10 Best HCM Software To Manage Your HR Needs in One Place
We've tested and demoed dozens of tools to create this guide to the best HCM software. Find pricing info, screenshots, pros & cons, and more below.
Best HCM Software
HCM (Human Capital Management) software manages and optimizes HR processes like recruitment, training, performance, compensation, and everything essential to employee development. More than a software type, HCM is an organizational philosophy.
HCMs provide specific competencies for workers in three categories: workforce acquisition, workforce management, and workforce optimization.
This guide will help you understand the big picture of HCM methodology and the pitfalls to avoid. Critical features like HR ops, scalability, and integration capabilities are covered in detail for each of the vendors we’ve selected.
This guide can also help you understand the difference between HCM and HRMS software. Knowing the difference is important because some vendors try to create products with both HCM and HRMS capabilities. Though there is a lot of overlap, there are important differences you should be aware of.
To select the best HCM software, our experts have gathered user feedback, sought insight from HR thought leaders, and participated in product demos with vendors. In our experience, the right way to go about shopping for an HCM platform breaks down into three general questions. First, are the HR ops functionalities in line with what you need? Second, how easily does it integrate with other systems? And third, does it scale, and will it grow with you?
HR Ops
Every company’s needs differ, and no two HCM systems are alike. Specifically, we assessed products for workforce acquisition, workforce management, workforce optimization, performance reviews, learning management, succession planning, and employee onboarding.
Integration Capabilities
Because it’s so important for your new HCM software to work with your existing tech stack, we assessed each platform’s capacity for seamless integration with the standalone tools you might be using currently, such as accounting software, applicant tracking systems, performance assessment tools, and time and attendance software.
Scale
We assessed each company’s HCM software for exponentially flexible features. Take customization and permissions, for example. As companies grow, their org charts tend to get more complex. Where a simple set of customized permissions would suit a team with only managers and non-managers, a more complex team needs the ability to customize permissions for an elaborate, interwoven network.
For anyone interested in more detail on our selection process, we recommend reading more about our editorial guidelines.
BambooHR
Paycor
Ceridian
Criterion
Rippling
Oracle
WorkDay
SAP SuccessFactors
UKG
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BambooHR
We picked BambooHR for its flexibility, UX/UI, and reliability. It is a leading HR software suite with extensive HCM capabilities and also offers optional payroll services for US employees, effectively transforming it into a complete HRMS solution.
PROS
- Offers flexible pricing and customizable packages.
- User-friendly interface streamlines employee management for both employees and HR teams.
- Flexible packaging and custom pricing is the way they roll. You can pick out one or two packages and pick other modules as add-ons based on your needs.
- Very simple and straightforward tool, easy to use.
CONS
- Payroll limited to the U.S.-based workers.
- Support hours limited to U.S. time zones
- Some modules, including time and attendance, performance management, and surveys are available as add-ons with BambooHR.
- Payroll is only available for US-based employees
- Customer support is only offered during US business hours.
- Some modules like time tracking, performance management, and surveys are only available as add-ons.
BambooHR deserves a mention within the HCM space (in most HR tech categories, really), even though they can technically be either an HRIS or an HRMS, depending on the package and add-ons you pick.
Their HCM core features like benefit tracking, reporting, employee directory provide sufficient visibility for short and long-term decision making. Other HCM features like performance management and time tracking, however, are only offered as add-ons. This flexible packaging, however, is part of what makes BambooHR so popular among teams in all many sorts of industries. It’s a tool that can adapt to your evolving needs and there’s likely always something to discover.
Among the 20,000+ companies that use BambooHR, you’d find names like Quora, Universal Group, Reddit, Asana, Change.org, University of Maryland, Grammarly, Stance, Postmates, Wistia, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and ZipRecruiter.
Pricing is not disclosed upfront, but they do offer a free trial of their all-in-one software and then go out of their way to find a version that will suit you. Before they come up with a personalized quote that will align with your budget, however, they are also likely to extend your free trial upon request or even give you a free demo of the advanced features.
Best For
BambooHR can be an ideal choice for companies in search of a customizable HCM tool that provides pricing options that reflect their requirements. Additionally, it is well-regarded by teams that are partially or fully remote.
Paycor
Paycor is an HCM system that offers a wide range of features, including payroll, time tracking, benefits administration, and employee self-service. The software is designed for small and medium-sized teams to streamline their HR processes and improve employee engagement.
PROS
- Paycor has a robust payroll solution that is easy to navigate.
- User-friendly employee self-service portal.
- Has multiple plans for small businesses and custom plans for teams with 50-1000 employees.
- Often runs discount programs.
- Works well on both Android and iOS devices.
- Is acquiring the people development platform Verb to strengthen its learning management system.
- Paycor payroll solution and mobile app are both straightforward to use.
- Intuitive self-service employee portal.
- Offers multiple modules for small businesses and custom plans for teams with 50-1000 employees.
- Unlimited payrolls.
- Offers discounts frequently. Though not listed on their site, a free trial is available to those who contact the support team directly.
- On-demand pay is available for all plans.
