Harris Farm Markets overhauls HR systems

Fresh produce and grocery chain Harris Farm Markets has consolidated its HR and payroll systems into a single platform to manage its growing workforce. 

Source: Harris Farm.

Chief financial officer James Williamson said the retailer had expanded its use of Ceridian’s workforce management software Dayforce, implementing all modules in the suite including core HR, recruitment, learning, remuneration review and succession planning. 

The upgrade, which went live in August, replaced separate systems for payroll and learning which had integrated with Harris Farm’s original Dayforce instance implemented five years ago.  

Speaking during a virtual event hosted by Ceridian, Williamson said removing the disparate systems had created “a single source of truth” for the store and executive teams. 

“Cutting and slicing the data has always been challenging when you're integrating multiple systems,” he said.  

Williamson said the upgraded system provided “fast and accurate data” that allowed the retailer to closely monitor if sales were up or down and how sales tracked against wages each day. 

The software also supports compliance with wage regulations and calculating penalty rates for a workforce that is rostered to work around the clock in warehouses and stores.

On the employee side, staff interact with Dayforce through a mobile application to set their availability for shifts, check rosters and clock in and out for their shift. 

Williamson said employee engagement has increased since the retailer added the extra modules, jumping from 500 staff accessing the system daily to 1200 unique logins each day. 

Harris Farm Markets has 2500 staff and has plans to grow rapidly as it opens new stores. 

The Sydney-based retailer acquired its first Queensland store in September, using the platform to onboard 80 new staff virtually. 

“We have a lot of confidence [in Dayforce] as we scale. We've got grand, grand plans for growth in the next few years,” Williamson said. 

“With the increase in the number of employees and as things change in the pay environment, we'll be able to make changes within Dayforce to make sure that we stay compliant.”