As a CEO of a time tracking software company, I need to know what my competitors are up to. That means I’m often researching about and/or playing around with their products, like Employment Hero — you know, it’s part of the job. Here, I share my findings from that research, giving credit to those competitors where credit is due and being honest about which products I believe you really need to avoid. And so, there you have it, this Employment Hero review. And in it, I try to be honest, fair, and insightful.
This review covers:
- Overview
- What Do Users Like about Employment Hero
- What Don’t Users Don’t Like About Employment Hero
- What Pricing Plans Does Employment Hero Offer?
- What are the Standout Features of Employment Hero?
- Selected Positive User Feedback
- Selected Negative User Feedback
- What are Employment Hero’s Review Ratings from Review Sites?
- What’s My Final Verdict on Employment Hero?
Overview
Employment Hero is a versatile HR and payroll solution that caters to businesses across multiple regions, including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Malaysia. The availability of this software in these diverse regions comes with tailored pricing structures, reflecting the respective currencies and market dynamics of each country. Furthermore, the feature sets offered may vary depending on the region of use, aligning with the specific requirements and regulations of each area. This ensures that Employment Hero adapts to the unique needs of businesses operating in these different parts of the world, offering a flexible and localized approach to HR and payroll management.
Businesses are continually seeking tools to streamline their operations. Employment Hero is one such contender, offering a cloud-based solution that combines HR and payroll functionalities. But does it truly stand up to the promises it makes? Let’s explore the features of Employment Hero and the feedback from users to understand its strengths and weaknesses.
Employment Hero provides a wide range of payroll management features. It simplifies payroll management through its mobile app, enabling users to handle payroll tasks conveniently from anywhere. Additionally, the self-service portal allows employees to access and update their personal details and view payslips online, adding a layer of transparency to the process.
Leave management, a critical aspect of HR and payroll, allows businesses to set up and calculate holiday pay and standard working hours with ease. Detailed leave reports provide insights into leave balances, liabilities, and business costs. Furthermore, time tracking and attendance are paramount for any business. Employment Hero delivers in this aspect with built-in timesheets, real-time location monitoring, and alerts for missed shifts. It also allows employees to submit timesheets through the self-service portal, capturing shift start, break, and end times. Note that the time tracking system is not automatically integrated if Employment Hero is used in countries other than Australia, like Malaysia for example, and that a third-party integration may need to be used for time tracking needs.
On the other hand, Employment Hero isn’t without its challenges. Users have voiced concerns regarding the system’s limited customization options, hoping for more flexibility. Additionally, the integration — or lack thereof — between HR and payroll functionalities can be a source of frustration. Poor communication and cumbersome workflow setups can leave you seeking a more seamless experience.
Support response times have also been a concern, with users reporting long wait times for assistance. Furthermore, user reviews highlighted issues with specific features, including the induction setup, rostering, budgeting, and the overall payroll system. Outdated or incorrect instructions have compounded their frustration.
In conclusion, Employment Hero holds significant promise as a comprehensive HR and payroll solution. With features designed to simplify complex tasks and streamline processes, it can substantially enhance HR and payroll management for businesses. Yet, the platform faces hurdles that need addressing. The issues around customization, integration, support response times, and specific features require ongoing refinement and improvement.
But before we make any conclusions on whether Employment Hero stands tall or bends or breaks, let’s take a closer look at its features and everything else it has to offer.
What Do Users Like About Employment Hero?
- Streamlines a lot of HR processes
- Engaging for employees
- Aesthetic user interface
What Don’t Users Like About Employment Hero?
- Slow customer service
- Poor integration between HR and payroll products
- Yearly contracts limit flexibility and hinder the ability to switch
- Setup for payroll is long with minimal help
What Pricing Plans Does Employment Hero Offer?
Employment Hero offers two main feature sets: HR Features and Payroll Features. Each feature set includes multiple pricing plans designed to cater to different needs and requirements. Here’s an overview of their pricing structures for the respective countries:
HR Plans
Hiring Essentials: A free recruitment software that offers everything businesses need to hire candidates with ease. It promises to help attract the best talents, save time in the process, and keep talents engaged. It allows businesses to plan for recruitment needs, including job board integration, candidate tracking, agreements, and a careers page.
