Lawson Grains grows efficiently with Employment Hero
At a glance
Company
Lawson Grains
Location
Western Australia and New South Wales
Employees
200+
Product
Premium HR + Platinum Payroll
Read this case study if:
- You’re managing a seasonal workforce in agriculture or regional locations
- You’re overwhelmed and consumed by manual HR and payroll processes
- You want one employment platform that streamlines recruitment, onboarding and compliance
A growing operation with complex people needs
When Sam Nusser joined Lawson Grains as HR Coordinator three years ago, the company had around 56 permanent employees. Fast forward to today, and that number has doubled. As one of Australia’s largest corporate farming operations, Lawson Grains now manages over 110 permanent staff across 12 sites, growing to 220 employees during harvest season.
Operating across six farms in Western Australia and five in New South Wales, there’s a lot for the team to manage. Plus, they’ve moved into transport and third-party grain storage.
This expansion meant big challenges for Lawson Grains’ small HR and support team located in Albury, which manage all 12 sites with end-to-end HR needs – from recruitment to onboarding, performance reviews, compliance and payroll.
Before Employment Hero everything was manual, clunky and time-consuming
Sam inherited an outdated HRIS that couldn’t keep pace with the business’s growth.
“We used to use another system. It was clunky, lacked support and didn’t have regular updates. It was a nightmare.”
Almost everything was done manually: job requisitions, performance reviews, onboarding, reference checks.
“If someone wanted to hire, they’d fill out a form, scan and email it to their manager, who would sign, scan and send it back. Then I’d draft the ad, send it for approval, post it separately on SEEK and our website.”
Recruitment alone could take one to two weeks just to get the job ad live. It was clear they needed a modern HRIS that could grow with them.
Streamlining recruitment across the country
For Lawson Grains, one of the biggest wins has been Employment Hero’s recruitment module. With it, the team has slashed recruitment admin by up to 80%.
“Now, once a requisition is approved, I get a notification and can post the ad in under five minutes within the ATS system. It automatically goes to SEEK our website – everywhere. The only thing I have to do manually is tell our social media specialist.”
The centralised recruitment dashboard also helps with managing candidate applications efficiently.
“Before, all the applications would go to a shared HR inbox – dozens of emails with no sorting. Now, everything is in one place. I can track every applicant and move them through stages easily.”
They’re also taking advantage of Employment Hero’s built-in screening questions and notes functionality.
“I use it, and it helps keep context across the process.”
A payroll setup tailored to agriculture
Payroll for agriculture businesses isn’t simple – seasonal workers, truck drivers paid per kilometre and rates above award mean Sam and the team needed a flexible setup.
“Implementation was great – our payroll officer worked with the team to set up tags and pay conditions that reflect how we actually pay, including additional allowances. For our structure, which is above award, it works really well.”
One unique complexity that Lawson Grains has in its payroll setup is how they pay their truck drivers. “They’re paid per kilometre, so traditional timesheets don’t apply. With Employment Hero, we’re able to customise how our staff get paid.
Centralising compliance and training
Lawson Grains is serious about compliance and safety – especially during peak times. They use Employment Hero’s certifications and LMS tools to help stay on top of mandatory training and licence tracking.
“All our SOPs live in the LMS. We’ve created custom training, and it’s working really well. Managers don’t have issues accessing it, and the platform’s user-friendliness means there’s no resistance.”
Certifications, such as licences and first aid, are managed through the platform too.
“Before, managers were tracking expiry dates in spreadsheets. Now, it’s all in their profile and the expiry notifications are gold. We can see at a glance who’s missing what.”
Work eligibility checks are another crucial feature. “During harvest, we bring in a lot of international workers. The built-in visa (VEVO) check is so good – it’s fast, simple, and gives us peace of mind.”
Driving professionalism and engagement across the team
Beyond the time savings, Sam says the biggest benefit is how Employment Hero makes the business look and feel more professional to employees and candidates.
“There’s way more engagement in the system. People are using it, exploring it. That tells me they’re finding value in it.”
They’re also fans of Employment Hero’s ongoing product support.
“The support team is amazing. The help centre and HeroAI are great. I’m probably on there every day and never feel stuck.”
Sam’s advice to others in the agriculture industry?
“If you’re seasonal like us and dealing with big peaks and onboarding a lot of people fast, you may want to consider a solution like Employment Hero. It’s a one-stop shop for recruitment, onboarding, compliance and more.”
Making HR more valuable in agriculture
In an industry where HR is often seen as an admin function, Lawson Grains shows how the right tools can elevate people management. By reducing manual work and increasing transparency, Sam and the team have been able to focus on strategy and employee experience – without drowning in paperwork.
“Just being able to manage all that massive influx in one system has been a big time saver for us.”
Ready to see how Employment Hero can make work easier for your business? Book a demo today.
