The Challenge
A mid-sized Australian manufacturing company employing 300 staff across multiple shifts was struggling with outdated workforce processes. Like many industrial businesses, their HR and compliance functions were heavily manual, relying on:
- Paper-based rostering and timesheets, causing constant payroll errors and disputes.
- Inconsistent compliance tracking, particularly around workplace health and safety certifications.
- Limited visibility on workforce costs, with managers struggling to control overtime.
- Poor employee engagement, with workers frustrated by lack of transparency in shift allocation and leave approvals.
- Inefficient onboarding, requiring weeks of paperwork and face-to-face orientation before new hires could start on the factory floor.
These inefficiencies were costing the business hundreds of hours in admin every month, while also creating compliance risks under the Fair Work Act and WHS legislation.
The leadership team knew they needed a modern HRIS but had been burned before by high-cost, over-engineered systems that didn’t suit mid-sized businesses.
The Solution: Implementing Frappe Employment OS
The company selected Frappe Employment OS as its HR technology partner, choosing the platform for its:
- Australian focus, designed specifically for local compliance and workforce needs.
- Scalable model, charging per employee per month, keeping costs predictable.
- Integrated modules, covering HR, LMS, rostering, timesheets, leave, payroll integration, and safety.
The implementation included four key focus areas:
1. Digital Rostering and Timesheets
- Replaced whiteboards and spreadsheets with live digital rosters accessible via mobile.
- Introduced automated award interpretation, reducing payroll disputes.
- Gave managers the ability to track labour costs in real time, supporting smarter overtime management.
2. Compliance and Safety Integration
- Built compliance registers into the system, flagging when licenses, forklift tickets, and safety training were due to expire.
- Linked training completion in the LMS module to operational readiness, ensuring no unqualified employee could be rostered.
- Digitised incident reporting, allowing frontline staff to log WHS issues directly from their phones.
3. Streamlined Onboarding
- Shifted new hires to a self-service onboarding portal, where contracts, super forms, and policies were completed before day one.
- Created a structured induction pathway in the LMS, mixing online modules with in-person sessions.
- Cut average onboarding time from three weeks to five business days.
4. Employee Engagement and Access
- Deployed the mobile app to all employees, allowing them to check rosters, request leave, and clock in/out.
- Enabled two-way communication between HR and employees, reducing the need for phone calls and paperwork.
- Integrated an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) into the platform, making support services visible and accessible.
The Results
Within six months of implementing Frappe Employment OS, the manufacturer achieved measurable outcomes:
- Payroll accuracy improved by 95 percent, with a sharp drop in disputes.
- Admin time reduced by 60 percent, freeing HR staff to focus on workforce strategy instead of paperwork.
- Overtime costs decreased by 20 percent, thanks to better rostering visibility.
- Onboarding time cut by 70 percent, ensuring workers could start on the floor faster.
- Compliance breaches reduced to zero, with automatic reminders for expiring certifications.
- Employee engagement scores increased by 25 percent, with frontline staff appreciating greater transparency and control.
Client Feedback
The company’s HR Manager shared:
“Before Frappe Employment OS, we were drowning in paper and reactive processes. Payroll errors were common, and compliance was a nightmare. The platform has completely changed the way we work. We have full visibility over our workforce, our managers have better control, and our employees feel far more connected to the business.”
The Frappe Employment OS Advantage
This case study highlights why Frappe Employment OS is different from other HR systems in Australia:
- Built for Australian businesses — compliant with Fair Work and WHS standards.
- Simple pricing — no lock-in fees or bloated features, just pay-per-employee.
- End-to-end functionality — HR, LMS, rostering, payroll, and safety in one ecosystem.
- Employee-first design — mobile-first interface for frontline and shift workers.
For manufacturing businesses, the ability to reduce admin, improve compliance, and give managers control over workforce costs translates into direct savings and long-term stability.
Final Word
The partnership between the manufacturing company and Frappe Employment OS shows how modern HRIS can transform even the most traditional industries. By digitising workforce management and embedding compliance into daily operations, the business moved from reactive HR practices to a streamlined, future-ready model.
With Frappe Employment OS, they now have a platform that grows with them, ensuring every worker is onboarded, safe, compliant, and engaged.