ADP Overview

ADP Culture - It Starts with Incredible People

“The common understanding in business is that the ‘employer’ is the boss and the ‘employees’ are underneath.   On the other hand, an ‘associate’ is part of the team. So on my first day on the job, I started calling people associates and every time I saw a letter or some other piece of copy that said employee I crossed it out and wrote in the word associate. Gradually the idea took hold.”  - Josh Weston, CEO 1982-1996 

Frank Lautenberg, CEO 1974-1982, added, “The associate concept was a wonderful addition to our culture. Associates share common goals and have common missions. That’s what ADP is all about.”

Are you someone who likes to work in an entrepreneurial environment, but enjoy the resources of a global company to help you achieve your professional goals?  If so, then ADP is the right place for you.  

As a technology and services company, ADP is focused on providing World Class Service to our clients with their technology needs in payroll, HR services, and vehicle dealerships.  We need top quality talent, like yourself, to help us compete and win in our marketplace. 

Work Environment
Our environment is fast paced and dynamic, and rewards associates who are motivated, innovative, and results-orientated.  At ADP, we emphasize a healthy work/life balance so that you are able to achieve your professional goals and still have a rewarding personal life.  Our environment is also friendly and collaborative, where everyone contributes and succeeds together.  You will often find managers working side-by-side with their associates to achieve a common goal or to meet a project deadline.  

Personal Impact
Our culture is such that you are empowered to make decisions and have the opportunity to express your views and opinions in team meetings and at client visits.  At ADP, we encourage you to build relationships, collaborate on projects with colleagues and clients, and exceed expectations.  You will have a voice in the work we deliver to our clients and influence in how your own career develops.  Our open culture fosters sharing of ideas, the opportunity to challenge yourself, and prudent risk-taking without the fear of occasional failure.  At ADP, you will make a real impact with your hard work and involvement.

Training and Development 
We know our associates are the key to our success at ADP!  Highly motivated associates have always made a difference at ADP, and the investment we make in your future – from training to career development – is a fundamental investment in the future of ADP.  We provide a rich culture for learning and development, along with access to a wide variety of tools that assist our associates in reaching their professional goals.  For example, we offer over 5,000 online courses that associates can use, 24/7.  Training magazine has recently named us one of the top companies for our commitment to ongoing learning. 

Career Potential 
ADP offers endless possibilities for your career.  Associates at ADP are given the opportunity to explore roles in a wide variety of functions across numerous locations in the U.S. and around the world.  You will always find new challenges that allow you to develop your skills and knowledge, as well as opportunities to explore areas of interest and advance along your chosen career path.  At ADP, you’ll enjoy an outstanding career that continually progress within one global organization.  

ADP History – Stable, Reliable and Profitable

"We formed an effective trio, with complementary strengths--me in accounting, Joe in organization, and Frank in marketing--and very compatible in personality and business style." – Henry Taub, Founder of ADP, Inc.

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADP) was founded in 1949 by a Patterson, New Jersey businessman named, Henry Taub under the name of Automatic Payrolls, Inc.  The company’s first account was New Era Dye and Finishing in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.  In 1958, the company changed its name to Automatic Data Processing and began using new technology for its time like punch card machines, check printing machines, and mainframe computers.  ADP’s  first full-time salesman was future U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg.  In 1961, ADP became a public company.

Throughout its remarkable 60 year history, ADP’s business model remains sound to this very day – providing transaction-based information processing and other services that are mission-critical to a client's business. Since virtually all of the transactions we perform are repetitive in nature, they also generate reliable and predictable streams of revenue that has weathered virtually every economic cycle for the past six decades.

Furthermore, through the decades, the story of ADP has illustrated a number of principles that still guide the company:

• Focusing on business markets that offer significant growth opportunities, recurring revenue, the chance to be the industry leader, and where clients have significant service needs.
• Embracing technological change to enhance product and service offerings.
• Attracting and retaining motivated, talented people who are committed to our aspirations and who help us win in the marketplace.

Today, ADP is one of the world's largest providers of business outsourcing, with operations in many countries.  The company employs more than 42,000 associates globally, who serve more than 570,000 companies of all sizes – small, mid-market and enterprise.  ADP continues on its steady growth track, expanding our products to meet changing client and business needs.  With a history of financial growth that is unmatched in our industry, we are well-positioned for long-term growth and profitability.  Our long-term strategy creates unique opportunities, filled with new and exciting challenges.  That is why we say, at ADP, you’re in excellent company!

Important dates in ADP History:

1949 - Henry Taub, a 21-year-old New Jersey accountant, started a manual payroll processing business called Automatic Payrolls, Inc.

1957 - ADP introduced an automated punch card, a forerunner of the mainframe computer, with the capability of increasing efficiency and capacity for payroll processing. 

1961 - The company, now called Automatic Data Processing, Inc., went public and leased its first computer, an IBM 1401. ADP had 300 clients, 125 employees, and revenues topping $400,000.

1972 - ADP Dealer Services became ADP's third major business unit offering account and inventory service to auto dealers.  It was a business that fit the ADP economic model for success: offering significant growth possibilities, recurring revenue, and the chance to be an industry leader.

1981 - ADP's annual revenues exceeded $500 million and then doubled just four years later when the $1 billion mark was surpassed.  ADP processed the paychecks for about 10% of the U.S. workforce and became the market leader over the next several years.

1990 - Through the 1990s, clients that once were content to outsource applications to a service provider looked to outsource entire functions. They no longer wanted ADP to provide services to their HR department...they wanted ADP to be their HR department. That prompted ADP to become a professional employer organization (PEO).

1990 - Another significant growth opportunity was overseas. In 1990 Dealer Services acquired Autonom, a German company.

1995 - ADP acquired the largest payroll and human resource services company in Europe: GSI, headquartered in Paris.

2000 - The early twenty-first century saw continued growth and innovation at ADP. One example is the introduction of  GlobalViewSM – ADP’s comprehensive global service solution for payroll processing and human resources administration. GlobalViewSM enables end-to-end, standardized payroll processing and HR across multiple countries on a single platform.

2005 - Dealer Services extended its global position by acquiring Kerridge Computer Co. Ltd., the leading dealer management systems (DMS) provider to auto dealers in the UK, expanding its geographic coverage from 14 countries on two continents to a total of 41 countries on four continents.

2006 - Gary Butler becomes ADP’s fifth CEO