The evolution of BrightHR
We started BrightHR with an idea: to create simple HR software that makes people management easier for SMEs. And ever since, we've worked hard to improve it. Here are our greatest moments:
2024
Launched: Employee wellbeing programme
Introducing our Employee assistance programme (EAP)! Your new confidential wellbeing advice line has just launched, offering employees free, confidential advice.
Brand-new success centre tile in BrightHR
We’ve added a new tile on the dashboard to make it quicker and easier for admins, managers, and employees to access support features through BrightHR. Access FAQs, how-to videos, user-guides, and more! All from the comfort of your dashboard.
Employees can now clock-in and out on web
We’ve introduced the ability for employees to clock in and out from the ‘Clock-ins’ area in BrightHR as well as the Blip app, making it even easier for employees to accurately log their working times from their desktops.
Additional Payroll & Tax Fields
New additional fields added to the employee profiles
New & improved BrightHR dashboard for all users
Easy navigation with all the real-time information you need in one place - making BrightHR the most user-friendly HR software to use.
New e-learning courses to grow product awareness
We rolled out three new e-learning courses to assist managers and admins in rolling out BrightHR within their business. They include an introduciton to the software, a guide to Blip and how users can make the most of their rotas.
Annual leave countdown widget
We introduced a mobile phone widget feature that shows the number of days until the user's next annual leave booking.
Calendar view for employee absences
We introduced a calendar view of absences on the employee profiles, which can assist in identifying themes and trends of absences.
New e-learning courses for Australia and New Zealand users
We've added two new E-Learning modules on Bullying & Harassment. One aimed at managers and one aimed at employees.
Additional sickness filters added
We've enabled the ability to filter sickness absence listed on the employee profile for within the past 3, 6 and 12 months.
New: BrightHR Payback Calculator
See exactly how much money you can save your business with our Payback Calculator for HR, Health & Safety, or both! Try it today
BrightLightning is now Bright BrAInbox!
We’ve rebranded our AI powered chatbot to Bright BrAInbox, combining over 50 years of HR and H&S expertise to make sure you have the right answers whenever you need.
We’re proud to be official sponsors of the Sydney GIANTS
BrightHR are partnering with the GWS Giants throughout their 2024 AFL campaign.
Admins and managers can now view and add multiple contracts
We’ve now made it possible for managers to add multiple contracts and see their teams contract history.
Shortlist: SaaS Company of the Year
We've been shortlisted in Global Business Tech Awards for SaaS Company of the Year!
New: E-learning course on the right to disconnect
Upskill your managers on how to navigate your employees’ new legal right to disconnect after working hours.
Shortlist: Most Innovative Use of Software or Cloud Technology
We've been shortlisted in the innovation category of the highly esteemed 2024 Go:Tech Awards!
Bigger offices for more support
For your best support and to keep up with demand, we have relocated to new and improved Sydney offices.
Easier than ever to view and adjust clock-in history
Employees can now view and submit requests to adjust their clock-in records on both mobile and web.
New manager specific e-learning courses
Upskill the managers on your team with tailored e-learning and learning management.
Introducing document reporting!
Produce reports to see at a glance which of your team have read and accepted important documents.
BrightAdvice and BrightBase launched in New Zealand
Businesses in New Zealand can now benefit from round-the-clock employment relations and health & safety advice, as well as a library of 300+ expertly-crafted documents.
2023
NEW feature: Automatic annual leave accrual for ALL staff
All annual leave accrual calculations done automatically for all your staff, no matter what type of contract they are on.
Toss the calculators out!
TOP 25 Work Tech Vendor!
We've been named one of the Top 25 Work Tech Vendors by Inspiring Workplace!
This is an incredible honor, and we are so grateful for the recognition. Our technology is designed to drive positive change for organisations and their people, and we are thrilled to be acknowledged for that impact.
Introducing our BRAND NEW Salary Calculator!
With BrightHR's new salary calculator, you can easily find out the market salary rate for ANY role you're hiring for, instantly. Edge out your competition with REAL TIME insights and make confident hiring decisions.
