BambooHR Reviews

“happy with a simple ATS

Pros

I am pretty happy with most aspects of this ATS as it is simple to find my way around the various tools. My only suggestion would be improving the sourcing functionality.

Cons

Well I feel the platform could really benefit from better sourcing tools and more detailed analytics. Having strong sourcing capabilities and clear data insights is pretty important for our workflow.

“Great program for logging in time off

Pros

It is a simple program for booking time off and tracking goals. We use it at work and it functions smoothly. The mobile app is also quite handy.

Cons

I find it frustrating that the system does not clearly show how many days I have remaining as I have to calculate it myself based on the total available minus what I have used, rather than just displaying the balance directly.

“our staff's go-to for everything

Pros

Bamboo lets our staff easily keep track of personal documents, pay, checked-out equipment, time-off requests and much more!

Cons

To be honest I have not personally faced any problems with it. The product is user friendly and really easy to navigate.

“Great HR platform for our needs

Pros

It is way too easy to use because everything we need for HR is in one platform. The best part is that we can pick which features you want to pay for and use which keeps things simple and affordable.

Cons

Recruitment platforms are not included yet and document templates are not provided either.

“Clear layout but an older layout feel

Pros

BambooHR has been simple to navigate thanks to its clear and simple layout. It is especially helpful for checking who's going to be out of the office.

Cons

The interface can feel a bit outdated and clunky at times though that might just be a generational preference. I feel like it would also help if switching between languages was easier as my Portuguese-speaking employees often need assistance.

“top-notch but needs more flexibility

Pros

The user experience is top-notch. It is simple and only shows the most important info. The approval system lets us exchange comments with other approvers and clearly tracks where each request is in the process.

Cons

Not being able to add custom fields to standard tables means we have to create separate custom tables that are not linked to the main ones, leading to data duplication. Approval workflows could also be more flexible allowing us customization of the order and number of approvers and even dynamically assigning them based on conditions.

“a clean and helpful interface

Pros

BambooHR interface is clean and easy to use as I have never had trouble finding what I need. Also customer support has always been helpful when I have reached out. I can also easily view my payment info from the company payroll right in my account.

Cons

There is not much I dislike about it. There was one time I had trouble locating a document I needed to complete but I managed to find it eventually.

“Loved the friendly feel, not the cost

Pros

When our company used it, we loved how user-friendly it was. Employees found the website easy to access and navigate and the app made checking personal info was not a problem too.

Cons

From my perspective the main drawbacks were the cost and the process of uploading certain documents during hiring.

“handy history log but unclear time-off management

Pros

BambooHR includes a handy history log for past time off requests. It also lets us view basic info about colleagues and manages files and documents efficiently.

Cons

The time-off management is not displayed very clearly which can make booking and approving leave confusing. It would also help to have a calendar view to see when all employees are off.

“Modern design with tricky categories

Pros

It is user-friendly and packed with useful features for marketing and branding. Plus the design feels more modern than many competing platforms.

Cons

Having multiple overlapping options for candidate stages or classifications makes it tricky for us to keep everything consistent.

“Great for tracking special dates

Pros

I really like being able to set up onboarding questions, keep track of work anniversaries, birthdays and upcoming time off. Also the software is simple to navigate, so we can find what we need without any hassle.

Cons

Well I was not fond of the lack of integrations which meant I had to constantly switch between different systems all day long. It made my workflow much less efficient than it could have been.

“very friendly but more services would be good

Pros

The platform is very user-friendly. We can customize the colors and add our company logo which helps it feel like a natural extension of our brand.

Cons

It is not really a complaint but I wish BambooHR offered more PEO-like services. We are big fans of the platform and would prefer not to juggle multiple systems for our HR needs.

“Love the org chart, search is picky

Pros

I like how easy it is to view the organizational chart and locate anyone in the company, along with their position within the structure.

Cons

One thing I found frustrating is that minor spelling mistakes in a name could lead to search results not showing the right person.

“ideal for a small team

Pros

This was a reliable HR platform for us when we were a smaller company. It allowed us to onboard new hires, manage their details and store confidential documents all in one place which was pretty useful with a smaller team.

Cons

The platform felt limited in automation especially as our company grew. We needed a system that could handle more tasks automatically and offer services beyond basic HR functions.

“User-friendly but policy rules are tricky

Pros

It is very user-friendly. Also onboarding new employees is simple, downloading reports is also easy and the homepage gives us a helpful at a glance overview of all the key information we need.

Cons

I feel like it should be simpler to assign a different policy for employee exceptions. I'd also like a way to notify employees when they become eligible for benefits or RRSP plans.

“quick setup for employees but no onboarding delay alerts

Pros

Setup is easy for employees and the app is user friendly. Plus onboarding is quick and simple for employers to handle.

Cons

The onboarding process can stall if the employee delays and there is no alert to let the employer know there is a holdup.

“Makes everything simple and quick

Pros

The interface is clean and uncluttered making it easy to use. Booking vacation time is fast and hassle-free. Also it is nice to see new hires and important company announcements in one place.

Cons

One thing I noticed is that the integration with payroll and benefits is pretty restricted. Even when you enter financial information, it does not always transfer smoothly to the payroll section.

