How 5ab Care scales smoothly with SmartMatch, skipping 75% of unsuitable applicants in a flash
At a glance
Company
5ab Care Ltd
Location
England
Employees
65
Product
EOS
Explore this case study if:
- You’re in a fast-paced industry with a fluctuating headcount
- You need a system that helps scale your team without slowing you down
- You’re juggling multiple systems and struggling to keep hiring info in one place
- You’re wasting hours sifting through applications that just aren’t the right fit
Scaling a care business isn’t linear. Workforce needs can shift quickly—from opening a new care home to responding to regulatory changes—so systems must be flexible, fast, and built to grow with you. For many care providers, staying compliant while scaling up (or down) can be just as demanding as day-to-day operations. That’s where the right employment system makes all the difference.
5ab Care, a fast-growing care provider set to grow from 65 to 100 employees by in just a few months, needed an employment system that could scale with the business. Like many in the care industry, Sian Brown, the People Manager, faced growing complexity: more hires, strict compliance, and the need to support a busy workforce. She wanted more than efficiency—she needed one platform to streamline onboarding, centralise HR, and enable growth. With all this in mind, she turned to Employment Hero for a solution.
Hands-on processes heaped with human error risk
Before switching platforms, the team relied on spreadsheets to manage right-to-work checks and other critical compliance documentation. It was a manual process that left room for human error and demanded constant attention. If something was out of date, it was up to a team member to spot it, costing them days each month.
Employment Hero has eliminated the admin burden with automated reminders and digital record-keeping. These features have proven essential for Sian and her team, freeing them up to focus on supporting staff and growing the business.
“Managing right-to-work checks used to take up several days each month, and there was always the risk of something slipping through the cracks. Now, Employment Hero automatically sends reminders and keeps everything up to date—saving us days of admin time and giving us real confidence in our compliance.”
Employment Hero has transformed 5ab Care’s internal processes, for the better. No more compliance worries and chasing paper.
Countless applications continuously piling up
A big challenge 5ab Care faced in growing was recruiting the right, qualified team members. They decided to put Employment Hero’s SmartMatch feature to the test.
SmartMatch gets shortlisted candidates ready and waiting. With talent on tap, matched to every role in your business, you can take someone from Hi to Hired in just a few clicks. The beauty of SmartMatch is that it creates live shortlists of curated talent, so there’s no more sifting through hundreds of irrelevant applications. What’s more? SmartMatch screens candidates based on specific criteria you set–like a minimum age of 21 with a valid UK driving licence in Sian’s instance.
“When I opened roles and added more filtering questions, the number of applicants reduced instantly, which was great. We were able to focus only on the most relevant candidates and drastically reduce time wasted reviewing unsuitable applications.”
And what a result. No more time spent filtering through ineligible candidates and more time supporting the people who need it the most.
Systems that don’t talk turn simple tasks into time sinks
With HR, recruitment, and payroll in one system, 5ab Care has transformed how it hires and manages staff. Instead of juggling disconnected tools, the team now benefits from a streamlined workflow where the different elements talk to each other and do the work for you.
“I’ve used several systems in the past, but nothing compared to the level of integration we get with Employment Hero. It’s all in one system, which makes it far easier to manage everything and saves us serious time and hassle.”
From digital onboarding and leave management to automated payroll processing, everything is handled seamlessly within Employment Hero.
“The onboarding part is what I really love—everything gets sent, signed, and stored automatically. It’s all in the system, tracked and ready to go.”
The team now spends far less time on manual data entry and administrative tasks, allowing them to focus on their core business goals.
The impact: A future that looks bold and bright
As 5ab Care continues to grow, they’re confident that Employment Hero will scale alongside them. With their plans to exceed 100 employees this year, the platform’s automation features will continue to save time, improve compliance, and provide more insights into their recruitment process.
“Employment Hero has truly been a game changer for us. We’ve saved so much time on recruitment and compliance, and it’s just brought everything together in one place. We’re aiming to expand to 100 employees this year, and I have confidence that Employment Hero is the best tool to keep everything running smoothly.”
The world’s first Employment Operating System from Employment Hero
Employment Hero’s Employment OS is more than just a platform–we’ve taken the traditional isolated aspects of employment and integrated them into a seamless, human and AI-powered solution that empowers employers, employees and job seekers alike. Find and hire top talent with SmartMatch, seamlessly onboard new hires, automate complex payroll, drive employee engagement and more.
See what you could do with the world’s first Employment OS.
One system. Everything employment.
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Zara Danton
Customer Marketing Manager – Employment Hero
