BrightHR Blog

The moment when GDPR lands is almost here. Are you ready for it?

Do your staff ask a lot of questions about booking time off? Find out how creating an annual leave policy could help answer them.

You won’t need to store all staff records forever. But how long should you keep them to comply with GDPR?

Don’t want to have an empty workplace this summer? Read our 5 ways to manage summer holiday requests.

Find out how a new clocking system will stop you from getting on the government’s name and shame list.

Yesterday was the hottest April day for 70 years. Find out how to tackle the sweltering temperatures in your workplace

We explain the biggest law changes happening this month and why you shouldn’t ignore them.

We’re excited to introduce Blip—a free clock-in and clock-out app that’s exclusive for BrightHR customers.

Let us help you beat negativity during Stress Awareness Month this April

Thomas Cook asked us to comment on the importance of taking a holiday and here’s what we had to say.

We explore why there’s a gender gap in tech and talk to our female staff about their experience of working in a male-dominated industry.

You might be wary of GDPR coming in if you work in recruitment. But don’t worry, we’re going to explain how you can prepare your business for this new legislation.

Today is not just any old Monday in February, it’s National Sickie Day! The day that—according to some—will see the most staff call in sick. But is this really true? We investigate

From 25 May 2018, your staff will have more rights over the data you hold on them. But what exactly does this mean for your business? Let us explain.

With the GDPR deadline looming, we explain what could happen if your business isn’t ready for this change.

Data Protection Officer. Sound like a load of jargon to you? We give you the facts about this role and how our HR software could help.

Knowing what to include in an HR document can be daunting. Use our new document templates to help you. Plus, create new folders to save them in.

Now you can carry over your staffs unused leave into the next holiday year with BrightHR. Not sure about holiday carryover legalities and the impact it could have on small businesses? Let us enlighten you

Our absence management software data has revealed how extreme weather has a big impact on many commuters and their ability to make it in to work on time, with record staff lateness recorded after a cold spell!

American Airlines holiday management crisis demonstrates why companies should always take holiday management & rotas seriously

Employer at an SME? Get ready to adjust your 2018 budgets and hike payments

Do you have the same situation each month—the panic that sets in when you realise it’s the deadline date to get your employee details over to your payroll team? That’s why we’ve launched payroll exceptions reports in BrightHR.

This week Uber have lost their appeal against a previous Employment Appeal Tribunal decision which classes their drivers as workers instead of self-employed contractors.

Being busy has become a bit of status symbol. But what’s behind this and why is it leading to problems?

Fed up of asking Alexa to tell you a joke or just to set an alarm? We give you five fun things you can do with Amazon’s voice technology

Does anyone like Mondays? Not many. But is Blue Monday actually the most depressing working day of the year and what should businesses be aware of?

It’s approaching that time of year when everyone seems to get ill at the same time. But how do you deal with flu season as a small business?

Are your employees avoiding taking sick leave due to the financial penalties? We discuss the issue of pay, short term sickness and how it could be affecting your business

January and February may seem like the most likely candidates when it comes to the month that staff will call in sick. But is this really the case? Our stats show a different story.

For many businesses hiring temporary staff is the perfect solution to covering busy periods such as Christmas. But before you do there are some things you need to know.

The issues with conference calls are well documented and it’s no wonder not many people like them. We take a look at the 10 stages of any conference call

We are all busy people, but are we busy doing the right things? When it comes to work there are a host of ways you and your employees could be wasting time. We take a look at four of them.

Ryanair’s holiday “mess up” shows that companies need to be taking employee's annual leave and rotas more seriously. Getting it wrong can have negative consequences.

Working long hours doesn’t mean you’re being productive. But how do we stop ourselves falling into the effort over reward trap?

Many small businesses have already auto enrolled their employees on a government-backed pension scheme, however, this isn’t where the story ends. As an employer, you still have ongoing responsibilities and duties.

GDPR regulations come into force on 25 May 2018. But how will the new rules impact small businesses and the way they manage their people?

With the recent changes in employment tribunal fee changes, we take a look at how small businesses can look to protect themselves.

We give you the lowdown on what the employment tribunal fee changes mean and how small businesses can better protect themselves.

