The move to hybrid and distributed work is not just a temporary problem for Australian businesses; it is the new way of doing business. Managing teams that are spread out across cities, states and time zones comes with its set of problems: keeping culture and connection alive, making sure performance and productivity stay high, making asynchronous communication easier and figuring out how to follow complicated employment laws that vary by location. HR leaders and business owners should abandon legacy systems designed for a centralized workforce. This is where specialized Australian HR technology platforms become crucial.
Australian HR tech companies have met this challenge by making tools that do more than just handle payroll and compliance; they also help people lead from afar. The most effective platforms understand the intricate details of the Fair Work Act, the significance of Single Touch Payroll (STP) and the impact of culture on the Australian workplace. They go beyond just managing tasks to encourage engagement, make people operations more efficient and give leaders the data driven insights they need to lead distributed teams well. This guide looks at five of the best Australian built platforms that are specifically designed to help businesses manage, engage and grow their distributed workforce with intelligence and empathy.
The Best 5 Australian HR Tech Platforms for Teams That Work from Different Places
These platforms were chosen because they are good at supporting distributed work, are based in Australia and focus on compliance, can grow with small and medium-sized businesses and can connect people management with performance and culture.
- Employment Hero
- Elmo Software
- PageUp
- Rippling (Global, but with Dominant AU Presence & Compliance)
- HROnboard (by Ascender)
A Close Look at the Platform
This is a detailed look at each platform, including its main features for remote work, its unique strengths and how well it works for different types of Australian businesses.
1. Employment Hero
Employment Hero is probably Australia’s most popular all-in-one HR, payroll and benefits platform for small and medium-sized businesses. Its strength for teams that are spread out is that it combines core HRIS (Human Resource Information System) functions with a strong hub for employee communication and engagement. It is a single source of truth for both employers and employees, no matter where they are, bringing together everything from contracts and pay stubs to company news and recognition in one easy-to-use portal.
Important Features for Teams That Are Spread Out
- Unified Employee App: A mobile-first “Hero Hub” lets employees who work from different locations access payslips, leave requests, policies and company documents 24/7, which makes HR’s job easier.
- Integrated Performance & Goals: Set, track and review goals (OKRs/KPIs) on the platform, making sure that all teams are working toward the same goals and can see what everyone else is doing.
- Compliance and Onboarding Automation: Makes it easier to onboard remote workers by using digital offer letters, e-signatures and automated checklist workflows that make sure everyone is following the rules, no matter where the new hire is.
- Benefits & Rewards Marketplace: This site has a built-in platform for employee benefits and discounts called Swag. It’s a wonderful way to get remote workers more involved and make them feel like they are getting more value.
Integrations and Compliance in Australia
- Core Strength: A full-service, in-house payroll engine that is fully compliant with Australian tax, superannuation and Single Touch Payroll (STP).
- Integrations: There are a lot of accounting software options (Xero, MYOB), hiring tools and communication platforms (like Slack) that work well together.
Best For
Australian small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and growing businesses (with 10 to 500 or more employees) that need an easy-to-use, all-in-one system to handle HR, payroll and engagement for a workforce that is spread out.
Summary of User Feedback
“Employment Hero helped our remote team work together. The app gives everyone, from our Darwin-based developer to our Tasmanian marketer, the same access. Automating onboarding and leave for a team that works from different places has saved us a lot of time. “It’s what makes our people work.”
2. Elmo Software
Elmo Software is a modular HR platform for businesses that has many features for HR, payroll, scheduling, learning and hiring. Elmo gives you the tools you need to manage complex distributed teams, especially those with shift workers, frontline staff and office workers. Its rostering/time and attendance module is excellent for making sure that non-desk-based distributed teams follow the rules and get paid correctly.
Important Features for Teams That Are Spread Out
- Advanced Rostering & Time Tracking: To manage remote or mobile field teams in different places, you need cloud-based rostering with GPS-enabled clock-on/off and photo verification.
- Centralized Learning Management System (LMS): Provide employees with the same training, compliance courses and upskilling modules no matter where they are and keep track of their progress and skills from one place.
- Detailed Performance Management: Makes it easier to give and get feedback on a regular basis, do peer reviews and have structured performance conversations. These are all important for managing performance when you can’t walk past someone’s desk.
- Workflow Automation: This tool makes it easier for remote workers and managers in different states to approve leave, expenses and other internal processes without losing anything.
Integrations and Compliance in Australia
- The core strength lies in interpreting awards and ensuring accurate payroll processing in industries such as retail, hospitality and healthcare, where employees operate from diverse locations.