- Australia: Free
- New Zealand: Free
- UK: Free
- Malaysia: Not available
- Singapore: Not available
HR Standard: Ideal for businesses just starting with cloud-based HR. This plan provides access to an extensive HR document library and also has an employee benefits store, onboarding checklists, leave management, and more.
- Australia: AUD 8 per employee per month*
- New Zealand: Not available
- UK: GBP 3 per employee per month*
- Malaysia: RM8 per employee per month*
- Singapore: SGD5 per employee per month*
HR Premium: This plan is ideal for teams that need better engagement and analytics. It has all of the features of the HR Standard plan and allows businesses to manage performance reviews, encourage professional development, and track expenses.
- Australia: AUD12 per employee per month*
- New Zealand: NZD10 per employee per month*
- UK: GBP5 per employee per month*
- Malaysia: RM12 per employee per month*
- Singapore: SGD7 per employee per month*
HR Platinum: This plan offers advanced HR features for teams that need to stay strategically aligned. It has all of the features of the HR Premium plans, plus it allows businesses to set company goals with OKRs, add custom branding in-app, use custom fields, access API, and enjoy unlimited phone support.
- Australia: Custom pricing
- New Zealand: NZD16 per employee per month*
- UK: Custom pricing
- Malaysia: RM18 per employee per month*
- Singapore: SGD10 per employee per month*
Payroll Plans
Payroll Essentials: This plan offers the payroll basics. It automates some manual processes, allows businesses to issue payslips, and boosts compliance confidence.
- Australia: Not available
- New Zealand: NZD2 per employee per month*
- UK: GBP1 per employee month*
- Malaysia: Not available
- Singapore: Not available
Payroll Standard: This plan offers fast and easy payroll that integrates with HR. It offers automated pay run processing, flexible payroll management, timesheets, easy CPF reporting, and more.
- Australia: AUD6 per employee per month*
- New Zealand: NZD4 per employee per month*
- UK: GBP2 per employee per month*, with a 50% discount when bundled with HR
- Malaysia: RM8 per employee per month*
- Singapore: SGD6 per employee per month*
Payroll Premium: This is an end-to-end payroll plan that allows businesses to automate their entire payroll function to save time on payroll admin work. It includes everything in Standard, plus employee rostering, time and attendance kiosks, automated pay conditions, and more.
- Australia: AUD8 per employee per month*
- New Zealand: NZD6 per employee per month*
- UK: GBP3 per employee per month*, with a 50% discount when bundled with HR
- Malaysia: RM12 per employee per month*
- Singapore: SGD8 per employee per month*
Managed Payroll: This plan offers end-to-end management of entire payroll operations, plus full visibility, managed RTI, pension enrolment, and HMRC reporting, and integrated time and attendance tools.
- Australia: Not available
- New Zealand: Not available
- UK: Custom pricing
- Malaysia: Not available
- Singapore: Not available
Global Teams
The Employment Hero Global Teams plan is a way to democratise remote work and connect the right people with the right businesses the right way by acting as the Employer Of Record (EOR) or as a Professional Employment Organisation (PEO) for employees based outside your existing markets, and based on the laws specific to particular regions. It offers global coverage with local employment contracts, ongoing HR advisory support, full integration with Employment Hero, and payroll compliance with local requirements. It also offers statutory reporting and remittances such as tax, social security, pension scheme, and healthcare, full benefits management and administration, worker classification and compliance checks, and continuous support from dedicated customer success teams. Businesses can get all of these features and more starting at USD399 per employee.
*Conditions apply
What are the Standout Features of Employment Hero?
In this section, we’ll take a look at some of the best features that Employment Hero has to offer. However, it must be noted that the information provided regarding each standout feature of Employment Hero primarily pertains to its availability in the Australian market. Please be aware that the software’s features may vary depending on the specific country it is used in, as Employment Hero offers services not only in Australia but also in New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, and the UK. Users in different regions may experience differences in available features and functionalities based on their respective local regulatory requirements and market demands.
