edays vs all-in-one HR systems for absence management

Absence management is an essential tool within any business and with a continued movement towards digitisation within the workforce, more businesses than ever are looking for software solutions to help manage their absences. But are you better off choosing a general HR system or a best-of-breed solution? Options such as Breathe HR, Bright HR, HiBob and Personio all offer basic absence management as part of their wider HR solution, while edays offers in depth functionality for complex absence management needs. Let’s compare edays vs all-in-one HR systems for absence management, and see which may be best for you.

Feature comparison edays vs all-in-one HR systems

Broader functionality vs in depth features

Choosing the right system for you will very much depend on whether you are looking for broader functionality or in-depth features. Comparing edays vs all-in-one HR systems naturally means that with edays you will get a much deeper offering within the absence management space but will perhaps get fewer additional HR features.

While an all-in-one system like Breathe HR, Bright HR, HiBob, or Personio will offer a wider suite but you may have to sacrifice some of the functionality and flexibility that you need within the absence management module.

The right absence management tool for you

If you are a small business just starting out, then you may be looking to choose a system that has a little bit of everything to get you going. A solution like Breathe HR or Bright HR may be a good fit in this situation, as you will get basic absence management along with a range of other simple features. On the other hand, edays has plenty of core features, plus more in-depth tools, meaning it can scale with businesses as they go from small to medium to large.

If you’re a medium to large sized business with multiple locations or regions, then you are probably looking for a more comprehensive tool. Therefore edays, HiBob or Personio is more likely to offer you the functionality you require.

An all-in-one will provide you with a broader offering, but edays can’t be beaten on absence management features and functionality, particularly when it comes to global requirements. From importing public holidays, to helping you comply with local labour laws. From the option to set dymanic working patterns such as summer hours in Spain, to the option to accrue and take holiday in line with legislation in France; edays is custom built for global businesses.

edays vs Breathe HR

Breathe HR is an all-in-one HR solution that is geared specifically towards small businesses (up to 200 employees). They offer a range of functionality such as Core HR, time off management, and time and attendance features (shift and rota planning).

Breathe HR Pros:

Great for small businesses – pricing plans start from only 1-10 people so this is perfect for micro businesses just getting started.
Shift and rota planning feature – this will be well suited to any business in the hospitality, retail or healthcare sector who work varied shift patterns.
Expense tracking feature – keeps everything in one place and streamlines reimbursement for employees (this is available for an additional cost).
Learning management feature – small businesses may be resource-tight so having a learning platform can be beneficial (this is available for an additional cost).

Breathe HR Cons:

Not scalable – they aren’t able to support businesses bigger than 200 employees in size and they have no focus on global needs or requirements.
Clunky and complicated to use – users report that the platform is not user-friendly, it’s difficult to navigate, and users find themselves wasting time looking for what they need.
Limited customisation and flexibility – they offer a wide range of features and products but they’re all fairly basic and don’t have the option to customise them to fit your business needs.

Overall, Breathe HR is a great option for those just getting started who would like a decent range of HR functionality. But the system isn’t user-friendly and businesses may find themselves quickly outgrowing the simple features, even before they hit the 200 employee maximum ceiling.

In comparison, edays focusses more solely on absence and leave management, with some expanding time and attendance functionality. It’s completely scalable to any size of business so it’s perfect for growing business, even those that are currently smaller. There are loads of customisation options to help you get the most from the platform.

edays vs Bright HR

Bright HR is an all-in-one HR platform suited to SMEs in the UK. They do have some international support, but they’re not yet a fully global solution. They offer a wide range of HR features and functionality, as well as some health and safety, and legal support options.

Bright HR pros:

Easy to use – reviews of Bright HR suggest it’s user friendly and has an easy-to-navigate interface.
Wide range of features – this includes shift and rota planning, expense management, performance, recruitment, employee recognition, and document storage.
Budget friendly – this makes it a great choice for SMEs.

Bright HR cons:

Absence management is less advanced – they have more restrictive features and less automation
Limited customisation – this may not suit businesses with complex policies
Limited global support – Bright HR is UK-centred with a focus on small to medium businesses, so they’re less set up to tackle global challenges.

In comparison, edays offers advanced absence management with automation, compliance tracking, and detailed reporting. Our solution is set up for global businesses, so we offer multi-location support, localised policies, and compliance tools. edays is designed to be totally customisable to you, so the platform can be tailored to your exact workflows and processes. While the broader HR functionality may be missing, edays does integrate seamlessly with a number of HR and payroll systems.

edays vs HiBob

HiBob is a modern and engaging HR platform with a social media feel to its interface. They have global capabilities and an extensive HR suite to suit everything from performance, to learning, to onboarding, to time and attendance.

HiBob pros:

Comprehensive functionality – they have a really broad feature suite with good integrations into other tools too.
Modern and engaging interface – their software is rated well for being easy to use.
Focus on workplace culture – they have some unique features such as kudos sharing, and an anonymous reporting tool that shows they put employees and workplace culture first.

HiBob cons:

Can be complex – for businesses looking for something simpler, they may find some features redundant.
More expensive than other HR platforms – especially once you start to scale up into the enterprise business space.
Absence management is not as advanced as edays – their functionality is solid but they have much fewer automation and compliance features.

In comparison, edays offers a completely customisable and flexible solution for absence management. For example, if you have employees on mixed contract types and you need to be able to take holiday in a mix of hours and days in the same system then edays can offer this (HiBob currently don’t). While both systems offer a well-rated and easy-to-use platform, edays is much better for those with specialised absence management needs, while HiBob might be the preference if you require broader HR features.

edays vs Personio

Personio is a scalable HR all-in-one solution with a wide range of features in core HR, talent, employee experience, and payroll. Their features offer a lot in terms of automation, with the aim of streamlining HR processes.

Personio pros:

Broad range of features – lots of their modules and products are fairly in depth, so they have a lot of functionality.
Focus on automation – like edays, they have a workflow automation product to help you reduce admin.
Well suited to SMEs, especially in Europe – they have a strong base there and offer good functionality for growing businesses.

Personio cons:

Limited global reach – they are European focussed so lack functionality suited to other countries.
Absence management is not as specialised as edays – their functionality is good but doesn’t match a dedicated tool.
Requires an investment of money, time, and training – their platform is more expensive than other HR tools, there is a long set up time, and users report that it may require a lot of training to learn the platform, which can be complicated.

In comparison, edays is geared towards global businesses. We already support customers in over 120 countries, and offer over 25 language packs. As a truly global solution with such in depth functionality, you may think that edays is like Personio in having a long set up time and a trying user experience. But edays can be up and running in as a little as 4 weeks, and we’re rated 4.6/5 on ease of use.

Choosing between edays vs all-in-one HR systems

Choosing the absence management system that’s right for you will entirely depend on your business, your feature requirements, and your preference. Hopefully this guide will provide you with a comprehensive comparison between some popular HR and absence management tools, so you can make an informed decision.