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How an AmLaw 50 law firm overhauled its commuter benefits program, cutting 40 hours of admin time each month and boosting employee retention and recruitment.
HQ: San Francisco
Industry: Law
In a highly competitive industry where every advantage counts, one AmLaw 50 law firm identified early on that commuter benefits were a smart way to keep employees happy and attract new talent. With ~2,000 employees across 16 offices, the company offered a generous transportation subsidy, ensuring that employees had a cost-effective way to get to and from work.
The well-intentioned benefit, however, ended up causing significant administrative pain for HR teams and confusion for employees. So when they decided they needed a new solution for commuter benefits, they turned to Jawnt.
Like many companies, the firm had long struggled with their commuter program. At first, they managed everything in-house, with the HR Operations team handling payroll deductions, managing tax compliance across many locations, distributing physical passes, and responding to ongoing employee support questions.
When that got unwieldy, they decided to hand off commuter benefits to their FSA vendor. But the platform was clunky and difficult to use, requiring manual tweaks and edits from the HR Ops team every month. Employees had difficulty managing their benefits and understanding the enrollment process. Even simple tasks like resetting a password led to multiple internal tickets per week, causing meaningful strain on the HR Ops team.
The tipping point came when the HR team realized that a better benefits experience would be a major competitive differentiator in recruitment and retention—especially when cash compensation across peer firms was largely equal. Offering best-in-class commuter benefits would not only ease the HR team’s pain and improve the employee experience, but also offer a leg-up in their efforts to recruit the best candidates out there.
When the Sr. Manager of HR Operations polled his team on what would make their lives easier, he found that they were in need of an all-encompassing solution:
“How can we streamline administration and improve the overall employee experience for both current employees and new hires?”
Enter Jawnt.
40 hours of admin time saved every month
Jawnt reduced 40 hours of manual work per month by addressing the HR Ops team’s biggest pain point: automating payroll deductions.
Previously, the HR Ops team had to send dozens of spreadsheets to their FSA vendor each month with employee information. With Jawnt, the process is automated, and takes the burden off of the administrator. Employees select their deductions in Jawnt’s app, the organization’s custom subsidies are calculated, and then Jawnt sends that information to the company’s payroll.
Jawnt gave employees a user-friendly experience
Jawnt also saved time by giving employees control over their accounts. Employees can now log in using single sign-on (SSO) and view their account balance and transaction history anytime. Jawnt’s intuitive app, clear onboarding, and monthly update emails helped employees understand and effectively manage their benefits.
During the transition process, the firm found that some employees had unknowingly overcontributed in the past - with some employees having greater than $10,000 locked away in their commuter accounts. Thanks to Jawnt’s account balance cap feature, employees can now spend down excess balances before new contributions are deducted—ensuring better use of the benefit across the board.
The verdict from one of the company’s most active commuters?
“It’s so easy!”
Built-in support
The big wins came from automating deductions, but the small wins on support added up too. Before Jawnt, the HR Ops team fielded tickets daily about everything from forgotten passwords to frozen dashboards. With personalized onboarding materials and a Help Center that administrators and users regularly visit, Jawnt took support off of HR Ops’ plate entirely.
Jawnt’s Customer Support team is entirely US-based, with a reputation for quick responses and a deep (borderline obsessive) knowledge of regional transportation. The approach goes beyond simply resolving issues—the team provides real, human-centered support. One HR lead shared that it’s the only vendor they direct employees to contact, knowing they’ll get fast, human help.
Together, these changes freed up valuable time for the firm’s HR team and delivered a smoother, more intuitive experience for employees. What used to be a monthly source of frustration is now a cornerstone of their workplace offering.
