CakeHR

Employee Scheduling and Management

Published 06/08/2012 and rated 4 out of 5 stars
by Carmen Rane Hudson

CakeHR is a basic human resources management application primarily built to help employers manage employee time off. CakeHR allows users to keep all employee data in a single, unified, web-based app. Employers can see how much time off an employee has available to them. Employees can see the same information, and request time off at the touch of a button. This frees a company from having to manage a stack of complicated paper forms. There are a series of time off reports that come with the app, as well as a shared calendar feature that lets mangers see who is off when. Used properly, this app could keep business users from being short-staffed and can reduce absenteeism by putting attendance information in a visible, readable format.

CakeHR was created by Mosties! Of London, a digital production services firm that provides technical development and design services. Mosties! Developed the app to solve their own employee personal time off issues, a fact which makes the app super-intuitive since it was first designed to target a real problem and then shared with others, rather than being developed the other way around.

There are other human resources web apps out there, and many are more comprehensive than CakeHR. JobScience, for example, has been around since 1999, and it provides a suite of tools for recruiting, training, and managing employees. SageHR allows users to manage payroll and benefits. Softworks tracks time and attendance as well, while offering workforce analytics and work-life balance tools. All of them are quite a bit more complicated than CakeHR, which focuses on doing one thing, and doing it well.

The app is clean and easy to use. The interface is familiar as it is similar to navigating any other web page a user might interact with on a daily basis. The buttons are large and clearly labeled, making an app that is nicely self-explanatory. The output is bold and easy to read, as well.

The sign-up process is mandatory, but fast. CakeHR calls it a sixty second registration process, but in truth it should take even less time. Users simply create a unique URL that will become their unique CakeHR portal, allowing them to access and use all of their company information. The user then provides some basic contact information. No credit card information is initially required. At that point, the user is given the ability to start a thirty day free trial.

CakeHR offers several monthly plans which depend upon the number of users. £15 per month will allow users to add up to 15 employees. £34 will cover 16 to 25 employees. £68 per month allows users to add 26 to 50 employees. An £148 gives the user the ability to manage over 50 employees.

Businesses which are facing challenges with scheduling and employee time off should give this application a try, especially if they already have software packages or web apps to cover some of the aspects of HR management that CakeHR neglects. It is a good way to eliminate a task or an issue that might be eating up a lot of time, paperwork, and money at some companies.

• Easy interface for keeping up with employee vacation and sick time.
• Employee self-service allows users to request time off at the touch of a button.
• Interactive calendar allows managers to track employee absences.