NEW release: Open shifts!
Open shifts are finally here—letting you create and notify your staff that an unassigned shift is ready for them to claim on a first-come-first-serve basis.
It’s a fair and easy way to fill up gaps in your roster. Plus, it lets your staff take control of their schedule and earn some extra cash by opting in for more shifts!
NEW: Employee Recognition Platform
Staff can now recognise and celebrate each other's hard-work by sending 'Praise' in our brand-new employee recognition platform.
Blip now easier than ever to use!
Access Blip from PC, laptop, tablet or mobile. You can also add, edit and remove set geo-locations on all devices, giving you complete control from wherever you are.
Automatically calculate your staff's accrued annual leave
You can now automatically calculate accrued holidays for your fixed hours workers. See live employee annual leave balances and stop your staff from overbooking their accrued allowance.
NEW release: Custom reporting
Game-changing feature ALERT!
Admins and Managers can now create customised reports based on employee and absence data, giving you more control and insight into your HR management.
40 million clock ins on Blip globally!
Wow, we've hit a major milestone! We're thrilled to announce that we have reached 40 million clock ins on Blip globally, and it's all thanks to our amazing users, thank you!
NEW BrightHR release: UNLIMITED CASH REWARDS when you refer a business to BrightHR
Our new Bright Promoter Programme has launched! This is your chance to rack up UNLIMITED cash-building bonuses. Simply tell us who you’re referring, and if they sign up, we’ll reward you with every business you refer.
NEW BrightHR release feature: Manage documents in bulk on IOS & Android
Effortlessly manage documents on-the-go with the latest BrightHR app update!
No need to fuss with uploading and deleting files one-by-one. With the latest mobile update, you can now manage documents in bulk just like you would on the web app.
BrightHR is a TrustRadius 2023 Top Rated Award winner!
We've been recognised as one of the best HR management companies by Trust Radius for Spring 2023! A big thank you to our staff, this wouldn't be possible without you!
Shortlist: Prolific North Tech Awards 2023
We're thrilled to announce we've just been shortlisted for Medium Tech Company of the year at the Prolific North Champions Awards 2023!
G2 recognises BrightHR as leaders
We're happy to announce that G2 have recognised us once again as leaders in the Test Automation category!
Shortlist: Global Business Tech Awards 2023
BrightHR has been shortlisted in the SaaS Company of the Year category for the second year running!
Brand-new! Bulk import employee data into your BrightHR
You can now save time on your onboarding by by importing bulk employee data via spreadsheet, making it even easier to swap to Bright!
BrightHR introduces on-the-go e-learning
Our brand-new expert e-learning courses are CPD-accredited and FREE for BrightHR customers, allowing you to encourage consistent training on a wide range of topics.
2022
BrightHR: SaaS Company of the Year winners!
BrightHR has been named SaaS Company of the Year at the Computing Technology Product Awards 2022. The awards count public votes to find the winners, so this accolade shows the incredible support from our community and beyond.
30 million global clock ins
Blip now has over 30 million global clock-ins!
This means that there's been over 20 million clock-ins in just over a year!
We've been ranked in Best Companies Q3 League Tables!
We're happy to annouce that we've been ranked in three different 'Best Companies to work for' categories! #19 in the UK Business Service sector, #95 in the North West and #121 of large companies in the UK.
BrightHR: Trust Radius Best Relationship Summer 2022
We've been recognised as one of the best HR management companies by Trust Radius for Summer 2022! A big thank you to our staff, this wouldn't be possible without you!
Updated: PoP on web application
This will provide admins & managers with the ability to view expenses submitted by employees, review the details, and update the status of the expenses record on the web, in addition to doing this via the PoP mobile app.
BrightHR ranked #58 in the TechRound SaaS for 2022
BrightHR have been ranked #58 in the TechRound SaaS for 2022. This award highlights the innovation and success of SaaS companies in the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world!
