The global pandemic was a wake-up call for companies nationwide. It was a time of realization for antiquated business processes. On the top of the list was “pay.” Not just the delivery of it, but the entire pay experience. And within months, we saw employers of all shapes and sizes adopting a new way to pay called on-demand pay (and sometimes earned wage access). And once they offered this benefit, these businesses realized reduced turnover, increased productivity and a more engaged, satisfied and financially secure workforce.
One expansive effect of this health crisis is the realization that life happens between paydays — especially when faced with needing cash to buy medicine, food or other necessities. It is no longer a viable option to expect your employees to wait every two or even four weeks to have access to the money they’ve earned.
DotCom Magazine Exclusive Interview: Jason Lee is the CEO and co-founder of DailyPay, a venture-backed financial tech company that enables employees to access their earned income before payday.
Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to DailyPay?
A: In 2015, I realized there was a big problem for anyone who received a paycheck. Payroll technology was controlling how families live and pay their bills, instead of the workers determining how and when they access the money they worked so hard to make. There had to be a better way. Despite living in an era of incredible technological advances, I realized there was still this profound need for working Americans to have access to their earned pay that would give them financial flexibility and empowerment over their money. So I took an in-depth look at how people were paid in this country. I saw an opportunity for change — and DailyPay was born. My first thought was to build completely from the ground up, to truly start from scratch.
By creating DailyPay, that’s exactly what we did. In 2016, we designed an unrivaled ecosystem (we call PayExTM) featuring a unique “pay experience” that benefits the employee and the employer. DailyPay offers employees choice and control over when and how they receive their earned pay. Unlike other providers, we support every aspect of the employee’s pay experience from payroll processing to pay access and even call center support. Our ecosystem unlocks the abilities for employers and employees to enjoy control and choice over their earned income.
In just a few years DailyPay was recognized as the gold standard in the industry with over 80% of Fortune 100 companies that offer an on-demand pay benefit using DailyPay as their provider.
• PAY: Employees can control how and when they get paid with instant access to earned income, transparent fees and 24/7/365 access to 100% of their earned income • SAVE: Employees can save their pay in three different ways — scheduled automatically, based on pay period earnings and/or at the time of an instant pay transfer • REWARD: Employers can reward their employees in an on-the-spot, compliant way (i.e., for taking on an extra shift when a coworker calls out) • CYCLE: Employers can easily and immediately process off-cycle payments (ex. missed shifts/termination pay)
The secret behind our success with PayEx is the finely thought out methodology in terms of both our product and the entire customer journey, from start to finish. We are a full service on-demand pay provider – a major differentiator with other providers. We take pride in delivering the “gold standard” of service to our partners and is the reason we are the top choice for Fortune 500 companies.
As a part of his series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” for Authority Magazine, Fotis Georgiadis sat down with Jason Lee, a fintech entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of DailyPay, the current market leader in the on-demand pay software sector.
“Ultimately, offering a real-time payment solution is a powerful way to strengthen the bond between enterprises and their employees while saving organizations time and cost. Choosing the right vendor will ensure that enterprises can offer this exciting new benefit (and reap its rewards) without compromising on security,” says Jason Lee, CEO Of DailyPay, in an exclusive interview withEnterpriseTalk.
Pay-advance apps have been downloaded millions of times, and more employers are offering them as benefits to workers who need cash.
Americans have become accustomed to summoning just about anything on demand, from groceries to car rides. Now it’s just as easy to get paid when you want.
As the coronavirus pandemic squeezes household budgets, workers and employers alike are increasingly turning to pay-advance apps. They allow users, for a sometimes-optional fee, to request money ahead of payday. One even briefly offered a program for those waiting for slow-to-arrive jobless benefits.
And many customers see them as lifelines.
“I turned to those pay-advance apps to compensate where I couldn’t,” said Tasha Ayala-Spain, an American Airlines employee from Upper Darby, Pa., whose hours were slashed this year. She has used Dave and Earnin to get advances of up to $200 per pay period.
“It wasn’t like a loan to a bank,” said Ms. Ayala-Spain, who sometimes worked 50-hour weeks before the pandemic, loading and unloading baggage, mail and medical equipment from airplanes. “You don’t have to pay interest.”
The appeal is obvious: For a few dollars or less, users can cover a bill that comes due in the middle of a pay cycle or get cash for an unexpected expense, like a wildfire or hurricane evacuation. By tapping their earned but unpaid income early, they can avoid overdraft fees, late charges or worse — more predatory lenders. And come payday, the advance is repaid from their bank account or directly from their paycheck.
But these services, which millions have downloaded, come with question marks. Some customers have sued, regulators across the country are looking into their practices, and consumer advocates fear that the apps are glossy packaging for the kind of lending that can leave users stuck in an expensive cycle of debt.
At the peak of the Covid-19 lockdowns, one way companies had to immediately digitize their systems was by accelerating on-demand business payments, like employee payments. Jason Lee, CEO and Co-Founder at DailyPay joins GlobalFinTechSeries to share his thoughts and to talk about DailyPay’s journey so far.
As we continue to grapple with the effects of the first wave of COVID-19, a second wave feels distant. But another wave of financial challenges is just around the corner. Business leaders can help their employees prepare by empowering them to build savings now, mitigating significant financial worry.
Jason Lee, CEO at DailyPay — the award-winning, gold standard on-demand platform offering comprehensive pay-experience solutions to world-class companies and their millions of employees, including Kroger, Adecco, and Berkshire Hathaway — says the key to preparing for the “second wave” of COVID-19 challenges is helping employees build financial stability now.
In a new survey of hourly workers jointly conducted by DailyPay and Funding our Future, 50% of respondents said they are either “finding it difficult to get by” or are “just getting by.” Another 40% reported they’re having difficulty paying bills each month.
DailyPay, the gold standard of the on-demand pay ecosystem, today announced that Chief Executive Officer, Jason Lee, has been named the Gold Winner for “Innovator of the Year” for this year’s CEO World Awards.
The CEO World Awards celebrate the accomplishments of leaders and their most outstanding initiatives and achievements. Chief Executive Officers lead the development of the organization’s short- and long-term strategy. This annual awards program recognizes individuals who set industry benchmarks for excellence.
A financial engineer by training, Lee spent nearly two decades on Wall Street creating numerous new products and markets to manage areas of risk. In 2015, he disrupted the calcified world of payroll processing by launching a start-up, which grew into a premiere enterprise software company that promotes financial wellness.
