9 best HR management software tools to optimise your HR processes

Personio is an all-in-one, cloud-based HR software designed for small and medium-sized organisations with 10–2,000 employees. 

By digitising HR documents and workflows in recruitment, onboarding, payroll and performance management, Personio saves time, ensures data and process consistency and improves employee retention and satisfaction. 

On a mission to improve HR processes, optimise recruitment methods and empower HR staff to focus on strategic work, Personio has become a trusted partner to over 10,000 organisations across Europe. 

• Daily process automation: Simplify time-consuming daily HR tasks, from absence management to digital employee records keeping and payroll. 

• Performance management at scale Finetune compensation management and 360-degree performance reviews keep your employees happy and moving forward in their careers.

• Easy-to-use analytics: Use predefined reports and at-a-glance insights to keep you in the know.

• A universe of support: Dive into the HR Helpdesk, Personio Voyager community, user groups and Customer Advisory Board, so you can maximise the tool’s value.

• Seamless digitisation: Personio’s airtight system securely stores employee information that can be implemented in record time for busy HR teams.

• Streamlined recruitment: Power up recruitment with a seamless applicant tracking system and tools to post to multiple job boards simultaneously.

An all-in-one solution for all your HR needs

From recruitment and training to offboarding and analytics, Personio’s HR management software centralises all your people processes.

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Rippling helps manage employee data, automate compliance and run HR processes like recruitment, performance management and benefits administration. 

Rippling has a lot of features, and not just for HR processes. So while it can be quite a comprehensive solution, some G2 users note that it comes with a steep learning curve. 

While Rippling offers IT and finance solutions as well, we’ve limited this review to features specific to their HR system offering.

• Extensive customisation: You have access to 500+ integrations and tailored subscription packages for different use cases.

• Global team management: Make use of dynamic localisation and country-level configurability for contracts and payroll processing.

• Automated people operations: Control headcount with compensation bands and centralise benefits management.

Paycor describes itself as a Human Capital Management (HCM) system that combines HR and payroll software. In addition, it comes with related features like workforce management, benefits administration and compliance solutions.

The platform is suitable for a variety of industries, from healthcare and technology to restaurants and retail. Just note that G2 users complain of issues with customer support, so it can be difficult to get the help you need if you have trouble with the platform. 

• Automatic compliance: The platform is HIPAA compliant and supports E-verify/I-9 forms, tax compliance and ACA reporting.

• Employee benefits management: Oversee 401(k) tracking, life insurance administration and COBRA administration.

• Leadership-focused reporting: Make use of trend analysis, analytics dashboards and real-time data and updates.

Oracle positions itself as an end-to-end solution that serves mid-market to enterprise-level companies with over 500 employees. With a range of features, the platform helps you hire, onboard, manage and engage employees in over 200 countries while staying compliant with local regulations.  

Additional features include workforce modelling and planning, benefits management and personalised employee experiences. 

Oracle claims to offer the broadest and deepest set of HR functions on the market, but do keep in mind that smaller organisations might not need all these functionalities. 

• Reporting: Role-based dashboards come with embedded analytics and predictive performance attrition.

• Workflows and approvals: Complex rules and routing are available out of the box or can be configured as needed.

• Advanced HCM controls: Advanced tools include AI-driven fraud and error prevention, secure role design, sensitive access certification and deep Segregation of Duties (SOD) analysis.

Breathe’s cloud-based HR software is designed for small- and medium-sized businesses. Its core HR software helps you run processes like absence management, recruitment, performance tracking and shift scheduling. 

You can also tack on additional modules like expense and rota management. Despite this, Breathe might not be enough for larger organisations that require a more sophisticated HR management tool.

• People management: Roll out the Employee Net Promoter Score (NPS) feature and keep track of hybrid and remote teams using Location Management.

• Rota management: Keep organised with team calendars, centralised personnel budgets and custom reports. 

• Employee training: Ensure legislative compliance with an auto-updated e-learning course library.

Sage HR’s mobile-friendly system is built to support small and medium organisations. Its modular product design means you can select just the tools that are most relevant for your team, whether that’s timesheets and shift scheduling or performance and recruitment. 