How did we go about creating our Alexa skill? We asked our Head of Innovation, Dave Sellars, to share his thoughts on the process.

The office slide has become a bit of a trend of late. But where has the trend come from and who planted the idea in our heads? We explore some of the potential origins.

Voice technology is starting to really take off in the home. But what does it hold for the smart office? We’ve been exploring the possibilities

Are you really being productive at work? Guest blogger Reno Macri discusses the issues of a noisy workplace and how it can be affecting more than just productivity

For our second instalment of the Bright Sparks series, we’ve enlisted the brain of Andrew Ramwell, leadership expert and founder of specialist SME consultancy Know and Do.

For many ‘working from home’ is seen as code word for taking a day off, and anyone who does work from home is treated with suspicion. But should this really be the case?

Are you looking for empowered and engaged employees? You need to start with the management. We give you 5 ways managers can empower employees.

Are you still rummaging around in overflowing folders to find that all important company document? BrightHR can help make this a thing of the past

Summer holidays are fast approaching. But are you ready for the potential last-minute holiday requests? We give you some helpful tips on how to handle them.

Managing people can be tricky and it’s a fine line between supportive leader and overbearing boss. Software can help, but will employees see big brother or big benefits?

The average British worker sits through 6,240 meetings in their lifetime and 40% say half are unnecessary. So how can you do meetings the lazy way?

Your best ideas don’t usually come to you when you’re sat agonising over a problem in front of a computer screen. So to be creative you need to get out, to take a break and to work lazy.

We can all be guilty of overcomplicating things in work. But how do you go about making your work simpler? Let us guide you

Technology has made our lives easier, but could you go further? We give you 10 tech solutions to help you be more productive and to work lazy

A recent survey of independent business owners and managers found 83% would prefer workplace pension charges to be brought under a simple capped, all-in-one fee.

Having the most up-to-date software doesn't guarantee success. You need to ensure that you are fusing human interaction with software solutions.

Our team talks you through our sophisticated, more mature, new look. BrightHR has grown up to be more approachable without losing the fun we’re known for.

Roger Longden, founder of business management consultancy There Be Giants, discusses his approach to people management, technology and the future world of work.

Did you know that 1 in 5 men die before the age of 65? Pretty worrying statistics. To celebrate Men’s Health week we ask what employers can be doing to help.

What systems should your small business be using? We take a look at five areas your business can benefit from: communication, people, document, tasks, and analytics.

From financial issues to health and wellbeing information, Bright EAP offers you and your employees access to help and support from trained counsellors 24 hours a day.

Having the correct systems in place can bring with it a host of benefits to your business. And you should see systems as one piece of the admin puzzle.

Working in a bar can be a lot of fun, but it does also come with a unique set of issues. We explore five problems you’ll understand if you work in a bar.

Technology is changing the world and whilst there are benefits these can come at a price. Guest blogger, Sally Phillips, looks at the issues of our increasingly connected world.

Being in a ‘flow state’ or ‘in the zone’ can help you perform at your most productive. But how do you get into the zone at work, and what are the benefits?

What can businesses be doing to improve the situation when it comes to improving mental health?

Office art isn’t just to make the place look pretty, it can have a number of other benefits. We give you some examples and tell you why you need to get creative.

For a bar manager, planning the staff rota has to be the most time consuming part of the job. But what if there was an easy way to solve the most common, infuriating issues?

Our new Rota planning and Shift scheduling module is here. Take a look how it can help you work faster and smarter when it comes to sorting your staff shifts out.

What does the future of work look like? The New Workforce takes a glimpse into this future, discusses the possibilities and gives you inspiration for your business

Creating a rota takes key ingredients, the right mix and good presentation. Get it right and you’re on the way to running a successful bar, but get it wrong ...

Being a bar manager can be tough. Not only do you need to look after your people but you need to keep a close eye on your competitors, changing consumer tastes and future trends. We give you five trends bar managers need to watch out for.

Small businesses need to keep an eye on their spend and any small savings can make a huge difference to the company's bottom line. With that in mind we give you four easy ways to save your business money.

We’ve all heard about the rise ‘flexible working’. But what is flexible working, and how can your business turn it from an idea into reality?

