Pizza makers and delivery drivers at Domino’s franchises won’t have to wait until payday to receive their wages, thanks to a new partnership with Minneapolis-based financial wellness benefit company Branch.
Last week, Branch partnered with Servant Systems — the software developers behind Domino’s PULSE, the franchise’s payroll and order entry system. Under their agreement, the more than 100,000 U.S. employees at Domino’s franchises will be able to receive hourly pay, tips and mileage reimbursement at the end of their shift through a digital account.
“At a time when speed of payments is essential to meeting day to day needs, faster access to wages is a major incentive for both employers and employees, especially when you’re not able to increase wages,”says Atif Siddiqi, CEO of Branch.
Domino’s is Branch’s first employer-client to utilize the same-day tip and mileage reimbursement features, introduced last week. Siddiqi says other food delivery companies have expressed interest in using Branch, but they’re not public yet. Domino’s software developers are confident employees will benefit greatly from the partnership.
“We’re excited to begin a partnership with Branch which will benefit both the franchisees and especially their employees,” said Bruce Franson, vice president and CTO of Servant Systems, in a company announcement.
Siddiqi says Domino’s franchises won’t have to worry about having enough cash on hand to distribute daily wages and tips; Branch fronts the money to ensure workers are paid after every shift.
“We’re seeing an increased demand for pizza delivery [because of the COVID-19 pandemic], but it’s mostly done on credit cards,” Siddiqi says. “That means employers don’t always have cash on hand to give drivers their tips.”
Virtually all industries have seen layoffs and furloughs due to the COVID-19 pandemic; in the month of March alone, 10 million workers filed for unemployment, according to the Labor Department. Layoffs can hit hourly employees hardest because they’re least likely to have emergency savings; 40% of hourly workers have no savings at all, according to a Branch survey. Siddiqi says providing instant access to wages will help existing employees feel more secure about the future.
“We understand cash flow needs are very top of mind right now; extending a financial wellness [benefit] really goes a long way for [hourly workers,]” Siddiqi says.
Branch was originally founded as a scheduling platform for hourly employees; it evolved to provide early wage access, budgeting tools and suggestions for shifts to pick up when bills are due to hourly workers at no charge. Employees have the option of using Branch as a debit account through employer-provided cards, made possible through a partnership with
In response to the financial strain caused by coronavirus,
“We work with employers with the promise that we will get their employees to be more productive by reducing the financial stressors in their everyday lives,” said David Kilby, founder and president of FinFit, in a previous report.
