Best HR document management software
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Written by:
Joe Hodges
Navigating the mountain of HR paperwork for each new employee who joins the team is an arduous task for any small business owner who already has enough on.
If you do it all yourself, you’re bound to be overloaded with paperwork, run into issues with legal compliance, and have documentation that’s riddled with inefficiencies.
This is why having reliable HR document management software comes in so handy. It reduces the time you spend on HR matters, and frees up more time to run your business.
We created this guide to HR document management software for UK small businesses, and compared their relative strengths and weaknesses, so you can make a better-informed decision and choose one that’s appropriate for you.
All the information in this guide is based on first-hand experience of each tool: we have taken demos, talked to each product’s sales teams and collected feedback and testimonials from current customers.
As for Charlie - well, that’s our own HR document management system, so we know it inside out!
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Compare HR document management software
- Small businesses and startups
- All-in-one HR software
- Free for 7 days, then £4 per user, per month (no extra or hidden costs)
- All company sizes
- e-signatures
- From £8 a month with other pricing options to suit different needs
- Medium-sized companies
- Companies with teams working in shifts
- From £13 per month
- Large corporations
- Customisable set of features
- From $1.25 per user, per month depending on features
- Small businesses
- Basic HR needs
- From £17.25 per month for a team of up to 5 members
Top HR document management software
Best HR document management software for small businesses
Charlie is an HR document management platform specifically designed with UK small businesses in mind.
It gives you secure data storage, employee self-service and robust compliance features with a dedicated document management tool.
HR document management with Charlie
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All your data, secured in one place: Keep all of your employee data, documents and policies in an employee database where you know they’ll be safe
- Employee self-service: Give control back to your employees and let them upload and manage their own documents, saving you hours of needless busywork in tracking them down and hounding them for the papers you need
- Automated compliance checks: You can sleep easy knowing that your i’s are dotted and your t’s are crossed, and compliant with legal obligations
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You’re a small business in the UK
❌
You’re a large corporation
👍
You need a user-friendly interface that’s simple and effective
❌
You’re based outside of the UK
👍
You want a platform that’s affordable and priced to grow with your business
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You want a strong focus on automating your data storage
Strengths & Benefits
Charlie is built to make a tailored experience for small businesses in the UK. It has solid, comprehensive but user-friendly features that make it simple to manage your HR documents as a small business owner.
Pricing
At £4 per user per month, Charlie is priced to be affordable for most small businesses in the UK looking to manage their HR documents efficiently.
A simple but efficient digital signature tool
DocuSign is best known for its e-signature features. However, it comes with document management solutions as well, making it a versatile choice for businesses at any stage of growth.
Features
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Convenient digital signatures: Streamline your document processes with digital signatures that eliminate the need for physical paperwork - and the HR burden it creates
- Wide range of integrations: Can work side-by-side with your other HR software with minimal setup
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You’re particularly concerned with digital security
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You need more than just a signature tool
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Collecting digital signatures for your HR documents is important
❌
You need something more HR-specific
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You’re looking for a more budget-friendly option
Strengths & Benefits
DocuSign is known as an industry leader in e-signatures, which makes it a trusted choice. It also offers a wide range of integrations for more flexible document management.
Pricing
DocuSign starts at £8 a month and has various other pricing options to suit different needs.
Basic but effective document management for growing companies
BreatheHR is an HR software based in the UK that’s become popular for its straightforward document management features. It’s suitable for small businesses that need something basic and with no extra bells or whistles.
Features
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User interface: A simple, clean, intuitive user interface makes it easy for small business owners without a lot of HR experience to navigate
- Easy and safe document storage: The platform allows you to keep your HR documents in a space that’s safe and secure, and where they’re accessible whenever you need them
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Most of your team works in shifts or rotas: on top of document storage, the system helps you with managing time off for shift workers.
❌
You value a modern and user-friendly UX — BreatheHR’s look is a bit old-fashioned.