The saying “it’s good to talk” doesn’t just relate to personal relationships. Communication is also a vital part of business and teams who are in the know while having their voices heard, are more engaged and productive.

How do you deal with an employee who is off due to a long-term sickness? We discuss the potential causes, the impact to your business, and what you can be doing to support staff who are off sick.

We invited absence experts Professor Stephen Bevan and Alison Driver to discuss the problems with employee sickness, and what small businesses can do to manage it properly.

With BrightHR the hassle of holiday request forms is officially a thing of the past. Take a look at how we make the annual leave process quick, easy and hassle free.

Your employees’ health, fitness and well-being is not only important to them, it can also have big benefits for your business. We take a look at the benefits of improving health in the workplace, and also some initiatives and programmes you can set up to promote a healthy workforce.

Our in-app document scanner makes requesting an employee fit note quick and simple. Come in and take a look.

How does your business cope when employees are off work for a few days? We discuss just some of the approaches you can take

The workplace is constantly changing. But how are we changing when it comes to tackling traditional issues such as employee absence? Here’s five top tips for you from Calibre Furniture

The thorny issues of office romances are well known. But is there another office relationship you need to be aware of? Your relationship with your systems. And is it time you broke up for good?

Stress has once again topped the list of the most common causes of long-term absence, and is the second most common cause of short-term absence after minor illness. But how do you combat stress in your workforce?

The first Monday in February has been dubbed ‘National Sickie Day’. But is it actually the day that most people call in sick? And if not, when is your company’s sickie day?

A specialist online absence management tools used to be something only larger businesses would use, but today’s growing market has made these solutions affordable for everyone.

Absence costs UK businesses £16 billion per year. And although 82% of organisations claim to collect absence data in some form, two thirds don’t actually monitor the effect on their business. So how do you know if you have an absence management problem?

Our very own CEO, Paul Tooth, gives us his six business new year resolutions for 2017

Guest blogger, Perry Timms, discusses the way we seem to treat people as machine-like and how this might not be the best approach

Keeping your staff happy is difficult at the best of times. But what do you do if you need to decline an employee holiday?

What can you expect to see in 2017? We make our 2017 workplace predictions

When it comes to the workplace, are you more 1917 than 2017? We tell you how you can get your business ready for the new age

The restart of company annual leave should be one that you look forward to. But when should you start your holiday year? We look into the potential issues business owners may face

Everyone loves a good holiday from work, but how people book time off work can be very different. We take a look at the different types of holiday booker in your business

Argh come on! The standard cry of a frustrated business owner when a spreadsheet refuses to work. But what are the major issues with spreadsheets?

The run up to the new year can be a busy time for many businesses, but it's also the time when you should be preparing for future business success. We give you our top tips on how to refocus your business efforts and start the new year with a bang

With Christmas approaching fast it means that the office Christmas party is nearly upon us. But does the office party give you feelings of dread? Is there an alternative?

The last thing you need as a business owner is more admin. And that's why companies like ours exist: to reduce the admin burden, to save you money and to free up your time so you can grow your business.

A surprising amount of people don’t take their full holiday entitlement each year, and often those who have some days left will decide to take them in December. This rush of December holiday requests can make the festive period harder to deal with than it has to be.

January is the busiest month of the year for employee holiday requests. But is your business ready for the admin of this Holiday Booking Season?

Absence can be a problem for many businesses and only by monitoring it can you truly understand the effects. But there is another issue that can be costing your business: presenteeism.

Whoever coined the term ‘it’s the little things’ was absolutely right and it works in so many areas of our lives when it comes to having gratitude and making things work.

Should you be encouraging your employees to take time off work? Whilst many business owners may say no it could benefit both your employees and your business.

Work is now taking up a bigger part of everyone’s ‘life’, but what happened to the work-life balance everyone strives for? Is it even possible anymore? Maybe it’s time we stopped aiming for work-life balance and embrace work-life integration.

‘The traffic was horrific getting in today’, ‘the train was running late again’, ‘there was a car stuck on the tram lines’. The commute into work can sometimes be a nightmare. But is there better way just around the corner, in the future?

We’ve been told for the last few years that the UK has a productivity problem. But what is productivity and why should you really care?