1. Cloud Payroll Software
Employment Hero’s cloud payroll software offers an all-in-one solution for Australian businesses. It automates payroll processes, providing Single Touch Payroll (STP) reporting, modern award interpretation, and custom pay condition management. The platform simplifies leave management, offers time tracking and attendance features, and streamlines employee rostering. Users can access the system through a mobile app, ensuring flexibility in payroll management.
2. HR Software & Employee Benefits
Employment Hero offers a cloud HR software solution that covers all facets of the employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding to engagement and success. The platform’s cloud-based nature ensures paper-free management of files, policies, contracts, leave, records, and timesheets, promoting a digital HR environment. Employee engagement is a focal point, with features like pulse checks, reward and recognition, and learning and development opportunities. Notable components include an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) for efficient recruitment processes, an integrated payroll system for streamlined HR and payroll management, a Learning Management System for employee upskilling, and an Employer of Record service for global hiring without compliance concerns.
3. Global Teams – Employer of Record Service
Global Teams is an Employer of Record (EOR) service that simplifies international hiring by allowing businesses to focus on skills, not locations. It offers access to skilled remote employees in various industries and countries. With Global Teams, there are no recruitment hassles, overseas entities, or compliance concerns, as they handle the entire process. This all-in-one solution streamlines the management, payment, motivation, and rewarding of local and global teams while ensuring compliance with local employment laws. In essence, it enables businesses to hire skilled, permanent employees worldwide without the burden of compliance and tax complexities.
4. Hiring Essentials – Applicant Tracking System
Hiring Essentials offers a free Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to streamline the hiring process for businesses. It allows for advertising, hiring, and onboarding of staff all within a single system. It integrates with various job boards, making it easier to reach potential candidates, and simplifies candidate tracking, shortlisting, and hiring. The goal is to save time and resources, making the recruitment and onboarding process more efficient and effective for businesses.
5. Employment Superapp – Swag
Swag is introduced as an employment superapp, redefining the employment experience. It consolidates work-related functions like job searches, application management, timesheets, leave requests, and notifications into a unified platform. Swag Money offers tools to combat rising living costs, including on-demand pay, a dedicated spending account, and various discounts. The app also provides access to a range of benefits such as discounts on health insurance, gym memberships, groceries, and more, aiming to keep employees engaged and motivated. Swag aims to enhance the employment experience by offering a comprehensive suite of features.
6. SmartMatch
Employment Hero SmartMatch introduces a forward-thinking approach to hiring. By utilizing AI, it identifies candidates with the right skills and experience, providing a list of work-ready candidates. This method bypasses the need for traditional job boards and allows employers to connect directly with relevant talent, expediting the hiring process. Additionally, SmartMatch can forecast future hiring needs, enabling proactive talent pipeline development for upcoming roles. Users can easily access their SmartMatches by updating settings and navigating through the organization chart. This tool offers a more efficient and targeted way to connect with potential hires.
7. Employee Learning Management System (LMS)
Employment Hero’s Learning Management System (LMS) encourages ongoing employee development and learning. It offers a range of courses that empower teams to choose their skill development path. The system promotes a culture of active learning, making it easier for employees to grow and develop independently. By investing in continual training and development, businesses can boost retention rates, keeping employees fulfilled and up-to-date with positive long-term effects. Learning Plus, part of the LMS, allows businesses to track progress, test knowledge, and create custom learning pathways. The digital learning platform provides accessible e-learning content, fostering team capability and engagement with different pricing options.
