The popularity of Advanto's Earned Wage Access benefit keeps rising among both companies and their employees. Access to their earnings not only reduces turnover and increases employee efficiency, but above all offers them a way to avoid predatory loans in difficult financial situations and provides them with a financial safety net. That is also why, a few years ago, the ORLEN Unipetrol group decided to offer this modern benefit to its workers.
The ORLEN Unipetrol group, which employs almost 6,000 people, includes refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, the Paramo company in Pardubice, the Spolana company in Neratovice, the REMAQ company in Otrokovice, and two research centers in Litvínov and Brno. ORLEN Unipetrol also includes a network of ORLEN filling stations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. With a broad workforce and a long history dating back to 1939, the ORLEN Unipetrol group achieves revenues of CZK 166.4 billion1. The care this significant employer on the Czech market provides for its workers has already been recognized several times, including the Sodexo Employer of the Year 2023 awards. This applies both in the Ústí nad Labem region and in the national final. The regional title was defended again in 2024.
A long-standing player chooses a modern solution
As part of its employee care and development efforts, the company offers a range of above-standard benefits. "We are constantly trying to develop the care we provide for our employees and come up with new ideas," says Michał Chmiel, HR Director of the ORLEN Unipetrol group. In 2022, the company was looking for a way to expand its range of employee benefits in order to provide help in the event of a difficult financial situation. The solution was based on the condition of avoiding thoughtless indebtedness through microloans. After a market survey, the ideal solution was found in the Earned Wage Access benefit from Advanto.
This benefit from Advanto consists of giving employees access to money they have already earned via a simple app. If needed, a user can transfer part of their already worked but not yet paid wages to their bank account. The service is not linked to any interest, individual approval of withdrawals, or an increase in administrative work. Everything happens automatically, without any impact on the company's cash flow. After the end of the calendar month, a single spreadsheet with the paid-out advances is imported into the accounting system, which processes the statements. Employees' pay is automatically reduced by the amount they withdrew before the payday through Advanto. The company sends the remaining part, i.e. the paid-out advances, to Advanto.
A connection to a complex system is no obstacle for Advanto
Integration is often almost a dirty word. Although ORLEN Unipetrol is a large company with robust information systems, high standards of data protection, and a broad geographic footprint, introducing the benefit went smoothly. For the benefit to work within the company, it first has to be connected to the payroll system and, where applicable, the time-and-attendance system. Since Advanto works with most payroll and attendance systems, this is generally a very fast, simple, and worry-free process. In the case of ORLEN Unipetrol, the connection was made to a customized SAP system, which allows Advanto to obtain the necessary data on registered employees, for whom the available portion of their wages is then gradually calculated in the app based on hours worked and other internal criteria.
At the start of summer 2022, a pilot run of the benefit was launched at ORLEN Unipetrol RPA. It proved successful very quickly, and it was expanded to Paramo and ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava just half a year later. At this point, employees of Spolana also have access to the benefit. Employees of all the companies mentioned have access to Earned Wage Access according to a unified setup. Based on attendance, employees on a main employment contract have a portion of their earned wages, up to a maximum of 50% of their salary and at the same time a maximum of CZK 25,000, calculated in the app. Users of the mobile or web app can withdraw their earned money at any time during the month in just a few clicks.
Satisfied employees, satisfied company
The benefit is receiving positive feedback both from employees and from the company's management. A total of 91% of registered users have already made a withdrawal of their money before the payday. "Employees who use the benefit are definitely satisfied with the process of getting paid. This benefit really helps them," says Michal Pečený, HR Specialist at ORLEN Unipetrol RPA. This is also confirmed by an internal satisfaction survey, in which satisfaction among most employees is at its maximum. On average, employees withdraw their pay 4 times a month, which suggests a preference for weekly pay, which is standard in Western countries. These figures also almost match the overall average behavior of Advanto app users, with an average amount per withdrawal of CZK 2,000. According to Advanto's data, 70% of Czechs rely on financial help from their employer in the event of financial difficulties. However, it is not easy to ask for help. That is why Advanto provides a form of wage advance without the need for approval or a visit to the HR department. In addition, ORLEN Unipetrol covers each employee's first withdrawal of the month, which can be up to CZK 10,000.
According to Advanto's data, 45% of early wage withdrawals help bridge unexpected expenses. Roughly the same percentage of withdrawals go toward covering regular expenses, including housing and energy payments, which are becoming less affordable due to rising prices. With almost two successful years of the benefit at ORLEN Unipetrol, the question arises: what's next? Based on a survey of how the benefit has been used over this period, the primary settings for accessing Earned Wage Access have been confirmed to work well, fulfilling the goal of providing responsible help in the event of unexpected expenses that can affect any employee. Given that both companies also operate in Poland, there is an opportunity to expand the benefit under a similar setup beyond the borders of the Czech Republic.