The future can seem like a very scary prospect, especially if you trust everything you read in the media. If some are to be believed the robots will take your job, and they may be right. All of this could happen. But don’t forget we’ve been here before.

As an employer, it’s inevitable that you’ll develop a close friendship with employees. The news that one of them is about to become a parent will therefore be joyfully received in your organisation.

We know that for most small business owners, the pressure can be pretty constant. You’re working long hours trying to make the most of each day, running from situation to situation, thinking about your people and often dealing with tight cash flow issues.

Our new ‘Play and Productivity’ survey suggests the region’s business owners are turning to a playful working culture to attract the best talent and increase productivity

So you’re about to start the daunting task of recruiting new employees; a crucial moment for any small business. Get it right, and your business will really start to come together.

Here at BrightHR, we often talk about how employee culture supports productivity and teamwork. Part of a strong culture includes how your teams speak and share information with each other. Welcome to Unified Collaboration!

If you think about it, the workplace is a very strange environment. It's one that brings together a group of people, initially strangers, and puts them together in the same environment for around 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.

Last year, a nationwide Labour Force Survey found that 35% of all work-related cases of ill health were down to stress. The total number of working days lost due to stress was just under the ten million mark, an average absence rate of 23 days per case.

We asked around the BrightHR office to get people's 'not quite standard' tips to help you impress at the interview stage. Why not take a look and let us know yours.

We are extremely proud to have won HR Provider of the Year at the prestigious SME Awards. Here's the reasons why the judges chose us.

Whatever the reasons you decide to look for new staff, whether its looking to expand your in-house team to cover increased demand or to maximize on new business opportunities, there are the usual ways to recruit, and there is social media.

Today, representatives from BrightHR attended a local event where the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, addressed Manchester businesses on post-Brexit strategies for the North.

If youre discussing how to store your company data securely, its likely that you will have talked about storing it in the Cloud. Buzz-word of the moment, the Cloud is one of the hottest topics in tech with more and more of us using it

Pioneering people management software company BrightHR was last night crowned winner of HR Provider of the Year at the 2016 SME Awards.

A recent report published by the Journal of Hand Therapy showed that the grip strength of current 20-34 year olds was much weaker than that of those in the same age group in 1985.

Its all over the country the referendum results are in and the vote has been determined. As people gather to ask what happens next, there are a group of business owners today who are wondering what they need to know about employment law, post-Brexit.

Like all business processes, managers must assess their HR system from time to time to ensure it is serving every purpose well and complying with the latest updates in employment law.

With Euro 2016 football tournament starting today and the Rio Olympic Games in August, employers need a smart approach to sick leave and working hours to minimise disruption at work

As a consultant, you are in the position to help business understand what options and requirements exist. By harnessing new digital capabilities, companies are able to gain a more in-depth understanding of their performance, productivity and people.

This month, Benjamin Black, Bright HR partner and owner of Blacklarke HR Consulting guest blogs on the challenge of mergers, structural changes and the impact these have on employee engagement.

Did you know that a whopping 79% of employees think fun at work relieves stress?

BrightHR recently hosted a Room 101 style session alongside HR Magazine, cleverly called, HRroom101.

At BrightHR were blazing the trail for future workplace cultures and whilst were thankful to those other business who have shown us the way, were hopeful more businesses will follow our course, benefiting from the learnings weve made along the way.

Employee absence is estimated to cost UK employers a shocking 11 billion every year about 600 per employee. Its a cost no employer wants to cover, and guess what? Its avoidable.

For a profession that demands patience, understanding and a cool head, HR really pushes the envelope for contact with unreasonable, inappropriate and downright bizarre workplace scenarios.

Dress for the job you want, not the job you've got. Now, I'm sitting in a disciplinary meeting dressed as Batman.

The requirement for businesses to provide flexible working hours and conditions, along with greater access to a much larger talent pool through smart devices, the cloud and Wi-Fi, means that remote working is becoming commonplace.

Bank Holidays can often be a nightmare for HR teams where long weekend requests quickly mount up beforehand, staff productivity drops, management motivation drains and suspected alcohol-related absences mount up the following week after a holiday.

