Bambee HRO Review
Instead of offering a wide range of HR functions like other human resource outsourcing (HRO) providers, Bambee’s primary focus is providing expert support and guidance to small and midsize businesses. Whether you are still hiring your first employees or managing a workforce of 400, a dedicated HR manager will help you create compliant HR policies and processes. We like that Bambee offers multiple service plans with transparent online pricing, and plans can be modified to add on guided payroll services if needed. With features like accessible and knowledgeable HR support representatives, employee onboarding and termination assistance, and custom HR policy creation, Bambee is our choice of best HR outsourcing solution for HR compliance assistance.
Bambee HRO
The Verdict
Bambee is an HR compliance solution that gives businesses access to outsourced HR experts. Operating a growing business can be tough, but with Bambee, you have access to a plethora of resources to help you stay compliant with HR laws and regulations.
Bambee HRO Editor’s Score: 9.4/10
| Price/value | 9.1/10 |
|---|---|
| Features | 9.0/10 |
| Expertise | 9.5/10 |
| Ease of use | 9.6/10 |
| Customer support | 9.6/10 |
Why We Chose Bambee for Compliance Assistance
Staying up to date with HR guidelines and regulations can be a challenge, especially for businesses with employees scattered across multiple locations. Instead of trying to manage all of the necessary HR tasks on your own, take advantage of Bambee’s knowledgeable, accessible HR support. We like that Bambee conducts an HR audit on your organization, and then works to create compliant HR policies that meet your organization’s needs.
Along with bringing your organization up to speed on HR policies, Bambee helps with general HR functions, such as the following:
- Maintaining document storage that complies with certain document retention requirements
- Creating job descriptions that are compliant and effective
- Onboarding and terminating employees
- Providing complete payroll support
Bambee is not a full-service HR solution that provides services like time and attendance tracking or employee benefits administration. Instead, the company focuses on HR compliance support. It pairs you with a dedicated HR manager that can guide you through any questions regarding HR policies or processes.
What We Like About Bambee’s HR Outsourcing
- Bambee can help companies create compliant HR policies.
- Companies with at least one employee can access a dedicated HR manager.
- Bambee offers phone, email and chat support.
- The provider automates some HR practices to help keep you compliant.
What We Don’t Like About Bambee’s HR Outsourcing
- Bambee can’t serve organizations with more than 500 employees.
- Most Bambee plans have a one-time setup fee of at least $500.
Ease of Use
Bambee’s ease of use is one of its strong suits. The Bambee platform is cloud-based, so you can access it from any device or location. When testing the software, we found it straightforward, intuitive and easy to navigate. However, if you need assistance or HR support along the way, Bambee representatives are knowledgeable and easy to contact.
We like that Bambee can automate some HR processes for you. This not only simplifies your HR functions, but it can also be a game changer when it comes to minimizing HR mistakes due to human error. We found Bambee’s HR audits to be extremely valuable. These audits make it easy to identify what type of HR functions you need assistance with.
Bambee’s Top Services and Features
Bambee HR is not a full-service HR outsourcing solution but offers many excellent services to help you maintain HR compliance.
Compliance Assistance
One of Bambee’s most valuable services is compliance assistance. Bambee provides businesses with comprehensive HR audits to identify areas that can be improved or brought up to compliance. This is a great value-add for organizations that need help with HR compliance or aren’t sure where they need to make adjustments. With support from a dedicated HR manager, businesses receive guidance on employee onboarding and termination, HR policy creation, EEOC-compliant document retention, employee classification, and more.
In addition, Bambee helps with preventative employee training on sexual harassment and workplace safety, which are required in certain states. As your company’s HR policies and processes evolve, Bambee reports your progress along the way.
Bambee provides HR compliance support to help you avoid detrimental HR mistakes like employee misclassification, inadequate HR policy creation and wrongful termination.
Administrative HR Services
Staying on top of administrative HR functions can be tedious and overwhelming, especially if you have employees across multiple states. We like that Bambee serves as a central hub for important employee information; since it’s cloud-based, you can access it from anywhere. Like other competitors we reviewed, Bambee helps onboard employees, train and develop your staff, store essential documents and employee information, and even terminate employees if needed.
Bambee can help you adhere to document retention requirements. Source: Bambee
Payroll Guidance and Tax Administration
Although Bambee plans don’t automatically include payroll processing, you can easily add on Bambee’s guided payroll option. We found Bambee’s payroll solution to be somewhat basic compared to competitors, but it has all the essential functions you need to run payroll and handle federal, state, and local payroll taxes. We consider it sufficient for most small businesses with standard payroll needs.
Bambee’s guided payroll option includes two-day direct deposit, automatic payroll tax handling, and wage and hour regulation guidance. It supports multiple employee pay rates, which is a nice added feature for properly compensating employees with more than one role.
Bambee’s guided payroll is easy to navigate. Source: Bambee
Talent Management
Bambee’s talent management services are on par with the industry standard. The service’s HR Autopilot grants your employees access to valuable resources that help track and manage their performance. For example, they can take advantage of training opportunities via the Bambee platform and submit feedback when they have concerns about something.
