This ultimate list of best HR software by type offers an overview of various HR software programs and HR tools available on the market. This ultimate list of the best HR software will help you comprehend all the different aspects and solutions HR software can provide so you can identify the HR tool that best suits your needs.
HR software is a software program or tool designed to automate, streamline and improve human resources operations and processes.
HR software is known as:
In order to function optimally, Human Resources departments must have the right tools. The time of managing human resources processes and operations with the help of spreadsheets, documents and post-its is long gone.
Today’s technology offers a great variety of different HR software that can automate, streamline and improve HR operations and processes.
There are vast benefits of implementing HR software in HR management, but here are the 6 main ones. HR software tools can help you:
If there’s one thing that most HR professionals hate, it’s paperwork. Most HR professionals are drowning in forms, papers and reports. HR software can digitalize all your paperwork, making it easy to search, update and available to every member of your HR team anytime, from anywhere.
HR software can streamline and automate a huge number of HR functions. Automating HR operations will drastically reduce the time required to complete them. With HR tools, tasks that previously required many hours of work can now be executed very quickly and easily – or sometimes even done automatically.
Since many HR tasks are highly regulated (just think GDPR!), even a minor error on the part of a human resources employee could result in considerable legal issues and even financial loss for the company. The use of HR software helps keep everything working properly and reduces the amount of human error and related risks to a bare minimum.
Get our guide for GDPR compliance in Human Resources!
HR professionals need reliable data to make better and more informed decisions and improve their productivity and success. That means you have to store and analyze huge amounts of employee data, measure the most important metrics, and generate informative reports. With HR software, you can quickly and easily create professional reports on metrics and perform complex analyses in order to improve your decision-making process.
Get our checklist of the most important hiring metrics and tips for improvement!
HR software can improve internal communication and collaboration between teammates of your HR team or department, between different HR teams (for example, between your HR department and HR management and seniors) and of your HR team with external associates (recruiters for example). When needed, HR software also allows direct two-way communication of the HR department with employees and candidates which improves the candidate experience.
The use of HR software can lead to substantial cost savings in many different ways - from saving numerous hours of manpower each week to improving your business decision-making based on data analytics to reduce the chance of human, legal and accounting errors which can cost you money. Using the right HR tool can give you an enormous advantage compared to your competitors.
Hiring HR software can significantly improve the quality of new hires. In addition, a better quality of new hires has a direct influence on employee satisfaction and retention.
Today, there are many different variations and types of HR software.
Some HR software is highly specialized in specific HR areas of interest. There are also more integrated versions of HR software that offer solutions for a combination of a few different HR operations and processes.
HR software can be grouped into 3 main HR software types regarding the aspect of HR functions they manage:
Recruiting HR software is an HR tool designed to improve and streamline the hiring process. Recruiting HR tools can help you with sourcing, attracting, testing and selecting candidates.
Administrative (or core) HR software is an HR tool designed to manage day-to-day HR administrative needs. Administrative HR tools help you manage basic employee information, attendance records, benefits and compensation, payroll etc.
Human capital management HR software is an HR tool designed to ensure that a company is efficiently using, managing and developing its talent. This type of HR tools can help you manage onboarding, employee performance reviews and education.
Of course, different aspects of HR functions often overlap. Consequently, there are HR software for individual functions in each category, while there are also HR tools that combine a few related HR functions in or even between categories.
Get our guide for buying a recruitment tool!
Since there are numerous different HR software on the market, you might be overwhelmed by choice and stuck trying to figure out which one to choose.
Not every HR software is the same. Moreover, the same types of HR software differ in their features and capabilities.
Even though there are many different things to consider when buying HR software, there is a proven strategy that helps in making the best decision.
The crucial step is to clearly define your own HR goals and challenges. These can be things such as finding and hiring the best candidates, evaluating your employee's performance, automating your HR administrative processes (personnel tracking and payroll) or any other HR goal you may have.
To help you get started, we created a detailed list of the best HR software by type and subtypes. Hopefully, this list will help you comprehend all the different aspects and solutions HR software can provide so you can identify the one that best suits your needs.
This list of best HR software by type and subtype will help you comprehend solutions HR software can provide for most common HR challenges.
Every type of HR software refers to a certain aspect of HR functions (recruiting, administration and human capital management), and each HR software subtype offers a solution for a certain HR problem or task. We also included a few examples of the best HR software in a certain category.
Recruiting HR software is an HR tool designed to improve and streamline the hiring process. Recruiting tools can help you with sourcing, attracting, testing and selecting candidates.
Most common specialized recruiting software tools are:
Why use this HR software program: Do you want to strengthen your employer brand? Are you struggling with social recruiting and reaching Millenials on Facebook? Wouldn’t it be nice to get more job applicants from your career site?
Best HR software: Since Recruitment Marketing is a relatively new discipline, there is still not a lot of RM software out there. Make sure to check out our very own TalentLyft Recruitment marketing platform and the detailed list of solutions Recruitment Marketing software can offer.
Why use this HR software program: Are you struggling to find the right job candidates? Do you need a way to proactively find passive candidates?
Best HR software: TalentLyft Source, Recruit Robin, OctoHR and Snovio.
Why use this HR software program: You found your perfect candidate persona, but you can’t find this candidate’s contact. Their email address is nowhere to be found. Don’t worry - that’s why email finder tools are here!
Best HR software: Snovio, Email Hunter, Voila Norbert and Find That Lead.
Why use this HR software program: To automatically screen application forms and eliminate candidates who are not qualified. To find high-quality applicants from previous job openings with just one click. To post jobs to multiple job boards with one click.
To send automated emails with interview appointments and other personalized recruiting email templates...and many more! Check out the detailed list of solutions offered by applicant tracking systems.
