Employment Hero logo

Employment Hero

Sydney, Australia1400 employees, since 2014

Quick Intro

Employment Hero is an all-in-one HR, payroll, and benefits platform designed to simplify people management for businesses. It offers features such as applicant tracking, onboarding, performance management, automated payroll, and employee engagement tools. The platform aims to streamline HR processes, reduce administrative tasks, and enhance employee experiences through centralized management and AI-driven automation[1][2][4].

hr software employee benefits hr system on cloud hr platfrom payroll

Business Model

Employment Hero's primary revenue streams are:

  1. Subscription Fees: The main source of income, derived from a SaaS model where businesses pay monthly or annually to use the platform[2].
  2. Transaction Fees: Charged for services like payroll processing[2].
  3. Partnership Revenues: Generated through strategic alliances with insurance providers and financial institutions[2].

These streams provide a diversified revenue base, with subscription fees being the most significant contributor. Additionally, Employment Hero offers a referral partner program, which further diversifies their revenue by incentivizing referrals[3].

Financials

Revenue Streams and Growth

  • Employment Hero reported a 50% increase in revenue, reaching $165.4 million.
  • Focused on UK expansion, despite increased after-tax loss of $44.7 million.
  • Major acquisition of Canadian HR firm Humi for over $112 million to strengthen presence in North America.
  • The company’s valuation is just below $2 billion.
  • Significant investments from firms like Technology Crossover Ventures and Insight Partners, showcasing investor confidence.

Profitability Metrics

  • After-tax losses increased to $44.7 million, raising concerns about profitability amidst growth strategies.
  • Recent acquisitions have affected financial metrics, indicating a focus on long-term growth at the expense of short-term profitability.
  • For reference, Employment Innovations, acquired for $43.4 million, had FY2024 revenue of only $22.6 million, highlighting high acquisition costs.

Strategic Initiatives

  • Acquiring established HR providers like Humi represents a shift towards leveraging existing platforms for quicker market entry.
  • Efforts to penetrate the North American market marked by this strategic acquisition, contrasting with challenges faced in UK and Southeast Asia markets.
  • Attracting a global workforce support through features like global payroll and employer of record services aims to build a comprehensive HR solution.

Biggest Challenges

  • Increased losses during a period of high revenue growth raise questions about sustainability of business model.
  • Offshore expansion initiatives have encountered difficulties, leading to a pullback from Southeast Asia and workforce reductions.
  • Internal management challenges and public disputes with investors creating potential instability, impacting company’s strategic direction and employee morale.

Target Customers

Employment Hero's target market includes small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and startups, particularly those in service-based industries like retail, hospitality, and healthcare. The primary users are business owners and HR managers aged 25-45, with a background in business management or HR. These businesses often lack dedicated HR departments but need efficient HR, payroll, and employee benefits management solutions[1][3].

Main Competitors

Employment Hero's primary competitors include ADP, Gusto, BambooHR, Rippling, and Xero. These competitors differentiate themselves through various strategies:

  • ADP and Paychex focus on comprehensive HR solutions for businesses of all sizes.
  • Gusto targets small businesses with user-friendly payroll and benefits management.
  • BambooHR offers comprehensive HRIS and applicant tracking tools.
  • Rippling integrates HR, IT, and finance operations, particularly for enterprises.
  • Xero provides accounting and payroll solutions, often used in conjunction with HR platforms.

Each competitor emphasizes unique features such as ease of use, integration capabilities, and specialized services to stand out in the market.

Office Locations

Employment Hero has a global workforce with over 637 employees across the world, having expanded significantly from its Sydney, Australia headquarters[2]. While specific office locations are not detailed, they operate globally, facilitating hiring in multiple countries through their Employer of Record (EOR) services[1][4].

Tech Stack

Employment Hero's foundational technologies include:

  • Cloud Computing: Centralizes HR, payroll, and benefits management.
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI): Powers features like SmartMatch for hiring and Hero AI for automating HR tasks.
  • Encryption and Security Protocols: Ensures data protection with multi-factor authentication and ISO 27001 compliance.
  • Integration Capabilities: Allows seamless integration with various software platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace[1][3][4].
Route 53 Gmail Google Apps Microsoft Office 365 CloudFlare Hosting Amazon AWS Rackspace MailGun MailChimp SPF Microsoft Azure Hosting Mixpanel StatusPage IO Marketo Workable WP Engine Atlassian Cloud Drift OneTrust Datadog Webflow Active Campaign Salesforce Zendesk Microsoft Application Insights Microsoft Azure Vimeo Amadesa Google Maps (Non Paid Users) Intercom Linkedin Marketing Solutions Cedexis Radar Trustpilot Pingdom Taboola Bootstrap Framework DoubleClick Cloudinary DoubleClick Conversion AppNexus Stripe Google AdWords Conversion Quantcast MailChimp Google Font API Nginx Inspectlet Facebook Widget Facebook Custom Audiences Bing Ads Hotjar Google Tag Manager Google Play Mobile Friendly Hubspot Incapsula FullStory Ruby On Rails reCAPTCHA Google Analytics DoubleClick Floodlight Eventbrite Google Maps Bizible Multilingual Adobe Media Optimizer Facebook Login (Connect) Google Places Google Dynamic Remarketing Segment.io Google AdSense YouTube WordPress.org Wistia Shutterstock Remote AI Render Python

Products and Services

Employment Hero offers a comprehensive suite of HR, payroll, and benefits services, primarily through a cloud-based platform. The main products and services include:

  • HR Software: Simplifies HR processes, including recruitment, onboarding, and employee management.
  • Payroll Services: Automates payroll processing to reduce administrative tasks.
  • Employee Benefits: Provides an online benefits marketplace for customizable employee benefits.
  • Compliance Support: Ensures legal compliance with up-to-date HR documents and policies.

These services solve problems such as reducing administrative burdens, improving compliance, and enhancing employee engagement and retention[1][2][4].