How Orica are simplifying global payroll across 48 countries

Orica is no stranger to complexity. With around ~14,500 employees across 48 countries—and over 80 bargaining agreements, with a mix of salaried and hourly workers—the mining and infrastructure company’s workforce is as diverse as it is global.

“At Orica, we do everything from supplying explosives to providing cutting-edge digital solutions for the mining industry, and our ambition is to do that sustainably,” explains Stacey Brewer, Vice President, Global Process Strategy and Enablement at Orica. “Because we have such a challenging and complex landscape, we don’t want our people to be distracted by how they access support.”

But accessing that support wasn’t always simple. Before Dayforce, Orica’s teams juggled 34 different payroll systems and vendors, a daily challenge that made consistency nearly impossible. “It was incredibly complex,” Brewer admits. “My job was to work with each system and bring some control and compliance into the payroll landscape.”

Orica’s experience reflects a broader global challenge. In a Dayforce study, 69% of leaders surveyed agree that their organisation uses too many technologies to get work done, resulting in fragmented workflows, increased effort, and lost productivity.

Building a business case grounded in risk and control

Orica had attempted payroll transformation three times before, each led by a different project owner and focused on cost savings. But Brewer and Matthew Stewart, Senior Manager of Program Delivery at Orica, had a different approach.

“To us, it was really obvious that this was a risk story,” says Brewer. “It’s not that we were non-compliant or weren’t paying people accurately. But it was really hard to give a consistent view of this and to give the business peace of mind that it was under control.”

They knew this time had to be different. “Because of the size and complexity of the program we were undertaking, we needed someone with the capability to hit the ground running and scale globally,” shares Stewart. “More than anything, we were looking for a true partner, one that was as invested in the strategy and approach as we were.”

Orica chose to partner with Deloitte, and together they spent a full year on planning and preparation.

That initial year focused on setting the organisation up for success. “We mapped out what was happening in each country, technically and from a process perspective,” says Stewart. “That gave us a clear view of the risk profile and helped us understand how things really operated on the ground.”

The team developed a global design for the future payroll model, established project governance, and created a roadmap, all before going to market. “We wanted to go to market with a really clear idea of what we wanted to achieve,” says Brewer. “Even if it wasn’t possible right away, it gave us a north star to aim for.”

That groundwork led Orica to choose Dayforce as its single global payroll platform, improving visibility and control. The result was a well-informed implementation strategy and a strong alignment between Orica, Deloitte, and Dayforce. “We’ve had pretty tremendous success,” says Stewart. “A few slips here and there, but we’ve really kept to our dates. That’s largely thanks to the genuine partnership we have with Deloitte and Dayforce. We’re all aligned and committed to executing this plan.”

What changed after moving to a single global payroll platform

Moving from 34 disconnected systems to one is changing how HR operates at Orica. Here’s how the business is seeing results:

A consistent user experience across the globe

Orica employees now interact with a single interface, regardless of their location or role. “Dayforce understood the importance of a unified employee experience,” explains Brewer. “Our people all see the same thing and have the same experience, even though it might be complex under the hood.”

One source of truth for data

With data flowing more efficiently from across systems, Orica now has enhanced visibility into key workforce data. “You get that single user experience,” Stewart shares. “We can access near real-time data like clock-in times, overtime, and leave, from anywhere in the world.”

Managed services free up internal teams

For countries where Dayforce has been rolled out, payroll teams now spend far less time on manual payroll admin. “We have a managed service from Dayforce across the countries we've implemented in,” says Stewart. “It supports our payroll operations and helps free up our team to focus on higher, value-add work, instead of being stuck in the grunt work of running payroll.”

Greater transparency into usage and compliance

“For the first time, we can see more clearly what people are doing, when they’re doing it, and how they’re doing it,” says Brewer. “That level of transparency is huge, for both adoption and compliance.”

Global standardisation, with built-in local flexibility

The global design allows for consistency across the organisation while accommodating local regulations. “It helps us ensure that we’re staying on track with our global model,” Stewart says, “but also lets us meet local legislative or business requirements where necessary.”

