Enterprise Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) like Workday, BambooHR, and Namely offer comprehensive HR management. But for early-stage companies with 10-100 employees, these platforms are often expensive, complex, and overkill. This guide explores practical alternatives for managing employee data, organizational structure, and HR processes without enterprise software.
Why Early-Stage Companies Don’t Need Full HRIS
HRIS platforms are designed for organizations with:
- Hundreds or thousands of employees
- Complex compliance requirements
- Large HR departments
- Sophisticated benefits administration
- Multiple office locations and entities
Early-stage companies typically have:
- A small, close-knit team
- One or two people handling HR part-time
- Simple benefits (if any)
- Minimal compliance complexity
- More urgent priorities than HR software
The mismatch leads to:
- Overpaying for features you don’t use
- Overcomplicating processes that could be simple
- Underutilizing expensive software
- Diverting resources from core business needs
What Early-Stage Companies Actually Need
Strip away enterprise features and most early-stage companies need:
- Employee directory - Who works here, what do they do, how to contact them
- Organizational structure - Who reports to whom
- Basic records - Start dates, titles, compensation (for payroll)
- Onboarding information - What new hires need to know
- Time off tracking - Who’s out when
That’s it. No performance management modules, succession planning tools, or learning management systems—at least not yet.
The Google Sheets Approach
For companies under 100 employees, a well-structured Google Sheet can handle most HR data needs:
Core Employee Data Sheet
| Name | Title | Department | Manager | Start Date | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jane Smith | jane@company.com | CEO | Executive | 2020-01-15 | Remote | |
| John Doe | john@company.com | VP Engineering | Engineering | Jane Smith | 2020-03-01 | NYC |
Advantages of Google Sheets for HR
- Free - No per-seat costs
- Familiar - Everyone knows how to use spreadsheets
- Flexible - Add columns as needs emerge
- Accessible - Works on any device, anywhere
- Collaborative - Multiple people can edit
- Version controlled - See change history
- Exportable - Easy to move data later
Limitations to Accept
- No automated workflows
- Manual data entry required
- No built-in access controls beyond Google sharing
- Doesn’t integrate with payroll automatically
- Reporting requires spreadsheet skills
For companies under 50-75 employees, these limitations are manageable.
Building Your HR Stack with Lightweight Tools
Instead of one monolithic HRIS, combine focused tools:
Employee Directory and Org Chart
Problem: Need to visualize organizational structure and provide a searchable employee directory.
Solution Options:
| Tool | Best For | Price Point |
|---|---|---|
| Google Sheets + OrgNice | Org charts from spreadsheet data | Free tier available |
| Notion | Wiki-style employee pages | Free for small teams |
| Company intranet | Custom solution | Varies |
OrgNice specifically solves the org chart problem by connecting to your Google Sheet and generating a live organizational chart. Your spreadsheet stays the source of truth—OrgNice visualizes it.
Key capabilities:
- Auto-generates org charts from your existing spreadsheet
- Always current when anyone views it (new hires, investors, board)
- Typed additional fields — email, links, socials, phone, location
- Profile pictures from image URLs in your spreadsheet
- Appearance configuration — brand colors, layouts, conditional coloring
- Sharing — private, specific individuals, organization, or public
- Embedding — Confluence, Notion, Google Sites, WordPress, SharePoint
- Exporting — PNG, SVG, PDF
Payroll
Problem: Need to pay employees, handle taxes, issue W-2s.
Solution Options:
| Tool | Best For | Price Point |
|---|---|---|
| Gusto | US-based small businesses | $40/mo + $6/person |
| Deel | International/contractor-heavy | Varies |
| Rippling | Growing companies wanting integration | $8+/person |
| Quickbooks Payroll | Companies already using Quickbooks | $45/mo + $6/person |
These payroll systems often include basic employee records, which can serve as a partial employee database.
Time Off Tracking
Problem: Track vacation, sick days, and who’s out when.
Solution Options:
| Tool | Best For | Price Point |
|---|---|---|
| Google Calendar | Simplest approach | Free |
| Slack integrations (Timetastic, Pause) | Slack-centric teams | Free tiers available |
| Notion database | Teams using Notion | Free |
| Built into payroll (Gusto, etc.) | Consolidated approach | Included |
Onboarding Documentation
Problem: Give new hires information they need to get started.
