Katie Ludwig, Head of People and Culture at Story House Early Learning, highlighted the transformative impact of Humanforce’s HCM suite on operations. "When I joined Story House almost three years ago, our HR processes were highly decentralised and manual, making it difficult to manage our dispersed workforce. Implementing Humanforce has given us the transparency and efficiency we needed. Now, our team members, who we call ‘Story House-ers’, have easy access to their employment information, and we have centralised oversight to ensure compliance and streamlined administrative tasks."

Through the adoption of Humanforce’s comprehensive HCM suite, Story House has achieved real improvements in employee engagement and retention. This is helping to increase retention in an industry that faces ongoing challenges with staff turnover. These challenges were illustrated in a United Workers Union (UWU) report released in October last year, which found about 95 per cent of the nearly 1,000 Australian early childhood centres surveyed said they have had staff leave in the past 12 months and, of those, 78 per cent have had more than three educators leave.

"We’ve seen a year-on-year decline in turnover of more than 5%, which is significant in our industry. Humanforce’s tools have played a key role in this by creating a supportive and efficient work environment," Ludwig continued.

Story House Early Learning, which currently operates circa 50 services with 1,500 team members, had unique HR needs due to the nature of its work. "Our focus is on educating and caring for children, so any systems or processes we implement need to free up our team members to focus on their core roles," Ludwig explained. "Humanforce has been instrumental in achieving this by reducing the administrative burden on our leaders and providing tools that support our staff's wellbeing and efficiency."

Humanforce has improved efficiency in managing shifts and scheduling, with the ability for managers to quickly offer shifts to team members via the mobile app. It allows Story House leaders to focus on their primary roles rather than being tied down by administrative tasks. The 95% of employees who currently use the Humanforce app can also access a range of self-service features, such as their roster, clocking in and out, and applying for leave. This has led to a more engaged and satisfied workforce.

For Story House, another standout feature has been Humanforce Thrive. Thrive allows Story House employees to access a portion of their already earned wages when they need it, providing financial autonomy and reducing the need for payday loans or credit cards.

“Humanforce Thrive allows childcare operators to improve their employee value proposition (EVP) by bringing a wellbeing and benefits proposition to employees. It offers individual workers more control over their day-to-day lives, with one powerful example being on-demand access to pay, which liberates cash flow in ways that can make a meaningful difference to employees’ lives,” explained Clayton Pyne, CEO of Humanforce. “We’ve also been able to help Story House effectively and efficiently manage compliance, a critical aspect in the heavily regulated early education sector. With Humanforce, they can now easily track qualifications, manage expiry dates, and automate notifications, ensuring the company remains compliant without the need for manual record-keeping."

Humanforce has also enabled Story House to gather meaningful insights from its workforce, which again improves employee engagement. Story House has seen a 65% response rate to its onboarding surveys, allowing the company to continuously improve the candidate and onboarding experience. Story House has also seen a 40% response rate to the regular surveys it sends to employees through Humanforce (up from 10% using a third-party platform). This continuous feedback model allows Story House to assess how employees are feeling in their roles and what learning and development opportunities they might need. This data is crucial for making informed decisions and ensuring the company’s strategic goals align with the needs of Story House-ers.

"Humanforce has been a game-changer for us. Their solutions have not only streamlined our HR processes and improved compliance but also empowered our staff by giving them greater control over their work and finances. The ability to access real-time data and feedback has been invaluable in helping us create a supportive, efficient, and compliant work environment," concluded Ludwig.