TribeHR gets $2.5M to make human resources less tribal, more familial

TribeHR, a human resources platform that focuses on the social aspect of personnel management, announced today that it’s raised $2.5 million in funding.

Human resources departments hold complicated positions within a company. On the one hand, they grant vacation days, process payroll, and address sensitive workplace issues. On the other hand, HR reps enforce rules and regulations, and are responsible for conducting nerve-wracking performance reviews.

TribeHR strives to change all that by creating an employee-friendly system. The software provides traditional services like tracking time off, salary history, and maintaining formal workplace records for administrators. It also enables employees to chart their own progress. The goal-setting and task management features are dual function, serving as organizational tools as well as activity logs that can be referenced during performance reviews.

People, rather than numbers or documents, are central to TribeHR’s core concept. It focuses on user experience and emphasizes social features, like the ability to share ‘kudos’, intended to promote strong company culture and enhance employee engagement.

“We are less about policing employee behavior and more about maximizing engagement,” said CEO Joseph Fung. ” When people think about HR, they think about that irritating process. We took a boring and staid process and turned it on its head.”

Relay Ventures led the funding round, with participation from Matrix Partners.

With this recent investment, the company will further develop its mobile presence. Fung said that the fastest growing segment of the user base is accessing the product from a mobile device. More and more, employees, managers, and administrators are using smartphones to do basic tasks like call in sick, submit reimbursement requests, or schedule meetings.

TribeHR has mostly been adopted by small and medium businesses and currently manages over 10,000 employees worldwide. The company has 12 employees in Canada and two in Boston. This is its first round of institutional funding, bringing the total amount raised to $3.6 million.