The Jem Hub on a laptop, showing the Insights screen with a payslip assignment panel, a monthly assignment rate chart and employee sentiment tiles below
A WhatsApp chat on a phone, offering a main menu and a Clock In and Timesheets option that lists clocking in and out, viewing a roster and checking timesheets
Jem for Small Business

Manage your whole team on one system.

Built for South African business owners who want payroll, time and attendance, staff documents and team messages in one place. Your staff use it on WhatsApp.

Book a call with our foundersJoin the waiting list for early access

Runs on your business's own WhatsApp number

Why owners come to us

You could keep an eye on eight people. Then the team grew.

Sound familiar?

Time and attendance

How do I see who came to work today?

Staff clock in on WhatsApp with their location. You see who's in, by person and by site.

Documents

How do I see who still owes me a signed contract?

Send it once on WhatsApp. Staff sign on their phone, and you see who still needs a nudge.

Payroll

How do I check payroll before I pay?

Each pay run shows what changed since last month and flags anything unusual before you approve.

Leave

How do I see who's on leave next week?

Staff apply on WhatsApp, the right person approves, and the team calendar shows who is off.

The platform

Everything you need to manage your team.

Seven tools that share one record for each employee, so a change in one shows up everywhere. Benefits are coming in 2027.

People

Profiles, onboarding and hiring.

  • One profile for each person, including staff without email
  • New starters complete their own onboarding
  • Hiring from advert to offer, then straight onto payroll
  • Several companies and sites from one login

Payroll

Accurate South African payroll.

  • PAYE, UIF, SDL and ETI worked out for you
  • Payslips sent on WhatsApp when you choose
  • Your EMP201 and UIF submissions prepared, ready for you to file

Time and attendance

Clocking, timesheets and leave.

  • Clocking on WhatsApp with the location recorded
  • Staff can only clock in at the right site
  • Site visits for promoters, reps and drivers
  • Timesheets, shift swaps and leave in one place

Documents

Contracts and policies, signed on the phone.

  • Contracts signed and policies acknowledged, with the evidence kept
  • Ask staff for documents like an ID or driver's licence
  • See what is missing across the team

Communication

Announcements and surveys on WhatsApp.

  • Announcements to the right teams, with attachments
  • Surveys with results by team

Employee self-service

Your staff help themselves.

See how it works

Your AI assistant

An assistant, reports and your own AI.

See how it works

Benefits

Coming in 2027

Benefits for your staff, paid through payroll.

  • Earned wage access
  • Funeral cover for staff and their families
  • Retirement fund contributions
One system

Why does one system matter?

Nothing is typed twice.

Clock-ins, leave and overtime feed the pay run.

One profile for each person.

Their contract, documents and leave sit with their pay.

    • Clock-in
    • Leave request
    • Overtime
    • Deductions

    feed

    • Approved timesheet
    • Employee profile

    feed

    • The pay run you approve

    sends

    • Payslip
    • Filing pack
    • Bank payment file

The WhatsApp mark shows the steps your staff do on their own phone.

A WhatsApp chat on a phone, showing a payslip menu offering the latest payslip, the last three months and the last six months
Employee self-service

Your staff help themselves.

They already use WhatsApp every day, so there is nothing to download and nothing to teach. It works on the web too. The questions that used to come to you go to Jem.

  • Clock in and out
  • Check leave balance and apply
  • Get and download payslips
  • Sign and open documents
  • Fix their own details
  • Query a deduction
  • Choose their language
  • Request to swap a shift
Your AI assistant

What is waiting on me today?

Jem's AI assistant is built into every page of Jem and available on WhatsApp. Ask it anything about your team, get answers and messages drafted for you, and see what needs your attention today.

Penny

Jem's AI assistant

  • Penny: Three people still owe you a signed contract. Shall I send them a reminder?
  • You: Yes, send it.

Your Inbox

Everything waiting on you, in order of priority. Approve any request right there.

Ask questions about your reports

Dashboards for attendance, leave, labour cost and people. Ask about any chart.

Connect your own AI

Link Claude or ChatGPT to your company profile on Jem. Then ask it about your team, leave or payroll from the AI tool you already use. You choose what it can see and do.

Your payroll is worked out by our payroll system, never by AI.

Switching

Switching is easier than you think.

  1. Upload what you have.

    Old payslips, payroll reports or spreadsheets. Jem reads them and fills in your team and their year-to-date figures.

  2. Check what Jem set up.

    You review every person before anything is saved. Missing bank or ID details can be added later.

  3. Do your first pay run with us.

    A person from Jem is on the phone with you for your first pay run.

Pricing

What does it cost?

A monthly fee plus a fee per employee. No set-up fee.

Starter

R500 a month, plus R50 per employee per month

  • Payroll, payslips and filing packs
  • Leave and employee profiles
  • Your own WhatsApp number
  • Every pay run checked for changes and errors before you approve it

Pro

R1,500 a month, plus R80 per employee per month

  • Everything in Starter
  • Clocking, timesheets and site visits
  • Signed documents, onboarding and hiring
  • Announcements, surveys and reports
  • Connect your own AI

WhatsApp messages are billed by Meta directly to your business, at cost. We add nothing on top.

Ready to manage your team in one place?

One of Jem's founders will show you Jem, set up around your own team.

Book a call with our foundersJoin the waiting list for early access