Saving 30+ hours a week on payroll: SPS’s journey to smarter payroll and HR

About SPS Corporation

SPS Corporation (SPS) is a group of companies operating across the picture framing and caravan parts industries. With over 130 permanent staff across five sites in Australia, including casuals and labour hire, the business runs lean, with finance and operations teams managing compliance, payroll and people processes in-house.

For decades, SPS relied on largely manual HR processes: staff clocked in with iPads, payroll was entered into a standalone system and HR handled individual requests for information. As Chris Hutchinson, Business Support Analyst and Project Manager at SPS, explained: 

“It had been that way for about 30 years. We had an iPad for time and attendance and then everything was manually fed into payroll. It was clunky and really slow.”

The cracks were showing. The team knew they needed a single, integrated platform to save time, improve accuracy and give employees easier access to their own information. That’s when SPS turned to Employment Hero.

Moving from manual to Employment Hero

Chris was closely involved in implementing and administering Employment Hero and recalls the shift vividly: 

“The immediate benefit was the speed of information flow. Everyone noticed it straight away, even people who aren’t particularly tech-savvy.”

Instead of juggling multiple systems, the payroll and HR teams suddenly had everything in one place. Information was shared quickly and reliably across sites and employees could log in and access their details without needing to contact payroll.

Saving days of work in payroll and onboarding

One of the biggest wins has been payroll efficiency. 

“We went from processing payroll in a day and a half to three hours for 127 employees. The change happened overnight. And it’s not just faster, it’s more accurate too.”

The same is true for onboarding. Instead of wasting valuable time on manual paperwork, Employment Hero allows new hires to complete documentation before their first day. 

“It saves at least a day per employee. By the time they walk in, their documentation is completed and they’re ready to get to work,” said Chris. 

The ripple effect has been powerful. Freed from repetitive admin, payroll staff have been able to upskill, focus on career development and contribute more strategically to the business.

Using Employment Hero for compliance and reporting

For a manufacturing business like SPS, compliance is critical. Chris highlights that Employment Hero’s reporting tools are particularly valuable: 

“Our payroll team uses the reporting feature heavily to make sure we’re on top of EBA changes. It’s one of the most important parts of the platform for us.”

Managing policies and certifications has also become more straightforward. With everything centralised, it’s easier to ensure staff are compliant and managers can see the information they need in real-time.

Improving the employee experience

As with any new system, there was initial hesitation from staff. Chris remembers: 

“Some people weren’t used to seeing their personal details on their phone. But once the apprehension passed, it became normal, and now people see it as a benefit.”

Far from resistance, most employees now welcome the access Employment Hero provides. “They like having information at their fingertips with the Employment Hero Work App. It’s easier for everyone.”

The bigger impact

For Chris personally, Employment Hero has been transformative: 

“It means I can step back from day-to-day involvement and focus on bigger projects. That’s a huge change for me and for the business.”

By cutting admin time, centralising compliance and improving accuracy, Employment Hero has made HR and payroll easier, more valuable and more aligned with SPS’s future growth.

As Chris puts it: “It’s given us the confidence to look at other ways to improve the business. We’ve got a system we can rely on and that makes a massive difference.”

Ready to make HR easier?

Employment Hero is helping HR and Payroll leaders across Australia cut admin, stay compliant and give their people a better experience at work.

Book a demo today and see how Employment Hero can make work easier for your business.