Updated: Second COVID-19 booster
Users can now record the date of their second COVID-19 booster, allowing employers to track the vaccination status of their employees.
Shortlist: Computing Tech Product Awards 2022
BrightHR's innovative suite of HR software has been shortlisted for Best Software-as-a-Service Provider at the Technology Product Awards 2022.
Enhancement to rotas
Admins, managers and employees now have the option of accepting and declining their shifts on a person-by-person or team-by-team basis.
Updated: Document Enhancements
Users can now upload documents in bulk within all folders, saving users time when they are looking to upload multiple documents.
BrightHR shortlisted AGAIN for the Personnel Today Awards
Having taken home the title in 2021, we’re elated to have been shortlisted AGAIN for HR Tech Provider of the Year at the Personnel Today Awards. The awards recognise excellence in people management.
One million users worldwide!
We're proud to annouce that we now serve one million users globally! Thank you to everyone who has made this possible, we couldn't do it without you.
Updated: Document Enhancements
BrightHR admins can now see who has access to documents, set and view the status of any read receipts.
Updated: PoP attachments
We've made filing for expenses even more flexible. You can now submit an expense with zero to five attachments, compared to having to attach only one receipt previously!
New: Near Miss Reporting
In addition to the ability to reports hazards and accidents in BrightSafe we have now added the ability to report near misses, making BrightSafe the ultimate incident management tool.
G2 recognises BrightHR as a Core HR Software Leader
We're happy to announce that G2 have recognised us as a Core HR Software Leader for Spring 2022. A big thank you to all the team at BrightHR, we couldn't do it without you!
A new look for the mobile dashboard
We have refreshed the BrightHR app on iOS and Android. The dashboard is now super-streamlined with a swish new look!
BrightHR awarded HR Specialist of the Year
Corporate LiveWire have named us HR Specialist of the Year at the Innovation & Excellence Awards 2022! The award celebrates the success of firms that have taken an innovative approach to demonstrate exceptional business performance.
Introducing Bright Exchange
Bright Exchange promotes your products and services to an exclusive community of business owners and consumers, and it's completely FREE. List offers and work with our team to co-market and sell together.
Global Business Tech Awards, we made the shortlist!
We're proud to announce that we have been shortlisted for SaaS Company of The Year at the Global Business Tech Awards, celebrating the best in business across the globe.
BrightHR shortlisted for innovation award
Management Today shortlisted us for the Management Today Business Awards in the ‘Best Use of Innovation in Business' category!
Updated: Blip timesheets
We've added absences and employee working ours to our timesheets, enabling managers to include more information that can help with timekeeping and payroll.
BrightHR: Crozdesk HR Scheduling Award
Expert software comparison site Crozdesk has, named us leaders in rota and shift scheduling software!
BrightHR named in Crozdesk Workforce Management Awards
BrightHR has been recognised as a product leader in workforce management software for the THIRD year in a row by Crozdesk.
Most Popular Software in 2022
What goes around comes around, and we love SMEs! SaaSworthy named us as the 8th most popular software at the start of 2022, and it's got us feeling all warm and fuzzy.
BrightSafe Safety update!
We’ve added incident reporting to BrightSafe, making it even easier to record any workplace incidents and carry out a thorough investigation.
Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award
We've been awarded the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award for the second year running—meaning we’ve achieved GOLD for 4 years straight. Feefo only collects genuine customer reviews, so we’re very proud to have maintained a 4.9 star rating acorss 400 reviews.
Fastest Growing Software in HR
SaaSworthy have named us the Fastest Growing Software in HR. And since they help stakeholders make better product decisions based on unbiased reviews, product comparison, and social popularity, this one means a lot. Thanks SaaSworthy!
Colour coding for rota!
Now managers can colour code and label shifts in our rota software—meaning you can manage your staff by where they’re working, their pay, role, the possibilities are endless!
Blip just got an exciting update!
Our mobile clocking-in app now lets you filter your team to see ‘Who’s in’—letting you manage attendance quicker than ever.
