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Inanycompany,asolidhumanresources(HR)softwaresolutionisessential,butespeciallysoinsmalltomidsizebusinesses(SMBs)asthosearegenerallyslimonstaffsotheirtoolshavelessroomforerrorandconfusion.BerniePortal,whichhasanuncommonpricingschemethatbeginsat$750forsingle-userlicense,doeswellinitspursuitofthismissionasfarasitsoverallfeaturesetgoes.However,somespecificfeatureswewouldhavelikedtohaveseenaremissing,anditsoverallorganizationcanbeconfusingattimes.

Forthesereasons,itlagsbehindBambooHRandGusto,ourEditors'ChoicewinnersinourHRsoftwarereviewroundup,aswellasRipplingandZenefits.

Still,BerniePortalcanhelpimprovetheworkflowofHRprofessionalswhenitcomestotheonboardingprocess,applicanttracking,benefitsadministration(BA),payroll,andothercommonHRfunctions.WefoundBerniePortaltobeastrongoptionfromageneralistperspective,thoughitspricingcangetalittlecomplexsinceit'spricedbyover200independentbrokers.However,we'dliketoseesomefeaturesaddedtoBerniePortal,especiallyalongthelinesofmorerobustnavigation.That'sthemainreasonitfellbehindourotherEditors'ChoicewinnersRipplingandZenefitsinourBAsoftwarereviewroundup.

Pricing

Sinceourlastversionofthereview,BerniePortaladdedapublicpricingpageonitswebsite.BerniePortalsaysmanybrokersofferBAforfreeaspartofitsoverallpackage.BerniePortalchargesbrokersa$5,000implementationfeeplus$750permonthforeveryfouradvisorsintheirfirm.Atminimumabrokerwillpay$750,evenifthefirmhasonlyoneadviser.Meanwhile,BerniePortaloffersmostofitsfeaturestoemployersàlacarte.Eachofthefollowingfeaturesbringa$15basefeepermonthplusafeeof$5peruserperformonth:applicanttracking,timeandattendance,compliance,andperformancemanagement.AsforBAfunctionality,manybrokersgiveawaythismoduleforfree,accordingtoBerniePortal.VanguardBenefitSolutionsandWorkplaceBenefitSolutionsaretwoofthosebrokersthatdonotchargeforBA,onboarding,or1095-Cfiling(theformthattellstheIRSaboutinsurancecoverageanemployeroffersaworker)becausetheyearnacommissionfromtheinsurancecarriers.

Theplatformissoldthroughanetworkofresellersthatpricethesystemindividually.Whenweaskedforanestimateofwhatthesolutionwouldcostforanorganizationof200people,withallavailablepackages,arepresentativetoldusthatthefull-featuressuiteforthatwouldcostapproximately$1,300permonth.This,ofcourse,wouldallstilldependontheindividualdealyoustrikewiththesalesteamorprovider.

UserInterface

Atfirstglance,BerniePortal'suserinterface(UI)isuncluttered,andusesmodern,attractivecolorsandfonts.WrappingupsomethingascomplicatedasanHRplatforminsuchastreamlinedpackageisanimpressivefeat,puttingitrightuptherewithHREditors'ChoicepickBambooHR$7.00atBambooHRintermsofusability.

ThesoftwareiscapableofintegrationswithpayrollsystemssuchasADPandPaycor.ThismeansthatnotonlydoesBerniePortalstandonitsownasanHRplatform,butitcanalsocompetewiththelikesofanapplicanttracking(AT)-focusedtool,suchasBullhornStaffingandRecruiting.BerniePortalalsooffersanopenapplicationprogramminginterface(API),soyou'llbeabletohiredeveloperstoeasilybuildcustomizedintegrationstootherthird-partysystems.

OnthetopofthefrontpageofBerniePortal'sUI,therearetabsforBenefits,Employees,Onboarding,Payroll,Reports,and1094c/1095cIRSforms.Youcanalsocustomizethistopmenuandchangetheordertosuityourpreference.Throughoutthesystem'spages,youcanaddnewinformation,whetherthat'sanewhire,benefitsplan,orpayrollsubgroup.Allyouneedtodotoaddnewinformationisclicktheblue"Add"button.

