12 Best HR Automation Tools To Boost Your Work Efficiency
In today’s fast-paced work environment, businesses are constantly seeking ways to increase their productivity and streamline their operations. One area that has seen significant growth in recent years is HR automation tools. These tools are designed to automate various HR functions, such as recruitment, onboarding, payroll, and performance management. By using HR automation tools, businesses can save time, reduce errors, and improve their overall efficiency.
In this article, we will explore the top 12 HR automation tools that can help businesses boost their work efficiency. Whether you are a small startup or a large enterprise, these tools can help you streamline your HR processes, free up your time, and allow you to focus on other important aspects of your business. So, let’s dive in and explore the world of HR automation tools!
What is HR Automation?
HR automation refers to the use of technology to automate various HR functions, such as recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and payroll processing. This technology can range from simple software programs to more complex AI-powered platforms.
One of the benefits of HR automation is improved employee engagement rates. By automating tedious administrative tasks, HR professionals can focus more on engaging with employees and improving their overall experience. This can lead to increased job satisfaction, higher retention rates, and a more positive workplace culture.
In addition, HR automation can also help businesses save time and reduce errors. For example, automated recruitment tools can help identify the most qualified candidates and screen out unqualified applicants, while payroll automation can help ensure accurate and timely payments to employees.
Overall, HR automation can be a valuable tool for businesses looking to streamline their HR processes, improve employee engagement rates, and increase their overall efficiency.
What is the HR automation process?
The HR automation process involves using technology to automate various HR tasks and processes. This process typically involves the following steps:
- Identify the HR processes to be automated: The first step in HR automation is to identify the HR tasks and processes that can be automated. This may include tasks such as candidate screening, onboarding, performance management, and payroll processing.
- Evaluate automation tools: Once the HR processes have been identified, the next step is to evaluate the available HR automation tools. This may involve researching different software solutions, comparing features and costs, and selecting the tool that best meets the organization’s needs.
- Implement the automation tool: After selecting the automation tool, the next step is to implement it within the organization. This may involve training HR staff on how to use the tool, customizing the tool to meet specific organizational needs, and integrating the tool with other HR systems and processes.
- Monitor and optimize the automation process: Once the automation tool has been implemented, it is important to monitor its effectiveness and optimize the process over time. This may involve analyzing data and feedback from HR staff and employees, identifying areas for improvement, and making necessary changes to the automation process.
Overall, the HR automation process can help organizations streamline their HR processes, reduce errors, and save time. By using technology to automate routine tasks, HR professionals can focus on more strategic activities that can help drive business success.
What are the Advantages of HR Automation?
There are several advantages to implementing HR automation in the workplace. Here are some of the most significant benefits:
- Time-saving: HR automation tools can automate repetitive tasks such as data entry, onboarding paperwork, and scheduling interviews, freeing up time for HR professionals to focus on more strategic initiatives.
- Increased efficiency: Automation can significantly reduce the time and effort required to complete various HR tasks, reducing errors and increasing productivity.
- Improved data accuracy: With automation tools, HR data is entered consistently and accurately, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring data integrity.
- Better compliance: HR automation tools can help ensure compliance with various regulations and laws, reducing the risk of fines or legal penalties.
- Enhanced employee experience: Automation can improve the onboarding experience for new hires, providing a smoother and more efficient process.
- Better decision-making: With automation, HR teams can access accurate and up-to-date data quickly, enabling better decision-making and strategic planning.
Best HR Automation Tools
There are many different HR automation tools on the market, but which are the best? In this section, we will be discussing ten of the best HR automation tools that can help boost your work efficiency.
1) DialMyCalls
Mass texting is booming in the business industry, with no surprise showing the highest open rates and conversions, which is exactly what DialMyCalls offers, by better connecting with end customers. Users can opt-in for multiple options, either phone calls, emails, or SMS texting, each offering substantial ways to keep the communication flow at the highest standards.
You can also maximize your efforts by using other apps integrated with DialMyCalls, helping better optimize your personalized business experience and ways to connect with your colleagues.
Features:
- Mass texting to send mass notifications to employees
- Quick and easy automated phone calling
- Bulk emailing through a seamless interface for easy setup
- Advanced usage of labeling to better personalize your message
- Contact management helps better organize your outreach
- Reporting to keep on track
Pricing:
- Affordable starting at USD 8 per month, with a free trial
2) Jobsoid
Jobsoid is an Online Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that simplifies every step of the recruitment process in organizations, streamlining everything from sourcing potential candidates to hiring the right one. Jobsoid is an intelligent recruitment software with the ability to help save your precious time, by automatically screening candidate applications and suggesting the best-fit candidates for a specific job profile in your company.
