UK Enterprise Awards 2019

86 | SME NEWS - UK Enterprise Awards 2019 Best SME HR Software Solution 2019: Breathe Seeking to offer an innovative solution to help overcome common industry issues, Breathe is an award-winning provider of cloud based HR management software for SMEs with between 1 and 250 employees. We caught up with Nick Hardy to learn more about the firm and the creative software it provides. “To ensure safety and security, an increasing number of businesses are migrating to the cloud and benefiting as result. In many cases, hosted software is a cheaper option than investing in server infrastructure. The fact that Breathe is hosted in the cloud means that it is much more cost-effective than buying a server firm hosting an in-house software development and then paying to support this. Clients know they can trust us, as we are ISO 27001 accredited, which means our security levels have been certified as being of the highest level. If a small business was to invest in establishing an IT infrastructure with an equivalent level of security, it would cost them a significant amount of money, and as such they make vast cost savings when they work with Breathe.” In his concluding comments Nick explores how Breathe remains deeply committed to its mission and to supporting clients across the UK’s SME landscape. “Overall, Breathe is on a mission to help small businesses reduce HR admin so business leaders and their teams can focus on helping their people grow and achieve great things. We are committed to de-stigmatising mental health issues in the workplace. We regularly write about the importance of culture and wellbeing. We have produced various white papers including our Culture Economy Report and 2019 Sick Report. The latter examined SME employer and employees’ attitudes to sickness related absences, focusing on mental health in particular. “Looking to the future, we will remain dedicated to achieving these goals and continue to grow and prosper as a business so that we can support an even wider array of SMEs in 2019 and further ahead.” Since it first began in 1996 Breathe has flourished, and today its cutting-edge software is used by more than 6,000 businesses and charities to manage over 200,000 employees., Breathe offers clients extensive HR industry knowledge and understanding as well as a cutting-edge software solution. Nick begins by explaining how his firm was developed by industry experts who used their market experience to create a unique solution designed to meet the needs of its diverse range of clients. “When our business first started, we developed Breathe to meet the needs of growing businesses who need to escape the inevitable admin that comes with people management. people. Our senior team understand what it is like to manage a team and our goal is to let you escape from the HR admin so that clients can focus on growing your business. “Before we began this company we had been implementing HR systems across the UK for over 22 years, but then we found ourselves reviewing the available options for SMEs. We looked at the range of products on offer in the UK HR software market but none of these systems ticked all the boxes. As a result, we decided to develop our own HR software solution. The solution we created became Breathe, a fully web-based software solution that is secure and reliable but above all simple to use. “Drawing on this expertise, Breathe now offers innovative software that is suitable for everyone, from experienced HR administrators right through to people with no previous knowledge or experience of the subject. To ensure everyone makes the most out of our solution, we provide ongoing training and support to our customers as part of their monthly subscription to our software.” Being located in the cloud allows Breathe to provide an innovative software solution that is safe, secure and easy-to-use. Nick discusses the benefits of being based in the cloud in more detail and shares why it is particularly important in today’s market, where cybersecurity and data safety are crucial. “In these times of ever-present cyber-threats such as malware, phishing and viruses, data security has never been so important. Employee data is incredibly sensitive, and it needs to be housed in secure facilities where it is properly protected. This is especially the case since the 2018 introduction of GDPR regulations. These apply as much to HR as they do sales and marketing. Firms deemed to be guilty of data breaches face fines and reputational damage. Company: Breathe Name: Nick Hardy Address: Unit 7 Foundry Court, Foundry Lane, Horsham, RH13 5PY Telephone Number: 01403288700 Web Address: www.breathehr.com