Updated: Table View Rota
This intuitive update makes seeing details of your rota even easier. Plus, you can now duplicate shifts between staff or days, assign shifts across multiple days and employees in bulk, and filter your search to show specific shift types.
2021
Best HR Management Solution 2021
Thank you SME News for crowning us ‘Best HR Management Solution 2021’. We can't wait to support even more businesses in 2022!
Enhanced: Roster details report
Admins and managers now have access to a more comprehensive roster details report through BrightHR’s web application. It covers shift and break times, payroll info, holiday and sickness history and much more!
Updated: Mobile roster view
Shifts are now grouped to ‘Today’, ‘Upcoming’, and ‘Further ahead’, alongside a new list allowing admins and managers to see all employee shifts on one dedicated screen, making team management even easier.
Updated: Single Sign-On
Users can now link all their BrightHR products with both their Google account and Microsoft account. And, if single sign-on is enabled you can login across all BrightHR products.
Documents is now even easier to use
This new update allows users to move documents between sub-folders within the ‘Company’ and ‘Admin’ folders- making managing HR documentation a breeze.
BrightHR: HR Tech Provider of the Year
We're thrilled to have been named 'HR Tech Provider of the Year' at the Personnel Today awards 2021. We’re so proud to be consistently recognised as leaders in HR and H&S software and support services, and even prouder to be a market-leading ally to businesses across the globe.
Updated: Risk assessments
14 new risk assessment templates have been added to the BrightSafe Risk Assessment Library, bringing the total number of templates to 379.
Updated: Two-factor authentication
Employees now have to use two-factor authentication to login to their BrightHR account. Showing every one of our users across the globe that we’re more secure than ever!
Updated: Edit overtime
Users can now update overtime details, in a click and ensure that all the details needed for payroll are up to date and accurate.
New feature: Single Sign-On
Users can now link their Google account with their BrightHR and BrightSafe accounts and use this to login—giving users peace of mind their data is safe.
New: SWMS Navigator for construction
Create safe work method statements for construction jobs. Simply drag and drop safety tasks, request acceptance from workers, and store all your documents in one place.
Introducing our new Overtime Tracker
Track the extra hours your staff work, and repay them with a click, thanks to our new overtime tracker.
Blip – who’s out!
You can now head to the ‘who’s in’ section of the Blip app to see who’s clocked in or on a break and who is out, giving you full visibility of attendance in a click!
Blip has a new look
Following user feedback we’ve redesigned our app to make it even more user friendly when navigating across multiple screens.
New: Employment relations helpline
Adress your concerns with the help of our highly trained Employment Relations Advisers available 24/7.
We are pleased to introduce our Everything Button!
We’ve added a handy new button to the top of your dashboard, it's easily accessible and available from anywhere on BrightHR. Just click it to do everything from requesting time off to logging a sickness. Simple.
The Payroll Navigator is here!
Use it to store employee details and run reports, so you can generate important information quickly whenever you need to submit payroll reports.
10 million global clock-ins
We've reached 10 million global clock-ins!
Thank you to all of our customers and everyone at BrightHR who made it possible to reach this huge milestone.
VaccTrak: Mobile passes
Issue exclusive VaccTrak passes to staff to save in their smartphone wallets, so they always have quick and easy access to vital information.
Updated: BrightSafe Responsibilities Navigator
New statutory responsibilities added:
- COVID-19 Safe Business Check
- COVID-19 Restrictions Check
Monitor responsibilities each day to ensure your business is COVID-secure and have an audit trail to prove it.
New Risk Assessments added to BrightSafe
We are pleased to announce that we have added 41 new risk assessment templates to the BrightSafe Risk Assessment Library, bringing the total number of risk assessment templates to 264.
New BrightSafe feature: Hazard reporting
Our brand new tool helps keep track of workplace hazards whether staff are at home or back in the office.
9 million global clock-ins!
Blip has surpassed 9 million global clock-ins. Won't be long till we hit the 10 million milestone!