Features:
- Customizable career pages and job boards
- Automated job postings to multiple job boards
- Candidate screening and filtering tools
- Interview scheduling and video interviewing
- Collaborative hiring tools for team members
- Customizable email templates and communication tools
- Applicant tracking and reporting tools
Pricing:
Jobsoid offers a range of pricing plans based on the size of the organization and the number of job openings. The pricing plans are as follows:
- Starter Plan: $89 per month for up to 3 active jobs
- Professional Plan: $149 per month for up to 10 active jobs
- Business Plan: $299 per month for up to 30 active jobs
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for organizations with more than 30 active jobs
3) BrightHR
This HR automation tool comes from an established company in HR tech with good client retention and ongoing investment from senior leadership. You get off-the-shelf compliance reporting, automated time and attendance for your organization, and integrated onboarding across HRIS systems. BrightHR doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that some other HR tools have but it’s a solid solution if you don’t need to re-invent any wheels when it comes to employee scheduling. The software is continually being improved by its active developer team so your experience is likely to get better over time.
Features:
- Employee scheduling and shift management
- Absence management and leave tracking
- Time and attendance tracking
- Document storage and management
- Compliance and risk management tools
- Performance management tools
- Customizable HR forms and templates
- Employee self-service portal
Pricing:
BrightHR offers a range of pricing plans based on the size of the organization and the number of employees. The pricing plans are as follows:
- Essential Plan: £3 per employee per month for basic HR features
- Premium Plan: £4 per employee per month for advanced HR features and support
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for organizations with more complex HR needs
4) Zenefits
Zenefits is an HR automation tool designed to simplify HR processes for businesses of all sizes. It provides a comprehensive suite of features to manage various HR tasks, from employee benefits to compliance and payroll.
With Zenefits, businesses can streamline their HR workflows, reduce errors and redundancies, and improve efficiency. The tool automates tasks such as benefits administration, payroll processing, and time and attendance tracking, enabling HR teams to focus on more strategic initiatives.
Features:
- Manage compliance with various HR regulations such as healthcare reform, COBRA, and FMLA.
- Manage employee benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, and more.
- Time tracking and scheduling tools, as well as automated time off requests and approvals.
- Simplifies payroll processing with automatic calculations, tax filing, and direct deposits.
- Track employee performance, set goals, and provide feedback.
- Streamlines the hiring process, from job posting to onboarding, with tools such as applicant tracking, offer letters, and electronic signatures.
- Mobile app for employees to manage their benefits request time off, and access company information.
Pricing:
Zenefits offers three pricing plans:
- Essentials Plan: $10 per employee per month for HR, benefits, and compliance tools.
- Growth Plan: $18 per employee per month for the Essentials Plan plus additional features such as time and attendance, performance management, and hiring and onboarding.
- Zen Plan: Custom pricing for businesses with more than 100 employees, with additional features such as a dedicated HR advisor and custom integrations.
5) Teamwork
Teamwork is an HR workflow automation software that gives small to midsize businesses (SMBs) cloud-based collaboration, employee management, and time-tracking features. It lets you centralize employee data in one place, including benefits details, contact information, vacation balances, and performance reviews, and share it with employees or managers as needed. From a collaboration standpoint, Teamwork makes it easy to share files like Excel spreadsheets and Word documents with colleagues. You can also set up weekly meetings between employees to keep everyone on task without having to spend hours scheduling calls. Teamwork allows you to focus on business objectives while ensuring your employees are productive at all times.
Features:
- Manage compliance with HR regulations, including healthcare reform, COBRA, and FMLA.
- Automated time and attendance tracking, scheduling, and time off requests and approvals.
- Simplifies leave management with tools for managing sick days, vacation days, and other leave types.
- Track employee performance, set goals, and provide feedback.
- Managing job postings, applicant tracking, and onboarding tasks.
- Provides a mobile app for employees to manage their time off requests and approvals, view their schedules, and access company information.
Pricing:
Teamwork offers three pricing plans:
- Free Plan: Offers basic features for up to 5 users.
- Pro Plan: $10 per user per month for the Free Plan features plus additional features such as time and attendance, leave management, and performance management.
- Premium Plan: $18 per user per month for the Pro Plan features plus additional features such as custom reports, SSO, and priority support.
6) Trello
No matter what HR or business operations task you’re working on, there’s a good chance that Trello can help. The platform offers time-saving features like card due dates and reminders, checklists, and notifications to keep your team up to date. Add tasks directly from your inbox via email integration or use third-party integrations for apps like Slack, Basecamp, and Salesforce. If you want more structure from Trello you can also add labels, priorities, and change boards based on different stages of a project. This kind of power comes at a price: Trello is one of the pricier HR automation tools we looked at but it definitely has its uses if you’re going to use it for more than just project management.
