A big hello and welcome back to the November edition of the Employment Hero product update. We’re getting closer to the end of the year, but we’re not slowing down. Our team has been working hard behind the scenes and we’ve got a tonne of new and exciting updates to share with you. So, what’s new in November?

We’ve added enhanced security settings with two-factor authentication (2FA) and single-sign on (SSO), enhanced our Performance Reviews module, added extra functionality to Rostering, made our Workflows feature more powerful and that’s just the beginning. It’s all here and ready for you to use in-platform – let’s get to it.

Enhanced Single-Sign On (SSO) login experience

Available for the following HR plan: Platinum

We’re excited to share that we’ve enhanced security when logging into Employment Hero to give you an even safer experience.

Organisations with SSO enabled can login to Employment Hero with one-click via the ‘My Apps’ Dashboard on Okta, Microsoft Office Apps and Google Workspace Apps. This login option can be enabled via the IDP setup.

Learn more about SSO.

You can now add back-up approver options in Employment Hero

Available on the following plans: Classic: Platinum, Next Gen

Admins now have flexible backup approver choices, including options like Admin, Team Leader, Primary/Secondary Manager and specific teams, across Leave, Expense and Employee File Change modules.

We’ve also added notifications to alert Admins if an approver is terminated, improving the speed and experience of approvals for your team.

We’ve added Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for payroll users and additional security measures

Available for the following plans: Payroll only Swag users

We’ve added an extra layer of security for payroll in the Swag app to give you an even safer experience with Employment Hero and Swag.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security to your account by asking for both your password and a code sent to your phone.

Payroll-only users can now enable, disable and set up 2FA directly in the Swag app.

Note: This update is for users with payroll access only. If you previously used the WorkZone app, then you can follow the advice in this article. If you previously used the Employment Hero app, then follow the instructions in the article here.

Learn more about setting up 2FA in the Swag app here.

You can now choose how often you’d like to receive candidate application notifications

We know you’re busy and the last thing you want is a flooded inbox. That’s why we’re now giving you the option to choose how often you’d like to receive notifications about new applications.

You can now opt to receive daily or weekly digests of candidate applications instead of individual notifications for each new applicant.

Please note: By default, the candidate applications report will be turned on at the organisational level (email notification settings) and off at the individual level (notification settings).

Learn more about changing how often you receive emails from Employment Hero.

We’ve added greater flexibility to Performance Reviews

Available on the following plans: Classic: Premium, Platinum, EOS: Plus, Unlimited

You asked, we listened! Previously, Admins could only allocate performance reviews to teams or individual employees – but we know you wanted more functionality and flexibility to add additional fields.

Now when an Admin is creating or editing a review period, they will have the ability to allocate the review based on locations and employing entities.

We’ve automated the sync of Pension settings with HR and payroll

Available on the following plans: All HR and EH Payroll connected customers, including AutoPay customers.

To improve efficiency, any updates to UK pension settings in Employment Hero Payroll will now automatically sync to Employment Hero HR for EH Payroll connected customers. This is a big win for businesses looking to boost efficiency by eliminating the need for manual imports.

Learn more about setting up and managing Pensions.

Managers can now easily create Goals and Tasks during an employee’s performance review

Available on the following plans: Classic: Platinum, EOS: Plus, Unlimited

During a performance review, it’s likely that they’ll be next steps to further an employee’s professional development. We’ve made this process a whole lot easier to manage, with managers now able to create Goals and Tasks in the ‘Next Steps’ section on the Employee Review page. This will be visible for both the employee and manager.

Learn more about managing performance reviews as a manager.

You can now enable or disable the ability for employees to request feedback in the 360 Review module

Available on the following plans: Classic: Platinum, EOS, Unlimited

Feedback in the workplace can be invaluable to an employee’s learning and development, which is why we’re giving you the option to empower employees to seek it on their own accord.

In Employment Hero, we’ve added a new Custom Security Setting (CSS) to allow employees to request a 360 Review directly. Employees will be able to see who gave the feedback directly, so they can take it on board and follow up with any questions.

To enable this feature, head to Custom Security Settings > Other Permissions > 360 Review – Request Feedback.

Learn more about completing a 360 review.

Verify Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) using the Swag app

Available for the following HR plans: Free, Standard, Premium, Platinum

The Swag app acts as a seamless 2FA method, enabling you to use your Swag app as a 2FA device.

When you have Swag Authenticator enabled on your device, you will receive a push notification if you have push notifications enabled for Swag. If you do not have notifications enabled, you will need to open the Swag app to see the 2FA prompt.

Learn more about using the Swag Two-Factor Authentication.

Assign team leaders as approvers on Workflows

Available on the following plans: All

Employees can now be designated as team leaders, making them eligible to serve as approvers in workflows.

Learn more about creating teams.

We’ve added more flexibility to email notifications of HR documents

Available on the following plans: Classic: Platinum, EOS: Plus, Unlimited

We’ve upgraded the Employee File Change module to improve email notifications for HR documents. You can now automate and tailor your email workflows, include additional recipients, provide specific context using dynamic fields, and direct notifications to the right people.  

Enhanced reference checking capabilities

Available for the following HR plans: Premium, Platinum

When hiring, you want to make sure you’re hiring the right person for the role. To add more confidence to your hiring decision, we’ve enhanced our reference checking feature.

When conducting reference checks, you can now edit referee details, resend reference check emails, and request new referees from candidates.

Learn more about managing reference checks.

An easier way to manage expense approvals via Workflows, plus an update to managing expenses for employees on probation

Available on the following plans: Classic: Premium, Platinum, EOS: Unlimited

An expense workflow allows an organisation to set up a process for recording and managing expenses. This typically involves gathering, categorising, auditing, and approving expenses to ensure accuracy and accountability. You can use Expense workflows to automate this process via an “when-if-then” sequence.

In Employment Hero, you can now use Workflows as the main system for expense approvals, simplifying the entire process. Approvers also now have custom permissions for better privacy, while Admins retain control for secure and consistent management across all approvals.

We’ve also added a new workflow template to prevent employees on probation from submitting expenses.

Learn more about managing expenses in Workflows.

We’ve improved our workforce planning tool using data from Vacant Positions

Available on the following plans: Classic: Platinum, EOS: Unlimited

Data is king when it comes to workforce planning. That’s why we’ve made our Workforce Planning feature even more powerful.

You can now create, edit, and track vacant positions in your organisation, making it easier to manage roles. Admin users can also run a report to see the number of vacant positions against active (filled) positions over time.

You can access this feature when offboarding employees or from People > Vacant Positions.

Keep your eye out for even more feature updates coming to our workforce planning tool in 2025.

Learn more about Workforce Planning.