Eight years ago, an idea conceived in 2015 began to take shape: a software solution designed to ensure our members regularly reviewed their employment contracts and policies, always issuing the most up-to-date versions with minimal effort.
This stemmed from a personal experience in 2008 when a member lost an employment tribunal due to using an outdated contract template we provided in 2001. Despite our efforts to keep members informed of legal changes and provide updated templates upon request, the lack of control over distributed templates highlighted a critical gap in the process.
To address this, we set out in 2017 with a £25k budget to develop a digital solution. Two years and £100k later, we created a system featuring ‘self-drafting’ employee contracts and editable policies that our legal team regularly updates on our server. This beta version, offered for free to our members, proved the concept but revealed the need for more investment and expertise to evolve into an enterprise product.
With government funding secured and a development agency enlisted, we restructured Lawgistics towards a SAAS model. We bravely digitised our stationery and incorporated our ‘run your own’ warranty booklets within membership subscriptions, risking the loss of our revenue generated from these but then saw significant business growth, reaching over 2000 members.
Four years and over a million pounds later, we are poised to release the third generation of our software as a commercial product across all industries. Our automotive members will continue to receive this as part of their Lawgistics membership, along with free digital stationery and warranty management modules. Generation 3 represents a substantial upgrade, positioning us prominently in the HR software market.
What’s New in Generation 3:
- New user-friendly design and layout based on member feedback.
- Comprehensive appraisals module, including a ‘self-appraisal’ feature.
- Robust recruitment section featuring a staged interview process, template letters, and quick promotion to employee for smooth onboarding.
- Digital disciplinary and grievance process, complete with invite features for witnesses and investigators, secure feedback forms, template letters with tracking, and advanced reporting capabilities.
- Bulk import of employee records.
- Time in lieu management.
- Extensive letter template module.
Before this release, we are bringing development back in-house, establishing a software development department to enhance agility and responsiveness to user needs and bug reports. The department, led by our digital operations manager, Jason White, and full-stack web developer, Rupen Davda, supported by shadow developers and our client care team, will begin on 1st July.
Given the magnitude of this upgrade, the team will implement a staged release, with a soft version in July retaining much of the existing functionality but featuring a new design, followed by the full Generation 3 launch in August. We eagerly anticipate member feedback and are immensely proud of our journey, which, despite numerous challenges, has led us to this pivotal moment. This achievement would not have been possible without our users’ patience, feedback, and suggestions.
Generations 1 and 2 (as pictured below) laid the groundwork for this transformative update, each bringing critical improvements that have culminated in the comprehensive solution offered in Generation 3.
Stay tuned for exciting changes, and thank you for your continued support as we advance to the next stage.
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