BambooHR

The look an feel of BambooHR (BHR) is amazing! Its almost like Facebook for recruiting. It is very intuitive for what it does and offers to the administrator and end user. The applicant tracking system is very easy to use and goes the extra mile with automation and thoughtfulness concerning on-boarding and then " flowing" into the core HRIS. The BHR system was chosen by a previous HR professional that clearly had a recruiting bias. Although important, more vetting should have been done to make a sound choice for long term success regarding the needs of a small to mid-size business.

Beyond what I described above there is limited functionality without also purchasing and integrating other systems through a "bolt-on" approach. By "Bolt-on" I mean that BHR will not automate between the core HR system of BHR and a timekeeping system, a payroll system, benefits administration system, leave administration system. The ability to have a robust system is possible but is not practical or cost effective with BambooHR. In order to get a full platform, covering the full life cycle of and employee, through BHR, a business would have to pay upwards of 30-40 dollars per employee per month. Simply put other options are available and far more robust with better long term results for less money- See my review of APS Payroll for an example.

The user interface is perfectly logical and easy to navigate. Very simple format with ability to handle complex scenarios.

The time keeping and payroll features are bolt ons. It would be nice to have fully integrated, inhouse designed and operated options for a 100% complete all-in-one system.

The idea of on-boarding a new employee electronically is a huge plus. It engages employees before they start and makes it so that they come in with paperwork already filled out and spend their first day doing more than just paperwork.
Most of the framework is in place, but EACH area needs improvement, both in the functionality for administration and the ease of use for employees. The sections offered are vital, but aren't complete.

The benefits area is lacking a lot of common sense tools - like the ability to attach plan documents to an insurance plan (only a link can be used), display plan cost information to an employee BEFORE they sign up (the pricing is only available AFTER they sign up and become eligible). Many things like this create double the amount of work for the administrator.
The actual on-boarding process was a struggle because even though the forms were done properly by the employees (I sat with a few and watched them), it didn't save all information in completed fields. Employees were frustrated when they had to fill out forms multiple times because you cannot edit once saved.
I love that employees can e-sign documents, but preparing the forms is cumbersome and they can't be customized easily. For instance, if you need to update a form because something has changed or didn't save properly, you have to delete the task and resend to any employees who need an updated form.
When I discussed a few very basic items with support, they just offered a work around that many clients use. These are obvious flaws in the system that need to be addressed, but aren't necessarily a priority. Bamboo HR seems to focus more on flashy design than actual content. It makes them seem like a leader in the industry, but as soon as you dig in, the flaws are obvious.
For the price, there needs to be more development in the software.