Blog
Notes on HR agents, payroll and compliance in 2026.
Agents · 9 October 2026 · 7 min read
AI agents in HR in 2026: what they do, and where a person still decides
An HR agent is not a chatbot and not a replacement for your HR manager. A plain guide to what AI agents do in HR, payroll and compliance in 2026, and the line they should not cross.
Reading list · 6 min read
What we are reading on AI agents in HR: ten pieces worth your time in 2026
Most writing about AI agents in HR is a vendor list with a headline. These ten pieces from regulators, researchers and practitioners are the ones that changed how we build, with what each is good for.
Compliance · 7 min read
Employment Rights Act: what changes on 30 October 2026, and what your records should show
The tribunal time limit is now six months, the harassment duty tightens on 30 October 2026 and the unfair dismissal qualifying period falls to six months in January 2027. What each change asks of your HR records.
Agents · 5 min read
An AI agent will not replace your HR manager. It will give them Thursday back
The case for AI agents in a small business is not headcount. It is the hours one overloaded person spends collecting, checking and chasing, and what they could do with them instead.
Immigration · 6 min read
Right to work checks now reach agency, casual and gig workers: what changed on 1 October 2026
From 1 October 2026 the right to work regime extends beyond employees to agency, subcontracted, casual and platform workers. What that means for who you check and what you keep.
Agents · 6 min read
How to hire an AI agent: a job description, a probation period and a named manager
Treat an AI agent like a new starter and most of the risk disappears. A practical way to brief one, test it for a month and decide what it is allowed to do.
Payroll · 5 min read
The 2026/27 payroll numbers your run should already be using
National Living Wage at £12.71, sick pay from day one, employer National Insurance at 15% and the first benefits moving to mandatory payrolling in April 2027. A checklist for UK employers.
Data protection · 6 min read
GDPR and AI in HR: what changed in 2026, and seven questions before an agent touches employee data
The Data (Use and Access) Act rewrote the rules on automated decisions in February 2026 and added a complaints duty in June. What employers using AI in HR and hiring need to know.
Immigration · 6 min read
Sponsor licence in 2026: the changes that reach your HR records
A £41,700 salary threshold, degree-level roles only, a higher Immigration Skills Charge, B2 English and costs you can no longer pass on. What each one means for the records a sponsor keeps.
Accounting · 4 min read
What payroll month end looks like when an agent prepares the pack
The run is approved, and then the real admin starts: the journal, what is owed to HMRC and the pension provider, the cost report. How an accounting agent hands your accountant what they need.
Product · 4 min read
Introducing roothr.ai: HR admin as a conversation
Why we built one application for HR, payroll and compliance, what it can do on day one, and the rule we will not break: a person approves every action.
Payroll · 6 min read
Can AI run payroll? What it should and should not do
A practical line between the parts of payroll an assistant can do well today and the parts that must stay with a person.
Compliance · 5 min read
Five sponsor compliance questions to ask your HR system every week
If you hold a sponsor licence, these are the questions that catch problems before UKVI does. Each one is a single sentence in roothr.ai.
Engineering · 4 min read
Why the assistant reads one record, not five systems
An assistant is only as trustworthy as the data it reads. Ours reads one employee record, respects its permissions and shows its sources.
Hire an agent
Read about it, then hire one.
Each agent supports the person who owns that job: it does the collecting, checking and chasing, and brings them what needs a decision. All eight are in every plan.
HR agent
People operations
Keeps every employee record, contract, probation and policy up to date, and chases what is missing.
Payroll agent
Monthly pay run
Builds the run from live records, explains every change since last month and waits for your approval.
Compliance agent
Employment compliance
Checks pay, hours, holiday, contracts and training against the rules, and keeps the evidence.
Immigration agent
Sponsor licence and right to work
Watches right to work dates, sponsored workers and reporting windows, and drafts what UKVI needs.