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:

2021

Dec 2021

BrightSafe: Introducing the method statement navigator

Our new navigator lets you create high-risk method statements in flash. Easily drag and drop hazards and tasks, get notified when staff accept and complete tasks, and update method statements without losing previous versions.

Dec 2021

Updated: Mobile rota 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.

Dec 2021

Enhanced: Rota details report

Admins and managers now have access to a more comprehensive rota details report through BrightHR’s web application. It covers shift and break times, payroll info, annual leave and sickness history and much more!

Nov 2021

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.

Nov 2021

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.

Nov 2021

BrightHR: The TechRound Top 100

We're so excited to be ranked 5th in the TechRound Top 100 which celebrates the best in UK startups and tech.

Nov 2021

Bright Exchange update: Search offers

Using our brand new search box you can now find details of specific businesses, exclusive offers and discounts, all at the click of a button!

Nov 2021

BrightHR: Crozdesk HR Scheduling Award

We’ve only gone and won another award! Crozdesk are experts in business software, and after sizing up the competition they’ve named us leaders in rota and shift scheduling software.

Nov 2021

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.

Nov 2021

Bright Exchange update: Edit advert

You can now edit your adverts with a click, giving you the flexibility to change details to suit your business growth plans.

Nov 2021

BrightHR: Northern Tech Awards 2021

We’re very proud to have ranked 18th out of the top 100 fastest growing technology companies at the Northern Tech Awards.

Nov 2021

BrightHR: Northern Tech Business Awards

We’re thrilled to have been placed 18th out of the top 100 fastest growing technology companies 2021 at the Northern Tech Awards.

Oct 2021

BrightHR: Prolific North Tech Awards

We’re so proud to announce that we have been shortlisted for ‘Innovation of the Year’ at the Prolific North Tech Awards, celebrating the incredible innovation of the North’s tech sector.

Oct 2021

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!

Oct 2021

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.

Oct 2021

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.

Oct 2021

BrightHR: SaaS Company of the Year

We're so proud to have been crowned 'SaaS Company of the Year' at the UK Business Tech Awards 2021! The awards celebrates the UK's finest tech businesses and rewards innovative and exceptional applications of technology to transform and grow business.

Oct 2021

You can now request an appointment in BrightHR & BrightSafe

Submit appointment requests with ease with our HR and Health & Safety Consultancy teams.

Oct 2021

Shortlisted: Lloyd's Bank British Business Excellence Awards

We're so proud to have been shortlisted for 'The Technology Innovation Award' at the Lloyd's Bank British Business Excellence Awards. To be included in such a prestigious award is a huge honour and rewards our efforts to develop innovative technology to help businesses throughout the pandemic.

Oct 2021

We're pleased to announce the launch of the Care Navigator

We want our clients to provide the best care possible. That's why we have the Care Navigator, to give them tailored a health and safety solution, to meet care standards, and protect their staff and residents.

Oct 2021

Introducing the People Navigator

The People Navigator is our brand new hub to help users manage staff through their employment journey. More updates coming soon...

Oct 2021

Bright Lightning has landed - the UK’s first AI platform!

Lightning fast AI powered HR answers from our expert advisors with 30+ years of experience. Simply type your HR query into the search bar and our smart AI software will show you the answer most closely matched to your question in seconds.

Oct 2021

Introducing Bright Exchange

Bright Exchange promotes your products and services to over 40,000 business owners and 450,000 consumers, and it's completely FREE. Become part of an exclusive community to advertise your business, list offers and work with our team to co-market and sell together.

Sep 2021

BrightSafe: E-learning Courses Assured By RoSPA Qualifications

We are pleased to announce that 25 of our BrightSafe e-learning courses have now been assured by RoSPA Qualifications, a leading name in health and safety and nationally recognised Awarding Organisation.

Sep 2021

BrightHR: North West Tech 50

Business Clouds annual North West Tech 50 ranked us 12th amongst some of the most exciting tech firms in the North West.

Sep 2021

Introducing our new Overtime Tracker

Track the extra hours your staff work, and repay them with a click, thanks to our new overtime tracker.

