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12 February 2024 - 5 min read
If there’s one thing that defines humanity, it’s probably our use of tools. In the digital age, we have an overwhelmingly large array of tools at our disposal to help us complete our work. In fact, we have so many that it can be hard knowing where to start when it comes to picking one.
That’s particularly true when it comes to human resources tools. Tools help us work smarter, faster and more efficiently and HR management is one of those areas where having the right tools at your fingertips can make all the difference.
In this blog, we’ve decided to explore 10 of the most essential HR tools for 2024.We’ve split it into 3 different sections, each covering a particular aspect of human resources: General HR management; Recruitment, Retention and Onboarding; and Payroll. Each tool is designed to help you master a specific aspect of HR management. Read on and find the perfect tool for your needs.
BambooHR is one of the most effective all-rounder HR tools that we’ve found. Particularly useful for organisations that find themselves using HR tools for the first time, BambooHR allows departments complete oversight over the essential aspects of human resources in an organisation, like recruitment, payroll and onboarding, all in one place.
The beauty of BambooHR is in its simplicity. It’s incredibly concise and the user-interface is very minimal, helping even the most technophobic navigate the system with relative ease. It also features over 125 possible integrations, including Google, Netsuite, and Indeed to name a few.
Similar to other cloud-based systems, the pricing depends on the number of employees in your organisation and which features you select your BambooHR system to have.
On the surface, Rippling seems similar to BambooHR: both systems arguably do the same thing – provide a central place for you to manage HR in an organisation. Rippling differs in a number of unique ways though.
Suited to companies that are looking to scale their operations, Rippling is ideal for companies that have their eye on fast growth. The versatility and adaptability of the tool to a variety of business environments makes it a great asset if your organisation is rapidly expanding.
BrightHR is one of the HR world’s best kept secrets when it comes to comprehensive, all-in-one tools. Combining practically every element of HR practice into one place, BrightHR’s mission is to create a HR management tool that’s simple but practical at the same time, and that cuts through the waffle of jargon and technobabble. BrightHR manages to do that with relative ease.
Giving you insight over everything from recruitment and time management through to employee mental health support and compliance, BrightHR is an affordable option for people who want a general HR management tool that can put its money where its mouth is.
You’ll also have access to a range of other tools and services through BrightHR, including the innovative BrightLightening tool, an AI-powered tool designed to give you fast answers to complex HR questions and queries about employment law and health and safety legislation.
Unlike other tools which can be a bit cagey about their use of artificial intelligence, Workaday bucks the trend and is up front about the benefits that AI can bring to managing your HR practice. AI is fundamentally embedded into the system, allowing you to empower your decision making and adapt to new challenges, faster than ever before.
With clients such as pwc, Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Cushman & Wakefield, it’s clear that Workaday’s gamble has paid off, with many organisations swearing by the system when it comes to managing their HR operations.
Employment Hero claims to be the tool that streamlines recruitment, and whilst a lot of HR tools that exist make the claim, there’s some truth to support that claim. Employment Hero boasts an impressive array of recruitment and onboarding features that can significantly make the process a lot simpler.
Whereas sourcing and assessing candidates with some other tools can be quite a labour-intensive experience, with Employment Hero you can move candidates through the entire recruitment process with just a few clicks of your mouse. This is down to smart automation and a pain-free design.
Another widely used app, Workable is one of the most popular cloud-based tools for recruitment. It can help HR professionals with every aspect of the recruitment process: from sourcing candidates, through to processing applications and helping you onboard them.
Making innovative use of machine learning and AI, Workable can make the process of sifting through applications and finding the best candidates for your role a lot more efficient than traditional methods.
It’s designed for organisations of all sizes too, so it’s particularly useful if your company is in the midst of scaling up and looking to develop its recruitment levels.
Renowned for the versatility of its user interface, Monday.com is used for a whole range of HR applications, in particular recruitment and onboarding. This is due, in part, to the glittering reputation it’s gained for customizability and a pared-back, no-nonsense approach to interface design and structure.
Allowing your team to maintain a collaborative view of the entire recruitment process, Monday.com is arguably one of the easiest to use platforms around, with an uncluttered view and an intuitive project flow – much more so than a lot of other HR tools available on the market.
With a range of process templates for you to make use, allowing you to dive right in from day one, Monday.com is a formidable asset when it comes to transforming recruitment at your company.
Sage is generally regarded as one of the ‘gold standard’ tools to use when it comes to processing payroll. Its simple, concise and clear layout shouldn’t deceive you. The sheer versatility of the tool is incredibly impressive and allows seamless integration with the wider Sage accounting software, making the lives of your HR department and your accounting department a lot easier.
Sage Payroll now also includes a dedicated HR function, allowing you access to a range of HR tools like leave management, expenses and shift-scheduling. This makes Sage Payroll a powerhouse of a payroll tool.
One of the giants when it comes to payroll and HR software, Moorepay has been in business for over 50 years and the payroll system is used by a huge range of organisations across a variety of industries. With glowing reviews from users, it’s renowned for its user-friendly design and its excellent customer support. Features include; free bacs payments, expenses and timesheets, people analytics, auto-enrollment and employee self-service. What’s more, Moorepay release four free upgrades for the tool every year, helping you stay up to date with the latest technology.
Moorepay is primarily aimed at SMEs, so it’s perfect if you’re looking for a HR management tool for a growing business that isn’t Microsoft-size yet. Built on the Cloud, Moorepay also uses the Microsoft Azure system, widely regarded as being particularly strong when it comes to security: ideal if your company is concerned about the protection of its data.
Pento’s unique selling point is the fact that it can be easily integrated with other HR tools, allowing you to mix and match with other tools to build the perfect setup. In particular, Pento is a great choice for businesses that are looking to bring their payroll operations in house rather than outsource them. With a relatively clear and user-friendly interface, Pento is well-suited to users navigating the world of online payroll management for the first time.
Pento lets you manage payroll for different types of schedules and different kinds of workers: from full-time and part-time employers through to shift workers. Unlike other systems, it can run payroll in less than an hour. Pento also doesn’t have a payroll cut-off, letting you edit the pay of your employees right up until the night before payday.
Whilst there’s an old saying that a bad workperson might blame their tools, there’s no doubt that the quality of a tool has a direct result on the quality of work that you produce overall. If you can find the right tool for the task that you’re completing, the chances are, you’ll stand a much better chance of completing it to a high standard. We hope this blog has given you some good ideas about which tools you could utilise in your own HR practice.
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