- With the acquisition of the people development platform Verb, it has improved its employee learning experience.
CONS
- Lacks transparent pricing.
- Customer support isn’t very responsive.
- Not the right choice for businesses with 1000+ employees or require advanced customization.
- Undisclosed pricing.
- Customer support is reported to be slow at times.
- It is not a good fit for teams with 1000+ employees or those requiring advanced customization to meet their unique requirements.
Paycor is easy to use and can be customized to meet the needs of businesses with 2 to 1,000 headcounts. The software also offers a variety of payroll and HR features, such as ledger integration, AutoRun, direct deposit, on-demand pay, tax withholding, and reporting tools.
Paycor's employee self-service portal allows employees to access their pay stubs, timesheets, and benefits. Employees can also change their contact and banking info. Through Paycor, employees can finish onboarding paperwork online, choose the benefits package and payment methods, and update their information as needed. Moreover: all of this can be done from the app.
In May 2023, the software just rolled out a new feature named PayCor Engage on its mobile application. This newly launched feature allows employees and employers to interact with each other on the app, which is a massive benefit for engagement and transparency, especially for remote employees.
Paycor has also just acquired the people development platform Verb. We hope that with this acquisition, there will be an uptick in customer service and reporting quality in addition to improving its employee learning functionality.
Regarding Paycor’s downsides, we have heard some users complaining that the support team can be hard to contact at times. As for reporting and analytics features, Paycor charges extra for some custom reports, which are, unfortunately, less intuitive than one would hope.
Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Detroit Zoo, The Cincinnati Bengals, The YMCA.
Paycor pricing varies and depends on your team size and the modules you select.
Best For
SMBs looking for an HCM with flexibility and strong payroll capability will benefit most from Paycor.
We use Paycor twice per month when payroll is due. They send reminders to make sure we don't forget to do the payroll as that would be terribly embarrassing if we missed a payroll. With many remote employees in different states, Paycor enables us to not have to research all of the various state tax laws. For that we are very thankful.
Easy to use. Keeps track of all state regulations and taxes. Provides solid customer assistance.
Paycor is an easy-to-use payroll solution for small businesses. Often, a small organization doesn't have a person who is dedicated to HR completely as they perform other duties. We wanted something that was easy to use and Paycor was.
Wish customer service got back to us quicker. Would like them to lower the price, although it is in line with others in the space. Would appreciate more proactive advice.
It has an easy-to-use and understandable interface.
Will it expand with you as your company expands? Do you need personal assistance?
It has continued to improve the product and keep abreast of the many disparate tax laws.
SMBs
I can't think of any.
Ceridian
Ceridian is the creator of Dayforce, a cloud HCM platform that efficiently handles the employee lifecycle end to end, including payroll, benefits, workforce management, and talent management.
PROS
CONS
Dayforce HCM by Ceridian consolidates data from all employee lifecycle stages, enabling informed decisions and data-driven insights. This comprehensive platform integrates HR, payroll, benefits, workforce management, and talent management.
Notably, Dayforce features a flexible rules engine that handles intricate regulatory demands, delivering real-time updates and computation.
- Guitar Center
- Danone
- Spirit Aerosystems
- El Pollo Loco
- Crescent Bank
Pricing for the Dayforce HCM suite is not provided upfront.
Best For
Ceridian’s Dayforce HCM is best for enterprises with over 1,000 employees.
I used Ceridian for about 2 years and was a power user, as well as part of the implementation team. The main workflows were new hire onboarding, promotions with secondary approvers, leave of absence management, scheduling, attendance and offboarding. Considering that we used to do all of these processes using a paper form, the platform helped us save a lot of time and work more efficiently.
We selected Ceridian primarily due to the level of customization that could be done. The secondary factor was value - what we received for the cost. The third advantage was that it was easy to use and train users in a decentralized workforce.
Our organization was paper-based with numerous tools and systems that didn't communicate with one another. The goal was to gain efficiency and make it easier for managers at the 200+ locations to manage workflow for the onboarding, maintenance and offboarding of over 4000 employees. Ceridian eliminated employee paperwork, consolidated payroll, HRIS, benefits, and time and attendance, not to mention the ease of approving employee changes such as promotions, transfers and terminations.
Some of the items I wish were improved with Ceridian have to do with support. During implementation, you have a high level of support but afterwards, you need to get into the ticketing system to get support and it takes a long time to resolve issues through it. The reporting feature is difficult and requires significant training, there is nothing intuitive. If you need help with a report or changing a config in your system, everything has an additional cost.
Ceridian had a skilled implementation team that was higher performing than some others I've worked with in the past. They took time to understand detailed requirements and worked with us side by side to get the customizations in. It was overall a positive experience.
I'd suggest that you consider how your current processes can be streamlined and not just design workflow with how it's done today. Look at existing tools that might be able to be eliminated for cost savings. Lastly, make sure that you have $ in your budget for an HRIS administrator to oversee and manage the system post-implementation.
