fragPaul

fragPaul is a web-based personnel administration (Personalverwaltung) system offered by the Cologne-based company resment UG. The product bundles a digital personnel file for central employee master data, second-accurate digital time recording, interactive shift planning, vacation and absence planning, cost and project evaluations, and either preparation of payroll or a fully automated payroll run with immediate notifications (Sofortmeldung) to social insurance bodies.

The system is positioned for small and medium-sized businesses whose administrative HR work — time documentation, payroll preparation, shift rostering — is otherwise done manually and is error-prone and hard to keep legally compliant. fragPaul states that it covers statutory requirements, including those arising from the European Court of Justice ruling on working-time recording, and that legislative changes are integrated automatically. Employees are actively included in the system: they record their own working hours and submit vacation and absence requests, while the employer acts as a controlling instance. Access is browser-based from computers, tablets (a time terminal mode) and smartphones. Supporting material includes online help, separate manuals for employees and administrators, and setup guidance covering locations (Standorte), occupational fields (Berufsfelder) and positions, which structure shift plans across sites such as multiple restaurants.

Founding story

fragPaul was developed as a product of resment UG to address a recurring practical problem: owners and staff of small and mid-sized companies spend substantial time on manual, error-prone and legally risky HR administration such as time documentation, payroll preparation and shift planning, where violations can lead to significant fines. The stated aim is to outsource and minimise these administrative tasks so that businesses can refocus on their core work.

Business model

Software-as-a-Service sold business-to-business, with payroll processing offered as an add-on module (zubuchbar) alongside the core personnel administration functionality. Startbase classifies the company as a B2B SaaS startup in the human resources sector.

Subscription access to the personnel administration platform, with the automated payroll function available as a bookable additional service.

Traction

Startbase reports a team size of 1-10 employees. The company was selected to pitch among 26 startups at Startup Camp 2018 after qualifying from about 200 applicants.

Latest developments

The company published a relaunched version of fragPaul with a new interface, revised service processes and upgraded servers, announced on its site as the result of work during 2023 and aimed at 2024. It also introduced an interactive demo that can be tested without registration. In May 2024 deutsche-startups.de reported that the fragPaul founders Marc Stratmann and Peter Praeder-Hinzpeter were backing HR-Autopilot, in which Berlin investor allygatr invested.