Sep 2021

100,000 VaccTrak statuses

We've reached 100,000 VaccTrak statuses recorded in the UK! That means over 10,000 businesses have been able to open safely thanks to our vaccine tracker tool.

Jul 2021

BrightHR: Crozdesk Absence & Leave Management Award

We're thrilled to announce another award win for BrightHR. Crozdesk have awarded us as a product leader in absence and leave management category for the second year in a row.

Jul 2021

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!

Jun 2021

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.

Jun 2021

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.

May 2021

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.

May 2021

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.

May 2021

Updated: BrightSafe Responsibilities Navigator

New statutory responsibilities added:

COVID-19 Employee Lateral Flow Tests
White heavy check mark COVID-19 Premises Check

Monitor responsibilities each day to ensure your business is COVID-secure and have an audit trail to prove it.

Apr 2021

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.

Apr 2021

9 million global clock-ins!

Blip has surpassed 9 million global clock-ins. Won't be long till we hit the 10 million milestone!

Apr 2021

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.

Mar 2021

BrightHR: TechRound SaaS 66

We’re very proud to be ranked 6th out of 66 finalists at the TechRound SaaS 66 Awards which recognises the fastest growing tech start-ups in the UK.

Mar 2021

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.

Mar 2021

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.

Mar 2021

BrightHR: Crozdesk Workforce Management Award

We're proud to share that we've been recognised as a product leader in workforce management software for the second year in a row by Crozdesk. Thanks to everyone at BrightHR for their hard work in achieving this!

Mar 2021

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!

Feb 2021

New: Responsibilities Navigator

BrightSafe customers can use the brand-new Responsibilities Navigator to set up task reminders, delegate responsibilities, and save task records.

Feb 2021

New to VaccTrak

You can now record proof of employee vaccination in VaccTrak, and store any supporting documents in unlimited document storage.

Feb 2021

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.

Feb 2021

New BrightSafe On The Go feature: Accident reporting

BrightSafe On The Go users can now record the basic details of an accident via the menu, and can attach photos and videos as supporting evidence. Once the record is created, an e-mail notification is sent to the responsible person letting them know they need to conduct an investigation.

Feb 2021

PoP is included in the HMRC list of record-keeping software applications

PoP is included in the HMRC list of record-keeping software applications—helping small businesses, like yours with simple record keeping.

Jan 2021

BrightSafe update: 189 new risk assessment templates added

We are pleased to announce that we have added 189 new risk assessment templates to the BrightSafe Risk Assessment Library, bringing the total number of risk assessment templates to 655.

Jan 2021

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

Jan 2021

Updated: BrightAdvice

This update adds the ability for users to request advice directly from the app. Users can choose to request online advice, telephone advice or a video conference. For telephone advice, users also have the option to set a preferred time for the call.

Jan 2021

New launch: BrightSafe On The Go

The exclusive mobile app that lets you manage health & safety tasks—wherever you are.

Jan 2021

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.

Jan 2021

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.

Jan 2021

New e-learning course: Work Equipment Awareness

This new e-learning course covers the actions required to legally comply with Work Equipment Regulations and to help minimise and control risks associated with the use of work equipment.

Jan 2021

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.

Jan 2021

The Rota Report is even easier to use

We’re pleased to announce a brilliant improvement to our new Rota Report. This update includes a handy new column to see whether a rota is published or unpublished at a glance!

Jan 2021

Improved: Payroll glossary

We’ve extended the payroll glossary list with even more terminology, helping you run payroll with ease.

2020

Dec 2020

7 million Blips!

We're so excited that Blip keeps growing. There have now been over 7 million global clock-ins!

Dec 2020

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.

Dec 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.

Dec 2020

BrightSafe update: 102 new risk assessment templates added

We are pleased to announce that we have added 102 new risk assessment templates to the BrightSafe Risk Assessment Library, bringing the total number of risk assessment templates to 466.

Nov 2020

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.

Nov 2020

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.

Nov 2020

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.

Nov 2020

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!

Nov 2020

New e-learning course: Infection Control in Care

BrightSafe users can now stay up-to-date with the latest control measures and best practices to reduce infections in their workplace—including sections on COVID-19.

