefit are definitely satisfied with the payout process. This benefit really helps them," mentions Michal Pečený, HR Specialist at ORLEN Unipetrol RPA. This corresponds with the internal satisfaction survey, which is maximum among most employees. On average, employees collect their salary 4 times a month, indicating a preference for weekly pay, which is standard in Western countries. These figures also almost match the overall average behaviour of Advanto users with an average amount per withdrawal of CZK 2 000. According to Advanto's data, 70% of Czechs rely on their employer for financial assistance in case of financial difficulties. However, it is not easy to ask for help. That's why Advanto provides some form of salary advance without the need for approval or a visit to the HR department. In addition, ORLEN Unipetrol pays each employee's first pay withdrawal of the month, which can be up to CZK 10,000.
According to data from Advanto, 45% of early wage withdrawals help cover unexpected expenses. Roughly the same percentage of withdrawals go to cover current expenses, including housing and utility payments, which are becoming less affordable as prices rise. With almost two successful years of benefits at ORLEN Unipetrol, the question is, what next? Based on a survey on the use of the benefit over the past period, the primary conditions for the Earned wage access feature have been confirmed to function as intended, meeting the goal of providing responsible assistance in case of unexpected expenses that any employee might encounter. Given that both companies also operate in Poland, there is an opportunity to expand the benefit in a similar manner beyond the borders of the Czech Republic.
