Tech innovator spotlight: Isaac Oates

Isaac Oates’ own run-in with clunky HR processes at his previous startup company, Adtuitive, made him realize there needed to be a better solution for small businesses.

So Oates created one in 2012 when he founded Justworks — an HR and payroll management company that manages compliance with local, state and federal regulations, including payroll tax filing, 1099 filings, state and unemployment insurance and worker’s compensation insurance. JustWorks also offers employment practice liability insurance, and for businesses with more than 50 employees, ACA compliance.

Oates is the recipient of a Dig|Benefits Technology Innovator Award, a program designed to recognize visionaries who are driving technology innovation in the employee benefits space. Winners will be honored at the Dig|Benefits conference this week in Austin, Tex.

Oates believes technology will have some exciting consequences for small businesses, especially.

“In the next 10 years, [technology will] democratize some of the benefits that have traditionally only been available to larger organizations — things like comprehensive and affordable health plans and gym memberships,” he says. “Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy, but as the next generation enters the workforce, expectations for benefits are high. A side effect of the technology boom and the workplace perks that have come along with it is that millennial workers expect a broad range of benefits that generations past wouldn’t have dreamed of.”

For more details on the Dig|Benefits event, including the agenda and registration information, visit the conference website.
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