WewerehappytoseethatBerniePortalhasacleanandstreamlinedUI.AllHRtasksarelaidoutinaclearandeasy-to-understandway.FromtheHomescreenyoucanseeinformationsuchasImportantUpcomingDates,whichincludesbirthdaysandworkanniversaries.Youcanalsoseevisualizedreportsregardingcurrentenrollment,onboarding,andturnoverinformation.WetestedBerniePortalinanaccountwithoutdataandonepopulatedwithsamplerecords.Thefirstthingwedidwaschangethelogotomeetourneeds.Thiswasasimpleprocess.Youclickthelittleupsidedownlogonexttotheheadshotpicattoprightandthenselect"Account."ThenyouclickLogofromthemenuatleft.

ApplicantTracking

LikeotherHRplatforms,BerniePortalcontainsapplicanttracking(AT)capabilities;youcancreatejobsandtrackapplicantsforanopenposition.FromtheJoblist,click"CreateaNewJob,"andyou'llbeaskedtofilloutjobinformation,includingthetitleoftherole.Here,youcancreatealloftheformfieldsyouwantforyourjobapplication.YoucanalsoacceptPDFandDOCXattachmentsforcoverlettersandrésumés.Onceyouhavecreatedajob,youcandistributethepostingviaashareablelink,postingittojobpostingplatformssuchasIndeedorLinkedIn.YoucanalsoseeallmessagesbetweenyouandanapplicantbyclickingtheEnvelopeicon;youcanalsoshareinternalfeedbackthisway.ClicktheGeariconandyoucanadvanceorretractthestatusofanapplicant.Youcanalsoclickthisbuttontoeitherhireordeclineacandidate.

Thisisaneasyandsimpleutilityforcreatingjobpostingsandtrackingapplicantsthroughthehiringprocess.BerniePortalmaynothavetheGoogleorOutlooksyncingthatSAPSuccessFactors$8.00atSuccessFactors(anEditors'ChoicewinnerinourATSystemsreviewroundup)does,butit'snicetohaveATfeaturesinanHRsoftwareplatform.Afterall,othersystems,suchasNamely,offernoATfunctionalityatall.

Onboarding

Onboardingcanoftenbeahugeheadacheforemployerssincethereissomuchpaperwork.KeepingtrackofnewhiresastheygothroughtheonboardingprocesscanbeatoughtasktojugglewithotherdailyHRduties.ButinBerniePortal,onboardingisstraightforward.Tostartanonboardingprocess,simplygototheOnboardingtabandclick"Add."AlternativelyyoucangototheEmployeestabandselect"Add."YoucanchoosetoonboardorimportemployeesfromanExcelchart.Ifyouenteranemployeefromscratch,youwillthenbeaskedtofilloutaformwiththenewhire'sfirstandlastname,emailaddress,jobtitle,hiredate,thetypeofemployment,salarydata,employeeID,expectedhoursperweek,andthemanager'sname.TheplatformalsocomesbundledwithgenerictemplatesforFormI-9andDirectDepositforms.Youcanalsochoosetoaddnewhiresintosubgroups,whichisusefulifyouwanttoorganizeyourworkforcebydepartment.However,wefoundthesubgrouporganizationconfusing.

Youcanevencreatenewonboardingmaterialsforyourorganization'sneeds.Sincenotwocompanieshavethesameonboardingprocess,thisisausefulfeaturetohave.Todothis,clicktheSettingstabinOnboarding,andyou'llbeabletoincludenewtemplates,thestatewithholdingformforall50U.S.states,a

noncompeteclause,orliteratureaboutyourcompany'sstockoptions.TheabilitytoeasilyenterthosefilesintothesystemisausefulfeatureBerniePortalgivesyouhere.

Oncenewhiresareaddedintothesystem,theywillappearontheOnboardingmoduleinasimilarfashiontotheATfeature.Youwillseealistofallpendingemployees,andyoucanresendrelevantdocumentsandformsifneeded.Inthisway,BerniePortalsimplifiestheprocessofonboardingnewemployeesandtrackingapplicantstoopenpositionsquitewell.ThiscansaveHRprofessionalsprecioustimeintheirday-to-dayoperations.Mostuserswilllikelyrequirenotrainingtobeupandrunningwiththeeasy-to-useplatform,whichisaplus.

