6 Best Construction HR Software Tools in 2024
Our expert picks for the best HR software for construction companies, based on in-depth research by HR tech experts. Find info on features, pricing, pros & cons and more below.
Top Construction HR Software
It's important to choose the right HR software for your construction company. Construction businesses' human resources departments deal with many moving parts, such as paying contractors, managing timesheets, hiring full-timers, and more.
We put together a list of useful HR software tools for the construction industry. Whether you're a small business, franchise, or large construction group, you'll find useful information in this article about the different kinds of HR management software and what they do.
Our team of HR tech experts created this shortlist of the best software solutions for construction companies using a mix of product and market research, testing, insight from thought leaders, and feedback from real-world users. Our assessment is based on the four key elements that drive great construction software: compliance and safety, workforce management, employee self-service, and data management.
- Compliance and Safety
Construction is a highly regulated industry, so the best software for construction companies has to keep up. Our research team assessed both the scope of compliance features (OSHA, environmental regulations, etc.) and each tool’s adaptability to geographic location (local labor laws, zoning codes, etc).
- Workforce Management
Our in-house HR pros took charge of assessments related to workforce management. They conducted simulations acting as both employee and recruiter, investigating process flows for scheduling, time and attendance, payroll processing, and more.
- Employee Self-Service (ESS)
Construction companies often operate with little administrative support, so employees need to be able to access, update, and maintain their own records. We used data from product demos and simulations to evaluate ESS features, with scoring based on ease of use for employees and administrators and the scope and relevance of integrated data.
- Data Management
It is essential for these tools to collect and manage large amounts of data. Our evaluations relied on input from our network of HR pros, whose “big-picture” assessments of analytics workflows helped determine the viability of each product. We coupled this with hands-on evaluations focused on overall data point capacity and the quality of reports generated.
HR tech is never one-size-fits-all, so we fine-tuned our criteria to the needs of the construction industry. If you’d like to learn more about what goes into making a guide like this, check out this article on how we evaluate HR tech vendors.
ADP
Connecteam
Arcoro
Raken
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ADP
The solutions from one of the most-experienced companies in the payroll software space can definitely be applied to construction companies of multiple sizes.
PROS
- Native, all-in-one technology suite for recruitment, payroll, and compliance.
- 17 RPO service centers in 14 countries and provide services in 42 different languages.
- Dedicated team of AIRS-certified recruiting professionals.
CONS
- Technology options outside ADP’s dedicated HR tools are limited.
ADP is a big name in payroll software and workforce management solutions. Construction companies of any size will find just as much value in ADP as a tech company, enterprise corporation, or other kind of customer.
In addition, ADP already has many customers in the construction industry. According to their website, they frequently receive feedback from those clients and translate that into useful, construction-specific functionality.
ADP has a few different pricing tiers. Payroll Essentials features only workforce management, tax, and payroll systems. Upgrading to HR Plus adds digital record keeping, analytics, onboarding, and HR tools. Hiring Advantage adds talent acquisition tools. Finally, Performance Plus tops it all off with performance management and compensation management.
The cost of these feature sets depends on the size of your business. Businesses with under 50 employees may qualify for a free first 3 months. You must get in contact with a sales representative for a quote, because pricing is not publicly available.
Best For
Connecteam
Connecteam offers a range of cool tools that help construction companies manage office and onsite workers, keep projects on track, and ensure safety and compliance.
PROS
- Native tools for job scheduling, shift management, and communication.
- GPS time clock app with location tracking and work zone alerts.
- Set break hours to follow applicable laws and regulations.
- Manages staff licenses, certifications, and registrations.
- Create and share guides, procedures, and training on work safety for mobile learning.
- Enables crew to report hazards and contact emergencies via the construction app.
- One of the only fully-mobile HR tech tools for deskless workers
- Very adequately-priced for all it entails, SMB-friendly
- Quite open to feedback, having implemented user suggestions as features in the past.
CONS
- No native payroll features.
- Limited third-party integrations.
- Mobile app lacks dark mode.
- In the communication hub, the app offers no confirmation that messages were sent and/or seen.
- Certain features that some teams consider essential, such as GPS-tracking, are only available in the higher-tier pricing plans.
Intuitive mobile apps, flexible pricing, and one unified platform for job scheduling, communication, reports, training, time clock, and safety make Connecteam one of our top construction HR software recommendations.
What we love most about Connecteam is its employee scheduling tool. You can create crew schedules for specific job sites and share them with job details, materials, equipment, and tasks based on safety certifications—all with this single tool.
You can also manage crew availability, make swaps for delays due to weather or client changes, and ensure employees are on-site with GPS location tracking. Once you approve the crew's hours, timesheets are instantly sent to your connected payroll app.
Construction is a highly regulated industry, and Connecteam's compliance efforts are notable: All plans, including the free one, provide multiple compliance features such as GDPR, ISO 27001, and SOC 2. If you’re looking for something more advanced, Connecteam has some good options like SSO, 2FA, and mobile app lock (however, they are available for the Enterprise plan only).
Our main gripe with Connecteam is that they offer very few integration options. Adding to the frustration, API access is limited to just the Enterprise plan.
Another downside we found is that mobile apps lack a dark mode. Given the platform’s frequent feature updates, though, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it launch this feature in a month or two.
36,000+ companies, including Canada’s Restoration Services, Mattest Materials Testing, and Rone Engineering Services.
Connecteam is free for up to 10 users. The platform also offers a free trial without requiring a demo or credit card info. Connecteam paid plans start at $29 per month when billed annually.
Best For
While teams with no more than 10 employees can benefit from Connecteam’s free plan, mid-sized to large construction businesses tend to make the most of this platform’s offerings.
