HR System Optimisation
Problem
A global organisation operating a legal entity in Australia was experiencing systemic issues with their HR systems.
These issues were creating:
- Payroll inaccuracies and rework
- Compliance risks
- Operational inefficiencies across HR, payroll, and finance teams
Without intervention, the business faced:
- Increasing compliance exposure
- Ongoing operational cost leakage
- Reduced workforce and international leadership confidence in the local business management
Solutions
We applied a pragmatic, outcome-focused approach to stabilise the platform and correct configuration issues:
1. Rapid Diagnostic and Risk Identification
- Conducted a systematic audit of the existing HR and payroll functions, uncovering errors in data capture, pay rule settings, and reporting requirements.
- Mapping of Award interpretation vs payroll configuration settings, identifying inconsistencies
- Review of data integrity, reporting outputs and internal ownership structure
2. Configuration Redesign and Standardisation
- Partnered with key stakeholders – local HR teams, finance, and software vendor – to redesign & update system configurations, ensuring alignment with Australian employment legislation and the parent company’s broader corporate standards.
- Coordinated the development of a project roadmap, articulating technical specifications, data remediation, and change management considerations, all while maintaining day-to-day timekeeping, general HR and fortnightly payroll functionality.
- Oversaw a rapid rollout of software updates and system patches, delivering better validation rules and streamlined workflows.
- Established governance structures to ensure consistent adoption of group-wide HR standards, policies, and reporting requirements.
Outcomes
The engagement delivered measurable operational and risk improvements:
- Significant reduction in payroll errors and manual rework, improving processing efficiency
- Alignment with legislative requirements, materially reducing compliance risk
- Clarifying data flows and updating system workflows, resulted in faster turnaround times for payroll, onboarding, and employee enquiries, improving overall employee satisfaction and confidence.
- Clear governance model established, reducing future configuration drift risk
- Increased confidence from leadership in workforce systems and data integrity
The organisation transitioned from a fragmented, reactive system environment to a more stable, scalable platform.
In Australia, we operate in a complex payroll compliance environment and tight labour market, requiring many companies to invest heavily in HRIS and payroll systems.
This case demonstrates that:
- System optimisation is not a technology problem – it’s a design, configuration and governance problem
- Addressing configuration and ownership can unlock immediate operational and risk benefits
- A pragmatic, staged approach can deliver faster and more durable outcomes when planned and executed well.
At Stoke Consulting, we thrive on turning ambitions into outcomes.
Contact Stoke Consulting today and discover how we can support your business in addressing challenges.