Solution Options:
| Tool | Best For | Price Point |
|---|---|---|
| Notion | Flexible documentation | Free for small teams |
| Google Docs/Sites | Google Workspace shops | Included |
| Slite | Team knowledge bases | Free tier available |
| Confluence | Atlassian-centric teams | Free tier for ≤10 users |
Sample Lightweight HR Stack
Here’s a concrete example for a 40-person startup:
| Function | Tool | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Employee data | Google Sheets | Free |
| Org chart | OrgNice (connected to Sheets) | Free tier |
| Payroll | Gusto | ~$280/mo |
| Time off | Gusto (built-in) | Included |
| Onboarding docs | Notion | Free |
| Benefits | Gusto (if offering) | Included |
Total monthly cost: ~$300 vs. $1,000-2,000+ for enterprise HRIS
When to Upgrade to Real HRIS
Consider moving to proper HRIS when:
- Headcount exceeds 75-100 - Spreadsheet management becomes unwieldy
- HR becomes a full-time role - Dedicated HR person needs proper tools
- Compliance requirements increase - Multiple states/countries, industry regulations
- Benefits complexity grows - Multiple plans, open enrollment management
- Performance management needed - Reviews, goals, feedback systems
- Audit requirements - SOC 2 or other certifications requiring HR controls
At this stage, evaluate:
- BambooHR - Mid-market standard, good UI
- Rippling - Modern, IT+HR integration
- Gusto (upgraded plans) - If already using for payroll
- HiBob - International-friendly, modern UX
- Namely - Benefits administration strength
Making the Transition Later
If you start with spreadsheets and lightweight tools, transitioning to HRIS later is straightforward:
- Export your Google Sheet to CSV
- Import into new HRIS during implementation
- Validate data and fill in any gaps
- Retire the spreadsheet once HRIS is live
Clean, well-structured spreadsheet data makes migration simple. The reverse (complex HRIS to simple tools) is harder.
Org Charts Specifically
Organizational charts deserve special attention because they’re:
- Frequently needed (onboarding, board decks, internal navigation)
- Hard to keep updated manually
- Often neglected until they’re needed urgently
The Manual Approach Problem
Drawing org charts in Lucidchart, PowerPoint, or Figma requires:
- Someone to create the initial chart
- Someone to update it with every change
- Distribution of new versions
- Tracking which version is current
This fails quickly in growing companies.
The Data-Driven Approach
If your org chart is generated from employee data (your Google Sheet), it stays current automatically:
- Keep employee data in Google Sheets (your source of truth)
- Include “Reports To” column indicating manager
- Connect to OrgNice
- Share the live chart URL or embed it in your wiki
When employees join, leave, or change roles, update the spreadsheet. The org chart reflects changes immediately. Whenever someone views it—new hire, investor, or board member—they see the current structure.
This separates data maintenance (updating a spreadsheet row) from visualization (the org chart itself). Founders, HR managers, and operations teams no longer scramble to update the org chart before important meetings. It’s always ready.
OrgNice also supports:
- Typed additional fields (email, links, socials) that display on employee cards
- Profile pictures referenced from your spreadsheet
- Brand colors and conditional appearance (color-code by department)
- Embedding in Confluence, Notion, Google Sites, and more
- Export to PNG, SVG, or PDF
Practical Tips for Spreadsheet-Based HR
Structure Your Data Well
- One row per employee
- Consistent naming (decide on “John Smith” vs “Smith, John” and stick with it)
- Use data validation for dropdowns (departments, locations)
- Include a unique identifier column (employee ID or email)
Control Access Appropriately
- Limit edit access to HR/ops person
- Share view-only with broader team if needed
- Sensitive data (compensation) in separate sheet with restricted access
Document Your Process
Even simple systems need documentation:
- What happens when someone joins?
- What happens when someone leaves?
- Who updates what?
- Where does each piece of data live?
Plan for Growth
Set a headcount threshold (e.g., 75 employees) at which you’ll evaluate proper HRIS. This prevents the spreadsheet from becoming unmanageable.
Summary
Early-stage companies don’t need enterprise HRIS software. A combination of:
- Google Sheets for employee data
- OrgNice for org charts
- Gusto or similar for payroll
- Notion or Google Docs for documentation
…provides the essential HR infrastructure at a fraction of the cost and complexity.
This approach:
- Costs 80-90% less than enterprise HRIS
- Takes days to set up instead of months
- Requires no dedicated HR software expertise
- Scales to 75-100 employees comfortably
- Makes future HRIS migration straightforward
For growing teams focused on product and customers, lightweight HR tools let you maintain organizational clarity without diverting significant resources to HR software.
Need an org chart without the enterprise software? OrgNice generates org charts from Google Sheets — set it up in minutes, not months.