Most teams don’t switch to HR software from another platform — they switch from Excel or Google Sheets. Here’s an honest look at where spreadsheets serve you well, and where they quietly start costing real time and real risk.
Spreadsheets are genuinely good at what they were built for — and for a brand-new company with a handful of people, an HR sheet is a perfectly sensible start. The problems arrive with growth: leave formulas someone has to maintain, versions multiplying across drives, salary data one mis-shared link away from the whole company, and compliance dates that only get caught if someone happens to look. HeimdallHR replaces that with one system employees update themselves — balances calculated, approvals routed, reminders automatic, and an audit trail behind everything.
The day-to-day differences, honestly stated.
| HeimdallHR | Spreadsheets | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | £2.30 /emp/mo (Core) | Free — until you count the admin hours |
| Leave balances, carry-over & pro-rata | Calculated automatically | Manual formulas someone has to maintain |
| Approvals | Routed to the right manager, one-click | Email threads and verbal OKs |
| Single source of truth | | Copies and versions on every drive |
| Access control on sensitive data | Role-based, per record | Whoever has the file link |
| Audit trail (who changed what, when) | | |
| Employee self-service | | |
| Compliance reminders (RTW, probation, training) | Automatic | Someone has to remember |
| Reporting | One click, always current | Rebuilt by hand each time |
| Works on your phone | Native iOS & Android apps | Pinch-zooming a shared sheet |
People request their own leave, submit their own timesheets and expenses, and keep their own details current — instead of emailing whoever owns the sheet.
Balances, carry-over, pro-rata entitlements, TOIL and Bradford Factor scores are calculated against your policies — no formulas to break.
Role-based access instead of file links: employees see their records, managers their team, HR the rest — with an audit trail throughout.
Right to Work expiries, probation ends, training renewals and absence triggers surface themselves — before they become problems.
Not sure which side you’re on? Put your own numbers into the ROI calculator — it compares the admin hours you’re spending now against what HeimdallHR costs.
Your data comes with you — the import wizard maps your existing sheets in minutes. See a personalised demo, or talk to our team.
No commitment — we’ll get back to you within one business day.