Strengths & Benefits
BreatheHR is designed for medium-sized companies (500-2000 employees). It provides basic but effective HR document management, and its being based in the UK means it has a good understanding of the compliance needs of UK small businesses.
Pricing
The monthly BreatheHR plan starts off at £13 per month.
Complete HR software for multinational companies
Zoho People is a robust HR suite that offers a range of functionalities. It’s suitable for larger corporations, and it’s highly customisable and offers global customer support.
Features
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Wide range of functionality: Zoho People has a lot of out-of-the-box features like document management to performance tracking
- Designed for larger corporations: Though it offers a range of features, they can be overwhelming or unnecessary for small businesses that don’t require a heap of extras
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You’re a larger corporation with more complex HR needs
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You need something more tailored to small businesses
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You need a higher level of customisation
❌
Your business is based in the UK
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You have international locations outside of the UK
❌
You need a software that’s easier to set up and use
Strengths & Benefits
The Zoho People platform offers a broad range of features for different HR use cases. It’s also highly customisable so that you can tailor it to your specific needs.
Pricing
The Zoho People essential package is priced at $1.25 per user, per month, and also scales with the number of features used.
Simple and easy HR document management without the frills
myhrtoolkit is a UK-based software that’s known for being simple and easy to use. It’s an ideal choice for small businesses that just require basic HR document management without the need for advanced features.
Features
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Simple interface: The platform is easy to navigate and use without much of a steep learning curve
- Basic document management: It may not have advanced features, but it covers the basics quite well
- Compliance: myhrtoolkit is a UK-based company which means it’s well-handled to adhere to UK employment laws and regulations
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If you need something that covers your HR basics really well
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You need an HR document management software that’s more feature-rich
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If you don’t anticipate rapid growth in your near future
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You have international compliance requirements
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If you’re not tech-savvy and need something accessible
Strengths & Benefits
The myhrtoolkit platform is easy to install and requires minimal training. It being based in the UK means it’s well-positioned to deal with your compliance needs and give you peace of mind.
Pricing
For a small team of 0-5 people, myhrtoolkit plans start at £17.25 per month.
FAQs
Document management software for HR is designed to store, organize and manage your HR documentation. It serves as a place where you can keep your employee contracts, your employee performance reviews, and your legal compliance forms in one database.
Using the right document management software for your HR needs saves you time, makes your life easier, and makes your HR processes more efficient. Automating your HR document management saves you a lot of operational labour, and reduces the risk of human error in your paperwork.
Consider some of these features when choosing the best HR document management software for you:
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Comprehensive data storage: The HR document management software you go with should be able to store a range of file types, from Word documents to PDFs
- User-friendly interface: The software should be intuitive and easy to use, even for the non-HR employees on your team, thereby improving your productivity
- Compliance features: Your HR documents deal with potentially sensitive data, so they should include compliance checks like audit trails, permission-based access, and data encryption
There is no best HR document management software, strictly speaking. There is only the best one for your own business.
Which document management software you end up going with will depend on the size of your business, your budget, and what your specific needs are. What’s appropriate for a large enterprise corporation in the United States won’t be suitable for your small business in the UK.
A few things to consider when making your decision:
Features
You’re dealing with sensitive employee information that’s tied directly to your team member’s personal data.
So, you’ll need HR document software that has secure storage, where you can easily access the documents you need at any time from anywhere, and that offers compliance checks.
Pricing
Small businesses have a small, tight-knit team and limited resources, so you’ll need HR document software that’s priced appropriately for your stage of growth.
Look for platforms that have subscription models that offer you flexibility, and that grow as your business grows. In the ideal case, document management solutions will have modular features you can add on or tiered pricing to accommodate your future growth.
This is an investment in your business that you’re making, so keep in mind the platform’s potential ROI as well. It may have high upfront costs but has long-term benefits that make it worth the investment.
Compliance
The small business HR document software you choose should help you adhere to legal requirements - specifically, those of UK employment law. Automated compliance checks can be extremely useful in this regard.
Charlie: for HR that’s effortless and affordable
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