Nov 2020

Announcement: BrightHR’s brand-new integration with Starling Bank

We've teamed up with Starling Bank to help support even more small businesses navigating their way through the coronavirus pandemic.

Oct 2020

Updated: PoP

You can now approve or decline your staff expenses in bulk.

Oct 2020

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.

Oct 2020

New gender diversity update

Our new non-binary gender identity update helps you promote an inclusive workplace.

Oct 2020

Blip integration with BrightHR

Admins and managers are now able to see who's clocked in on Blip directly from their BrightHR dashboard.

Oct 2020

BrightSafe helpline is now available 24/7

BrightSafe users can speak to our qualified health & safety experts anytime, 24/7, so they can always be confident the right information is just a phone call away.

Oct 2020

6 million Blips!

We've reached 6 million blips! We're so proud to have achieved this global milestone #NowIsTheBrightTime.

Oct 2020

Updated: Redundancy navigator tool

Admins and managers can now create a handy redundancy folder from any of the redundancy plans that have been created on BrightHR.

Oct 2020

Get expert advice even quicker

Now you can use your BrightHR app to call one of our expert HR advisors in a tap.

Oct 2020

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.

Oct 2020

Celebratory animations

Employees will now see fun animations on their birthday or work anniversary, helping to improve employee engagement!

Oct 2020

New Sensitive Information Report

This helps you identify the employee documents set to expire before the Brexit transition period ends on 31st December 2020. Head to the Report page to download it now.

Sep 2020

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!

Sep 2020

New BrightSafe dashboard

Check the status of your tasks, view risk assessments, and create accident reports - all from one central hub.

Aug 2020

5 million Blips

Just 3 months after we hit 4 million global clock-ins, we've now surpassed a massive 5 million!

Aug 2020

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.

Aug 2020

Now updated: Redundancy navigator tool

Use the new redundancy planner to lead you safely through each step of the redundancy process. Check off tasks as you go and download regular reports to track your progress help avoid costly legal mistakes.

Aug 2020

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.

Jul 2020

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.

Jul 2020

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.

Jun 2020

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.

Jun 2020

BrightHR now supports flexible furlough absence

Admins and managers can now add flexible furlough absences through BrightHR's Furlough Navigator. This information will then be available in the furlough report, supporting clients in making claims through the Government Job Retention Scheme.

Jun 2020

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.

Jun 2020

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.

May 2020

4 million Blips

Another milestone for Blip! After reaching 3 million global clock-ins in February, we have now surpassed 4 million.

May 2020

Get your business back on it’s feet with BrightHR’s Back to Work Navigator

The brand-new hub that helps you manage all your back to work processes in one place.

Apr 2020

Protect your staff’s privacy with Blip

Admins can now set geolocations as private so the details of employees' home addresses remain hidden.

Apr 2020

Furlough navigator tool

BrightHR’s brand-new furlough navigator tool gives employers one place to record all their essential staff information and reduces the time it takes to submit wage claims.

Apr 2020

Send alerts with BrightHR

Admins and Managers can now use BrightHR to send alerts directly to employees through the notifications tab in settings.

Mar 2020

Blip geo

Blip's geolocation feature is now available to help you manage staff working from different locations.

Feb 2020

3 million Blips

Blip usage keeps growing. Less than 3 months after passing 2 million global clock-ins, we surpassed 3 million.

Feb 2020

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.

Jan 2020

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

Dec 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.

Nov 2019

2 million Blips

Blip usage keeps growing. Less than 6 months after passing 1 million global clock-ins, we surpassed 2 million.

Oct 2019

Australia and New Zealand launch

BrightHR's award-winning software is now available in Australia & New Zealand.

Sep 2019

New product: BrightInsure

Now you can safeguard your business's future with BrightInsure. It’s optional legal expenses insurance that gives you cover in unfair dismissal and indirect discrimination claims for up to £1 million.

Aug 2019

New feature: PoP by BrightHR

Manage staff expenses with ease and approve them on the go.