“works for us as a central hub

Pros

It is really simple to use with a user friendly interface. Employees can view their job details and update personal information easily. Benefits administration is simple and it works well as a central hub for HR needs.

Cons

The applicant tracking system is not as strong as dedicated recruitment tools so I use a separate ATS alongside it for hiring.

“love the smart vacation calendar

Pros

I use this for submitting vacation requests and I love the user interface. The calendar shows who is out of the office, so when booking time off, I can see if anyone else on my team is away helping us maintain coverage during busy periods.

Cons

Everything works well and I cannot think of any downsides except maybe the price. Though I really like the interface especially for tracking my vacation accruals.

“A clean system for requesting team time off

Pros

It is easy for HR to request time off and stay updated on team availability. The admin side is much cleaner and more organized than any system we have used before.

Cons

The reporting features could be more adaptable. We often need to export data and clean it up in other programs when preparing for internal reviews.

“organized my data pretty well

Pros

BambooHR was really simple to get the hang of and did not take long to adapt to. It helped me organize all applicant data efficiently and saved lots of storage space on my computer while reducing manual data entry.

Cons

To be honest I found it somewhat challenging to add company-specific documents and the limited customization options did not help. Maybe it is just my experience but it felt restrictive at times.

“Incredibly flexible for all our needs

Pros

I love how flexible BambooHR is. There is so much we can do like store new-hire docs, pay details, job descriptions, performance goals and much more.

Cons

When processing payroll we occasionally get alerts about employee submissions having problems but the messages are not always clear about what's wrong or how to resolve it.

“happy team but customer support is slow

Pros

In my opinion, the software is pretty easy to access and user-friendly. Our team is happy because it is simple to use, even on mobile devices.

Cons

There are occasional service-related issues. Reaching customer support can sometimes be difficult which slows things down overall.

“hast and central but looks basic

Pros

The interface is fast and incredibly easy to use. It does a great job of centralizing all our HR data and automating key processes which makes staff management and regular performance evaluations an absolute simple task.

Cons

Some advanced features feel limited and I feel like the visual presentation could be improved. For someone working in the industry, it is a bit disappointing.

“Great for teams, wish it was faster

Pros

It is easy and simple to use with a clean UI. Plus it works great for managing internal teams and recruitment alike.

Cons

The interface is simple though it can get a bit slow occasionally. Aside from that it is reliable software. So I would suggest offering a customizable UI package as an option.

“simple and smooth for signing on

Pros

I used BambooHR to sign my contract with Lasa, my employer from abroad and the whole process was so simple and easy to use.

Cons

While user-friendly design is good, the platform might be a bit too minimalist for my preferences. Nothing major,though.

“Perfect for a small business

Pros

It is pretty easy to navigate. I think it is perfect for a small business. I usually find what I need, even though I am still getting used to the system.

Cons

I find it fairly basic and does not include all the features I need. I really liked being able to split my paycheck five ways with my previous system that's not an option here.

“strong features but very expensive

Pros

BambooHR was pretty easy to use, had strong features for recruitment and onboarding and the payroll integration was seamless.

Cons

The main issue we had with it was the recent subscription model update. The new tiers came with a price increase and we could not maintain our existing plan. This forced us to look for another system since the higher cost was not practical for our small business.

“Easy payroll but misses department splits

Pros

The software's payroll system is very easy to work with. And I like the support team as they are quick and thorough when answering any questions.

Cons

My biggest concern with it is that it does not support allocating expenses or resources across different departments.

“smooth navigation and integration capabilities

Pros

Navigating the system is simple and the hiring status flow is easy to follow. Submitting or cancelling time-off requests is a smooth process too and I like that it integrates really well with other benefits platforms like Gusto.

Cons

I find it inconvenient that I am prompted to approve payroll before the pay period actually ends. For instance if our pay period runs from the 1st to the 15th of the month, I often receive the notification before the end of the day on the 15th.

“An excellent hub for US staff

Pros

This is an excellent platform for employees to log their hours, request time off and store their records all in one place.

Cons

Its payroll services are only available for US employees and there are some limitations in how much we can customize the system.

“smooth process with rare errors

Pros

It is easy to use and employees really enjoy it. Personally I love the benefits management section. Also hiring a new employee is pretty simple and the whole recruiting process was smooth.

Cons

I was generally happy with everything and do not have major complaints. Occasionally when making job changes, I encounter errors that blocked progress but the system did not always clarify what was wrong.

“Great reports but needs accounting sync

Pros

I like how simple it is to submit and track employee details and payroll. The bulk of reports are great too and I especially love the search feature to make sure I am capturing all the necessary information.

Cons

Well I wish the program would sync directly with our accounting software or generate a simplified report for each payroll run that we could import into our system. It is frustrating to run multiple reports just to compile the payroll journal entry for Sage Intacct.

“Simple processing but tax troubles are messy

Pros

There are continuous updates and payroll processing is simple. I also enjoy using the survey and recruitment features on the platform.

