Supporting social impact with smarter systems: How BelEve saves time with Employment Hero

BelEve is a UK-based social enterprise founded by three sisters with a powerful mission: to boost confidence and career prospects for girls aged 8 to 22. With a growing team and a deep commitment to people development, BelEve needed an HR solution that matched its pace and purpose. Since switching to Employment Hero, BelEve has seen a 60% reduction in time spent shortlisting candidates, saved money on external recruitment and built a streamlined onboarding experience. As a result, they’ve freed up more time to focus on the mission of the organisation.

The challenge

Doing more with less, and doing it well

For the CEO and co-founder, Marsha Powell, BelEve had reached a tipping point. With a growing staff base and no centralised HR system, people processes were becoming challenging. As a small team focused on delivering meaningful programmes for girls, Marsha needed an HR solution that could scale with the organisation and give time back to the work that mattered most, but before Employment Hero, the team relied on various systems and manual processes:

• Contracts were shared and stored in separate folders, risking delays and compliance gaps
• Recruitment and onboarding were handled through emails and documents
• Time was wasted sifting through CVs, with no clear way to assess candidate fit
• Reference checks lacked structure and visibility

“We wanted to make sure we were capturing data safely, not just having things sitting on spreadsheets, so we knew we needed a system to help with that.”

The solution

Hiring with intelligence and ease

Employment Hero’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS) quickly became a game-changer. BelEve now posts roles directly through the platform and uses SmartMatch, the AI-powered tool that automatically suggests the best-fit candidates based on job requirements.

“We’re saving at least 60% of our time during recruitment. SmartMatch pulls out the top five candidates based on the role fit, cutting out the grit and guesswork.” 

The team has used the system for roles including facilitators, marketing staff and even volunteers, completely replacing job boards and external recruitment agencies for most hires.

From candidate to colleague, faster

Once a hire is made, Employment Hero’s onboarding workflow takes over, sending contracts, capturing signatures and tracking paperwork. All digitally and in one place.

“It’s end-to-end. From the job ad to onboarding to managing the employee in role, it’s seamless. With Employment Hero we can focus on development rather than just admin.”

Document management and compliance made simple

HR compliance is non-negotiable for BelEve. Employment Hero now houses all employee contracts, changes and variations, with digital sign-offs and a clear audit trail.

“We manage all our contracts through Employment Hero. You can see who’s signed, what’s missing, and it gives us confidence that everything’s documented and secure.”

Giving people time back

The time saved through automation hasn’t gone unnoticed. The platform’s efficiencies have allowed Marsha and her team to shift their focus toward development and line management, core parts of their mission to empower and grow talent.

“With Employment Hero managing the admin, we can actually focus on performance conversations and growth. The more time we have to work towards our mission, the better.”

The impact

Time reclaimed, confidence restored

Since partnering with Employment Hero, BelEve has transformed its HR and hiring operations:

• 60% reduction in recruitment time thanks to SmartMatch filtering
• External agency use dramatically reduced, saving on hiring costs
• Full recruitment-to-onboarding workflow handled in-platform
• All contracts and policy documents signed and stored digitally
• Time and stress saved for line managers and HR team alike

“It’s just taken away all the admin slog. Employment Hero gives us time to invest in our people, which is exactly what we’re here to do.”

The world’s first Employment Operating System from Employment Hero

Employment Hero’s Employment Operating System 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.