Paws, pay, and performance: The franchise-ready payroll system behind Pets in the City’s growth
At a glance
Company
Pets in the City
Location
Auckland, New Zealand
Employees
20+
Product
Premium payroll
Read this case study if:
- You manage payroll in a franchise or multi-site business.
- You want full visibility over labour costs and team planning.
- You’re tired of clunky, unresponsive systems that don’t talk to each other.
Growing a luxury brand, one franchise at a time
For many pet parents in Auckland, Pets in the City is a trusted sanctuary where their beloved dogs are cared for in style. With three established branches and two more on the way, this luxury dog daycare and pet boarding business is scaling rapidly through a franchise model. Behind that growth is CEO Layamon Bakewell, a tech-savvy leader with a strong vision for operational excellence.
Layamon isn’t just thinking about what works for his business, as the franchisor, he’s laying down the operational blueprint for future franchisees.
“I’m the franchisor of a franchise-based business, so I needed a payroll and rostering solution I could confidently recommend to our franchisees—one that would set the standard for Pets in the City moving forward.”
That meant finding a platform he could trust to do the heavy lifting – something reliable, easy to use and able to grow with the business. Not an easy task in an industry where many still rely on paper rosters and manual timesheets.
Disconnected systems and clunky processes
Before switching to Employment Hero, Pets in the City used a combination of standalone tools for HR, rostering, and payroll. None of them connected, and all of them came with their own set of limitations.
“We were using separate software products for each part of HR—a rostering app, a payroll system, and another tool for HR. It was super clunky. Our previous payroll provider was a major player in New Zealand, but they were really difficult to deal with. They weren’t open to feedback and simply didn’t deliver what we needed.”
As the business grew, the limitations of these systems became impossible to ignore. With multiple teams, a mix of employment types and evolving compliance needs, Layamon needed something more robust and a single source of truth.
Making the leap to Employment Hero
Even with frustrations mounting, Layamon admits it took some convincing to make the switch.
“Changing payroll is hard. It’s not something that ever makes it to the top of your to-do list. You don’t want to stuff it up – it’s people’s pay, after all.”
With Employment Hero, this change made it to the top of Layamon’s to-do list.
“The onboarding team did an amazing job. You’ve got incredible onboarding products. I love the Hero Help Centre and the Employee Hero we worked with in New Zealand was outstanding. It took a bit of effort to make the switch, but once we did, it was life-changing.”
15-minute pay runs and $3K monthly savings
Today, payroll at Pets in the City is streamlined, automated and drama free.
“I used to dread payday, like absolutely dread it. It would take me an hour and a half to two hours, chasing people for timesheets and manually inputting everything. Now? It takes 15 minutes. Max.”
That time saving is only the beginning. Thanks to better forecasting and real-time budget visibility, the business is saving thousands every month.
“It easily saves me about $3,000 a month in payroll. The visibility I now have over roster costs means I can act immediately if something’s off. In the past, I just didn’t have that.”
These improvements are especially meaningful in a franchise model, where systemised efficiency and profitability are critical. With clearer forecasting tools, Layamon knows what’s coming and can act quickly to protect the bottom line.
Building a better employee experience
For Layamon, the switch to Employment Hero has saved time and increased support for a culture of transparency and respect.
”One of our core values as a team is being transparent and open with our staff. That was hard to uphold in the past when employees couldn’t easily access their information. Now, they can just open the Employment Hero work app, and they’ve got everything from payslips and leave requests at their fingertips.”
The business now publishes rosters four to six weeks in advance using Employment Hero’s templated roster feature, which means staff can plan their lives and Layamon can accurately forecast payroll.
“With Employment Hero, I know what next month’s payroll is going to be, plus or minus leave. And they know where they’re working. That visibility is a game changer.”
Automation, compliance and full control
Managing a mix of full-time, part-time and casual staff, Layamon relies on Employment Hero to help navigate New Zealand’s complex employment laws.
“I don’t even think about compliance anymore. I just know it’s being handled.”
But what really sold him on the platform was the ability to set up complex payroll rules and automate key processes.
“Having the ability to set up rules was a real selling point. We run a lean structure, so automation is huge. It reduces mistakes, increases efficiency and improves profitability.”
And despite offering all these features, Employment Hero came at a surprisingly low price point.
“I used to pay more than double for our old software. And Employment Hero does absolutely everything I need.”
Empowering managers through data
One of Layamon’s favourite tools is the roster vs. timesheet comparison report, which gives him oversight on whether labour hours match what was budgeted and helps him hold his team accountable.
“We roster about 450 hours a week at this site. If I see we’ve paid for 470 hours, I’m asking why. That report gets automatically sent to our senior managers to justify any overspend.”
Advice for other franchise operators
Layamon’s biggest piece of advice for other growing businesses? Don’t wait.
“I put it off for too long, but honestly dedicate a week. I probably spent 5 to 10 hours all up transitioning. And the clarity I’ve gained around payroll spending has saved us thousands. That’s just at one site, not even across all three.”
With payroll representing 45% of total revenue, he knows visibility is everything.
“If you’re managing that closely, it’s the difference between your business being super successful or just okay.”
Want to take control of your payroll like Layamon? Book a demo with Employment Hero today and start making work easier and more valuable for your team.