BenefitsAdministration

Benefitsadministration(BA)systemsaredesignedtomakeaccesstoperks,amenities,andothercoreserviceseasierforyouremployees.BerniePortal'sbenefitsfunctionalityisconvenientlyaccessiblewithinthesameaccountasitsonboardingtoolsjustlikeinBambooHRandZenefits.InBerniePortal'sBenefitsmodule,youcanseeyourorganization'svariousplans.Fromhere,youcanaddanewplan,configureyourplanpreferences,andevengeneratebills.Thiswindowletsyouselectthetypeofplanandtheprovider.BerniePortal'sBAmoduleoffersself-servicefunctionalitythatletsyouremployeeschoosethebestplanforthem.Anicebonushere

isthatyoucanincludehelpfullinksregardingtheplanstoyouremployees.If,say,CignahasahelpfulYouTubevideothatexplainsitscoverage,thenyoucanincludethatlinkinyourbenefitsportalaswell.

Whenaddinganemployee,OvertimeExemptmadesensetous,butOvertimeFactorseemedlikeanobtusefeature.Also,itwasunclearhowthesystemofsubgroupsworked.TheseincludedBenefits,Billing,Payroll,and1094-CALE.Afterlookingup"subgroups"intheKnowledgeBase,welearnedyouneedtoassignbenefitstoasubgrouptoofferthemtoemployees.

WhenyougettotheBenefitLibrary,you'llgetpromptedto"Add/ImportBenefits."Youcanfilterplansandsearchforplans.WhenweclickedtheboxesfortheCoverageTierslikeEmployeeOnly,Employees+Spouse,Employee+Children,andEmployee+Family,wenoticedthatwecouldn'tunclicktheboxforWaive.That'sbecauseBerniePortalneedstogiveuserstheoptiontoWaivetheircoverage.Therearesomedrop-downsonthismenuthatwouldbeuncleartotheaverageuserlikeAge-BandedHealth(onetable),Age-BandedHealth(threetable),andAge-BandedMultiperson.WhenwewenttotheKnowledgeBasepagefor"Age-Banded,"itdidn'tadequatelydefinewhatthisfeaturemeansordoes.Itdescribesitasoneofthe"premiumsettings"butdoesn'texplainwhyit'sneeded.

Whenweaddedanewplancalled"CDEDentalPlan,"wewereabletochoosethebenefittype,year,renewaldate,addamessagetoemployees,andaddplandocumentsinPDFformat.Thisseemedstraightforwardenough.Afteryouaddemployeesandbenefitplans,yougotoeachemployee'srecordunder"Employees"toattachasubgroupforthatemployee.ZenefitsandGustodidn'thavethecomplexityofsubgroupslikeweexperiencedwithBerniePortal.WhenweimportedanFSAaccount,wewereunabletoeditthefieldstomakechanges.Thiscouldbeaglitchwithourdemoaccount.

ToattachbenefitsinBerniePortal,youselect"Subgroups"andthenattachBenefits.Thesoftwareletsyouchooseacustompercentageforemployeecontributionsforthatbenefit,oryoucanchooseafixedpercentagebasedonaplanortier.AtthatbottomoftheSubgroupspageyoucanaddemployeedeductionsandemployercontributions.Ifyouchoose"custom"fortheemployercontributioncalculation,youcanenteryourownpercentages.Buttheabilitytoenterthesepercentagesisabitclunky.There'sasetdecimalnumberforthetotalpremiumthatcan'tbechanged.

WhenwetriedtocheckouttheBerniePortalintegrations,wegotamessagethat"we'renotauthorizedtoaccessthispage."Wealsowerenotabletoassignsubgroupstoemployeesduringourtesting.Thegearsettingsbuttonsdidn'twork.Inourtesting,wewerealsonotabletoexperiencethereportingfeaturescomparedwiththeleadingbenefitsapplicationsinourroundup,likeGustoandZenefits.