I've seen many changes and expect that they will continue to evolve. The introduction of mobile access was a game changer, especially for a workforce like ours where the employees did not use the desktop application often. There is also a forum where users can make suggestions and the dev team will look there for features to build out in future releases. I expect that with the increased use of AI, that the tool will leverage that to improve the already efficient processes.
I would suggest this tool for a large organization. Cerdian is not the least expensive option out there, but if you need customization and can eliminate other tools, or benefit from the integration, you'll see some savings. It is a great solution for a high turnover workforce such as hospitality as it's easy to use and handles the volume with ease.
I'd not suggest this to a small business or company shopping on a budget. If you don't need a lot by means of customization or integrations, there are less expensive options available. I'd also not recommend this to a company that doesn't have the budget to assign a full time HRIS Manager to it. Depending on the size of the company, it may even require additional staff to support it.
Criterion
Criterion helps midmarket orgs gain better control over their human capital by combining the entire talent lifecycle into a single interface: applicant tracking, onboarding, compensation, benefits, performance, and learning management. The HCM also has good scalability—it can accommodate well whether you have 200 or 5,000 staff.
PROS
- Flexible and reasonable pricing: starts at $4.50 per employee per month.
- All-in-one platform combining ATS, payroll, benefits, and learning management.
- Open API for app integrations.
- Native biometric check-in feature.
- Flexible and reasonable pricing: starts at $4.50 per employee per month.
- All-in-one platform combining ATS, payroll, benefits, and learning management.
- Open API for app integrations.
- Native biometric check-in feature.
CONS
- Mobile app users reported experiencing login issues and frequent crashes.
- There’s a steep learning curve for employer users.
- The implementation process can be lengthy.
- Mobile app users reported experiencing login issues and frequent crashes.
- There’s a steep learning curve for employer users.
- The implementation process can be lengthy.
Criterion satisfies every feature note we were hoping for in an enterprise-centric HCM. It covers talent acquisition, onboarding, attendance, benefits, compliance, communications, enrollments, payroll, and other HR tasks through a single central database. Thanks to this, finding employee information is quick and easy, and its ability to eliminate double data entry is just on par with other robust HCM listed in this buyer guide.
Two standout features of Criterion that receive lots of love from admin and employee users alike are its time tracking and payroll.
The time and attendance feature includes scheduling and labor tracking that can work for both on-site and remote hires. It also supports biometric check-ins where employees can clock in with a fingerprint—a huge plus for teams in environments like factories and warehouses.
As for payroll, Criterion has one-click integration with payroll systems and can process payroll and taxes quickly with minimal user input. Plus, the employee self-service portal that centralizes all communications between managers and staff regarding time tracking, PTO, and performance reviews is such a great element in driving better team collaboration and engagement.
Criterion offers a mobile app that allows workers to track their time on the go. However, it wasn’t as good as we expected, with system crashes and login issue loops happening here and there as we tested it out.
It’s no secret that Criterion is recognizable by its feature richness but not so much in appearance. The UI looks quite dated, and teams prioritizing simplicity over comprehensiveness may find this HCM’s layout a bit too information-heavy.
Owing to its extensive feature set and, especially, formula-driven configurations, employers may encounter some learning curves to get used to all the features Criterion offers. For the same reason, the time to get the software up and running is quite long, with implementation taking 2 to 6 months to finish.
500+ companies, including Scott Steel, Inflector, and Gordon College.
Criterion has three products you can buy separately or jointly: Human Resources costs $7.50 PEPM, Payroll costs $4.50 PEPM, and Talent Engagement costs $4.50 PEPM.
Best For
Criterion HCM is of great use to mid-sized and large enterprises (200 to 5,000 employees), North America-based preferable.
Rippling
Rippling is a prominent platform for HCM. And more than that, it gives growing teams flexibility in their shopping. All Rippling modules — applicant tracking, onboarding, self-service, payroll, benefits, time tracking, training, engagement, and reporting — can be purchased according to customers’ needs.
PROS
- Rippling offers a full-feature HCM with great automation support.
- Payroll automatically updates work hours, deductions, and tax filings.
- Supports both US and global payroll.
- Strong integration capabilities (500 third-party apps).
- The Benefits module enables users to collaborate with their preferred broker.
- Provides a mobile app.
- Modules can be purchased separately or wholly as a full suite.
- All-in-one platform for employee management + PEO services offered, and even a suite of other IT products
- With 500 integrations, it’s very likely that they integrate with other key tools from your tech stack.
- Operates globally with any currency
- Workflow automation
- Analytics opportunities
- Provides a holistic view of company outflows—headcount costs included
CONS
- No payroll automation
- There’s no free trial, not a tool for tight budgets
- Telephone support is an added fee
- Not a great fit for teams greater than 2,000
- The mobile app can be slow and doesn’t perform as well as the web browser version.
- Total buy-in to Rippling is essential
- Very SMB-oriented, in case you’re a larger company.
- New features tend to be buggy in ways that tech teams are not accustomed to fixing
Rippling stands out as a strong HCM platform, providing a complete cycle of human capital management functions, encompassing acquisition, management, and optimization.