Features:
- Recruiting board to manage the hiring process, from posting jobs to tracking candidates.
- Provides onboarding templates to streamline the process for new hires.
- Performance management board to track goals, feedback, and progress.
- Board for managing time off requests and approvals.
- Manage employee information, including contact details and job titles.
- Highly customizable, allowing businesses to create boards and cards to fit their specific needs.
Pricing:
Trello offers three pricing plans:
- Free Plan: Offers basic features, including unlimited boards, cards, and members.
- Business Class: $12.50 per user per month for additional features such as power-ups, advanced automation, and custom branding.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for businesses with more than 100 users, with additional features such as enhanced security, priority support, and custom onboarding.
7) BambooHR
The BambooHR suite of HR software tools is designed to be fully integrated and to work together seamlessly. This HR automation tool allows you to easily create employee records and manage your payroll online, including integrating with major cloud accounting platforms such as Xero. BambooHR even lets you save time on recruiting by allowing candidates to complete their applications online. The intuitive software also includes mobile apps for both iPhone and Android devices, making it easy for users in all parts of your organization to access HR data whenever and wherever they need it. And, new employees can be onboarded in seconds using pre-populated information from previous employees who have been hired into similar positions within your company or industry.
Features:
- Manage job postings, applicant tracking, and hiring workflows.
- Streamlines the onboarding and offboarding process with automated workflows and checklists.
- Centralized HR database for managing employee data, including time-off requests, performance reviews, and compliance.
- Time and attendance tracking, scheduling, and time off requests and approvals.
- Track employee performance, set goals, and provide feedback.
- Reporting and analytics to help businesses gain insights into their HR data.
Pricing:
BambooHR offers three pricing plans:
- Essentials: $6 per employee per month for core HR features, such as applicant tracking and employee data management.
- Advantage: $8 per employee per month for additional features such as employee onboarding and performance management.
- Premier: Custom pricing for businesses with more than 350 employees, with additional features such as customized reporting and dedicated support.
8) HubSpot
Some of you might be thinking that all of these HubSpot features sound pretty impressive, but there’s no way I can afford them. The good news is that HubSpot offers a number of different plans to meet your needs and budget. First, there are three price tiers: Starter (free), Basic ($200/month), and Pro ($1,000/month). Each tier contains certain additional features; for example, Basic includes custom reports and Salesforce integration. But don’t worry! You can always move up or down at any time based on your needs. Plus, if you grow into one of their more expensive plans later on in your business’s lifecycle, they’ll give you credit towards a future bill for what you would have paid as an introductory rate. Cool!
Features:
- Help businesses post job listings, track applicants, and schedule interviews.
- Onboarding checklists and templates to help businesses streamline the onboarding process for new hires.
- Time off management tool to help businesses manage time-off requests and approvals.
- Collecting and analyzing employee feedback, including surveys and feedback forms.
- Gain insights into their HR data and identify areas for improvement.
Pricing:
HubSpot offers four pricing plans:
- Free: Offers basic features, including lead capture forms, email marketing, and reporting.
- Starter: $45 per month for additional features such as custom branding, marketing automation, and ad management.
- Professional: $800 per month for advanced features such as marketing automation, sales automation, and reporting dashboards.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for businesses with complex needs, including advanced reporting, custom objects, and more.
9) TimeCamp
Unlike most other tools, TimeCamp doesn’t limit your reports to a standard HR tool set—in fact, it can integrate with virtually any HR system. Because of its flexibility, TimeCamp is perfect for tracking employee vacation time as well as recording employee projects. That way you’ll always know what your employees are up to without having to track them down and ask (unless they don’t enter their own time). Additionally, TimeCamp has been designed with very intuitive dashboards and easy-to-use reporting tools. If there’s one HR automation software that blows all others out of the water, TimeCamp is it. Its user-friendly interface makes recording timesheets an absolute breeze, so you can focus on more important tasks than filling out timesheets. Plus, TimeCamp offers some handy templates and auto-completion features so your team can fill in their hours quicker than ever before. The best part? With an annual plan of $199 per year ($16 per month), TimeCamp has got to be one of the cheapest HR automation tools available today.
Features:
- Time tracking tools to help businesses track employee work hours and productivity.
- Attendance management features help businesses manage employee time off and sick leave.
- Project management tools to help businesses manage tasks, deadlines, and budgets.
- Invoicing features to help businesses create and send invoices based on employee time tracking data.
- Reporting and analytics tools to help businesses gain insights into employee productivity and performance.
Pricing:
TimeCamp offers four pricing plans:
- Solo: Free for one user, with basic time tracking features.
- Basic: $7 per user per month for time tracking, attendance management, and basic reporting.
- Pro: $10 per user per month for additional features such as invoicing, project management, and more advanced reporting.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for businesses with complex needs, including custom integrations and dedicated support.
