Star Retailers Group runs several Spar stores, a passenger transport fleet, a wholesale bakery, a gym, a training academy and a social housing company. Here's how one Group HR Manager connects them all through Jem.
Official communications were printed and pinned to notice boards with thumb tacks. Drivers and off-site workers got messages late, or not at all. Payslips were printed on expensive paper, then manually folded, sealed and hand-delivered department by department. At a single store of 300 people, distribution alone took one to two days.
Digital payslips now arrive on WhatsApp before salaries hit the bank, across every entity, from 1,300+ Spar employees to a 20-staff gym. Instant announcements reach drivers, cashiers, bakers and trainers in real time. Earned wage access cut absenteeism by giving minimum-wage workers a bridge to transport, food and doctor visits between pay dates.
HR got 1–2 days back every pay cycle. The costs of specialist paper and couriers were eliminated entirely, as were salary advance requests to HR. Workers who missed shifts because they couldn't afford transport can now access funds between pay dates, and employees have filmed unsolicited thank-you videos for the benefit.
93%
employee usage
48 hours
saved on payslip distribution each month
R299
saved per month per employee using EWA
“It relieved us to now be spending more meaningful time with our people, our operations on the floor, on the ground. It really added a significant amount of value back into the business.”
Ryan Pillay
Group HR Manager
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