The features are rich in automation and customization, while the UI maintains a clean look that soothes the eyes. We’re surprised at how fast the solution has evolved since it started the business back in 2016.
Integration capabilities are a standout feature for Rippling, with over 500 software solutions connected across various categories. The self-service feature empowers employees to manage onboarding, benefits, compensation, and personal information through mobile accessibility.
Furthermore, Rippling has taken good care of workforce management and optimization, offering US and global payroll automation for faster payroll processing. Running payroll for employees and contractors is quick, taking only a few minutes. The synchronization between the time tracking app and payment app ensures accurate work hours, deductions, and tax filing. Additionally, the benefits administration tool offers flexibility, allowing us to select our preferred broker and choose from 4,000 plans.
However, we expected more accessible customer service, as Rippling doesn’t offer 24/7 support, and phone consultations come at an additional cost. Additionally, the requirement to purchase the Rippling Unity module to access other modules limits flexibility.
Vox, Maximum Games, Superhuman, Compass Coffee, Highnoon.
Rippling pricing starts at $8 per employee per month. Contact the Sales rep for more info.
Best For
Rippling is a powerful HCM for both US-based and international teams to manage their workforce. With its current feature set, the ideal team size is from 50 to 2,000 team members.
Our organization uses Rippling to manage various HR processes, including payroll, time-off, benefits administration, employee data management, reporting, and leave management. We are also considering the performance management and survey modules but have not yet decided to implement them. As we grow, Rippling has been proactive in suggesting further process automation. We appreciate the flexibility to activate modules as needed, which prevents us from being overwhelmed by unnecessary complexity.
Rippling's user interface is exceptionally user-friendly, with appealing graphics and straightforward instructions, which differentiates it from other more complex HRIS systems. Our employees find it easy to navigate and locate what they need. The modular approach of Rippling, allowing us to activate features as needed, is highly beneficial. Additionally, Rippling's customer service has proven to be responsive and thorough.
Our organization was grappling with highly manual HR processes such as payroll, benefits administration, timekeeping, and time-off requests, which were prone to errors due to being handled via Excel spreadsheets. As our organization continued to grow rapidly, we required a tool that could automate these processes in a user-friendly manner with minimal implementation time. We have been using Rippling for almost two years now.
We find ourselves renegotiating the cost of our contract annually, with sales representatives often pushing for us to add new features instead of facing a price increase. While custom workflows are beneficial, they can be challenging to set up without a clear understanding of the functionality. The payroll function's inability to handle retroactive pay is a significant drawback, requiring manual calculations on our part.
Rippling stands out due to its ease of use and engaging user interface, which makes it more appealing to employees compared to other HRIS systems I've encountered, which often appear sterile and are not intuitive.
When choosing an HRIS, consider both your current needs and future growth. Be wary of systems that might become obsolete as your business evolves or require additional purchases to meet new needs. It’s also crucial to consider the system's cost structure, especially if your organization experiences high turnover or expects significant growth. Lastly, evaluate how user-friendly and engaging the system is for your employees, as a difficult or dull interface might deter them from using it effectively.
Rippling actively responds to customer feedback, making regular recommendations for system upgrades or new modules based on our specific needs. They have significantly improved their Applicant Tracking System (ATS) by incorporating suggestions from users like us during their annual updates.
Rippling is particularly well-suited for small to medium-sized organizations looking to automate their HR processes comprehensively. It's easy to implement, requiring only a small team, and manageable even by a modest HR department.
Rippling may not be the best fit for government contractors, as it lacks certain functionalities required to ensure compliance with specific contract requirements. Organizations in this sector might find other HRIS systems more tailored to their needs.
Oracle
Oracle is one of the top names in IT. Their HCM is popular among enterprises with more than 1,000 employees and boasted for its implementation and CS practices.
PROS
CONS
Oracle’s HCM suite is built for the cloud and made for connecting every single HR process. It’s good for teams looking to have a single source of truth for HR data in order to improve decision making. Their product includes talent management, recruiting, workforce management, payroll, and HCM analytics. The interface is not the best-looking out there and UX can be frustrating for employees and HR alike, but they're still one of the top choices for large scale implementations.
- Axa
- Blackboard
- Deutsche Bahn
- Marriott, Cisco
Oracle doesn’t provide pricing details for their HCM upfront. To get a quote, you’d have to request a demo, but they also offer interactive product tours that you can take before chatting to a sales rep.
Best For
Enterprises with over 1,000 employees in most parts of the world.
When I used Oracle with the HCM module, I found the system to be a user friendly and efficient software. The flow of the system was smooth, and the ERP functioned better overall. There was very little time spent correcting data migration errors and live reporting was accurate. The HCM module helped streamline many of our HR related tasks giving me more time to develop the workforce and work with my operational counterparts to maximize productivity and efficiency.
It was in place when I started.
When using Oracle without the HCM I found the system to be prone to glitches and errors, particularly when it came to data migration. This often results in significant delays and a great deal of time spent on transactional items that should be automated. It re
It doesn't really stand out. It's an ERP that is pretty standard.
