Good Drinks Australia

We sat down with Emma Cross, the HR lead for a seasonal workforce that can grow up to 500 staff, to chat about the pressure points in Good Drinks’ operations and how they found a smoother way forward.

Emma tells us that there were a number of HR issues that demanded attention. Payroll was juggling a complex array of awards. Recruitment relied on disconnected systems. Compliance and training were fragmented. Onboarding still required printing and scanning.

“We operate with seven different awards and need a payroll solution that can interpret them all,” Emma explains. “And a flexible rostering system for both our 24/7 manufacturing facility and hospitality venues, each with different hours and a large casual workforce across multiple rosters.”

Even safety reporting wasn’t ideal. “Our health and safety management system was too complicated and not mobile-friendly for our Gen Z workforce,” Emma recalls. “We were looking to simplify our risk reporting system.”

The inherent disorganisation of spreadsheets and paper files just wasn’t cutting it anymore. Tracking vital employee licences like RSAs and other certifications had become unmanageable.

Being a listed company and partnering with major grocery businesses, the mandatory audits were time consuming in terms of gathering and presenting the evidence required. Good Drinks identified with such rapid growth, digitalising systems would help streamlining processes, improving data integrity, meaning information was more accessible to save them time.

As Emma puts it, “we also needed an end-to-end system that could work for everyone, from highly technical sales reps to casual staff, some with English as a second language, something simple and accessible.”

For Emma, the biggest relief was seeing everything in one place. Payroll could finally interpret multiple awards, rosters were easier to manage across both venues and the brewery, and HR data was consistent instead of split across multiple systems, risking duplication and error.

The uplift has been felt across the whole business. Onboarding is faster, recruitment is more transparent, and compliance audits (once dreaded) are now routine.

“ELMO has reduced the administrative burden on managers, allowing them to focus on their primary roles,” Emma says. “Employees also have easier access to information regarding reviews and conditions, leading to fewer queries.”

Safety culture has also had a lift. “ELMO has significantly contributed to building a stronger safety culture by providing readily available training records for investigations, enabling quick reporting to confirm employee acknowledgment and course completion,” Emma explains.

Looking ahead, Good Drinks is eager to get even more out of the platform. Performance Management is next on the agenda, with probation check-ins, reviews and career development set to move online.

As Emma puts it, “ELMO is a long-term investment. HR requires continuous improvements and adaptations, so you need a system that evolves and keeps pace with your business needs.”