In an exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, JB Uy, co-founder and CTO of InStaff, shares his innovative approach to transforming HR processes for small and medium-sized businesses. With a deep background in computer science and a passion for streamlining operations, JB’s vision for InStaff has reshaped the way SMBs manage payroll, time tracking, and HR functions. From integrating multiple systems to ensuring robust data security, JB talks about the challenges and opportunities of providing scalable, customizable solutions for businesses of all sizes, all while keeping simplicity and efficiency at the forefront of the company’s mission.
JB Uy is the Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of InStaff, a company born out of a simple yet impactful idea—moving paystubs online to streamline payroll management. What started as a small project for a client in his software development consultancy evolved into a full-fledged B2B solution that now serves numerous businesses.
JB’s journey into entrepreneurship was anything but conventional. With a background in computer science, he never had a “traditional” job. Instead, he jumped straight into the software business his father founded, where he had to quickly adapt and learn every aspect of running a company. From coding and project management to business operations, he developed a deep understanding of what it takes to build and sustain a tech business.
As a pioneer in HR software solutions, how has InStaff transformed the landscape of employee management for small and medium-sized businesses?
We specialize in helping businesses using legacy systems bring their HR processes online without the hassle of a full migration. Many SMBs already have an ERP system for payroll but haven’t implemented a complete HR platform, often because it’s a major investment. In many cases, these companies want to keep their ERP system restricted to finance and operations teams.
Our journey started when one of our sister companies—specializing in ERP software—had a client who wanted to digitize pay stubs instead of printing and handing them out. Switching to a new payroll system just for this function didn’t make sense since everything else was working fine. That’s where we came in.
We’ve made it possible for SMBs to gradually move parts of their HR operations online, step by step. It starts with pay stubs and documents, then expands to time-off requests and attendance tracking. This flexible, incremental approach makes digital transformation much easier for businesses that don’t want to overhaul their entire system at once.
InStaff offers a range of features from payroll management to time tracking. Can you elaborate on how these integrated solutions address the unique challenges faced by SMBs in streamlining their HR processes?
This ties back to the previous point. Many of our early customers didn’t even have dedicated HR managers—often, payroll was handled by an office manager or a small admin team. Things have changed over time, but even now, a lot of SMBs don’t separate HR and payroll the way larger companies do. In many cases, payroll takes the lead, with HR functions being managed as part of the same department.
We also have customers where only the payroll team uses InStaff, while the HR team relies on other platforms for things like org charts and benefits—areas we are actively expanding into.
The key challenge we solve is integrating payroll into the HR process. Whether it’s collecting time-tracking data for payroll calculations or managing time-off requests so they sync seamlessly with payroll, we make sure everything flows smoothly. Being an SMB ourselves, we get it—many businesses don’t have the luxury of a dedicated HR department, so we design our solutions to be intuitive and efficient for teams that wear multiple hats.
In an era of paramount data security, how does InStaff ensure the protection of sensitive employee information while providing seamless access to necessary documents?
Security is a top priority for us. We’re SOC 2 compliant, which means we follow strict standards to protect sensitive data—not just in terms of securing it, but also ensuring that only the right people have access.
Within our portal, we’ve built in multiple layers of protection, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) for employee logins. We also offer customizable roles and permissions, so businesses have full control over who can access different functions and documents. Our goal is to make sure companies get the convenience of a digital HR platform without compromising on security.
The ability to customize is a key aspect of InStaff’s platform. How does this flexibility benefit businesses across different industries, and can you share an example of a unique customization that has particularly impressed a client?
No two businesses are exactly alike, and we’ve seen this firsthand through our experience in ERP customization and software development. That background has shaped how we approach flexibility within InStaff, allowing us to adapt to unique customer needs over the years.
One example was a company that used pre-printed stock paper for paystubs, where all the labels, tables, and logos were already printed. Their payroll system only generated raw data PDFs without any formatting since they relied on the stock paper for that. Since switching to a new system wasn’t an option, we developed a feature that overlays the necessary labels and formatting onto the PDFs before publishing them—essentially recreating the look of their old pay stubs in a digital format.
Another customization we implemented was a rule in our time-off module that only allows employees to request leave after they’ve been with the company for 30 days. While features like these exist in other software, what sets us apart is how quickly we respond to customer needs and make adjustments that truly work for their business.
Looking ahead, what emerging trends in HR technology do you foresee, and how is InStaff positioning itself to meet the evolving needs of SMBs in the coming years?
AI is a huge topic right now, and staying ahead of the curve is key as SMB needs continue to evolve. While AI chatbots are the obvious go-to, what really matters is how they’re applied in a way that actually helps businesses.
A simple but effective use case is having an AI-powered chat that lets employees quickly find company policies by asking natural language questions. Taking it a step further, AI can tap into dynamic data—like time tracking and leave balances—so employees can ask things like, “How much time off do I have left this year?” and get an instant, accurate answer.
This might seem like a small convenience, but with knowledge workers juggling 10-15 different apps a day, reducing the learning curve and friction in software use makes a real impact. Looking ahead, AI agents could take things even further by assisting HR admins with tasks like creating employee profiles or posting announcements through simple, conversational commands. By integrating AI in a way that enhances efficiency, we’re focused on making HR processes smoother and more intuitive for SMBs.
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