Bambee can help ensure employees are coached on better performing their roles by creating employee report cards that can track progress. Additionally, if you have problems with an employee, Bambee helps guide you on how to best handle the situation, whether that’s through feedback, corrective disciplinary action or termination.
Bambee’s HRO Pricing
Bambee is one of the only HR outsourcing services we reviewed that openly displays its pricing online. We like this level of transparency. Bambee offers multiple service plans and add-ons and serves businesses with up to 500 employees.
You can opt for monthly pricing, although Bambee also offers discounts when paying annually; this contract structure is on par with industry standards. If you have employees, expect to pay a one-time setup fee for Bambee ranging between $500 and $3,500, depending on the plan selected.
Here is a breakdown of Bambee’s service plans:
| No. of employees | Price per month (billed monthly) | One-time setup fee | Services and features | Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | $99 | $0 | Bambee HR, five HR policies and two job descriptions | Chat & email |
| 1-4 | $199 | $500 | Dedicated HR manager, six HR policies and three job descriptions | Chat, email & phone |
| 5-19 | $299 | $500 | Dedicated HR manager, six HR policies and four job descriptions | Chat, email & phone |
| 20-49 | $699 | $1,000 | Dedicated HR manager, seven HR policies and five job descriptions | Chat, email & phone |
| 50-99 | $1,299 | $1,500 | Dedicated HR manager, eight HR policies and five job descriptions | Chat, email & phone |
| 100-149 | $2,499 | $2,500 | Dedicated HR manager, eight HR policies and five job descriptions | Chat, email & phone |
| 150-249 | $3,699 | $3,500 | Dedicated HR manager, eight HR policies and five job descriptions | Chat, email & phone |
If you have 250 or more employees, contact Bambee for a custom quote. Bambee also offers a guided payroll option as an add-on feature, but you need to contact the company for a price estimate.
Bambee Onboarding
We found getting onboarded with Bambee to be relatively simple. After you complete a brief questionnaire about your company, a Bambee representative contacts you to discuss your HR plan options. The Bambee HR professional conducts an HR audit of your organization and then works with you to create compliant HR policies that meet your needs. Each plan automatically includes a certain number of core and custom HR policy allowances, so that will determine how long policy creation and implementation takes.
Bambee also offers job description assistance, so you can work with your HR manager to create those if you are in the process of hiring during implementation. If you add the guided payroll option, you need to get your employee information squared away with Bambee to use that feature as well.
Bambee’s implementation process is straightforward, but Bambee’s HR representatives are available to assist as needed.
Customer Support
When testing Bambee, we were pleased with their customer support. All customers with employees have access to a dedicated HR manager that can assist them with their HR needs. Bambee’s support representatives are responsive, knowledgeable, and can be reached by phone, email and live chat. This is especially useful for businesses that need various avenues to access compliance assistance.
Bambee is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has a B+ rating with the agency. A good rating like this is something we like to see in our best picks.
Limitations
One potential limitation is Bambee’s employee capacity. The company is geared toward assisting small and midsize businesses, so it can only support companies with fewer than 500 employees. This means that companies with more than 500 employees will likely need to seek another HR solution to meet their complex needs. If you’re looking for an HR outsourcing solution that can scale with your business from small to large, check out our review of Paychex. The company can support businesses with more than 1,000 employees.
Another drawback is that Bambee is not a benefits administrator. Many competitors we reviewed can help you administer benefits to your employees, but Bambee is not. If you need an HRO to do it all, check out our review of ADP. It is our pick as the best HRO for benefits administration.
Methodology
We researched and analyzed dozens of human resource outsourcing providers to identify the best HRO services on the market. We looked at pricing, contract requirements, bundled vs. a la carte features, benefits administration, payroll processing and taxes, time-tracking capabilities, administrative HR functions, recruitment and talent management features, legal risk and compliance assistance, available integrations, and customer support. We watched product videos and conducted demos when possible.
When looking for the best HRO for compliance assistance specifically, we prioritized usability, scalability, mobile app options, comprehensive HR capabilities, compliance assistance and customer support.
FAQ
Does Bambee do payroll?
Yes, Bambee clients can receive payroll support. You must first select one of Bambee’s flexible HR plans and add Bambee’s guided payroll as an additional service. Bambee’s guided payroll is not robust, but it covers the essentials, such as employee classification assistance, two-day payroll, wage and compliance guidance, and automatic tax administration.
How many employees do you need before you can use Bambee?
Bambee does not require an employee minimum. While other HR outsourcing solutions often require companies to have a minimum of five employees to be eligible for their services, Bambee can serve sole proprietors without any employees. This allows users to access Bambee’s HR services as soon as possible, and expand their coverage once they start hiring employees.
Bottom Line
We recommend Bambee for …
- Businesses that want help with creating HR policies and maintaining HR compliance.
- Fast-scaling businesses with less than 500 employees.
- Companies looking for helpful customer support.
We don’t recommend Bambee for …
- Companies looking to outsource time tracking or benefits administration.
- Companies with over 500 employees.
Bambee HRO
The Verdict
Bambee is an HR compliance solution that gives businesses access to outsourced HR experts. Operating a growing business can be tough, but with Bambee, you have access to a plethora of resources to help you stay compliant with HR laws and regulations.