Amused Group wins big on transforming performance culture with Employment Hero

About Amused Group

With a fast-growing team spread across Australia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, Amused Group is a global force in the online sports and betting industry. Home to over 10 consumer-facing brands, they offer a streamlined and engaging experience for punters looking to place bets on everything from greyhounds to gallops.

At the centre of it all is Hari Balasri, the company’s CFO, a role that sees him steering both financial operations and HR functions. As the business scaled from 20 to over 200 employees, it was clear they needed more than just spreadsheets and PDFs to keep people and payroll processes running smoothly.

From paper slips to digital chips

In its early days, Amused Group operated from a fairly minimal setup: payroll was managed through basic software, while the rest of their HR processes relied heavily on manual tools like PDFs and Word documents. There was no unified platform in place to streamline or centralise operations.

Since then, Employment Hero has become a core part of how Amused Group manages both its HR and payroll across the business.

“We rely on Employment Hero daily, it’s embedded in how we operate.”

Upping the stakes on performance and goals

One of the most impactful features for Amused Group has been Employment Hero’s performance management tools.

The team introduced self-assessments across the business using Employment Hero’s built-in templates and tailored questions approved by the executive team. Employees complete their reviews within the platform, managers follow up with one-on-one meetings, add their feedback, and everything – scores, comments, and approvals – is managed and stored in one central place.

“I just give final sign-off, and that’s it. I don’t have to worry about it, everything’s streamlined,” Hari said.

But it doesn’t stop at reviews. Goal-setting has become a company-wide initiative, with a visual progress tracker that motivates employees to push forward. 

“There’s this little wheel with a percentage that ticks up as you go,” Hari explained. “It really helps people stay focused and motivated to hit their goals.”

To boost engagement, the team also makes great use of the Shoutout feature:

“It does such a brilliant job of celebrating people. Everyone gets their moment in the spotlight, and it brings a real sense of pride and connection to the whole team.”

A safe bet for leave, payroll and everyday play

For a business with a globally distributed team, managing leave across different countries and time zones could easily become a logistical headache. Fortunately, Employment Hero helps keep things simple. 

“People submit leave, managers approve, sometimes a secondary manager steps in. Pretty straightforward,” Hari said.

Payroll has also been refreshingly straightforward. Having implemented several payroll systems in his time, Hari knows a good one when he sees it:

“I’ve used a lot of systems… and Employment Hero is by far the easiest to use.”

Its user-friendly design means even those with limited payroll experience can confidently manage processes without needing constant support.

Expenses on the go

Expense management has also become a breeze, thanks to the mobile app. Employees use it regularly to upload tax invoices, code expenses, and submit claims on the go. 

“Everyone chucks their expenses in through the app,” Hari said. “Very easy to use.”

The app’s simplicity makes it accessible for everyone, reducing admin overhead and keeping things running smoothly day to day.

Advice for other companies?

When we asked Hari if he would recommend Employment Hero, this is what he said:

“If your workforce is predominantly permanent, Employment Hero is definitely the way to go. It’s probably the quickest and easiest way to set up a good HR and payroll system. Even for those without deep payroll experience, the platform is intuitive and easy to navigate

Want to experience Employment Hero for yourself?

Employment Hero is your all-in-one Employment Operating System for HR, payroll, and recruitment built to simplify compliance, automate admin, and empower your people. From onboarding to offboarding, we streamline every step of the employee lifecycle so you can spend less time on processes and more time scaling your business.

Want to see how companies like Amused Group are transforming their HR operations and driving real business impact? Book a demo with our business specialists today.