New Blip Feature: Shift Adjustments
Employees can now request an adjustment to their clocking in and out times with their manager directly from the app.
VaccTrak is now even better!
See who’s partially or fully vaccinated at a glance and update employee vaccination statuses in the new COVID-19 vaccine tab. Plus, you can now issue employees with VaccTrak passes—all you have to do is hit send and it goes straight to their email inbox.
We’ve released a superb new upgrade to your BrightHR rotas.
When creating a new rota, you can now choose a duration period of up to 14 days, helping to make your shift planning even easier.
8 million global clock-ins!
Blip has now surpassed over 8 million global clock-ins. We're so proud to support small businesses around the world with their employee time management. #NowIsTheBrightTime!
New: Responsibilities Navigator
BrightSafe customers can use the brand-new Responsibilities Navigator to set up task reminders, delegate responsibilities, and save task records.
New to VaccTrak
You can now record proof of employee vaccination in VaccTrak, and store any supporting documents in unlimited document storage.
New BrightSafe On The Go feature: Task reminder notifications
Task reminder notifications will now be sent to users who have assigned tasks when the task is overdue, plus once a week in a handy summary. Tapping on the notifcation will take you directly to the task screen on BrightSafe On The Go, so users can make updates with ease.
BrightSafe update: 33 new risk assessment templates added
We are pleased to announce that we have added 33 new risk assessment templates to the BrightSafe Risk Assessment Library, bringing the total number of risk assessment templates to 213.
BrightSafe On The Go update: New COVID-19 e-learning courses
Three new courses are available on the BrightSafe On The Go dashboard. These being:
Coronavirus Awareness For Senior Managers & Business Owners Coronavirus Awareness For Employees Coronavirus Vaccine Awareness
New launch: BrightSafe On The Go
The exclusive mobile app that lets you manage health & safety tasks—wherever you are.
We won Feefo's Platinum Trusted Service Award!
Having secured Gold status for three years running we have achieved the platinum award! A huge thanks to all of our clients who left us 5-star reviews and to all at BrightHR who have supported our clients throughout 2020.
Updated: Permission page
This update gives BrightHR Admins a full list of what user roles their staff have and makes it easier for the Admins to revoke or assign permissions.
NEW BrightHR release: VaccTrak
Our brand-new tool makes it easy for you to record who’s had the COVID-19 vaccine and who’s still on the waiting list—helping you to protect your people and your business through the pandemic.
2020
BrightHR's payroll navigator is here!
Use it to store employee details and run reports, so you can generate important information quickly whenever you need to submit payroll reports to HMRC.
New Rota report
Our handy new 'Rota report' gives you a summary of the daily hours your staff have worked over a set period. It also includes the total hours worked, helping you speed up your HR tasks.
BrightSafe update: 29 new risk assessment templates added
We are pleased to announce that we have added 29 new risk assessment templates to the BrightSafe Risk Assessment Library, bringing the total number of risk assessment templates to 180.
New e-learning course: Preparing method statements
This course gives you an understanding of what a method statement is, how to create a method statement and the difference between a method statement and a risk assessment.
BrightHR: Computing Tech Product Awards
We’re so excited to be shortlisted for Best Software-as-a-Service Provider at the Technology Product Awards this year.
BrightSafe update: Risk assessments
You can now add attachments to hazards in risk assessments, which allows you to add supporting evidence as part of your risk assessments creation and review processes.
New accessibility feature
We’ve integrated Android’s TalkBack and Apple’s VoiceOver screen reader features with the BrightHR mobile app, helping to make your BrightHR even more accessible!
Updated: PoP
You can now approve or decline your staff expenses in bulk.
Updated: Blip
Following client feedback, users are now able to add notes to their shift when clocking in. We've also updated the Blip event screens, making it even easier for our users to see their shift, break and reminder details.
New gender diversity update
Our new non-binary gender identity update helps you promote an inclusive workplace.