BenefitsReportsandMobileAccess

YoucangetreportsforitemslikePersonalInfo,Beneficiaries,andEmployeeDeductions,andEmployeeContributions.Toreceivethereport,youhaveto"sendareportto"anemailaddress,andthisfeaturewasn'tworkinginourtests.Wealsonoticedthatactionbuttonsweren'toperationalinourtests.Thesewilllikelybeworkinginanactualaccount.Wewereabletodeleteorcloneanitem,however.

Onmobiledevices,BerniePortaloffersanativeappforiOS,butonAndroid,you'llhavetousethewebbrowser.Thesoftwarelooksexactlylikethedesktopversionexceptforthecircularbuttonstomakeselections.YoucanviewPDFsforplandocumentsandseewhatbenefitsyou'veelected,butinthenativemobileappyoucan'tmakebenefitsselections.However,themobilebrowsersupportsthiscapability.BerniePortalsaysthecompanyhasn'tseenmuchdemandforthenativemobileapp,soitcontinuestorelyonthemobilebrowserforfullmobileaccesstotheplatform.Inthemobilebrowserontheemployeeside,you'llseeadashboardwithaPTOBalance,BenefitsElectionCostaswellasPTOrequestsandtime-trackingfeatures.Youcancustomizetheorderyouwanttheseitemstodisplayed,butinourdemoaccountthesefeaturesweren'tactivated.BerniePortalletsyoutracktimeinandtimeout,andgrayed-outcirclesareusedforthedates.InourtestaccounttheIn/Outwasblank.Thethree-dotmenusnexttoeachitemweren'tclickable.WefoundthedashboardsofotherproductssuchasBambooHRtobemorecleanlydesigned.

IfyouwantadvancedBAfeatures,suchasadvancedbenefitsreportsandstockoptions,thenyou'llwanttoexploreamorededicatedBAsolutionsuchasZenefitsoreventhetongue-twister-namedBenefitsfocusBenefitsPlace.ZenefitsisourEditors'ChoiceinourBAsoftwarereviewroundup,anditcomesbundledwithintegrationswithproductssuchasSalesforce$75.00atsalesforce.comandSlack.Still,BerniePortaloffersstrongBAfunctionality,too.

Payroll

BerniePortalofferssimplePayrollschedulingfeatures.Youcansetthenumberofpayperiods(monthly,bimonthly,weekly,etc.),andyoucanevenchoosetodesignatedifferentpayschedulestodifferentsubgroups.Thisishelpfulifyouwanttoseparatethepayrollschedulesof,say,yourwarehouseteamsfromyourfrontofficeteams.

Employeescanalsorequestpaidtimeoff(PTO)fromtheirBerniePortalaccounts.Whenworkersmakearequest,employersseeanotificationintheiremailinboxtoapproveordeclinetherequests.Ifapproved,thentheycanviewPTOlistingsintheemployees'profiles.TheycanevenconfiguretheirPTOpolicytoblockoutspecificdates.Thisishelpfulifyourcompanyhasparticularbusytimes,suchastheholidayseason,duringwhichyoucan'taffordtoletpeopletakevacationtime.

Solid,SimpleHRManagement

InFebruary2018BerniePortallaunchedanewperformancemanagementfeaturethatprovidesaplatformformanagerstokeeptrackofone-on-onemeetingswiththeiremployees.Thetoolletsuserscreatetime-stampeddocumentationofmeetings,andHRcanaccessthesemessagethreadstotrackprogress.

AsfarasoverallHRfunctionality,BerniePortalfeelsincrediblyeasytouse.Makingthenavigationandprocessingofthisinformationsimpleisagreatdesignaccomplishment.TheBerniePortalteamdeservescreditformakingtheseimportantHRtasksabreeze.

Forallofitsfeatures,BerniePortalstillfallsshortofourEditors'Choicedesignation.It'slackingsomeoftheschedulingfunctionalityofGustoand,ifyouwantmoreextensiveBAfeatures,thenyoumaywanttolookelsewhereaswell.Thatsaid,BerniePortalisstillasolidHRplatform.It'sgenerallyintuitivewithastrongcorefeaturesetandwellworthconsidering.