It comes with features that help you organise and store employee data, as well as manage leave requests and automate the time-off process. But this solution is designed for smaller businesses and may not fit the needs of larger organisations. 

• Workforce management: The platform comes with 21 supported languages for global teams and pre-built and customisable workflows.

• Talent management: Improve recruitment with AI-powered candidate matching and candidate and onboarding portals.

• Employee attendance and leave tracking: The tool supports employee self-service across multiple devices, so employees can easily submit, update and view leave requests, personal details and travel claims.

Humaans delivers a core suite of HR features – including absence tracking, DE&I insights and a workflow builder. It integrates with 50+ apps, such as Google, Apple and Outlook Calendars; DocuSign; Slack and Spendesk. 

You can use the platform to store employee data, automate workflows and track employee hours. And while it comes with a number of valuable functionalities, some G2 users feel the platform is missing some of the features they’d like to see in their HR management software. 

• Process automation: Deploy custom workflows built from scratch or using templates, and approve holiday requests via Slack.

• Data and analytics: The platform is enriched with native DE&I insights and two-click data exports. 

• Employee management: Headcount planning lets you manage your current and future team, salary spending and hiring plans.

BambooHR is a straightforward platform that’s built to be easy for both employees and HR professionals to use. Its solutions are designed for a variety of industries, including construction, finance, healthcare and nonprofit. 

The platform comes with core features that help you run your HR processes, from hiring and onboarding to time tracking and benefits administration. However, some G2 users report that the platform lacks some more advanced functionalities, which is something to consider if you’re a larger organisation with more sophisticated needs.

• Recruitment: The tool comes with an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that takes you through every phase of hiring. 

• Reporting: The platform offers automated reporting, dynamic dashboards and custom report fields.

• Employee management: You get access to 360-degree performance reviews, Employee Community (to target and centralise communication) and disability insurance administration.

Ciphr’s integrated HR solutions support processes like payroll, recruitment and learning. Its employee self-service tools help take administrative burdens off your HR team and it’s available on mobile devices for more accessibility. 

You can automate workflows to save time, plus use reporting and analytics to quickly draw valuable insights from your HR data – from performance metrics to absence rates. 

• Workforce development: Make use of performance reporting and an optional integrated learning management system.

• Team management: The tool enables self-serviced HR administration, plus configurable workflows with automated reminders.

• Complementary services: Ciphr gives you options for hands-on HR software implementation and training.

Not all HR management systems are created equal. These are the top features to look out for when searching for one that serves your business goals and empowers your HR department and organisation as a whole:

1. User-friendly design and navigation: You want employees to actively use your HR management software to extract the full value of the platform. 

2. Connectivity without compromising on security: Integrations from a pre-vetted marketplace – like Personio’s – gives teams access to the tools they love with peace of mind.

3. Comprehensive reporting and analytics: Make data-driven decisions with easy-to-understand reports and HR dashboards that draw from your employee data.

4. End-to-end management: Look out for HR software that’s designed for the complete employee lifecycle. These deliver the most consistent experience for HR managers and employees.

5. Powerful automation: Automated workflows eliminate low-value work and frees teams to think and act strategically. 

6. Responsive support: Effective customer support is key to everything – from building employee trust in the software to maximising the return on your investment.

Whether you’re prioritising user-friendliness, seamless integrations, powerful reporting or all-encompassing employee lifecycle management, there’s an HR solution tailored to meet both your needs and your budget. 

The software that’s right for you should give you the features you need while aligning to your business goals and helping you solve key challenges. The key is to ensure your choice serves not just as a solution for today, but as a partner in your company’s growth.

Personio lets you manage all your HR processes in one place. It’s the best fit for organisations searching for an innovative and comprehensive solution that helps them deliver consistent experiences at every point of engagement – from the hiring process to employee offboarding. Book a demo today to try Personio out for yourself.

An all-in-one solution for all your HR needs

From recruitment and training to offboarding and analytics, Personio’s HR management software centralises all your people processes.

Request a Demo