Selected Positive User Feedback:
- “Employment Hero is an amazing platform and company. It’s super user friendly and has improved everything we do from the employee perspective, plus saved so much time.” – Laura (Source Trustpilot)
- “Simple to use HRIS for businesses of all sizes.” – Glenn (Source Trustpilot)
- “Great! Easy to use. Engaging for our team and love the advice provided and the occasional webinar.” – Holly M. (Source Capterra)
- “Even the free version is excellent. The ability to send electronic employment contracts is fantastic.” – Oliver S. (Source GetApp)
- ”Onboarding our employees is a simple and easy process. All HR records are kept in one place and we are able to keep paper files to a minimum.” – Samantha J. (Source Capterra)
- “Everything we need in regards to HR is in the one place” – Silvana (Source Software Advice)
- “Great off-the-shelf product for managing a small to medium size business. There is enough customisation to add the features we need and all of the basic HR functions are available.” – Sophia B. (Source Capterra)
Selected Negative User Feedback:
- “The system would be much better with customisation ability to really make it your own. This is quite limited at present, so improvements in this area will be beneficial. – Charlotte G. (Source Trustpilot)
- “Human Resources and Payroll software are two distinct products that result in frustration due to their poor integration with one another.” – Tim (Source Software Advice)
- “Occasionally when I email employment contracts to staff they have difficulty finding this email in their junk mail/spam/inbox. Some are not able to find this at all.” – Rachel L. (Source GetApp)
- “Leave requests & expense reimbursements do not integrate from HR to Payroll. Neither do terminated employees integrate from Payroll to HR – if you terminate someone in Payroll, you have to replicate it in HR, so double-handling. That stupid app SWAG – should never have changed it.” – Charlie E. (Source Capterra)
- “The integration between the two products – HR and payroll is awful. They often don’t communicate […] seamlessly, and you are required to learn by trial and error due to the poor deployment processes and cumbersome workflow regarding setup. […] Timekeeping apps (Clock Me In/Workzone) are simply terrible.” – Kim M. (Source Capterra)
- “Support queries take a long time to get a response.” – Holly M. (Source Capterra)
- “We will be cancelling our contract and looking for a different app. Overall a really frustrating experience, made even more frustrating by the fact I reached out to them with this feedback and just never heard back. For the absolutely outrageously high price it costs it isn’t worth it, and there are many other apps out there for cheaper.” – Bonnie (Source Software Advice)
- “Every feature has issues. The induction set-up is useless, rostering and budgeting unusable, payroll system glitchy and not logical. There are no proper instructions on how to use it so there is no way you will be able to figure it out. Half the instructions they do have are wrong or outdated. A large percentage of the features don’t work.” – Anonymous (Source GetApp)
What are Employment Hero’s Review Ratings from Review Sites?
(As of January 2024)
- Google Play Store: 2.6/5
- App Store: 4.5/5
- Capterra: 4.5/5
- G2: 4.6/5
- Software Advice: 4.5/5
- GetApp: 4.5/5
What's My Final Verdict on Employment Hero?
Employment Hero brings some powerful features to the table, but it’s not without its quirks and challenges. I love that Employment Hero offers a robust set of HR features, including employee engagement tools, ATS for recruitment, integrated payroll, an LMS for continuous learning, and a groundbreaking EOR service for international hiring.
However, customization — or the lack thereof — can be a sore point for some and there’s room for improvement in this area. The integration between HR and payroll functionalities can be a source of frustration, making the workflow less seamless. Support response times have left users waiting – definitely a concerning issue. Furthermore, reliability concerns with aspects like time tracking require attention to ensure smoother operations.
In conclusion, Employment Hero is a promising solution that tackles the multifaceted world of HR and payroll management with determination. It offers a plethora of features that can greatly enhance the way businesses handle their HR and payroll tasks. The customization limitations, integration issues, and reliability concerns in the time tracking department need to be addressed for it to truly shine.
Employment Hero shows promise, but it’s also a work in progress. If you’re in search of a comprehensive solution that goes beyond the basics of HR, it’s worth looking into. Just be prepared to navigate some bumps along the way, and if you can forgive the occasional setbacks, you might find a powerful tool. So, explore what Employment Hero has to offer, and if you wanna take things a step further and see for yourself if the solution they offer is compatible with your needs, go ahead and pop into their site and book a free demo today.
