Butlers Chocolates

Founded in Dublin in 1932, Butlers Chocolates has grown into Ireland’s most iconic luxury chocolate brand. From its factory in North Dublin to a global network of over 35 Butlers Chocolate Cafés, the company employs more than 400 staff across manufacturing, retail, and international operations.

The family-owned business has built its reputation on quality, sustainability, and loyalty — with many long-serving employees growing their careers alongside the company. But managing a large, dispersed workforce created operational and HR challenges.

Butlers Chocolates needed to:

•  Improve Time-Tracking & Attendance: Automate clock-ins to reduce payroll errors across manufacturing and retail staff.

• Centralise HR Operations: Bring factory and retail café staff into one HR platform with consistent data and documentation.

• Simplify Shift Scheduling: Manage café rotas, seasonal peaks, and production schedules quickly and accurately.

• Ensure HR Compliance: Stay compliant with Irish employment law, food industry regulations, and international franchise operations.

• Streamline Payroll Reporting: Feed accurate rota and attendance data into payroll to save admin time and reduce disputes.

• Support Recruitment & Onboarding: Handle seasonal café hires and factory recruitment more efficiently with digital contracts and onboarding tools.

With digital rotas, attendance tracking, integrated payroll reporting, and HR compliance tools, the company gained full visibility of its workforce and reduced administrative strain. With HR Duo, Butlers achieved:

• Smart Shift Scheduling: Managers build café and factory rotas in minutes, adapt to seasonal peaks, and notify staff instantly.

• Automated Time-Tracking: Employees clock in via mobile or site devices, ensuring accurate payroll and reducing disputes.

• Integrated Payroll Reporting: Attendance and rota data flow directly into payroll, saving hours of manual work.

• Recruitment & Onboarding Tools: Digital contracts, applicant tracking, and onboarding features reduce time-to-hire and seasonal staff admin.

• HR Compliance Management: Model HR policies, contracts, and audit trails simplify compliance across all sites.

• Mobile Self-Service for Employees: Staff check rotas, request leave, and view HR policies via the HR Duo mobile app.

• Real-Time HR Insights: Managers track labour costs, absence trends, and shift coverage across the business