Blip integration with BrightHR
Admins and managers are now able to see who's clocked in on Blip directly from their BrightHR dashboard.
6 million Blips!
We've reached 6 million blips! We're so proud to have achieved this global milestone #NowIsTheBrightTime.
Get expert advice even quicker
Now you can use your BrightHR app to call one of our expert HR advisors in a tap.
Enable notifications via the new Settings page
Get handy notifications about new updates and features via the BrightHR app. This is will be automatically enabled and can be managed via the new Settings page.
Celebratory animations
Employees will now see fun animations on their birthday or work anniversary, helping to improve employee engagement!
Smart Reminders
With our new Smart Reminders feature, users will receive a handy reminder to clock out when they’re due to finish their shift, all based on their BrightHR working pattern or rota!
New BrightSafe dashboard
Check the status of your tasks, view risk assessments, and create accident reports - all from one central hub.
Introducing BrightSafe
It's brand-new health & safety software that helps you to meet the latest government guidelines & get your people back to work safely.
5 million Blips
Just 3 months after we hit 4 million global clock-ins, we've now surpassed a massive 5 million!
New Product: Redundancy Navigator
Introducing our new redundancy navigator tool. Get expert online tools and 24/7 advice to help make redundancy as stress-free as possible.
Read receipts
Admins and managers can now request read receipts from their employees when uploading documents into the company folder. Plus with real-time updates, check the date and time that your employee has viewed the document.
Blip reminders
You asked for it, and we listened. You can now set reminders to end your breaks and clock out. Just set the duration of your shift or break and Blip will send you an automatic notification.
BrightHR: Technology Provider of the Year
We’re thrilled to have been shortlisted for Tech Provider of the Year at the British Small Business Awards 2020. This category recognises the tech providers that best places SME services at the heart of their offering.
New product: Redundancy navigator
Introducing our new redundancy navigator tool. Get expert online tools and 24/7 advice to help make redundancy as stress-free as possible.
New look ‘Who’s off today’ dashboard tile
Our newly designed 'Who's off today' tile gives clients a detailed insight into the absences within their business, making the approval process much easier.
BrightHR: Absence & Leave Management Award
It's great to be listed as a product leader in absence & leave management software. Thanks for the recognition Crozdesk!
Introducing BrightSafe
It's brand-new health & safety software that helps you to meet the latest government guidelines & get your people back to work safely.
Update to the Blip timesheet report
Admins & managers can now generate a report that will show the number of shifts and hours worked, break duration & the total hours worked excluding breaks.
4 million Blips
Another milestone for Blip! After reaching 3 million global clock-ins in February, we have now surpassed 4 million.
Protect your staff’s privacy with Blip
Admins can now set geolocations as private so the details of employees' home addresses remain hidden.
Send alerts with BrightHR
Admins and Managers can now use BrightHR to send alerts directly to employees through the notifications tab in settings.
Blip geo
Blip's geolocation feature is now available to help you manage staff working from different locations.
3 million Blips
Blip usage keeps growing. Less than 3 months after passing 2 million global clock-ins, we surpassed 3 million.
BrightHR: HR Software Awards
Thank you Crozdesk for awarding us as a product leader in the HR Software Awards. It's great to see our hard work is being recognised.
New feature: Employees requesting absences using TOIL balance
Employees can now create absence requests using their TOIL balance and submit to their Manager for approval.
2019
New feature: Notification of personal information updates
Managers and Administrators are now alerted of updates to employee personal information to help you make sure records are kept up to date.
2 million Blips
Blip usage keeps growing. Less than 6 months after passing 1 million global clock-ins, we surpassed 2 million.
Australia and New Zealand launch
BrightHR's award-winning software is now available in Australia & New Zealand.
2018
Update to mobile planner
Based on customer feedback we improved the planner on our mobile app.
2017
New feature: Shifts and rotas
Enjoy a simpler way to make shifts and rotas. Plus, share them with your staff instantly.
2016
New feature: Document storage
Keep all of your employee documents in one place with unlimited HR document storage.