Cons

The state tax process has issues. Tickets often lack follow-up, power of attorney documents get misplaced and the burden falls on the employer to resolve them. There is also no tracking system with unique identifiers for requests sent to the tax team, leading to disjointed email threads and dealing with multiple people on the same issue. Additionally only payroll administrators receive updates on tax matters even when a separate finance team handles taxes.

“Well-organized with great service, limited customization

Pros

BambooHR software is pretty easy to navigate and everything seems well organized. Customer service is exceptional too as I always get a reply within a day.

Cons

While the system is definitely easy to use that simplicity comes at the cost of limited customization. The time-off accrual rules are a good example of how rigid it can be. I feel like there is also a real need for better, smoother integration with major health insurance providers to make everything work together more efficiently.

“employee tracking made simple

Pros

The tool makes it effortless to track employees and keeps the finance team updated on all changes and updates.

Cons

BambooHR does not integrate smoothly with other payroll platforms making it difficult for us to keep payroll changes in sync unless they are processed within it itself.

“simple and effective tool

Pros

I find it really simple to use while still offering all the features needed for effective time tracking and payroll processing.

Cons

A few additional features would be helpful such as an easier way to add one-time deductions to payroll transactions and simpler methods for updating employee information.

“organizes hiring process

Pros

It organizes the hiring process by integrating with ZipRecruiter and Indeed. Also I love that I can automate the onboarding process and quickly find any employee information I need.

Cons

The pricing is quite high for a small business. With 10 to 18 employees and high turnover in our industry, the recent unannounced switch to a plan that costs 30% more was challenging. I'd also love to see employee scheduling features, since we operate multiple shifts and built-in chat or communication tools instead of relying on integrations.

“the team loves it!

Pros

BambooHR has been pretty easy for our team to use. Everyone likes it and we have not had any complaints.

Cons

Making background updates to keep everything running smoothly can be a bit annoying. For example adding a new location means we have to update the benefits settings before any employees there can enroll. Remembering to adjust every related setting after a change can feel a little overwhelming at times.

“amazingly easy but support is lacking

Pros

The ease of use is simply amazing. As an admin I love being able to see exactly what an agent or employee sees to make sure they have the right access. The reporting features are powerful too and the ability to onboard employees and get all necessary documents signed before their start date is a huge time-saver.

Cons

After the initial setup we really lacked consistent support from a dedicated customer service representative. Once we got through implementation which is when you finally start to understand what questions you should have asked our rep became unavailable. Responses were slow and many of our questions were left unresolved which became very frustrating for our team.

“simple to apply for holidays

Pros

With it, it is really simple to check company-wide holidays and submit leave requests.

Cons

The quarterly review format does not allow much room for subjective feedback which limits the depth of responses.

“incredibly smooth but needs improvements

Pros

The system is incredibly smooth and easy to navigate. I mean they have really thought about the user experience and how to make it as efficient as possible.

Cons

We could not integrate our self-funded benefits plan as it had not yet expanded to support self-funded health plans.

“A solid global system

Pros

It supports multiple countries, has a really solid reporting system and is pretty user-friendly for everyone on our team.

Cons

Integration options are limited particularly for performance management and payroll processes.

“clean reports but difficult to get start with

Pros

I enjoy using it to present data especially when sharing reports with others. It looks clean and makes it easier to explain things.

Cons

When I first started using it I found the initial setup confusing and wasn't sure how to begin. While I have gotten more comfortable over time, I still would not call it simple for new users.

“Not for companies outside USA

Pros

One thing I like is how it fully supports the recruitment process and makes it more dynamic. It is perfect for large teams and companies that need to hire multiple people at once especially when dealing with different departments.

Cons

It is less helpful for companies outside the US. I work for a company in Spain and the support center is not even based in Europe.

“comprehensive but slightly outdated

Pros

Everything we need is in one place from leave requests to timesheets and personal details.

Cons

Bamboo feels a bit outdated to me as some sections are tricky to locate and the layout could be more intuitive.

“huge time-saver for admins

Pros

Adding employee records is super quick, submitting PTO requests only takes two taps and the org chart builds itself automatically. Onboarding packets are sent out instantly and exporting reports is not an issue at all. This system saves us a huge amount of admin time.

Cons

Custom fields are a bit limited, the mobile app freezes unexpectedly at times and the approval workflows are somewhat rigid. The notification emails also tend to arrive later than we'd like which can slow things down.

“easy to use software for all

Pros

It is easy to use and I love that I can store documents for employees to access whenever they need them. I am also happy that our PTO is now being tracked correctly. Our company really values the Employee Satisfaction Survey because it gives us honest feedback to focus on areas for improvement.

Cons

I wish it had a feature to prevent employees from requesting PTO during their first 90 days.

“A perfect layout for our people

Pros

Navigating the system is pretty easy and the layout works perfectly for both our administrators and our employees.

Cons

The timekeeping tools did not save me time and actually limited how efficiently I could do my job.

“functional and smooth but costly

Pros

It is functional and customizable, with great ease of use for both basic users and admins. I have used Workday, BambooHR and now Humi and so far it's been a smooth experience.

Cons

The admin homepage has a lot of information which might suit some organizations but we did not use most of it. Since it's not a Canadian company, costs increased quickly for us.