- Integrations: an API-led approach with pre-built connectors to the most important operational, financial and productivity tools.
Best For
This solution is most suitable for mid-sized to large Australian businesses (with 100 or more employees) that require assistance in managing their workforce, particularly those with a combination of desk-based and frontline/mobile distributed staff.
Summary of User Feedback
“Managing our community nurses and remote aged care nurses posed a significant compliance challenge.” We could see and control Elmo’s rostering and mobile time tracking. The LMS makes sure that all employees, no matter where they are, finish their required training. It can handle our complexity and is powerful.
3. PageUp
PageUp is a talent management suite that started out as a recruitment tool but has since grown into a full talent lifecycle platform. Its advanced performance & development and succession planning modules make it especially good for distributed teams. PageUp gives organizations the tools they need to find, develop and keep top talent no matter where they are, which is important for building a strong, fair and future-ready distributed workforce.
Important Features for Teams That Are Spread Out
- Performance Reviews Without Bias: Structured review templates and calibration tools help make sure that remote employees’ performance reviews are fair and objective, which helps fight “proximity bias.”
- Skills and Competency Frameworks: Map out the skills of everyone in the distributed organization, find any gaps and make personalized development plans to make sure that everyone has the same chances to grow.
- Succession Planning: It’s important for risk management in a distributed model where institutional knowledge can be siloed to see talent pipelines and make “what-if” scenarios for key roles.
- Goal Alignment (OKR) Tools: Break down company goals into team and individual goals so that employees who work from home know exactly how their work fits in.
Integrations and Compliance in Australia
- Core Strength: It’s not a payroll system, but it works very well with the most popular HRIS and payroll systems. Its compliance strength comes from fair processes and documentation throughout the talent lifecycle.
- Integrations: A lot of attention is paid to making sure that the new system works well with current HRIS (like SAP and Oracle), Microsoft 365 and communication tools.
Best For
Medium to large Australian businesses (with 250 or more employees) that are focused on developing talent, building a pipeline of leaders and creating a culture of high performance in a distributed or hybrid model.
Summary of User Feedback
“PageUp has helped make things fair for our remote and head-office workers. The structured performance process gets rid of the idea that “out of sight, out of mind.” We can now see all of our employees’ talents clearly, whether they work in an office or from home. This is helping us reach our DEI goals.
4. Rippling
Rippling is a global platform that started in Silicon Valley, but its rapid and dominant growth in Australia makes it worth mentioning because of its unmatched ability to automate and unify. Rippling’s goal is to run HR, payroll, IT and operations from one system. It takes care of the huge logistical problem of giving and taking away employees’ access to apps, devices and systems all over the world for tech companies and startups with fast-growing teams.
Key Features for Distributed Teams
- Unified Employee Directory & Provisioning: Onboard a remote employee in Australia and with one click, automatically create their accounts in Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, project tools like Asana and Jira and a pre-configured laptop can be shipped to their home address.
- Global Payroll & Compliance Engine: This tool handles payroll and tax compliance not just in Australia, but in many other countries as well. This is a huge help for startups with remote teams in APAC, the US, or Europe.
- Centralized Policy Management: Share and keep track of how well the whole global workforce understands and follows company policies, such as those about working from home or cybersecurity.
- Workflow Automation Builder: Lets you make complicated automations that work across departments, like when an employee moves, updating payroll, letting IT know and setting a new time zone.
Integrations and Compliance in Australia
- Core Strength: Full compliance with Australian payroll laws (STP, Super) and a huge library of pre-built integrations (700+ apps), which is much more than what most HR platforms offer.
- Integrations: Its best feature. It provides deep, automated links to nearly all SaaS apps, catering to the needs of a distributed team.
Best For
This product is best suited for Australian tech companies that are growing quickly, startups receiving funding from investors and any business with a globally distributed team that values automation, speed and the integration of HR and IT operations.
Summary of User Feedback
“Rippling is like magic for a team that works from different places. It used to take IT and HR a week to hire a developer in Poland. It’s now one day. Having automated payroll, contracts and app access all in one place for our team in five countries gives us an edge over the competition. It’s the system that runs our business.
5. HROnboard (by Ascender)
HROnboard, now part of the Ascender (a leading payroll provider) ecosystem, specializes in one critical phase of the employee journey: onboarding, transitions and offboarding. For distributed teams, the onboarding experience sets the tone for engagement and productivity. HROnboard focuses on creating a seamless, digital, This creates an engaging experience that makes remote hires feel connected and prepared from day one, while also ensuring full compliance.
