HBHR launches HRGenie Auto amid payroll error fears

HBHR has launched HRGenie Auto, an artificial intelligence tool for HR and payroll users that can navigate the platform on a user's behalf in real time.

The launch coincides with survey data from HBHR on payroll errors and employee expectations of workplace technology. Its poll of 2,000 UK employees found that 85% expect employers to use modern payroll technology to reduce mistakes, while 61% would look for a new job if payroll errors continued for six months.

HRGenie Auto builds on HBHR's existing HRGenie system. Rather than only answering questions, it carries out actions inside the software while the user watches the process on screen.

The product is intended to reduce the training and support needed when employees, managers and HR teams use HR and payroll systems. HBHR said software changes, process updates and staff turnover often create a constant need for guidance, adding to the workload of HR and payroll departments.

Callum Pennington, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of HBHR, said: "The HRGenie has always been able to answer questions, complete tasks and tell you where things are. But HRGenie Auto takes that a significant step further. Now, when you ask the platform something, it doesn't just give you an answer. It takes over. That might sound like a small change. It isn't. The biggest hidden cost in HR technology has never been the software itself, it's the time spent learning it. With HRGenie Auto, the platform becomes the teacher. It shows people what to do, in the moment they need it, without anyone having to step in. This is what modern HR software should look like. Less like a system you have to learn and more like a colleague who just gets things done."

Payroll Pressure

The survey highlights the commercial and operational risks employers face when payroll goes wrong. HBHR found that 24% of employees said pay mistakes had made it harder to afford rent, food or energy bills, while 20% said they had missed a bill entirely because of a payroll error.

In London, the figures were higher: 34% of employees said they had been unable to cover a bill because of a payroll mistake, and 31% had to borrow money to make up the shortfall.

The polling also pointed to a retention issue. According to HBHR, 76% of Gen Z workers and 72% of millennials said they would be likely to seek a new role if payroll errors persisted for six months. Across all workers surveyed, 23% said they had spotted a mistake in their payslip in the past year.

Confidence in payroll accuracy also varied by age group. HBHR found that 29% of Gen Z and millennial employees felt confident about payroll accuracy, compared with 43% of baby boomers.

Compliance Shift

HBHR linked the launch to broader change in the payroll market as HMRC payroll and tax reforms take effect. Only 36% of employees surveyed believed their employer had told them what was changing, while 30% said they had received no communication at all.

That leaves employers facing two pressures at once: adapting to regulatory change and maintaining trust in pay accuracy. HBHR argued that the burden often falls on internal teams already managing compliance, staff queries and routine administration.

It also found that 72% of employees believe technology underpins their confidence that pay will be accurate and on time. For software suppliers, that creates an opening to position systems not simply as administrative tools but as part of the employee experience.

HBHR, formerly known as HealthBox HR, provides HR, time and attendance, and payroll software in one system. HRGenie Auto is available to customers now.

Pennington said: "Payroll has always been treated as a back-office function, but these numbers make it brutally clear that it now sits on the front line of the cost-of-living crisis. When employees are missing bills because their payslip is wrong, that is not a minor admin issue. It is a systemic failure. HMRC's changes are a golden opportunity for businesses to assess and evolve their payroll, but if they try to navigate this shift with spreadsheets or outdated systems, they risk pushing more employees into debt and driving out their best talent."