You are thinking of implementing the free HR tools at your work place. But you are not sure which among them to choose is the right work for your organization. There are hundreds of these tools available, all claiming to be the perfect one for your organization. To make things even more challenging, it’s important to understand that different types of organizations need different types of solutions.
What are HR tools?
HR tools are technologies that help organizations complete Human Resource activities. These tools can vary in specificities, some handling unique and strategic HR capabilities such as employee onboarding and performance management.
What does Human Resources do?
HR is the heart of an organization. Think about it, the Human Resources department manages employee affairs, and your employees are your greatest assets.
More specifically, HR oversees a multitude of employee-related functions. I have summarized 7 main HR-specific functions below:
- Employee recruitment 💼
- Employee onboarding and development ⛵
- Organizational culture, employee engagement, communication, and labor relations 💬
- Managerial relations 👩💼
- Health and safety regulation 🤕
- Personal employee support 🏡
- Payroll and compensation 🤑
Later in this article, you’ll find relevant HR tools supporting each, so keep reading.
The first HR-like division came about in the 1900s, named the Personnel Management Department. Set up by John Henry Patterson, Personnel Management dealt with employee grievances, discharge, safety, and the relay of information to supervisors.
Why is HR important?
“To win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace.” – Doug Conant
HR has evolved over the years, with added complexity and functions. Technological advancement and globalization have steepened competition for top talent. Once more, new employment standards and regulations continue to emerge. It’s therefore critical that adequate investments are made for organizations to remain both competitive and compliant.
HR-related investments vary from industry to industry. For instance, in the oil and gas sector, HR expenditures represent 0.75% of total revenue. Whereas in the Commercial and Professional services industry, costs mount up to 3.61% of total revenue.
These costs are, however, an insignificant pin-prick relative to the benefits HR activities bring to an organization. Allocating enough resources and funding will bring benefits, such as:
- Higher employee productivity: When employees are appreciated and supported, research shows they’re more productive at work.
- A strong organizational culture that is maintained: Your HR department guarantees employees are well suited to the company’s culture. You’ll want to make sure this culture is a healthy one to retain employees, establish a good reputation, and increase work quality. Strengthen your company culture via your HR department.
- Greater employee satisfaction: HR supports employees, understands employee motivations, and ensures the best employee experience is met.
- Better training and development: HR identifies employee training needs, keeping in mind that training is a continuous process. Employee skills are kept up to date, bringing valuable and innovative ideas to the company. You’ll want these needs to fit in with your wider business strategy.
HR-departmental investments are well-placed. However, what if you could obtain these benefits, and yet bring HR-related expenditures down? This is where your HR toolkit comes into play.
If you take the time to collect the right tools and build an HR toolkit that fits your organization, you’ll save money, witness improvements in efficiency, better employee experience, make better decisions, and enhance regulatory compliance.
Sounds like a sweet deal, eh? 🍬
Process Street recommends you take the time to optimize your HR toolkit by using the right HR tools for you and your team. And for that, you’ve come to the right place.
Free HR Tools
1. Bambee
This HR platform connects companies with dedicated HR managers. The managers do what any in-house HR manager might do, including: recruiting, hiring, onboarding, creating policies, compliance with relevant laws and labor codes, maintaining records, and more.
Why we love it: It gives companies of all sizes (and with all budgets) access to the kind of outsourced HR help they need to grow. They offer a great free trial and don’t lock you into any contracts. Needing an extra pair of qualified HR hands has never been easier!
This HR manager software is best for: Recruiting, hiring, & onboarding
Intrigued? Take a look at Bambee’s overview video:
2. Bonusly
Your employees join your company culture the second they walk into the office or log on to start working. Providing them with an HR tool that can integrate them into the team from day one can play a huge impact and start things off on the right foot.
That’s where Bonusly thrives. As an employee recognition platform, Bonusly helps to create a culture of recognition, appreciation, and a place where people are rewarded for their achievements.
A favorite of HR professionals across the world, Bonusly uses reward points that employees can then exchange for real world gifts, cash, or gift cards.
Why we love it: It’s fun to use, easy to learn, and can generate a ton of goodwill within teams, between departments, and from coworker to coworker. Also, it creates a window into the awesome things your colleagues are doing at the company.
This HR manager software is best for: Employee recognition
Check out Bonusly’s overview video:
3. Caroo
Caroo is the premier employee care platform with employee rewards and recognition packages. In fact, every care package can be customized and better-for-you-snacks can be sent in mass to your team.
Why we love it: Caroo makes showing employee appreciation incredibly easy — especially considering that every bit of the care process is rolled into one on this end-to-end HR platform.
This HR manager software is best for: Employee engagement
To learn more about this leader in employee care:
4. NectarHR
Nectar helps companies reward outstanding work, no matter where in the world they are. All team members will be able to express sincere appreciation and acknowledge each other using Nectar’s top-rated recognition and incentives platform.
Why we love it: Nectar helps you boost your company’s efficiency and connection with employees, and promotes employee recognition regardless of where your staff is physically located. Nectar can also be used during the hiring process, with new hires, and to keep up with employee performance.
This HR manager software is best for: Employee engagement
Nectar expertly breaks down their platform in this video:
5. CoAdvantage (PEO Companies)
CoAdvantage supports growth of small businesses by providing consultation to help them succeed in many areas, including HR resources such as payroll, benefits, workplace safety, and employee development.
Why we love it: CoAdvantage covers ground between both HR and the financial departments in a way that many HR tools are simply unable to compete with. For a Swiss army knife of a platform, CoAdvantage is a perfect choice.
This HR manager software is best for: People management
Take a closer look at this PEO company:
👉 Official CoAdvantage Website👈
https://peocompanies.com/snack-peo/
NOLO Human Resources Law Center: A big part of human resources is knowing all of the rules and laws you have to abide by in the workplace. It can be hard to keep everything straight because there are so many laws, but below is a great reference of laws that HR professionals should have handy.
Human Resources Bureau of Labor Statistics: Are you someone who is wondering more about the HR field? If you want to learn more about the job outlook, the pay, what people in HR do, and more, this will be a solid resource.
Lastly, how could you forget about books? Yes, we mean real, physical books printed on paper. There are so many good ones that we can’t even start to list them all. Instead, take a look at the two links below to find some of the most popular and best selling HR books.
Conclusion
Free HR tools are the Holy Grail for small businesses with limited budgets. Every business owner wants to spend as little money as possible, but at the same time remain competitive in their respective fields. And it’s no different for HR departments across the globe.