21 tools for human resources

The role of human resources has changed a lot recently, driven by the growing challenges of workforce management. 

HR professionals manage payroll and benefits as well as employee wellbeing, engagement, compliance, and more. That’s some serious workload, and it becomes nearly impossible to handle without specialized tools for human resources.

But here’s the deal — a simple Google search displays nearly a billion results for “HR tools.”

So, which ones are truly worth your time and investment? 

In this post, we’ll break down some of the best HR platforms across the main categories.

Applicant tracking systems and recruiting tools

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help HR teams manage the hiring process through automation. For instance, they streamline tasks like posting jobs, screening resumes, and scheduling interviews.

1. Greenhouse

Greenhouse is one of the leading applicant tracking systems that help companies optimize their hiring process. Known for its flexibility and scalability, this tool offers features like job board posting, candidate scoring, interview scheduling, and onboarding — all in one platform. 

2. Lever

Lever combines recruitment and relationship management into a single platform. It’s designed to not only track applicants but also nurture passive candidates, which means you can use it for building long-term talent pipelines. We particularly like Lever’s reporting capabilities as these can help companies improve recruitment strategies with actionable insights.

3. Content Snare

Content Snare isn’t your typical ATS, but it is the simplest tool for gathering candidate information during the hiring process. Our software features an editable recruitment questionnaire template, so you can quickly create custom recruitment forms to screen and evaluate applicants right from the start:

Content Snare has a user-friendly interface that allows candidates to complete a recruiting form with ease, while you can gather all the necessary data in one centralized place. As such, this software is ideal for HR teams of all sizes.

Employee information management

These tools store and organize key details about employees — personal data, work history, performance records, and similar. 

4. BambooHR

BambooHR is a truly comprehensive employee information management system designed specifically for small to mid-sized businesses. The platform successfully tracks work history, performance records, personal information, and other employee-related data. It also includes features like time-off tracking and customizable reporting to help HR pros keep organized and up-to-date records.

5. Namely

Namely is an all-in-one HR platform that manages employee information for mid-sized companies. It covers pretty much all work-related areas (compensation details, work history, benefits, etc.) in a way that is easy to navigate and access. In addition, you get to create customizable workflows and automate repetitive tasks such as onboarding or performance reviews. 

6. Zoho People 

Zoho People is a cloud-based system that helps you quickly adapt to the changes in modern HR management. This is mainly possible thanks to advanced features like employee record tracking, attendance management, document storage, and smart workflows. Zoho People lets you update employee profiles with ease, while workers can log in to manage their personal information or submit leave requests — a perfect solution for firms looking for a scalable HR tool.

Payroll and benefits administration

Payroll and benefits administration systems help you calculate salaries and ensure tax law compliance. They also simplify the management of benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans.

7. Gusto

Gusto is a highly popular payroll and benefits administration platform that mainly serves small and growing businesses. It simplifies payroll processing by automating a range of tasks:

• Tax calculations
• Direct deposits
• Year-end tax filings
• Expenses and reimbursements

Gusto also integrates with benefits administration, which allows you to offer health insurance, retirement plans, and other perks. 

8. ADP

ADP is a well-known name in payroll and benefits administration because it offers scalable solutions for businesses of all sizes. You can take the full package or choose from a long list of functionalities such as: 

• Payroll
• Time & attendance
• HR services
• Insurance
• Retirement 

ADP’s reporting tools give you insights into payroll and benefits spending, so you can adjust budgets and optimize resource allocation.

9. Paycor

Paycor is another interesting option for HR managers who feel like automating payroll tasks — tax filing, wage calculation, and many more. That way, you can ensure maximal accuracy with minimal effort. Paycor also comes with integrated benefits administration, making it simple to enroll employees in health insurance, retirement plans, and other perks. 

Performance management

Some platforms successfully track and evaluate employee progress, so you can provide further development through tangible insights.

