What is payroll and hr software? It is a unified system that allows you to record, compute, manage and report all the payroll data as well as handle the different aspects of human resources. In case you are wondering about it, the best hr and payroll software systems will make everything easier for you – they will save your time and reduce your headaches!
HR is the abbreviation of Human Resources. Payroll is the department that is responsible for forms, records, and administration related to employee wages. HR software is the collection of computer programs designed specifically for human resources purposes, which are ultimately used by payroll departments. When you buy HR or payroll software, you often get many other useful features.
BerniePortal
Human resources (HR) software is the glue that holds businesses together. The best HR solutions can anticipate businesses’ needs while providing easy-to-use solutions, which translates into smooth hiring and compensation. For small to midsize businesses (SMBs), HR software becomes an even more critical component to help set up and build a company’s labor force. With managers or even business owners doing double duty as de facto HR personnel, the software needs to be easy to use. BerniePortal begins at $750 for a single-user license and brings a robust feature set that can accommodate an SMB’s needs. There are some missing features and odd organizational issues, which place it behind BambooHR, Gusto, Deputy, and Zenefits, our Editors’ Choice winners in our HR software review roundup.
Still, BerniePortal can help improve the workflow of HR professionals when it comes to the onboarding process, applicant tracking, benefits administration (BA), payroll, and other common HR functions. We found BerniePortal to be a strong option from a generalist perspective, though its pricing can get a little complex since it’s priced by over 200 independent brokers. However, we’d like to see some features added to BerniePortal, especially along the lines of more robust navigation.
PROS
- Quick to set up and easy to figure out
- Great core features cover most small to midsize business (SMBs) needs
CONS
- Has some functionality limitations that can be found in competing products
- Subgroup organization can be confusing
Namely
Namely provides small to midsize businesses (SMBs) with a host of human resources (HR) solutions, including benefits administration (BA) and payroll. Bolstered by an easy-to-navigate user interface (UI) and feature-rich functionality, managers will appreciate its various customizable features which make it stand out from the competition. Beginning at $12 per employee per month, Namely can get expensive for larger businesses and enterprises. This dampens its overall appeal as a potential challenger to Editors’ Choice pick BambooHR. Businesses that need the scale and scope of Namely’s customization features will find it meets their expectations.
Customizability is important in the HR management space, and so most HR tech vendors market their platforms as at least somewhat adaptable. This refers mainly to giving system administrator-level users leeway to set up people processes the way their companies use them. That’s a welcome improvement from the old days of on-premises HR software. Back then, large company customers had to request and then wait for modifications or customizations from a systems integrator or vendor support team. Small companies had it even worse: they had to make do with out-of-the-box software, spreadsheets, or (shudder) pen and paper.
Configurability can make HR management dreamy. But it can also make turning on new HR management software a bear, what with the checkboxes and other setup options to go through. This is where Namely shines. Competitors such as Sage Business Cloud People and SAP SuccessFactors sell enterprise-level core HR platforms with a healthy amount of configurability. Namely goes a step further, giving customers almost total control over how they want the software to look and work. And while it adds drag-and-drop and other back-end shortcuts to simplify the process, that level of customizability can add days or even weeks to company-wide implementation.
Here’s an example of what we’re talking about. Many core HR tech vendors offer two or three levels of user access, say, for system admins, managers, and employees. Namely customers, by contrast, can create a hierarchy of as many access levels as they want. A company could, for example, set up separate access levels for hiring managers at its corporate headquarters and retail locations, with functions specific to what each role needs. That sounds great when you read it initially but, come setup time, deciding who gets what levels and what each level entails can blossom into a series of user meetings that could take a couple of days all by themselves.
PROS
- A comprehensive human resources (HR), payroll, and benefits solutions designed around the needs of small to midsize businesses (SMBs).
- Strong employee management and performance review features.
CONS
- An expensive option for larger businesses.
- Compensation section feels limited in tracking salary changes after performance reviews.
Workday HCM
Workday HCM is a SaaS solution that unifies all aspects of managing the employee lifecycle in a single HRMS. The suite of modules allows organizations to operate globally, run payroll, administer benefits, manage talent, and facilitate learning, among other things.
