UKG Pro + Nectar Integration

Connect UKG Pro to Nectar and keep employee data synchronized across your entire organization, from corporate offices to frontline sites.

Overview

UKG Pro is the HCM platform behind many large and mid-sized organizations. Nectar connects to it so recognition, rewards, and communications reflect your real organization: every location, department, and reporting line. New hires get access automatically, changes carry over, and departing employees are deactivated, keeping thousands of records accurate without manual work.

Ideal for:

• Mid-sized and enterprise organizations running HR in UKG Pro
• Frontline and multi-location employers in healthcare, retail, and manufacturing
• HRIS teams that want to choose between an API connection and a file feed
• Organizations recognizing employees at scale

How It Works

Nectar reads employee data from UKG Pro and uses it to create, update, and deactivate Nectar accounts. Data flows one way, from UKG Pro into Nectar, so UKG Pro stays your single source of truth.

What data syncs

• First name, preferred first name, and last name
• Work email (personal email is used only if no work email exists)
• Employee ID
• Job title and department
• Manager
• Office location and country
• Hire date and birthday
• Phone number
• Employment status (active or terminated)

Every field has a job inside Nectar. Manager relationships assign manager roles and Team Insights automatically. Hire dates and birthdays drive work anniversary and birthday celebrations in Nectar Recognition. Departments and locations power analytics filters, Group Give, and audience targeting in Nectar Comms, Nectar Engage, and Nectar Flows. Hire dates and work anniversaries can also trigger Nectar Flows, and manager relationships assign reviewers in Nectar Perform and build the org view in Nectar Signals. Country keeps the rewards catalog relevant for each employee, and phone numbers enable SMS delivery in Nectar Comms.

Sync behavior

• API connection: syncs automatically every day, with an on-demand Sync & Import option
• SFTP connection: runs each time UKG Pro delivers a file; most teams schedule a daily delivery early on weekday mornings
• Either way, new hires are added, profile changes carry over, and terminated employees are deactivated

New users are created quietly by default. When you are ready to launch, turn on "Send Nectar platform email invitations to new users" so every future hire gets an invite automatically.

Authentication method

For the API connection, a UKG Pro administrator creates a service account with permission to view employee person details and provides it with your Customer API Key and web service URL. For SFTP, UKG delivers a scheduled report with an SSH key. API connections are read-only, and Nectar never asks for or stores your UKG Pro login credentials. SFTP files are encrypted in transit over SSH, and the private key never leaves your systems.

Where users interact

Admins connect, monitor, and pause the integration in Nectar under Workspace Settings, then Integrations. Employees never touch it: they just find an accurate profile, the right manager, and their teammates already in Nectar when they log in.

Key Features + Benefits

• Automatic provisioning: new hires in UKG Pro get Nectar accounts without a manual upload
• Always-current profiles: title, department, manager, and location changes flow into Nectar
• Automated offboarding: terminated employees are deactivated, not deleted, so access ends and records stay intact
• Your choice of connection: connect through UKG Pro's API for the fastest setup, or a scheduled SFTP report for full control over every field
• Celebrations on autopilot: birthdays and work anniversaries are recognized automatically from synced dates
• Controlled launch: accounts are created quietly, and invitations go out only when you turn them on
• Selective sync: choose exactly which departments and employee types are included

Setup and Implementation

Setting up the UKG Pro integration follows four steps: Connect, Authorize, Map, and Enable. Your Nectar Customer Success Manager guides you through each one.

High-level setup steps

1. Connect: In Nectar, go to Workspace Settings, then Integrations, and choose either the HRIS API connection (Connect HRIS) or HRIS SFTP Sync (Connect SFTP).
2. Authorize: Search for UKG Pro and enter your Customer API Key, service account credentials, and web service URL, or add the public SSH key for a scheduled SFTP report.
3. Map: For the API, choose the departments and employee types to include. For SFTP, build a scheduled UKG Pro report delivered over SFTP, typically set up through a UKG service request using Nectar's template columns.
4. Enable: Run your first import, confirm your users, schedule ongoing syncs, and turn on invitations when you are ready to launch.

Requirements

• A UKG Pro service account with permission to view employee person details, and your Customer API Key
• UKG may charge a one-time fee to set up an integration; check with your UKG representative
• Nectar admin access

Estimated setup time

The API connection usually takes under 30 minutes once your service account is ready. An SFTP feed typically takes a few weeks while UKG sets up the export.

Your integration should never delay your launch. If the connection is not live yet, Nectar's Bulk Upload loads your employees from a spreadsheet so you can launch on schedule and switch to the automated sync when it is ready.

Detailed, step-by-step instructions are available in the Nectar Help Center.

Use Cases

• Provision employees across every site from one connection
• Target Nectar Comms to specific locations, departments, or job groups
• Keep large manager hierarchies accurate for Team Insights and Nectar Perform
• Celebrate service anniversaries for long-tenured employees automatically
• Deactivate departing employees as soon as UKG reflects the change

Security & Compliance

Nectar protects employee data at every step of the UKG Pro connection.

• Read-only API access through a SOC 2 Type II audited integration partner, or SSH key-authenticated SFTP
• Nectar never stores your UKG Pro login credentials, and SFTP private keys never leave your systems
• Data is encrypted in transit
• Nectar only uses the profile fields listed above and never syncs compensation, bank details, or benefits elections
• Only Nectar admins can connect, pause, or remove the integration
• Nectar maintains a SOC 2 Type II report, audited annually, with security documentation available in the Nectar Trust Center

Learn more on the Nectar Security page and in the Nectar Trust Center.

Support & Resources

• Nectar Help Center
• How to sync employee data with Nectar using SFTP
• How to monitor and manage your HRIS SFTP sync
• Bulk upload users (to launch before your sync is live)
• Nectar Trust Center
• Email Nectar Support at [email protected], or contact your Customer Success Manager