10) Workday
Workday is an HR automation tool that provides cloud-based solutions for managing HR processes. It is designed to help businesses of all sizes manage their HR functions more efficiently and effectively. One of the main advantages of Workday is that it is accessible from any device with an internet connection, making it easy for businesses to manage their HR processes from anywhere.
Features:
- Manage employee data, workflows, and processes. This includes features for managing personal information, job history, compensation, and performance data. Workday also provides workflows for HR processes such as onboarding, performance reviews, and promotions.
- Manage talent acquisition, development, and retention. This includes features for recruiting, onboarding, career development, succession planning, and performance management.
- Automates payroll processing, tax filing, and compliance reporting. It also provides features for managing time and attendance, benefits, and expenses.
- Customizable reports and dashboards allow businesses to track key HR metrics such as employee engagement, turnover rates, and productivity.
- Accessible from any device with an internet connection, making it easy for businesses to manage their HR processes from anywhere.
11) Gusto
HR automation software Gusto helps HR teams streamline many of their processes, including benefits, taxes, and onboarding. When it comes to working efficiency, the one way Gusto provides that boost is through its new benefits-triggered payroll offering. The system automatically pulls relevant data from a company’s existing HR or payroll systems and uses that data to calculate payouts at set times during an employee’s period of leave. What’s more, Gusto offers flexibility; if an employee changes his or her mind about which options they want to add or remove from their coverage plan, they can do so via Gusto’s mobile app on the go with immediate effect. Gusto also integrates with over 100 HR and benefits services, making it easy for HR reps to upload everything from files associated with a specific hire such as social security cards to time-off requests by employees.
Features:
- Managing employee data, workflows, and processes. This includes features for managing personal information, time off requests, and compliance documentation.
- Automates payroll processing, tax filing, and compliance reporting. It also provides features for managing time and attendance, benefits, and expenses.
- It offers a range of benefits options, including health insurance, 401(k) plans, and commuter benefits. It also provides features for managing open enrollment and employee benefits elections.
- The streamlined onboarding process for new employees, including electronic offer letters, tax forms, and employee handbooks.
- It is accessible from any device with an internet connection, making it easy for businesses to manage their HR processes on the go.
Pricing:
Gusto offers three different pricing tiers:
- Core: The Core plan starts at $19 per month plus $6 per user per month and includes basic HR and payroll features.
- Complete: The Complete plan starts at $39 per month plus $12 per user per month and includes more advanced HR, payroll, and benefits features.
- Concierge: The Concierge plan starts at $149 per month plus $12 per user per month and includes a dedicated HR advisor to help with HR and compliance issues.
12) Expensify
Expensify is free for companies with less than five people. Expensify offers many features that can help your business handle HR workflow automation tasks efficiently. You can get a professional-looking expense report in less than 30 seconds, eliminating unnecessary paperwork and wasted time. It’s very easy to use, supports mobile devices, and is totally secure. Expensify includes automated expense report creation, automatic mileage tracking, photo receipts, scan receipts, and editing/deleting of reports that are no longer needed. Not only does it save you time creating expense reports and supporting documents but it also makes filing expenses much easier for accountants because everything is electronic. This software is particularly helpful if you’re running a startup or small company without an HR department. You’ll want to try out their 14-day free trial offer first before making a commitment though because not all business needs will be met by this product.
Features:
- Automates the process of tracking expenses by syncing them with credit cards, bank accounts, and receipts.
- It’s easy for employees to create and submit expense reports. Managers can review and approve expense reports online, and reimbursements can be made directly to employees’ bank accounts.
- Integrates with popular accounting software, such as QuickBooks and Xero, to streamline the process of importing and categorizing expenses.
- Accessible from any device with an internet connection, making it easy for employees to track expenses on the go.
- It has a SmartScan feature that uses OCR technology to extract data from receipts, reducing the need for manual data entry.
Pricing:
Expensify offers three different pricing tiers:
- Team: The Team plan starts at $5 per user per month and includes basic expense tracking and reporting features.
- Corporate: The Corporate plan starts at $9 per user per month and includes more advanced expense management features, such as accounting integration and policy enforcement.
- Enterprise: The Enterprise plan offers custom pricing and includes advanced security features, such as SAML SSO and custom data retention policies.
Conclusion
HR automation software helps to boost work efficiency and cut down costs by automating repetitive tasks. Employing a comprehensive HR solution not only saves time but also costs. Some of these are free while others offer free trials or free functionality. It’s good to check out a wide range of options before making a decision on which one is best for your organization. All ten tools have been used and recommended by some big names in business, so you can trust them with your employees’ records too! If you choose well, there is no limit to how much time and money it can save you as well as how efficiently you manage your team from now on!