Faster, smarter decision-making

Centralised data means leaders can act quickly. From cost controls to compliance, Dayforce helps provide Orica with the visibility and insights needed to support faster, more informed decision-making.

Laying the foundations for success

That initial year focused on setting the organisation up for success. “We mapped out what was happening in each country, technically and from a process perspective,” says Stewart. “That gave us a clear view of the risk profile and helped us understand how things really operated on the ground.”

The team developed a global design for the future payroll model, established project governance, and created a roadmap, all before going to market. “We wanted to go to market with a really clear idea of what we wanted to achieve,” says Brewer. “Even if it wasn’t possible right away, it gave us a north star to aim for.”

That groundwork led Orica to choose Dayforce as its single global payroll platform, improving visibility and control.The result was a well-informed implementation strategy and a strong alignment between Orica, Deloitte, and Dayforce. “We’ve had pretty tremendous success,” says Stewart. “A few slips here and there, but we’ve really kept to our dates. That’s largely thanks to the genuine partnership we have with Deloitte and Dayforce. We’re all aligned and committed to executing this plan.”

If you’re exploring how to simplify complexity across regions, systems, and teams, join us at Dayforce Summit Sydney to hear from workforce leaders tackling similar challenges.
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Payroll transformation lessons from Orica's experience

If you’re embarking on a large-scale payroll or workforce transformation, Orica’s journey offers powerful insights. Here are some of their biggest lessons, shaped by real-world experience:

Invest in planning like your success depends on it

Stewart emphasises the importance of taking the time to plan. “It does seem like a big investment upfront - and it is,” he admits. “But if you take the time to understand where the problems really lie, and figure out what your ideal solution is, it will give you a big head start and set you up for success."

Start with a clear vision, even if it’s ambitious

“We wanted to go to market with a clear picture of our end goal, and we didn’t want that to be dictated to us,” Brewer notes. “Even if it wasn’t all possible right away, it became a north star for us to aim for and guide our decisions.”

Don’t overlook cultural fit

“There are always going to be problems that come up,” says Brewer. “You need to get the sense that you can have open and honest conversations, so that when those inevitable problems arise, you’re going to be able to work through them together.”

Lean on your partners, but keep change management in-house

“Because of the scale of the transformation, we absolutely needed to lean on our partners,” says Brewer. “But from a change management perspective, it was better to be owned by us. We set up our own team to drive change internally, and I think that’s helped a lot with credibility. It feels like there’s real ownership of what’s being rolled out.”

Communicate continuously

Stewart and Brewer shared how they engaged senior stakeholders early and often. “That early engagement helped us get traction on the business case and win support at the senior level,” says Brewer. “We’ve kept that going to keep people aligned. As go-lives get closer, people lean in more by building trust and being available, and that’s been a big part of why things have gone so well.”

Keep momentum and move through resistance

Brewer knew that long timelines could wear people down, and when change gets hard, people often revert to old habits. “You’ve got to make it compelling, keep following up, and help them move forward,” she says. “If you delay too much, the energy fades. People get tired, and you hit diminishing returns. Once momentum dips, it’s much harder to get back.”

Local matters, even in a global model

“You need people on the ground who understand both the law and the culture,” says Stewart. “That’s been critical for making sure global designs work locally.” With projects across five regions running concurrently, Deloitte and Orica connected local implementation back to a central PMO and global design. “It means we can deliver on our global standards while still ticking all the boxes for supporting local compliance requirements.”

A transformation still in motion

Orica’s journey with Dayforce is still underway, as part of a multi-year transformation that continues to bring new regions, teams, and insights into the fold. But already, the results are building momentum and reinforcing what’s possible when you pair a clear vision with the right partners and disciplined execution.

As Brewer puts it: “Change is hard, and people generally try to avoid it. So, you have to make it really compelling, keep following up, and make sure what’s supposed to have been done has been done.”

Orica shared parts of this journey on stage at last year’s Dayforce Summit, offering practical insights into leading global payroll transformation at scale.

Gain real-world strategies, peer perspectives, and actionable ideas to help move your own transformation forward at the Dayforce Summit Sydney on 20 May.
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