While designed for medium and large enterprises, the platform can support the needs of smaller businesses as well. A business process framework provides a control for all internal processes. The software is also equipped with audit tools and built-in security capabilities, and it offers mobile apps for flexible access.
Why use Workday HCM?
- Deep Data Insights: Equipped with reporting and analytics tools, Workday HCM provides a complete view of critical KPIs to inform better decisions. It allows you to become familiar with your workforce, promote employee growth, foster diversity and prepare for the future. Workday’s Prism Analytics and Data-as-a-Service applications provide graphs, charts, benchmarking reports and more.
- Fast, Enhanced Recruiting: You can streamline and speed up the recruiting process with collaboration tools, task reminders and calendar syncing. A referral leaderboard encourages employees to refer other qualified candidates.
- Easy Expense Reporting: Mobile receipt scanning and approval workflows simplify the expensing process for employees and managers. You can also set spending controls and give employees the ability to start reports. With data analytics tools, you can spot trends and gain insight into expenses throughout your company.
- Efficient Absence Management: This feature uses a smart calendar for managing time off. It also provides tracking for different types of absences and the ability to analyze carryover.
- Simplified Time Management: Time tracking and approval is available on any device, and alerts surface items that need attention. The system automates rules and calculations to cut down on manual tasks and the risk of errors.
- Improved Hiring Decisions: Dashboards present all your talent acquisition data in one place for easy viewing, and machine learning suggests areas of improvement. You can also compare your company to peers via benchmarking and use compensation comparisons to create effective offers.
UKG Pro
UKG Pro provides a unified, cloud-deployed suite that allows companies to manage human capital at a global scale. It offers an array of core features including payroll, benefits, recruiting, onboarding and learning. Users can also leverage it to manage employee data and files, compensation, time and attendance, performance, and succession plans.
In addition to HR-specific capabilities, it incorporates advanced technology such as machine learning and AI, predictive analytics, and business intelligence. This helps optimize performance, streamline tasks, improve understanding of the workforce and drive retention.
OnPay
OnPay offers HR payroll software and is a great option for growing small businesses and startups. Their payroll solution is flexible and supports business owners who have contract, part-time, and hourly employees. Managing all of this on your own can be difficult and time consuming, but with OnPay, it’s much easier to do.
Since payroll doesn’t run automatically, you can choose which employees you want to pay before you run payroll. It’s not as automated as other solutions, but some business owners might need more control. You can pay employees via direct deposit, printed check, or debit card. It includes other features like unlimited payroll runs, tax filing, support for multiple pay schedules and rates, unemployment insurance withholding, and more. You can also integrate your business payroll with your preferred accounting and time-tracking software.
The pricing is straightforward, with a base fee of $36 per month and an additional $4 per person. So if you’re a 50 person company, you’ll pay $236 per month.
Since there’s only one plan, you get access to all features, including HR tools.
The bundled HR tools include templates for employee offer letters, paid time off management, HR document management, and more.
Why use UKG Pro?
- Data Visibility: Track employee and HR data at the local and international level within one platform.
- In-Depth Employee Insights: Understand employees better using AI-based predictions, suggested actions and sentiment analysis. This helps boost performance, identify areas they’re concerned about, hire the right people and retain top employees.
- Informed Decisions: Analyze data through predictive analytics to improve decisions surrounding hiring, promotions, retention and more.
- Cost Savings: Avoid the cost of high turnover with a proactive focus on employee engagement and a better understanding of risk factors.
- Mobility: Provide convenient access to pay information, employee details and more. Uses touch and face ID for security, offers push notifications and syncs with the platform in real time so data is always up to date.
- Streamlined Employee Support: Save time by automating frequent internal service processes and giving employees access to help material so they can find answers on their own.
- Knowledge Retention: Ensure internal expertise isn’t lost when employees retire or switch jobs by enabling them to share their knowledge via learning courses and newsfeeds.
Conclusion
There’s no denying that when it comes to your organization’s human resources, there are several pressing aspects to managing the overall ‘players’ of your business. And this is where online HR software comes into play. You see, when you begin getting into the scope of things, you can find yourself having to juggle a number of tasks at once. That’s why many business owners end up needing outside assistance.