hrchest.com

What It Is

HR Chest is a UK HR app and web portal launched by EC Human Resources Ltd, positioned as a way to “get HR support at a lower cost.” It primarily serves small business owners, helping companies centrally manage HR documents, employee records, holidays and absences, and access UK employment law compliance resources.

Core Capabilities

The product focuses less on being a complex HR suite and more on day-to-day HR compliance and record management. Its HR Resources provide policies, procedures, letters, templates, checklists, and guides covering the employee lifecycle from recruitment, onboarding, performance, discipline, and absence through to offboarding, and it says these are regularly updated in line with UK law. Staff Management supports employee profiles, holidays, absences, training and development records, onboarding documents, and document storage. On the employee side, users can request holidays, record absences, view personal files, and access selected HR documents. The system also offers built-in search, calculators, statutory rates, a mental health resource pack, HR advisory messaging, and access across desktop, tablet, and mobile.

Pricing

Pricing is clear and tiered by employee count: 1–10 employees costs £30/month or £325/year, going up to 151–200 employees at £270/month or £2,900/year, all plus VAT. The page emphasizes that there is no minimum contract term, with payments processed through Stripe. It is worth noting that the terms state payments are non-refundable; the HR consultant button includes only 3 free messages every 12 months, and additional support may be charged at £95/hour or quoted per project.

Pros and Cons

The advantages are its low price, low barrier to entry, and design around UK employment law scenarios, making it suitable for small businesses without a full-time HR team that need to quickly establish basic policies and a record-keeping system. The document templates, legal updates, and employee self-service holiday requests are practical for day-to-day management.

The drawbacks are that the text does not disclose integrations with payroll, recruitment, accounting, or collaboration tools, nor does it provide API information. Security descriptions only mention secure storage, encryption, and ICO registration, lacking more specific details on permissions, auditing, backups, or certifications. Its regulatory value is also mainly limited to the UK market.

Who It’s For / Access from China

HR Chest is suitable for UK-based small businesses, startups, and employers without an HR department, for basic HR compliance, document management, and holiday/absence management. Access from mainland China is not mentioned in the main text and would need to be tested in practice, so it is currently rated as unknown.