PB Seeds: Growing confidence in HR and payroll with Employment Hero

Helping Australian agri-businesses thrive

PB Seeds is a family-owned agricultural company based in Victoria, known for producing and distributing premium-quality seed to customers around Australia. With more than 30 staff and a mix of on-site and remote workers, ensuring accurate payroll and staying compliant with employment regulations is vital to the business.

For Emily Moore, PB Seeds’ in-house accountant, stepping into HR was never part of the original plan.

“It sort of just got lumped in with my role. I didn’t have formal HR experience and we didn’t really have a structured way of doing things.”

Despite her deep accounting knowledge, navigating HR policies, award compliance and employee documentation added a new level of complexity. She knew the business needed a more robust and supportive system, especially in an industry where compliance can’t be left to chance.

From manual headaches to streamlined support

Before Employment Hero, PB Seeds had tried using a different HR provider alongside a separate payroll system, but the setup just didn’t work.

“The timesheet app didn’t communicate with the accounting software,” Emily explained. “It created many headaches trying to reconcile payroll manually. It was inefficient and we were constantly double-handling information.”

For a busy agricultural operation juggling multiple staff types and shifts, those inefficiencies translated into real risk, both in terms of time and compliance. That’s when Emily started looking for a better solution.

A partner to lean on

Emily wanted more than just a platform – she needed a partner that could provide real HR expertise. Employment Hero stood out because it could offer both the technology and the professional support her role demanded.

“I needed professional HR support to validate how I was interpreting awards. I didn’t want to get it wrong,” she says. “Now, if I have an HR question, I can just send it off to Employment Hero Advisory. I send everything off before I make a recommendation to anybody about anything.”

Employment Hero’s HR advisory service became a key part of her workflow. Being able to send off a query and receive advice in writing gave her the peace of mind that she was doing right by the team and the business.

That level of support was clear from the very beginning. During the onboarding phase, Employment Hero completed an audit and flagged a few areas, like award assignments, that needed adjusting. For Emily, it was a reassuring sign that expert eyes were helping to get things set up the right way from the start.

“That validated our decision to go with Employment Hero. It gave us confidence we were on the right path.”

Making the system work for agriculture

Setting up the platform wasn’t a small task, but Emily’s accounting experience helped her make the most of Employment Hero’s more technical features. With support from the Employment Hero team, she was able to tailor the system to match PB Seeds’ specific pay period.

“We successfully customised the award rules to align with our fortnightly pay cycle. That was a big one for us,” she said. “Having that flexibility made all the difference.”

It’s that depth of configurability that makes Employment Hero such a powerful tool for regional and agricultural businesses, where rosters and employment types often don’t follow a standard 9 to 5 structure.

Huge time savings on payroll

Once the setup was complete, the impact was immediate. Payroll, once a weekly challenge, became a streamlined, confident process.

“We use the timesheet feature often, and I use the payroll function on a weekly basis,” Emily said. “Payroll with Employment Hero has definitely saved time.”

With staff clocking in and out via the Employment Hero Work app and hours flowing seamlessly into payroll, Emily no longer has to manually chase timesheets or second-guess award calculations.

Built for a workforce that’s always on the move

PB Seeds’ workforce includes drivers and seasonal workers who operate across various locations. Employment Hero’s Work app made it easier for everyone to stay connected and accountable.

“We use the Work app for clocking in and out, which works perfectly for our staff in the field,” Emily says.

Award updates and templates that keep you ahead

Emily also credits Employment Hero with helping her stay up to date with ongoing compliance obligations.

“The award templates and automatic updates are great. I don’t have to go hunting for the latest changes, it’s all done for me.”

That kind of automation means Emily can focus more on her core accounting responsibilities, knowing that HR compliance isn’t falling through the cracks.

“It takes a load off. I don’t have to spend hours reading Fair Work updates or figuring out what to change in our documents, Employment Hero handles that. It gives you a bit of peace of mind that you’re doing it the right way.”

Helping regional businesses feel confident

Emily sees Employment Hero as a system that grows with your business and adapts based on how much you want to use it.

“It can be scaled depending on how much time you put into it,” she says. “You can use it as a consultative tool, or just the basics. It’s a fantastic product. I definitely recommend it.”

Want to make work easier and more valuable in your agri-business? Book a demo with Employment Hero and see how we can support you.