Driven by a commitment to uphold compliant and fair standards for its franchisees and their employees, Tristyn McDougall, the Financial Controller & Corporate Services Manager at Super Liquor Holdings Ltd, emphasised the guiding principle behind the initial spark for change:

 As a retail franchise network, compliance with employment laws is fundamental to our reputation with our customers, the community and our own people.

These values led to a review of their current processes, uncovering a significant finding which McDougall explains:

A few years ago we discovered an issue of non-compliance which saw us part ways with some multi-store owners and undertake a comprehensive review of all our franchisees’ workplace law practices.

Thus began an annual review process which was backed by specialist legal advice. The goal was to ensure ongoing compliance and support for all franchisees. Through the review process a critical issue was uncovered: many existing payroll systems did not meet the necessary legal standards, particularly in record-keeping and leave calculations.

McDougall recalls that

During the initial review, we discovered that a lot of payroll systems failed to meet minimum legal requirements for record-keeping, which in turn compromised the accuracy of leave calculations.

This realisation set Super Liquor on a mission for a better solution, which they found in Crystal Payroll. 

The outcomes were so good, the review is now carried out annually and our specialist employment law partner, Lane Neave, are retained so that all our franchisees have on-tap expert advice and support free-of-charge.

Super Liquor set themselves apart from most other businesses by the attention to detail they needed in their payroll system, in particular honing in on leave calculations and record keeping. No stone would be left unturned to ensure their chosen payroll partner met every one of their rigorous criteria. Their legal partner, Lane Neave, have examined the Crystal Payroll methodology as this relates to Super Liquor’s franchisees. Super Liquor’s commitment to upholding the highest standards is evident in their choice of payroll solution. With Crystal Payroll’s leave calculation methodology being reviewed by Lane Neave as this relates to Super Liquor’s franchisees, Super Liquor has confidence that Crystal Payroll’s methodology is designed to ensure capability and compliance.

The decision to partner with Crystal Payroll was a turning point. Crystal’s ability to provide personalised training to clarify payroll processes meant that Super Liquor could meet their legal obligations more effectively. They could also now offer their franchisees access to local NZ support to answer all their payroll questions. Unlike other providers, Crystal Payroll was ready and willing to tailor their system to meet Super Liquor’s unique requirements, offering the reliability and support that Super Liquor was appreciative to now have. McDougall emphasised the decisive factors that set Crystal Payroll apart:

We set about assessing a number of payroll providers and Crystal Payroll stood out as the only provider able to meet our needs. What’s more, Crystal Payroll was only too happy to customise their systems to support franchisees to comply with their legal requirements more easily and cost effectively.

Crystal Payroll had also designed two franchise-specific reports to streamline management from the support office. These reports include the following:

• Franchise Report on Leave for all companies: Ensuring transparency and accuracy in tracking leave across the franchise network.
• Franchise Report on Employee Details for all companies: Providing a comprehensive overview of employee details, facilitating better management and compliance.

These reports make managing franchise operations simple and more efficient, ensuring every detail is in compliance and readily accessible.