BambooHR
BambooHR is a highly adaptable platform that offers numerous perks and flexible pricing. It is a renowned and trusted name in human resources tech and a compelling option for construction sector needs. It’s.
PROS
- Custom pricing options are available for their flexible packages.
- User-friendly and straightforward tool.
- Accurate time tracking capabilities for precise monitoring.
- May integrate with construction-specific payroll systems.
- 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
- The system cannot pay non-U.S. employees.
- The availability of customer support is reduced to U.S. business hours.
- Low-tier plans do not include critical features, like time tracking.
- No specialized project management or resource allocation features.
- 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 is an all-around great choice for any company looking to streamline HR processes, and depending on your selected package, recruiting, performance management, time tracking, and even payroll.
The HR Essentials package offers core features like a database for detailed employee information, leave and absence management, an employee self-service module, and more. If most of your workers are on-the-job and don't have access to a desktop computer during the day. BambooHR has a best-in-class mobile app designed for employee self-service, so you can rest assured that your employees can access essential functions at all times.
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
Construction companies seeking customizable HR solutions with flexible pricing. Suitable for various company sizes.
Arcoro
Arcoro is one of the few software companies specifically aimed towards the construction industry in the US, their a supporter of the ACG.
PROS
CONS
Arcoro is a supporter of the Associated General Contractors of America (ACG), the leading association for the construction industry that represents more than 27,000 firms. The SaaS company understands the ins-and-outs of the business, so they're well equipped to deal with construction-specific use cases.
Although pricing is not publicly shared, Arcoro advertises a discounted price for ACG members.
Best For
In my role, I used Arcoro for multiple purposes. I could see emergency contact information for emergency response procedures. I ran reports for various projects. I used the performance review section at annual review time. It was very beneficial to be able to see when service anniversaries and birthdays were coming up for organizing celebrations.
Because the tool was so basic, it was easy to learn. It provided employee demographics in an easy-to-consume way. It was inexpensive (according to leadership, I did not have line of sight to its cost).
My organization had been using Arcoro for quite a while prior to my joining. I used it for 6-7 years in my role. It was used for performance reviews (to a point), as a limited survey tool, and a place to house HR-related documents, both visible and not visible to the employee. It was also used to maintain employee data (address, phone, date of hire, date of departure, employee type, etc.), demographics, emergency contact information, and more. The system allowed for reporting and monitoring as required by state and federal regulations.
It was a very basic solution that is not compatible with other systems. It was very difficult to modify to fit the needs of the business. It did not have any, or very few, automations.
Arcoro is great for small businesses that don’t need a lot of bells and whistles. It can be managed by one person. It is economical, which can be appealing for companies that can’t afford a higher-end HRIS.
Understand your needs very clearly before buying the system. Spend a lot of time understanding the backend and how the employees would interface with it because it is not very modifiable, which could lead to frustration. If you need something that is agile and customizable, this tool is not for you.
I am unsure how it has evolved over time to meet user needs. During my tenure, I did not personally see any evolution, and I believe this was the driving factor for our company to move on to a different tool.
Small businesses can benefit greatly from Arcoro.
Large businesses that require a lot of automation or integrations, or those that need an agile HRIS will need a more robust system.
Raken
Raken is a construction management tool that focuses on turning long and daily processes common to every construction business into quick and simple tasks.
PROS
CONS
Raken is the software of choice for 4,000 general and specialty contractors. Unlike the other software on this list, it is geared towards general construction management. However, that doesn't mean it won't have plenty to offer HR teams.
Raken has top-notch time tracking functionality. It's all done through a well-designed mobile app that includes a self-service portal for employees. In one tap, your HR team can allocate regular hours, overtime, or double hours to minimize the chance for payment disputes.
Best For
Sage People
Sage People is a complete, cloud-based HR management solution that can manage global teams.
PROS
- Impressive range of automated workflows for global workforces
- Local expertise provided for payroll and compliance
- Good range of workflows for globally-distributed teams
- Lots of local expertise from payroll and compliance consultants
CONS
- Lacks integrations with many common HR tools
- The mobile app is reported to lack essential features
- Not many integrations
- Some users have found the mobile app to lack core functionalities
Sage is a software company with many different solutions, one of which is Sage HR.
Sage HR is a human resource management suite that covers everything from onboarding to expense tracking, to leave management to reporting, and much more. It's an intuitive core HR platform that any construction company will find useful.
Sage HR especially stands out for construction because of the other software its parent company offers, namely Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate. Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate is an ERP with real-time collaboration capabilities for workers on-and-off the job.
While your HR team probably won't need to use it, it's nice to know that Sage as a company understands construction use cases. It also seamlessly integrates with Sage HR, so it's a good choice if you want to keep all of your employee data under one vendor's roof.
Best For
Next steps
The software listed here are all great choices for your construction business. Studies show that a great HRMS or HRIS tends to lead to positive outcomes for any sort of company.
According to Kronos's New Hire Momentum: Driving the Onboarding Experience Research Report, 36% of HR professionals blame poor technology for their inability to automate and better organize onboarding programs. Therefore, choosing a well-vetted HR solution for your construction company is one way to ensure you stay ahead of the competition.
Even if your company doesn’t have a dedicated HR department, HR software will help streamline all payroll, onboarding, and time tracking processes. If you’d like to learn more about HR software, check out our detailed landscape with information on pricing, ROI, benefits, features, and FAQs.
About Us
- Our goal at SSR is to help HR and recruiting teams to find and buy the right software for their needs.
- Our site is free to use as some vendors will pay us for web traffic.
- SSR lists all companies we feel are top vendors - not just those who pay us - in our comprehensive directories full of the advice needed to make the right purchase decision for your HR team.
