Why growing companies leave spreadsheets for CharlieHR

Introduction

The problem with spreadsheets

Why do growing companies end up leaving spreadsheets?

How Charlie helps growing companies

Hear from Charlie customers who have made the switch

How easy is it to switch?

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Spreadsheets work fine when you first start out. When you only have a few employees, you can just about get by with a cobbled-together spreadsheet for your HR operations. But now, as you grow, those spreadsheets start to reveal problems.

More employees means more data, and that introduces greater opportunities for things to go wrong. One mistake with your data entry and someone’s annual leave balance is lost, you’re understaffed, or you can’t find the right salary data for an employee.

At some point your simple spreadsheet became admin chaos, and it’s now time to make a change.

If you’ve reached this stage, you’re not alone. We’ve guided thousands of small businesses from HR admin headaches to happily clear minds with Charlie — a smart, automation-powered HR platform that helps businesses like yours scale.

The problem with spreadsheets for growing companies

When you start your business, spreadsheets feel like the perfect solution. They’re quick and easy to create (+ they’re free!), and you can transfer all that valuable data from your mind and countless emails into one simple database.
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The trouble is, spreadsheets don’t stay simple for long. Data isn’t static, and as you add new fields, change formulas, and experiment with different ways to present data, your once-easy system becomes an admin nightmare.

Sound familiar? These next few problems might too.

1. They create more admin work than they save

Someone has to update a spreadsheet every time there’s a change in employee data or a new HR policy. In a small business, that person is often you, and you already have a lot on your plate.

‍Not only is your time taken up with basic admin updates, but it’s also your job to troubleshoot fixes for the spreadsheet when it breaks. Add to this the constant back-and-forth of trying to manage leave requests by email before they even make it to the spreadsheet, and you have a recipe for admin overload.

2. They lack real-time visibility

Your spreadsheet is a static document, so it doesn’t update in real-time based on what’s happening in your business right now. A spreadsheet is only as up-to-date as the last time it was changed, and a lot can happen in a short space of time.

‍With no instant live view, scheduling conflicts are bound to happen. And this problem is only amplified if you rely on multiple spreadsheets or information that’s out of date.

3. They lead to mistakes and compliance risks

As it relies on manual data entry, your spreadsheet is open to human error. A typo or incorrect formula can introduce major problems and potential legal issues — especially if this relates to leave balances, contract details, or salary information.

There’s also risk and compliance to consider, too. Even if you restrict access to certain people, storing your employee data in a spreadsheet in the cloud or on someone’s desktop is much less secure than using a proper HR system with the right processes in place to meet GDPR regulations.

4. They don’t scale as the business grows

A system that worked for five people just doesn’t work at all for 50. By now you have HR policies and processes that aren’t compatible with a manually-updated spreadsheet. Your employees deserve a better way to manage their work lives.

‍When you start to consider strategies like performance management and employee engagement, you need to look beyond a spreadsheet anyway — and moving to an alternative for everything makes sense.

5. They don’t look very professional

When new hires join, they expect a certain standard of professionalism and organisation. Being sent the link to an old, messy spreadsheet isn’t going to make a great first impression on them.

A spreadsheet might have been okay when you were a brand new business, but by now you need a more user-friendly way to welcome new team members into your company.

6. They slow everything down

Spreadsheets can quickly become a bottleneck within your business. When one person is in charge of updating them, everyone else has to wait for them to make changes — slowing down every HR process.

Access issues aside, spreadsheets themselves are often unintuitive and not very easy to read. And when they break, it can cause problems right across the company until someone’s able to fix it.

Sophie Hanman, Customer Happiness Manager @ London Nootropics
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“As the team grew, spreadsheets became unsustainable — it was too error prone as a process, and the amount of back and forth was draining.”

So why do growing companies end up leaving spreadsheets?

Spreadsheets are an early-business default, but they don’t have to be forever like that. Many small businesses say goodbye to spreadsheets when they realise they’re no longer working for them.

When we spoke to businesses that made the switch, the most common reasons included:

Frustration that tasks take so long: simple admin updates become time-consuming and complicated
Having no other way: managers lose faith in HR systems that they were once engaged with
Worried about how the spreadsheets look to employees: cluttered, out-of-date spreadsheets can signal that the owner doesn’t care (even when they do)
Having no time to look at alternatives: with so many tasks to take care of, finding a better way to manage HR operations isn’t a priority
Fed up of trying to find a DIY way to achieve results: what you can do with a spreadsheet is so limited compared to an HR platform

If any of these feelings seem familiar, now might be the right time to make the move.

How Charlie helps growing companies leave spreadsheets behind for good

You’ve outgrown your old spreadsheets, and now you need a fresh alternative that offers you everything you need now + features for the future. That’s where Charlie has everything you need to manage HR operations smoothly.

1. One platform to consolidate all of your HR tasks

No more searching across several spreadsheets and files for the right information. Charlie brings all your employee data into one place, saving you time and making all your operations more transparent.

Time off management

Forget manually dealing with time off requests ever again. Charlie makes it easy for team members to submit and approve leave requests, see who’s working, and view their own leave balances — all from one place.

Shared calendar with real-time updates to prevent scheduling conflicts
Automatic flagging of leave request conflicts
Self-serve access that promotes autonomy and removes bottlenecks
Integrations with Google Calendar, Outlook, and Slack

You can find more information about how our time off work in our help centre, but you can also talk to our sales team if you have any questions. Just book a time here.

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Small business tip: Don’t just take our word for it. See how competitors are doing it when it comes to time off. We’ve put together a compare hub to make it easier for you to do so.

Employee data

Store all your employee data in one location, improving access for everyone and helping you stay compliant with GDPR and other legal obligations.

Employee profiles, contract information, and key documents
Store employee data including passports and visa documents
Secure data storage for ISO 27001 compliance
Self-service portal where employees can update their own details

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Small business tip: Enhance employee profiles with custom fields like dietary requirements or communication preferences to show you’re an inclusive employer. It goes a long sometimes for people to feel appreciated.

Onboarding

Manage employee onboarding from the same platform you use for your core HR, so you can present a seamless experience for new hires.

Simple, fuss-free employee onboarding
New hires can fill in their own details
Add information about the company
Integrated employee handbook and directory

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Small business tip: Connect Slack to your “Who’s starting today” notifications so new starters receive a warm welcome in your company-wide channel — and ensure clear, transparent communication across the business. We also recommend introducing them in company-wide meetings, with a bit of context to help everyone get to know them.

2. Less admin and no more risk of human error

Switching from spreadsheets to Charlie means you can significantly reduce mistakes and human error. With all your data in one system that automatically updates, you can be confident that you’re always working from the right information.