Key Features for Distributed Teams
- Digital Onboarding Journeys: Make custom, branded welcome portals for new employees. Remote workers can fill out forms, watch intro videos from the CEO, meet their team online and get resources before they start.
- Automated Compliance & Task Management: Ensures all compliance steps Automated Compliance & Task Management: Makes sure that all compliance steps (like filling out tax forms, choosing a super and signing policies) are done on time and digitally, with automated reminders for both the new hire and the hiring manager. Managing equipment and logistics: Make sure that laptops, phones and other items are sent to a remote worker’s home address, with tracking and confirmation built into the process.
- Offboarding & Knowledge Transfer: Makes it easier for remote workers to leave by making sure that returning equipment, shutting down systems and passing on important knowledge are all handled smoothly.
Integrations and Compliance in Australia
- Core Strength: Deep integration with Ascender Payroll makes sure that data flows smoothly into the payroll system, making sure that everything is in order from the first pay run.
- Integrations: Made to work with popular HRIS, ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) and IT service management tools.
Best For
This solution is ideal for any Australian company with a minimum of 100 employees, aiming to enhance the candidate and employee experience by ensuring remote onboarding is consistent, efficient and enjoyable. It is frequently utilized in conjunction with a core Human Resource Information System (HRIS).
Summary of User Feedback
“Our old paper-based onboarding was a disaster after we went remote.” HROnboard made our new employees’ first days amazing. They do everything online, feel connected before day one and their information goes straight to payroll. It has taken away their stress and made things hellish for us.
Choosing the right HR technology is a strategic choice that has a direct effect on your ability to build, manage and keep a high-performing distributed team in Australia. The landscape has a solution for every need, from Employment Hero’s all-in-one simplicity for small businesses to Elmo’s strict workforce management, PageUp’s focus on talent development, Rippling’s global automation power and HROnboard’s focus on experience.
The primary objective is to transition from maintaining administrative records to enabling remote workers to connect, comprehend and adhere to rules. When you evaluate platforms, give more weight to those that have strong self-service options for employees, strong foundations for compliance in Australia and useful connections to the tools your team already uses. A good platform will do more than just keep track of your remote workers. It will also help you build a unified, engaged and productive organization, no matter where your employees log in from.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the most important thing to look for in an HR platform for teams that work from different places?
A centralized employee self-service portal that works on mobile devices is a must. It gives remote workers access to information and services (like payslips, leave and documents) and makes HR and managers’ jobs much easier.
2. How do these platforms help remote workers in different states follow Australian Fair Work rules?
They automate the application of correct awards, modern awards and state-based rules, such as long service leave. They make sure that payroll calculations take into account location-based allowances and tax differences. They also help manage and keep track of flexible work arrangements and requests in line with Fair Work rules.
3. Can these platforms help make a company’s culture stronger when people work from home?
Yes, but not directly. Integrated recognition feeds (Employment Hero), goal alignment tools (PageUp), centralized company news and digital onboarding experiences (HROnboard) all help people feel connected, like they belong and like they are working toward the same goal. These are the building blocks of culture.
4. How much do these platforms usually cost?
Prices are usually per employee per month (PEPM). For basic HRIS features:
- SME platforms (like Employment Hero) cost about $10 to $20 per employee.
- Mid-Market/Enterprise (for example, Elmo and PageUp): about $15 to $30 per month, with the option to add on more features.
- Big Enterprise (e.g., Elmo, PageUp): ~$15-$30+ PEPM, often with modular add-ons.
- Global platforms (like Rippling) can cost between $20 and $40+ per month, depending on the modules (HR + IT).
- Onboarding Specialists (like HROnboard): Usually charge a flat fee or PEPM for the module each year.
5. How long does it usually take to put something into action?
This changes a lot:
- All-in-one Cloud (Employment Hero): Can be as quick as 2–4 weeks.
- For modular/mid-market (Elmo, PageUp), it takes 3 to 6 months to set up the whole suite.
- Global/Unified (Rippling): Automation can make things go very quickly (in weeks), but more complicated things take longer.
- Best-of-Breed (HROnboard): Setting up and integrating takes 4 to 8 weeks.
6. What if we have workers who don’t live in Australia?
Rippling has designed its global payroll engine specifically for this scenario. Employment Hero is expanding its global payroll services through strategic partnerships. Elmo and PageUp can handle HR and talent management for international employees, but they usually need a separate local payroll provider. Always check the platform’s direct capabilities for the countries where your employees work.
