An employee database management system, for a small employer, is four decisions made once and enforced by software. The fields: the few a record needs, keyed by employee ID. The documents: every one against the record, dated, locked at the signature. The access: the owner sees all, a manager their people, an employee their own, payroll the sensitive section. The retention: a rule per document type, applied on exit. The tools on this site print the documents free, without an account; this page is the four decisions and the prices from the vendors' pages.
The fields
ID, name, role, start date, pay basis, manager, location, status, emergency contact. What payroll and a manager need; not the life story. The onboarding checklist on this site captures them at hire and assigns the ID.
The documents
Contract, handbook acknowledgment with version, forms, onboarding and training, timecards, reviews, write-ups, changes, exit, in date order. The contract tool, handbook template and review template on this site print three of them; the database dates and locks them.
The access
By role, enforced, so the sensitive section is not on every manager's screen and an employee can see what they signed without seeing anyone else. On the trial, log in as a manager and try to open another team's record.
The retention
A rule per document type, applied on the anniversary of exit, recorded when applied. From the vendors' own pricing pages, cited below: Homebase lists its Essentials plan at $30 per location per month billed monthly or $24 billed annually, with unlimited employees, and a Basic plan at $0 for one location with up to 10 employees; BambooHR starts at $10 per employee per month for Core and $17 for Pro; Deputy's Core plan is $6.50 per user per month. HeadcountDesk Pro is $24 per month per location.
Questions people ask about employee database management system
Is a spreadsheet an employee database?
It holds fields; it cannot hold a locked signed document or enforce access.
How is the database backed up?
The vendor's job; ask on the trial how a record is restored and how the whole database exports.
What is free here?
Every document tool, without an account.