Employment Hero generates rotas from custom shift patterns of up to eight weeks — 3-shift, 4-on/4-off, continental and annualised hours — with real-time validation against approved leave, unavailability and roster rules. Loaded costing includes leave, National Insurance and pension contributions, so managers see the true labour cost of every rota before it publishes. When patterns change, budgets copy across weeks automatically.

Employees clock in via facial recognition kiosk, photo capture or mobile app with geofencing. Clock-in data rounds to the rostered shift automatically, then feeds directly into payroll — no spreadsheet, no manual re-keying. Shift differentials, night rates and overtime allowances apply per contract, per person, every cycle. It’s the automation that Tier 2 T&A tools structurally can’t offer, because they have no payroll.

With sector turnover running at around 28% a year, onboarding is a constant, not an occasional task. Employment Hero sends contracts, policies and pre-boarding forms to a new hire’s phone before day one, and collects bank, tax, National Insurance and pension details digitally. Every starter completes the same compliance checklist, so they walk onto the line fully inducted and managers stop chasing paper.

Employment Hero stores and tracks machinery licences, ISO 9001, IATF 16949, BRC and food safety certifications against every employee record. Automated reminders flag renewals before credentials lapse. Policy sign-offs and SOP acknowledgements are stored with a digital audit trail — so when an auditor asks, the evidence is already there. Granular role-based access means site supervisors, plant managers and HR see exactly what they need, nothing more.