BrightHRs Head of Brand Communications Sheryl Cookson argues you cant schedule a creative mind if you want it to thrive in business

How do you build an office environment that will help attract the best talent, consolidate a new team in one environment, engender innovation and creativity, and support the rapid growth of a new brand, product and business?

Technology has spurred rapid development in HR management systems. By harnessing new digital capabilities, companies have been able to gain a better understanding of their performance, productivity and people.

It's no secret that motivated and engaged people who believe in what they do go on to produce outstanding results, particularly when a project proves itself to be a testing challenge.

It is no surprise that the spaces we inhabit can have a huge impact on the way we think, feel and interact with others particularly in the workplace.

Were very pleased to announce that the Bright App Family is now complete!

Its almost Easter and every year, HR teams and employers around the country try their best to accommodate their people whilst keeping the business moving along.

The world of work isnt what it used to be. A job was for life and an Englishmans home was his castle. A secure, permanent job meant stability and the ability to borrow money for a mortgage.

We all know that being charitable is good for the soul. Numerous studies prove that doing a good deed can dramatically improve our state of mind. And its not just for individuals.

Valentines Day is an interesting one. Different people think about it in different ways, however you can almost certainly guarantee that in your work environment, someone will be celebrating St Valentines Day

The Chinese New Year is celebrated throughout the world and this us thinking about how we interact with other businesses, colleagues, employees and industry leaders from China.

When we set out to create BrightHR we wanted to create a brand that our users could feel really close to and feel as though its as much their brand as it is ours. The end result of this process was the Moodle and this is the story of its birth.

Weve all done it, idly scribbling on a pad when were bored in a meeting or on the phone.

At BrightHR we believe that having fun at work helps out team to boost productivity and come up with some amazingly innovative products; in short it helps them Think Brilliant.

Technology in the 21st century is proving to be fascinating and unpredictable.

Whilst commuting into work, I read an article on how starting work before 10am is akin to torture.

Over the last few days I've been ill and perhaps annoyingly for me, I've felt more under-the-weather in the evenings or as I like to put on my own time.

It seems like a lifetime has passed since I started my career in marketing and I have always been confident that I understood the role of marketing within an organisation.

If youre looking for something for your team to celebrate towards the end of January the Burns Supper can offer some quirky, inexpensive and fun ways to bring the whole team together.

January is cold and dark, and slightly depressing. Despite youre very best intentions youre very likely to have already broken most, if not all of your New Year resolutions by now.

We can all agree stagnation, or non-productivity, is the enemy of business. But whats the opposite of stagnation? The antidote to not getting enough done?

Hands up if innovative is one of your companies brand values?

We support Brilliant workplace cultures, and our strategy to do so is simple: give employers and people managers the digital tools they need to streamline their HR processes.

It is time to look back and take stock of the year, our accomplishments, and the journey yet to come!

The festive period is over, the Quality Street tins are empty and the whole office is on a detox. January can be a tough time to keep your team motivated. Here are a couple of ideas to get the New Year off with a bang!

The secret Santa tradition is a well-established office favourite, and helps to mark the start of the office festivities just as much as Bob from Accounts having one to many sherries at the Christmas parties.

Our BrightHR Paid Media Manager, Lisa Weaver doesnt just click for kicks. In her first Bright Blog post she explains how to harness the power of social media for HR

BrightHR Customer Service Advisor, Rob Lyon, talks team spirit, taking care of your employees, and most importantly the value of friendship in the workplace.

Why Head of Brand, Sheryl Thompson, expects more from her employer, and how this is informing a new direction for company culture here at BrightHR

Business Sales Executive Omar Rashid always has one eye on the prize. In his first BrightHR blog post he talks about his competitive nature, and asks the question, Is being competitive more important than winning?

From our comfortable city skyscraper offices based in Manchester, complete with fresh fruit and Space Hoppers our Digital Content Manager, Andy Dutton, asks the question: Is being at work making me unfit?

The future of customer service: a tale of polar opposites

BrightHR Content Marketing Manager, Sue Bennett, visits the future, and comes back again, sparks flying. Hold onto your HR hats!

Over the last few years changes in technology have really shaped how we deliver HR and engage with our people in business.