Employment lawyer turned entrepreneur, Ben Thompson, has established an award winning employment solutions software, which allows SMEs to manage payroll, HR, employee engagement and benefits anywhere, anytime.
Founded in 2014, Employment Hero began with a mission to ‘make employment easier and more rewarding for everyone.’ Since its inception, Employment Hero has introduced tools such as a library of compliant HR documents and automating manual processes to make running a business easier for both employer and employee. This year the focus has shifted to employee-focused features with the introduction of Worklife – a range of products designed to help employees get more out of their salaries whether it be setting savings goals, discounted shopping, physical and financial health or a pay advance system. The four products include, Savings Hero, Hero Shop, Life Hero and InstaPay.
Founder and CEO Ben Thompson said that Employment Hero helped businesses improve the way they manage employment while offering employees more than just a salary.
“We are really focused on winning in Australia and helping Aussie businesses succeed . . . the team at Employment Hero are working hard to be bigger and better than ever,” he said.
Dynamic Business had a chat with Ben about being named in the Top10, his top tips and what is new and exciting about Employment Hero.
How does it feel to be named one of Dynamic Business’s Top10 Entrepreneurs?
Recognition like this is great because it helps shine a light on the amazing work the whole team at Employment Hero is doing to help SMEs and their employees.
What are the top three lessons you’ve learnt so far?
- It’s a process. It always takes a lot longer than planned to turn what I see in my imagination into a reality. People look at the milestones Employment Hero is achieving and give us praise but in my mind, we are always a few years behind schedule.
- No man is an island. Entrepreneurs don’t amount to much if they aren’t surrounded by an awesome team. Without great people and customers, the businesses we strive to create could not exist.
- Engage your team. Businesses with a clear purpose attract talented people who share the same vision. Giving every employee a piece of the action in the form of employee share options creates an unstoppable force.
What is new and exciting about Employment Hero?
- Technology has really changed the employment space. The fact that every workplace can connect with their employees digitally is beyond cool. It means products like Employment Hero can help businesses improve the way they manage employment and offer their employees a whole lot more than just a salary.
- The playing field between SMEs and big corporates is beginning to level. Traditionally SME’s and their employees have been hard to reach and yet they were the groups that needed the most assistance. That’s all changed. SMEs now have access to a range of technology that can help them build better workplaces and compete against bigger players.
What are you currently up to in your business?
- We are really focused on winning in Australia and helping Aussie businesses succeed. We are in the midst of establishing the distribution channels required to give every Australian business access to the tools and resources they need to be great employers. We want to change the mindset of business owners from a perpetual state of paranoia about their responsibilities into a sense of pride and confidence that they are offering an abundance of quality employment opportunities.
- We are also focused helping businesses meet the ATO’s Single Touch Payroll requirements and generally become more compliant (there always seems to be a payroll scandal in the news doesn’t there?). We’re also working on developing a much more extensive and innovative set of employee benefits. All in all, the team at Employment Hero are working hard to be bigger and better than ever!