I would recommend purchasing both Oracle and its HR module for the best experience. While Oracle can be used without it, the HCM module enhances the ERP data reporting with live labor data, which is an undeniable benefit.
It's user interface is improving but could be better.
Manufacturing
Retail and office environments
WorkDay
Workday is a popular HRMS solution, primarily targeting enterprises. It offers a centralized source for managing workforce administration, engagement, compensation, and benefits data across various worker types. This includes contingent workers, employees, contractors, and retirees, making it a comprehensive solution for all aspects of workforce management.
PROS
- Workday process flows are easily adjustable to conform to global and local needs.
- Self-service is available for both employees and managers.
- AI-driven assistance for detecting skills gaps.
- Mobile apps...
- Offers phone, email, community, and live chat support.
- Complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and includes a robust, configurable security model.
- Accessible customer support from the community, live chat, and telephone.
- Compatible with 300 HR systems such as ERP/GL, CRM, HR, and PSA.
- Configurable dashboard with AI and ML-driven insights.
- Ability to maintain real-time alignment of budgets and workforce plans.
- SOC 2 Type 2 compliance.
CONS
- Not transparent with pricing.
- No free trial is available.
- Long implementation process (4.5 months on average).
- Navigation for beginners can be confusing and may need training to understand all features.
- Mobile apps aren't very user-friendly.
- Undisclosed pricing.
- No free trial for its talent management software.
- Time-consuming implementation period (average 4.5 months).
- Challenge navigating for first-time users may require training.
- Issues with logging in were reported by users.
Workday excels at personalization by tailoring recommendations, tasks, and search results to individual users based on their roles.
Other aspects of the business processes functionality stand out, too, especially for multinational businesses. WorkDay helps teams achieve operational consistency while also allowing customization of workflows for specific location requirements.
The platform also offers performance assessment capabilities that provide visibility into the workforce's current capabilities. This enables swift identification of skills gaps and facilitates prompt action in sourcing and training internal talent development.
Despite its popularity with larger organizations, Workday's mobile app underperforms compared to the software itself. Users report issues with the time clock system, frequent crashing, and sign-in problems on both Android and iOS platforms.
Additionally, the implementation process for Workday's HCM can be time-consuming, averaging around 4.5 months, and involving multiple individuals and departments.
Quicken Loans, AstraZeneca, Target, Dell, Bank of America.
Workday pricing is undisclosed on the website. You need to contact Sales for a quote.
Best For
Workday is awesome for large enterprises with multiple branches that are looking for an inclusive HCM solution that is scalable and with great reporting capabilities.
The key workflows that we use Workday for include employee electronic files, running reports, keeping attendance, performance processes. We have over 320,000 employees and the employee electronic file needed to be customized to our needs. Certain elements such as the performance of an employee, rehire status, offer letter, and other employee related data needed to be located in one place. Strategic reports such as location data, performance trends, flight delays and hundreds of other reports are neatly stored. Attendance is vital, this feature is important in keeping up with vacation time used, earned, and sold. The connection between the time clock and Workday saves the company money because of its ability to cross check automatically.
I love that Workday is set up to have administrators who cross check local changes, hold all employee data, keep historical data and maintain who made changes in the employee file. The cross checking minimizes mistakes that can’t be figured out except by a manager who no longer works for the company! With such a large employee base, the ability to be able to keep up with everyone is paramount.
My company was really trying to get organized, and we felt that Workday was the ideal product we needed! We needed to be in a position where different individuals could access employee files. Different authorizations needed to be granted to different levels of managers. This tool offered organization and a tremendous amount of adaptation to what we needed as a global company. We have had Workday for three years and we are super happy with it!
The cons of Workday are that it can only give the information that you input into the system. Workday does not blend reports; the user has to tell Workday what to do. The best way for the Workday system to improve I think is for back office imaging to have a more active role in the information that is programmed into Workday.
Workday is different from its competitors because it has the ability to build files. As technology changes any software that is going to remain effective has to have a stacking component.
For anyone considering to purchase Workday, i’d recommend having full time programmers to enhance the core of the software. This product is extremely sophisticated and requires a lot of programming. Workday is not for the small business!
Workday is fantastic because the software is forever evolving. Workday knows what the end user wants and that is the ability to export files to excel, and add and subtract components to create a more accurate document.
Workday is designed for very large companies that survive off of statistics. Workday's strong suit is its ability to build on other reports.
Small businesses
SAP SuccessFactors
SAP SuccessFactors is one of the big names in HCM. They’re currently pushing the boundaries of the category itself, calling their product an HXM suite, for Human Experience Management.
PROS
CONS
SAP is trying to transform traditional human capital management into a more employee-oriented endeavor. Through their HXM, they are trying to put the worker’s experience as the main focus of the way companies engage with their people. Their product helps HR managers deliver experiences that resonate with employees while shaping their strategy.
One thing to consider is that SAP, like many of the biggest companies doing HCM products, has been criticized for having a frustrating user experience. With their shift towards being an HXM, however, it looks like they're tackling that issue and moving in the right direction.