Jun 2019

New feature: Document reminders

Get instant notifications for important dates, such as when it’s time to renew an employee’s driving licence.

Jun 2019

New feature: Notes

Make notes against employee profiles so you can jot down any important information.

May 2019

1 million Blips

Soon after celebrating Blip's 1st birthday, we surpassed more than 1 million global clock-ins.

Apr 2019

New feature: BrightInform

Access thousands of resources, guides, and tools for professionals in one easy-to use online platform.

Jan 2019

New BrightAdvice mobile app

The BrightAdvice app lets BrightAdvice customers get quick legal support on the go. Plus, keep tabs on the support we’ve given them.

2018

Dec 2018

Added mandatory leave to BrightHR

This new improvement makes booking mandatory leave for your staff easy.

Nov 2018

Launched: Bright Wellbeing & Counselling

Our complete employee assistance programme Bright Wellbeing & Counselling now offers face-to-face counselling. Plus, access to online self-help tools to put your people in control of their wellbeing.

Oct 2018

New feature: Time off in Lieu (TOIL)

This new feature lets you keep a record of the TOIL your staff earn and help them to book TOIL as an absence.

Sep 2018

Launched: BrightSafe

We launched BrightSafe our health & safety advice line to help protect businesses with jargon free advice from qualified health & safety specialists.

Sep 2018

New calendar

Enjoy an easier-to-use calendar with a grid view and new filters.

Sep 2018

Ireland launch

BrightHR’s now available in Ireland.

Jul 2018

Variable hour employee lateness

Check lateness for casual workers on your app.

Jul 2018

Extra absence types

Choose from more absence types like adoption and shared parental leave.

Jul 2018

New and improved employee profile

Based on customer feedback, we made the employee profile easier to use and with a clearer absence tab.

May 2018

GDPR report

Export all the information you hold on your staff in our employee details report.

May 2018

Update to mobile planner

Based on customer feedback we improved the planner on our mobile app.

May 2018

Assign start date to working time pattern

Set a working time pattern from a specific date in the past.

May 2018

Holiday entitlement in hours

Regular employees can now enter their holiday request in hours and minutes.

Apr 2018

Share documents securely

Control whether to share or hide important documents from your staff.

Apr 2018

New feature: Blip by BrightHR

Free clocking in and out app available to BrightHR customers.

Mar 2018

Canada mobile launch

BrightHR’s now available on mobile in Canada.

Jan 2018

Employee start date and leave year

Amend an employee’s start date or leave year on their profile.

Jan 2018

New feature: HR documents

Use document templates to create your own. Exclusive to BrightAdvice customers.

2017

Dec 2017

Holiday carryover

Carry over leftover annual leave into the next year for your staff.

Oct 2017

Payroll exceptions report

Download this new report to see all approved absences over a set period. This will help you to complete payroll.

Sep 2017

Variable hour employees

Set up BrightHR for staff that work casual or irregular hours.

Sep 2017

Canada launch

BrightHR’s now available on desktop in Canada.

Aug 2017

Rota improvements

Update includes being able to remove shifts from rotas, add notes to shifts and access rotas on your mobile.

Aug 2017

BrightHR Alexa skill

Ask Alexa who is absent today and get a response without stopping your work. Plus, say “brewlette” and Alexa will randomly pick one of your team to make a cuppa.

Mar 2017

New feature: BrightEAP

Confidential wellbeing advice line launches for BrightHR customers.

Jan 2017

New feature: Shifts and rotas

Enjoy a simpler way to make shifts and rotas. Plus, share them with your staff instantly.

2016

Aug 2016

Holiday requests conflict

Get a notification when multiple staff request the same time off.

Aug 2016

Peninsula integration

Peninsula clients can now use their Portal through BrightHR.

Aug 2016

Sickness timeline

View a timeline of logged sickness.

May 2016

Ongoing absence notifications

Get prompts to ask an employee for a fit note or to record their first day back to work.

May 2016

New Feature: BrightAdvice

Employment law helpline with qualified legal advisors launches for BrightHR customers.

Mar 2016

New feature: Document storage

Keep all of your employee documents in one place with unlimited HR document storage.