BrightHR, the international HR software and employment law advice service, has announced the release of an innovative new tool, the Furlough Navigator, to support UK businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The unique Furlough Navigator gives business owners one place to record and seek guidance on all things furlough. The tool also offers users a clear view of whose on furlough, for how long and who's still working, so employers can continue to weigh up their team's availability during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, with BrightHR’s unlimited document storage space, clients can store all their furlough correspondence and job retention claims information for five years in line with government guidance.

Along with the Furlough Navigator, users of BrightHR can access expert HR and employment law support through the BrightAdvice helpline. Their UK-based legal specialists are on hand to help employers throughout the whole furlough process and are available 24/7 to answer questions.

With the UK government confirming high usage of Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (April 21st), the tool has already been in high-demand among BrightHR’s 330,000 users. With clients binning pen and pads for the simple and effective, Furlough Navigator.

Alan Price, CEO at BrightHR, said:

“Once the COVID-19 pandemic started to impact our clients, we saw their people management priorities change overnight. We recognised this and wanted to help them navigate through these uncharted waters. We did this by changing the focus of our entire development team so that it only built features to help customers manage the current situation.

“We pivoted very fast, stripping back features to make them as simple as possible and get them into the hands of our clients as quickly as possible. The data determined our decisions, as once we saw a shift in the type of features employers were using, we took action.”

Price added:

“It's our mission at BrightHR to make it easier for employers to run their business. Right now, it's really tough and many are struggling, especially in the charity sector. With that in mind, BrightHR is teaming up with NCVO, the champions of the voluntary sector, to give their members a 25% discount off all BrightHR software and services.”

Andrew Walkey, Head of Membership and Enterprise at NCVO, told us:

“Charities are playing a vital role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, however many have also taken a serious financial hit and are in desperate need of support. Charities will be reluctant to furlough staff at a time when they’re most needed, but they may also choose to do so in order to ensure their long-term sustainability. Every penny really counts at the moment, so it’s enormously helpful that BrightHR, will be offering a discount to charities at such a difficult time.”