- American Airlines
- Ernst & Young
- Hero Group
- Terex
- Watco Companies
Pricing for SAP’s HXM suite is only available upon request.
Best For
Enterprises looking to improve UX
We use SAP-Success Factors daily to create training content for all of our district employees. We have a number of mandatory training sessions to meet compliance goals and we use SAP- Success Factors for that. We are able to create SCORM video files and post these to Success Factors. We can add additional components to the training packages as well to test employees' assessment results. We are also in the early stages of working on using Success Factors for employee performance management.
It makes training compliance much easier for us. It is good for large enterprise environments. It is highly customizable.
My organization bought SAP-Success Factors to use as an LMS tool. We've been using it for about 4 years. Prior to using SAP-Success Factors, getting our large pool of employees to complete mandatory training was difficult. Now we can create our own training content and manage its delivery much more easily. It also allows us to track compliance on training more easily.
It can be difficult to get the support we need from our SAP representative quickly. It is so customizable that it can be difficult to predict the effect of small changes to the software. The integration with reporting can be slow.
Success Factors is very robust and highly customizable, and that differentiates them from competitors.
You should consider the cost, and it can be prohibitive for smaller organizations. It is also so customizable that you will need someone on staff to become an expert to really use it to its fullest. It's also good to consider if you actually need a product this customizable or whether something more plug-and-play would work better for you.
We are constantly meeting with our SAP rep to tweak our setup. They are willing to work with us on this, but it is sometimes a lengthy process.
Success Factors is great for a large enterprise-level organization that needs highly customizable software.
Success Factors is more than probably any small organization would need in terms of breadth and customizability.
UKG
UKG is the merger of Ultimate Software and Kronos. As such, it brings over 70 years of experience with People tech into the HCM space. Ultipro became UKG Pro, their feature-rich HRMS, packing features like performance and time & attendance management.
PROS
- UKG is a robust product with extensive experience in HCM and Workforce Management technology.
- UKG includes UKG Pro for HRMS and UKG Ready for workforce management, providing a comprehensive set of tools to address various HR needs.
- Administrators can customize user visibility within the system through configurability.
- The Ultimate Community provides valuable on-demand information and fosters networking among UKG Pro users.
- It offers an iOS app and an Android app for employees.
- Super robust product, packing years of experience with HCM and Workforce Management technology
- Since they offer UKG Pro for HRMS and UKG Ready for workforce management, you could arrive at a combination of products that suits many of your HR needs from the same set of tools.
CONS
- Lacks a unique selling point or specific focus on niche businesses compared to newer tools, making it more suitable for larger companies.
- Users report ongoing issues with logging in to the Android app.
- Can be pricey for budget-minded companies.
- Compared to newer tools, UKG Pro and UKG Ready tend to miss a unique selling point or a specific focus on a certain type of business. While they work great for bigger companies in all sorts of industries, very niche operations might have a hard time adapting to the tool.
- Similarly, UKG offers many solutions under one umbrella, so it's not the best fit if you're looking for only a handful of specific use cases.
UKG, born from the merger of Ultimate Software and Kronos, delivers a wealth of features designed to meet the needs of enterprise-size teams.
One of the standout qualities of UKG is its ability to handle multiple aspects of employee management. From hiring and onboarding to performance management and succession planning, this platform provides a holistic solution for HR needs.
Drawing on over 70 years of combined experience in people tech, UKG brings a robust and extensive set of capabilities to the table. The fusion of Ultimate Software's UltiPro and Kronos' workforce management expertise has resulted in UKG Pro. This powerful HCM tool offers performance management and time and attendance tracking features.
UKG also provides UKG Ready, derived from Kronos, which enables functions like time and attendance, scheduling, and Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliance. This comprehensive approach eliminates the need for multiple tools and offers a unified experience.
While UKG has many strengths, we did notice a few drawbacks. The platform may not have a distinct selling point or a specific focus on niche businesses compared to newer, more specialized tools available in the market.
Furthermore, there have been reports of login issues with the Android app, which can be frustrating for users needing easy access to information.
Pricing is another aspect that requires careful consideration. UKG may be out of range for organizations with limited budgets. According to our research, licenses generally start at around $600.00 per year for every 5 users.
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- Pricing for UKG is not provided on their website.
- Typically, pricing is based on a per-employee-per-month model, with options for annual or monthly billing.
- To obtain an accurate quote, it is necessary to contact a sales representative. But based on our research, licenses generally start at around $600.00 per year for every 5 users.
Best For
UKG is an excellent HCM solution for companies operating in the Americas, EMEA, and Asia/Pacific regions, ideally with a minimum employee count of at least 7. UKG Pro can cater to companies with 75-500 employees, while UKG Ready is for companies with a headcount of 500 and beyond.
We use UKG in 24 hour operations. The company I worked for used UKG for absence and time tracking system. The absence module is moderated by managers. The time keeping for hourly employee is time clocks. Salary employees manage time and absences themselves in the system.
It integrates with many systems. It is clear and nice layout. It is end user friendly.
