Nando’s Found the Secret Sauce for Compliance at Scale

Hiring up to 50 new staff a week sounds like a great problem to have, until you’re buried in manual VEVO checks, chasing down passports, and praying a visa expiry doesn’t slip through the cracks.

That was the reality for Nando’s ANZ, a fast-paced, people-first business with over 150 restaurants and more than 3,000 employees, many of them visa holders. They take compliance seriously, and with good reason. It’s how they run a tight, responsible operation.

So, when manual processes became unsustainable, Nando’s didn’t cut corners, they doubled down on doing things properly, just in a smarter way. They partnered with CheckWorkRights to automate data exchange with Workday—transforming a manual, high-effort process into one that’s effortless, automated, and future-proof, all while reducing compliance risk.

Now:

• Every new hire triggers an automatic right-to-work check.
• Visa holders are continuously monitored in the background.
• Expiries are flagged before they become problems.
• The People & Culture team has visibility, confidence, and time back.

“The team at CheckWorkRights were fantastic to work with. They took the time to understand our business, made adjustments to suit our processes, and were available at every step,” said Jac Smith-Thompson, People Systems and Reporting Partner, Nando’s ANZ.

This isn’t just about staying compliant — it’s about leading by example. Nando’s committed to best practice and built a scalable, people-friendly process that works for everyone – head office, hiring managers, and candidates.

Why it matters:

• Fast casual dining means fast hiring, and compliance that can actually keep up.
• Nando’s shows that high standards don’t have to mean high overhead.
• The candidate experience is seamless – reducing time-to-hire and drop-off rates.

Now, Nando’s is exploring how they might innovate with CWR further, using the platform to manage Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) certificates and other key requirements is under consideration. It’s about building a single, smart workflow from onboarding to final pay, and setting the bar high for how compliance should be done in hospitality, and with high degrees of automation.

Grace Dunne, People Operations Manager, Nando’s ANZ said, “CheckWorkRights sets the bar for supplier service, they really care about and deliver positive outcomes for their customers.”