Racket Agency: Saving 20 hours per new hire and improving team culture

From messy processes to streamlined systems

Racket Agency is a boutique, full-service marketing and PR agency with a team of around 12 people spread across Brisbane, Melbourne, Toowoomba and the Philippines. As General Manager, Dayna Broomfield oversees everything from people and culture to business operations, finance and strategy.

Before Employment Hero, managing HR for a growing, remote team was chaotic and manual.

“We had contracts just saved in emails. Things would go missing. People would message on Slack to apply for leave. There was no central way of tracking it. Everything was quite unstructured and manual,” said Dayna.

For a small business trying to grow sustainably, those inefficiencies were holding them back.

A platform to grow with

After working with a business coach, Dayna realised the team needed a centralised system for people management, and Employment Hero stood out.

“We wanted somewhere to house our processes and have somewhere to point team members to when they request leave, track expenses and access their payslips. We didn’t have that,” she said.

For small businesses without a dedicated HR team, having one intuitive platform has made a world of difference.

“Employment Hero gave us structure, consistency and professionalism that we just didn’t have before,” Dayna said.

Saving 20 hours per new hire

Since implementing Employment Hero, the agency has dramatically reduced the time it takes to onboard new team members.

“For every person we onboard, we’re saving around 20 hours because everything’s already in the system. I don’t have to walk new starters through the system one-on-one anymore,” said Dayna.

That time back means more energy can go into growing the business and supporting the team.

“It’s freed up so much headspace. I can now focus on engaging with the team and looking at strategy instead of chasing people for forms or wondering if they’ve read the policy,” she added.

The professionalism of the onboarding experience has also had a lasting impact.

“It makes new people feel confident and comfortable from day one. They’re like, ‘Okay, this place has their stuff sorted.’”

Building culture through structure

As a marketing agency, culture is central to Racket’s identity and employee experience. Employment Hero has helped reinforce this by providing structure around performance conversations and internal communication.

“We do one-on-one meetings regularly now. We have a structured end-of-year review and have created promotion plans. Employment Hero prompts us with the right questions and it takes the mental load off,” said Dayna.

This structured approach has created a workplace where people feel heard and valued.

“It’s created a safe space for people to raise things they wouldn’t normally say. It’s helped retention. It’s helped people feel like they matter,” she explained.

And for small businesses where every team member counts, that connection is critical.

Making remote teamwork feel seamless

With part of the team based in the Philippines, Employment Hero has also improved the employee experience for international staff.

“They weren’t previously on the same HR system as our team in Australia. They didn’t have a platform to apply for leave or track anything. It was all requested through me,” Dayna said.

“Now, they feel like they’re part of the same system as the rest of the team. It’s been really helpful for them to feel included.”

This visibility and access has made day-to-day operations smoother, too.

“We used to have people messaging us on Slack, ‘Can I take this day off?’ or, ‘Did you get my expense?’ Now it’s all visible, trackable and connected to Xero. It’s just so much more efficient,” said Dayna.

Laying a foundation for growth

For a small agency like Racket, thinking ahead and building scalable systems is key, and Employment Hero has played a big role in that.

“It’s definitely helped us think more strategically. We’re not just reacting anymore. We’re setting things up to scale,” said Dayna.

She’s confident the platform will continue to support the agency as it grows.

“We’ve got a professional system that allows us to scale in a way that still supports our team. That’s really important to us.”

Employment Hero has also helped the business feel more credible and organised – something that matters in both internal and external relationships.

“It’s made us feel like a real business. It’s a better experience for the team, and it reflects well on us as a company.”

Helping small businesses do big things

For Dayna and the team at Racket, Employment Hero has made work better for everyone.

“It’s genuinely made our lives easier. We can focus on doing great work and supporting our people, instead of being bogged down in admin,” she said.

Want to streamline your small business like Racket Agency? Book a demo with Employment Hero and discover how we can help you save time, build culture and scale with confidence.