My organization used UKG for time keeping. They wanted time clocks around the entire 7 Arce property. There were a lot of hourly staff and they wanted time to be easily captured. The goal was to have a time clock that integrated with the payroll system. The payroll system was supposed to pay incumbents accurately based on live time clock punches.
It is not easy to fix errors for end users. Tickets can take a long time to remedy. Interfaces can be buggy.
UKG is developed and large. It is used in integration with a lot of other systems. It stacks up well to similar tools.
The two criteria that people should think about when buying this type of tool is the size of the organization and the amount of user they would need to function their operation. The reason I say this is because UKG sells their product based on licenses needed for operation.
yes, their interface is more end-user friendly
I believe it is best for organizations with a lot of hourly time punch employees
I don't not believe it would be good for a lot of FLSA employees, for example, ones in corporate offices.
Sage People
Sage People offers a scalableHCM cloud solution, covering the entire HR process and delivering real-time actionable HR analytics. With customizable dashboards, users can create recruitment plans and delve into metrics such as attrition and time-to-hire.
PROS
- Good range of workflows for globally-distributed teams
- Lots of local expertise from payroll and compliance consultants
- Good range of workflows for globally-distributed teams
- Lots of local expertise from payroll and compliance consultants
CONS
- Integrations offerings are somewhat limited
- Some users report the mobile app lacks core functionalities
- Not many integrations
- Some users have found the mobile app to lack core functionalities
Sage People is a customizable HR suite with HCM capabilities. It’s a great option for companies in the small to medium enterprise range (150 - 5k employees) that have a global presence. It’s a very broad product that also integrates with the rest of Sage's ERP suite, which includes tools for finance, accounting, business management, and more.
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While the pricing for Sage People isn't disclosed, you can take an interactive tour and see the tool for yourself. Afterwards, you can get in touch with their team to get a customized quote.
Best For
SMBs with a distributed team, especially those that use Salesforce. Also medium enterprises with a global workforce.
I use Sage People,
- to record employees and all their employment history.
- to give employees access to their own information page.
- to provide various reports for internal teams and human resources teams.
- to feed databases and generate human resources dashboards.
- for managing employee databases from various countries and integration with other internal applications like DocuSign, Bonusly, payroll, etc.
I like Sage People,
- as it has many features for example it generates extremely comprehensive and complete reports.
- as it has tools that allow me to batch-load data in a very easy and practical way.
- because it has very complete and functional support available to the user.
The tool was acquired for the registration database of employees. It was necessary to have a tool that could globally attend several countries. The tool had to be integrated with several applications like slack, DocuSign, financial force, etc. The system needs to be very complete in terms of reports and automation. I have been using the system for more than 1 year and 3 months.
Despite being complete the system has some limitations and in some countries with specific legislation is difficult to adapt to local rules. I can say that the system is quite complex and therefore some activities are quite difficult to perform and require some steps of attention.
I can say that the system has a lot of integrations with several other applications and platforms. Sage also stands out for its complete functionality in terms of reports. I also see the support offered to understand the system as a great differential, it is very complete.
Take into consideration a tool that can be globally adapted to many countries. Consider a tool that is widely possible to connect to other human resources applications and systems such as benefits, payroll, and other applications. Also, consider a tool that is easy to use and has a potential range of reports to generate.
I highlight that SAGE has released an updated version that can be used in parallel to the classic version, they call it Lightening with a more modern interface and some improved features.
In my point of view this tool is ideal for global organizations, with a human resources department that looks and takes care of your database and needs consistency and a reliable system with the ability to manage large volumes of data and generate practical reports and dashboards and requires integration with other internal systems in the company.
Small companies that do not need such a complex and complete system may not make much sense to use SAGE.
Pitfalls of Buying Human Capital Management Software
When in the market for an HCM, the main thing you want to watch out for is picking a system that actually delivers on the practices that define human capital management. Unfortunately, HCM is little more than a buzzword for some people, to the point that they’ll throw the term here and there even if they don’t really have a product that addresses those requirements.
So how do you make sure that you’ll get what you need? If we take a tip from ADP’s 10 tips for evaluating HCM systems, the best bet is to identify your future HCM requirements first. This entails defining what you want to accomplish in terms of employee management and HR functions, and understanding how this may be underserved right now by current tech stack.
In other words, narrowing down what you expect from the tool and understanding whether it’s an HCM suite you need or just a regular HR management tool. The two tend to be confused with each other, and there are times where you could get the exact functionality you need from core HR software and spend less; even if you need to get additional tools, such as an applicant tracking system or a payroll management tool.
How are Most HCM Solutions Priced?
The thing with almost every HCM solution is that they’re built for the enterprise sector. Some of them are certainly made to accommodate SMBs, or any sort of organization size, but even in those cases, pricing is rarely discussed up front.
The reason for this, like with a lot of SaaS tools, is that costs can vary widely depending on the actual size of your business (however big) and the needs you’re looking to cover. For instance, some vendors will have a Core HR product that is priced per employee per month, and separately-priced modules for more particular necessities like benefits management and employee experience.