Best HR software: TalentLyft Applicant Tracking System
Why use this HR software program: Are you struggling to find, hire, and retain high-quality candidates? Do you want to improve time, cost and quality of hire? Do you have structured programs that enable you to maximize the use of your current employees in finding the best candidates?
Best HR software: TalentLyft Source, Teamable and Employee Referrals.
Why use this HR software program: Would you like to check how well your top candidates will perform on the job before you hire them? Do you want to test and compare your top candidates’ skills and knowledge? Do you want to gamify your testing process to improve your candidate experience?
Best HR software: eSkill, JobTestPrep, Devskiller, Harver, Pyscruit, Kandio, Xobin, TalentSorter, Testdome, Interview Mocha, The Hire Talent.
Why use this HR software: To eliminate unnecessary travel costs. Because you can review the unrehearsed and unrevised responses from your candidates. To ensure objective, bias-free selection based on collaborative candidate assessment.
Best HR software: Cammio, HelloCecil, Montage, Skype Interviews, SparkHire and HireVue.
Why use this HR software programs: When it is necessary to assess candidates’ criminal records for making an effective employment decision. When you need a verification of candidates’ education credentials, prior employment and/or references.
Best HR software: backgroundchecks.com, Trusted Employees, Intelifi, GoodHire and ClearStar.
There are also all-in-one Recruiting HR software tools that combine most of the above-mentioned specialized functions.
Our TalentLyft recruiting software is one of them. TalentLyft offers easy to use Recruitment Marketing and Applicant Tracking System tool to help you find, attract and hire the best candidates.
TalentLyft Source helps you find and reach the best candidates, TalentLyft Engage makes it easy to build relationships with them and TalentLyft Convert encourages them to apply. Finally, TalentLyft Track offers the possibility to monitor your whole recruiting process in one place and provides invaluable analysis, metrics and reports.
As you can see by the listed examples above, solutions offered by recruiting software tools are numerous so choosing one is not an easy task. Remember, the very first, and most important step, is to identify your recruiting goals and challenges before buying a recruiting software.
Administrative (or core) HR software are HR tool designed to manage day-to-day HR administrative needs. Administrative HR tools help you manage basic employee information, attendance records, benefits and compensation, payroll etc.
The most common specialized administrative software tools are:
Why use this HR software program: To keep track of time cards and office location information of employees. If you need GPS employee tracking options. To automatically track overtime, vacation, sick days and holidays, run detailed reports and store employee records.
Best HR software: Workpuls, GAO Personnel Tracking System, Time Doctor, OnTheClock, Hubstaff, My Hours and Work Examiner.
Why use this HR software program: To establish your own payroll schedules. To automatically calculate withholdings or deductions, process direct deposits, void payments and generate tax forms and other reports. To reduce cycle times and manual errors to the bare minimum.
Best HR software: Xero, Wave, PrimePay, ADP and Compport.
Why use this HR software program: Would you like to offer personalized benefits plans that fit your employees' wants and needs? How about having a consolidated benefits platform for wellness programming, pre-tax benefits administration and employee rewards and recognition?
Best HR software: PeopleKeep, Businessolver and ThrivePass.
Why use this HR software program: To help you if you are struggling to put the right workers into the right shifts in the right locations so that employees are happy and labor costs don't overrun sales. To make it easy for your employees to swap shifts. To automate sending notifications, texts and emails to your employees to let them know about shift changes.
Best HR software: Humanity, When I work, Right Inbox and Shiftboard, ZoomShift.
There are also all-in-one Administrative HR software tools that combine most of the above-mentioned specialized functions.
For example, check out Humi, Gusto, Knit, citrusHR, InfinityHR or Dominion, software tools that offer integrated administrative HR services: payroll, benefits and everything else.
Human capital management software is an HR tool designed to ensure that a company is efficiently using, managing and developing its talent. These HR tools can help you manage onboarding, employee performance reviews and education of your employees.
The most common specialized human capital management software tools are:
Why use this HR software program: If you want to engage your new employees and aid retention with fully customizable welcome programs. To welcome new hires with a customized portal that includes messaging, videos, content, and documents specifically for them.
Best HR software: Talmundo, Kin, HR Onboard, Sapling and Onboard by HR cloud.
Why use these HR software programs: To build a culture of feedback - in an easy, automatized, and fun way! To make smart, data-driven decisions based on effective employee evaluations. To lift office morale and create a better work culture by easily giving your employees some well-deserved praise.
Best HR software: 15Five, AssessTeam, Heartpace, Trakstar and GroSum.
Why use these HR software programs: To automatically collect employee feedback, analyze it and gain valuable insights you need to improve your business. To drive employee engagement through recognition. To get customized, actionable and easy-to-implement tips on how to create a better workplace.
Best HR software: Smarp, Emplify, Bonusly, Bonfyre, Peakon, Vantage Circle, Fond, HR Cloud, 6Q, Briq, TINYpulse and Ezzely.
Why use these software programs: To track the performance and productivity of your employees and as a means of security.
Best HR software: ActivTrak
Why use these HR software programs: To automatize administering, regulating, tracking and delivering learning of your employees. To reduce training costs. To capture and share essential work knowledge that helps your team succeed. To deliver personalized, engaging education. To tie and trigger learning to actual performance by gamifying learning.
Best HR software: Grovo, Userlane, OpenTute .
Why use this HR software program: To give your employees a fair, organized departure when it's time to say goodbye. To automatically generate final pay summaries, certificates of service and other required documents.
Best HR software: Offboarding by HR Onboard.
There are also all-in-one Human capital management HR software tools that combine most of the above-mentioned specialized functions.
For example, check out Cognology, a software tool that offers integrated Human capital management HR services: onboarding, performance and learning software.
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