10. 15Five

15Five is a performance management platform that assists firms with employee development through continuous feedback and goal setting. Its features include weekly check-ins, goal tracking (OKRs), and 360-degree performance reviews. 15Five also adds an AI assistant to the package to help you create more objective and fair employee reviews. 

11. Lattice

Lattice can help you build a high-performing team through structured feedback and advanced goal tracking. For example, it has a flexible platform that creates custom review cycles and sets individual as well as company-wide goals. There are also tools for employee development, including 1:1 meeting templates and career growth plans that enable managers to nurture talent and improve retention.

12. ClearCompany

ClearCompany is an integrated performance management platform for performance reviews and employee recognition. The main strength of this system is that it lets you align individual goals with company objectives, so your employees can stay focused on strategic priorities. In addition, ClearCompany’s performance review system is fully customizable and able to generate continuous employee recognition.

Employee engagement and communication

The purpose of employee engagement software is to foster a positive workplace by facilitating feedback and internal communication.

13. Officevibe

Officevibe is our top pick when it comes to employee engagement platforms that support a positive work environment. This software has it all — customizable surveys, anonymous feedback channels, and pulse checks — so you can easily measure employee satisfaction and engagement in real time. More importantly, Officevibe generates detailed reports that help improve the overall team dynamics.

14. Slack

You probably don’t need an introduction for this one. After all, Slack is a widely used communication system that keeps people engaged through real-time collaboration. Slack serves as a unique communication hub with features like instant messaging, file sharing, tags, and integration with many third-party apps.

15. TINYpulse

TINYpulse is another employee engagement platform that gathers real-time feedback and promotes open communication within teams. For example, it lets you create weekly pulse surveys or use peer recognition features to track engagement levels and address employee concerns promptly. The whole idea behind TINYpulse is to build a positive and motivated workplace culture through transparency.

Learning and development

These platforms support upskilling and career development through courses and personalized training programs.

16. Litmos

Litmos is a powerful learning management system (LMS) with a truly massive library of ready-made courses. However, you also get the option of creating custom content for tailored employee development at all levels. It’s easy to administer training programs as Litmos offers features like automated course assignments, progress tracking, and certification management.

17. Udemy Business

Udemy Business is an on-demand learning platform that provides organizations with access to thousands of high-quality courses. These come across many industries and skill levels. This means Udemy Business enables HR pros to offer personalized learning paths for every employee.

18. TalentLMS

TalentLMS is all about customization. This learning platform allows HR teams to create, deliver, and track training programs using a whole range of customization options. For instance, TalentLMS supports interactive learning through quizzes, assessments, and multimedia content to make for a more engaging skill development program. 

Compliance and reporting

Finally, it’s possible to automate compliance tasks and make sure that your organization adheres to labor laws and industry regulations.

19. TriNet

TriNet is an all-in-one HR platform with a strong focus on compliance and reporting. It automates many compliance tasks such as employee classification and tax filings, and it also keeps all of your records up to date. With its automated alerts for regulatory changes, TriNet simplifies the process of maintaining compliance to reduce legal risks for businesses.

20. Paycom

Paycom is famous for its self-service model that empowers employees to manage their own HR tasks. It offers a unique Beti (Better Employee Transaction Interface) tool that lets workers manage and run their own payroll, reviewing, verifying, and submitting their information. As such, Paycom ensures compliance by placing control in the hands of employees, who have the best understanding of their own data. 

21. Workday

Workday has the ability to support large and complex organizations with global operations. It excels at real-time data analytics that allows HR teams to access up-to-the-minute information across multiple countries and regions. In addition, you can rely on Workday to make configurable dashboards tailored to specific compliance needs.

Choose the tools you need the most

While there’s no shortage of HR tools available, you don’t have to adopt all of them at once. On the contrary, we think it’s best to focus on the areas where your organization could see the biggest improvements. 

Start by identifying your key challenges and then choose software solutions that solve those specific problems. That way, HR tools will really make your work easier and your organization stronger.