Founded in 2011 by British-born Edward Mallett, Employsure began its journey. Early in 2010, Mallett had moved to Australia from the UK with his family, after turning his back on a lucrative career as an employment relations barrister.

Frustrated by an outdated model that charged high legal fees to confused and emotional clients, he arrived in Australia with the intent on starting something new. He wanted to establish a new way to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by introducing an affordable, subscription-based workplace relations service, offering round the clock advice to employers. This gap in the market saw rapid growth for Employsure; it was not long before it expanded into New Zealand.

With almost 1,000 employees, Employsure is one of New Zealand and Australia’s largest providers of workplace relations services, providing a range of services to over 28,000 small businesses across both countries.

As restrictions rolled out in the early stages of COVID-19, many clients of Employsure were forced to close temporarily. Mallett started creating free seminars online to help businesses through the crisis and clients began to pivot their business model to generate revenue. The Pivot Stories series allowed SMEs to seek information and ideas when looking to rebuild and restructure their business during the pandemic.

One client, who usually built and provided specialised structures for music festivals and sporting events (stands, scaffolding, etc.), ran with this advice and pivoted their business to create desks and furniture for people working from home. With help from Employsure, the client was able to keep the business afloat and retain staff on their books. This example features on the series and can be seen here.

Employsure continues to build strong relationships with local businesses, taking part in several charity events. Recently, Mallett participated in the Children’s Cancer Institute’s “CEO Dare to Cure” event. The annual event sees business leaders taking on dares to raise money for children with cancer.

Mallett accepted the challenge by being submerged in an athlete ice bath, braving this on a cold Sydney morning. He also found himself covered in live snakes. The event was a success and generated more than $1M for charity.

Employsure is proud of its strong culture. The staff have a deep understanding of the organisations’ purpose, vision, strategy, and values, which are passed down to newer staff as roles are replaced. Values are articulated to explain what employees should do to align with them. This has led to a swag of industry and awards and accolades, which are proudly displayed throughout the offices.