4.6 out of 5 stars
(235 Ratings)
Most HR software is built for the US market and adapted for Canada as an afterthought — missing native payroll compliance, storing data on American servers, and offering no French-language support. Folks is different. A Canadian-owned platform designed from day one for the way Canadian businesses actually run.
Folks handles CRA-compliant payroll natively: automatic T4 and RL-1 generation, ROE filing to Service Canada, CPP/QPP/CPP2 and EI deductions, multi-province tax calculations, WSIB/WCB, Ontario EHT, and direct deposit — no third-party payroll provider needed. The platform also covers HRIS, applicant tracking with AI-powered candidate matching and integrations with Indeed, LinkedIn, Jobillico, and Talent.com, plus performance management with 360° evaluations.
SOC 2 Type 2 certified, with all data hosted exclusively in Canada — governed by PIPEDA and provincial privacy laws, not the US CLOUD Act. Fully bilingual in English and French. Plans start at $6/employee/month. 1,200+ Canadian SMBs across manufacturing, construction, healthcare, non-profit, and professional services already made the switch.
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4.4 out of 5 stars
(655 Ratings)
If your employee details are spread across spreadsheets, emails and disconnected apps, Breathe brings them together. It's a UK HR platform launched in 2012 for small and medium-sized businesses. More than 17,000 of them use it, along with over 1,000 UK HR consultancies.
Three everyday HR problems Breathe fixes
Information everywhere: one central, accurate record for every employee.
Endless chasing: staff book leave, sign documents electronically and follow shared workflows.
A small HR team: start with the essentials and add more as you grow.
The essentials: Core HR
Store records and documents securely, manage holiday and leave, track sickness and absence, and let staff update their own details. Collect e-signatures, set goals, run one-to-ones and reviews, and spot trends with built-in reports.
Optional extras
Rota, Time and Attendance: plan shifts and track hours
Expenses: claims, receipts and manager sign-off
Recruitment: advertise roles and follow each candidate
Health and Safety: risk assessments, incidents and compliance evidence
e-Learning: assign UK-specific courses and see who's completed what
Breathe is also building an AI Assistant to answer HR and policy questions, and plans to launch payroll in late 2026.
Who gets the most from it
UK organisations with up to 200 people, particularly charities, schools, healthcare, retail, start-ups and professional services firms with lean HR. If you need multinational payroll, global compliance or enterprise workforce planning, weigh it up first.
Pricing, support and security
Plans start from £24 a month for your whole organisation, with no long-term contracts or hidden fees. Try it free for 14 days, with UK-based support from setup onwards. Breathe holds ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 accreditation and keeps your data in UK data centres, protected by encryption and access controls.
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ADP Total Absence Management
Managing employee leave efficiently demands a keen focus on regulatory compliance, a solid grasp of who qualifies for leave, and seamless integration with payroll systems, all of which can heavily tax an organization’s resources. Inadequate leave management can result in significant fines for non-compliance, and it risks creating a perception of unfairness or bias among employees towards HR practices. ADP presents extensive assistance in navigating leave in accordance with both federal and state laws, as well as aligning with your organization's internal guidelines. Each action taken concerning the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) can impact various aspects, including time management, payroll, employee benefits, and compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA); thus, engaging a qualified human capital management (HCM) expert is essential. By choosing a fully outsourced solution, companies can pursue a more strategic method while retaining full transparency in their operations. Moreover, ADP equips organizations with crucial insights to proactively handle absences, allowing them to devise effective strategies for reducing absenteeism and its associated costs. This forward-thinking strategy not only ensures that your organization is equipped to handle leave challenges but also promotes a workplace culture that prioritizes fairness and compliance. Ultimately, investing in robust leave management systems can lead to increased employee satisfaction and organizational efficiency over time.
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LeaveXpert
This innovative leave management solution enables organizations of all sizes to experience significant enhancements in their operational efficiency, making it easier to handle FMLA and various other less common leave types. Discovering the perfect leave management system that aligns with your organization's unique needs has become more straightforward than ever. LeaveXpert provides three distinct editions, all featuring built-in FMLA capabilities that allow businesses to manage their leave procedures efficiently. The system includes essential components typical of a thorough leave management platform, ensuring compliance with both federal and state FMLA guidelines, along with automated alerts, communication tools, and task management features. With Optis' hybrid model, you can enjoy flexible leave management solutions that merge software capabilities with direct employee interaction. Furthermore, the platform offers an employee self-service portal, customizable leave options, and tailored company fields, all at an affordable monthly user fee. Our extensive absence management system is designed for organizations with complex leave management needs, equipping them with all the necessary resources while Optis skillfully handles the overall absence management process, thereby optimizing operations and boosting productivity. In addition, the user-friendly interface ensures that employees can easily navigate the system, fostering a more engaged workforce.
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