Key HCM Software Features
In order to build a list of requirements and use it effectively to evaluate vendors, it will help to know which are the key HCM software features and how these can support your goals.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, human capital management software is implemented in three categories; workforce acquisition, workforce management, and workforce optimization. We’ll look at the key features from each category:
- Workforce Acquisition: This part of HCM is concerned with managing applicant tracking, recruitment, onboarding, and pretty much every early stage of the employee lifecycle. For modern tools, it should also include employee self-service so you know the recruitment and onboarding process can be expedited.
- Workforce Management: Although sometimes a category of its own, for the purposes of HCM, this is the tier where we could consider all the core HR tools. These include the daily administrative work of the HR department, such as payroll, benefits administration, leave and absence management, time tracking, and an HR service center. For features in this category, you should look mainly towards automation and efficiency.
- Workforce Optimization: This is where the ‘workforce as competitive advantage’ part of HCM really finds its momentum. Optimizing the workforce to align with business goals includes performance management, workforce planning, training & learning management, employee engagement, and reporting & analytics. This category is all about generating actionable insights that let you use data in your decision making and make sure that HR is doing its part in steering the workforce in the proper direction.
Questions to Keep in Mind when Demoing HCM Software
As you start demoing various HCM software solutions, it’s important to prepare and attend these meetings with some questions already in mind. These inquiries should aim at answering whether the solution in question will indeed address the main use cases and core needs that you’re looking for.
Of course, the most concerning of these questions shouldn’t be saved for the demo at all, but rather handled prior, through an email thread for instance, so you won’t waste time on a demo if X or Y solution turns out to be incompatible with your core needs.
Further, the demo should also help check certain boxes that your internal stakeholders care about, such as integrations, security, data management, self-service portals, features, etc.
You should write down a list of those questions, share it with your team, and maybe have stakeholders add to it as well. While that list will be unique, here are some common questions when demoing an HCM that should help get you started:
- What integrations are key to us? Does it integrate with ATS/payroll system/any other systems you might have that impact workforce management?
- Does this solution have SSO capabilities?
- Are there multiple authorization levels for different types of users?
- Is there a maximum number of employees it will support across the workforce?
- What types of reporting capabilities does it have?
- Does it include features to help HR communicate with employees (i.e. mass emails, filtering messages by criteria)?
- What kind of tasks can we automate or streamline with this tool? How many man hours can we expect to save doing so?
- How much technical training will be required?
- What kinds of technical support are provided?
- What recruiting capabilities are built-in?
- Which HR processes will be automated?
- How will information be exchanged with carriers (for employee benefits)?
- Does it accommodate benefits carriers’ rules?
- How can we import employee data into this system? (API, Excel spreadsheets, employee records, other databases, and paper documents)
- What built-in security measures does it contain?
- Does your solution feature pandemic-related tools like a vaccine management system?
FAQs on buying HCM software
Moving on, here are some of the most frequently asked questions from HR professionals when it comes to human capital management software:
What is the best HCM system?
While some of the top vendors in HCM software are Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, ADP Workforce, and UKG, “the best” is really a matter of your business size and requirements. There are many HCM vendors, out of which there are likely 1-2 that will align perfectly with what you’re looking for.
What is the difference between HCM, HRMS, and HRIS?
The main difference between HRIS, HRMS, and HCM is that the former two refer to a specific type of software, systems of information, as their names imply (human resource information system and human resource management systems). HCM, on the other hand, stands for human capital management. This is a set of business practices around the acquisition, management, and optimization of a business’s workforce.
What is HCM software?
HCM software is a software tool that takes most features that you would expect out of a labor management platform, but builds it purposefully for the business practices that encompass human capital management. This software puts together widely-varying features such as workforce planning, performance reviews, and employee onboarding in a single management platform where they can all help to generate insights that drive broader business decision making.
Why do definitions of HCM, HRMS, and HRIS vary so much?
This is a good question precisely because the definition of each term varies widely from vendor to vendor, and among HR professionals as well. That being said, the differences between each software category are all about features and use cases. Most thought leadership indicates that HRIS is the most circumscribed type of solution, focusing on core HR needs. HRMS takes it up a notch in features, while still sticking to HR use cases, and HCM is about rounding up all those features with strategic planning for the business in mind, with the workforce as the main component to analyze and optimize.
Last Advice on Buying HCM software
To wrap this up, we’ll assume that you’ve read everything above and have a couple of vendors in mind to reach out to and book a demo. To send you off to this part of the buying process, there’s one last piece of advice that can help a great deal when evaluating HCM software providers.
These demos should revolve around your HCM requirements, and you should try to avoid having one-size-fits-all demonstrations whenever possible. To do this, share your list of requirements and questions beforehand, asking them to show that specific functionality. Since reporting is such a big part of human capital management, you could even give them data for them to run into the system.
This way, you and your team will get to truly see how much of a fit the tool is for you, as well as gauging for factors like intuitiveness and overall user experience. Couple this guide with resources like ADP’s 10 tips for HCM vendor evaluation or our very own HR & recruitment software buying organizer, and you’ll be on your way to find the perfect platform for your HCM needs.
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