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Paychex Flex is a human capital management solution that's designed using web-based modular technology and a dedicated service center to help meet the HR needs of employers of any size and industry. With a single login, users can ...Read more
TimeClock Plus is a cloud-based workforce management solution designed to make the day-to-day of your organization more efficient. TimeClock Plus also offers dynamic scheduling and job costing features that can be configured to an...Read more
Since 2004, ClearCompany has empowered thousands of companies to attract, screen, and hire better talent, engage their team, and use strategic insights to keep their recruiting competitive.The ClearCompany Talent Management Platfo...Read more
The RUN Powered by ADP® (RUN) solution is designed to make your small business payroll quick and easy. With a streamlined process and powerful technology, you'll complete payroll in no time. Choose from basic payroll to a full sui...Read more
Dayforce, provided by Ceridian, is a solution for payroll, benefits, workforce management, human resources, talent management, document management, and analytics. As a single application, Dayforce provides organizations with acces...Read more
WorkforceHub is a cloud-based time, attendance, and leave management system for small to mid-size businesses. This software can capture time data from web-based clocks or physical clocks for employees onsite, mobile, and working a...Read more
EasyWorkforce is a workforce management solution for companies of all sizes. It was specifically designed to focus on time and attendance of employees and their productivity. The software offers employers and HR departments the ne...Read more
WorkforceHub is a cloud-based time, attendance, and leave management system for small to mid-size businesses. This software can capture time data from web-based clocks or physical clocks for employees onsite, mobile, and working a...Read more
ADP Workforce Solution is suited for businesses with more than 50 employees looking to streamline HR processes. ADP Workforce Now includes capabilities such as payroll processing and tax filing, performance management, compensatio...Read more
Deluxe's online payroll solution provides your business with comprehensive, full-service payroll and HR solutions with dedicated customer service. ...Read more
PerformYard is a cloud-based feedback and corporate performance management solution that allows users to set goals and track performance. The solution also helps in other human resources (HR) processes such as onboarding and organ...Read more
Human capital management software is a type of software that provides features for strategic planning of available workforce. The software fits into the broader category of general HR software and offers overlapping features such as personnel and time and attendance tracking. The informal distinction is that human capital management software includes data visualization and analytics capabilities to predict requirements and optimize workforce.
Technically, HCM software fits into the broader category of general HR software and as such, it can include some or all of the following core HR functionalities:
The informal distinction between HCM and general HR software is that HCM includes tools useful for more strategic workforce planning and analysis, while core HR software is typically more focused on the nuts and bolts of employee management. This is discussed in more detail in the final section below.
Of course, this standard warning applies: Vendors market their software differently and have a tendency to blur distinctions and descriptions. While the distinction above may not hold in all cases, it’s still useful to keep in mind as you read reviews and move closer to a purchase decision.
In this HCM software Buyers Guide we look at:
The following are generalized descriptions of the functionalities commonly included in HCM software. While they may be described differently by different vendors, the essential functionality will be similar across the board.
Core HR administration | These are the functionalities associated with traditional HR software, such as: benefits and payroll administration, employee life cycle process management and organization of employee data. |
Talent management | These applications help manage recruiting and onboarding processes, compensation, management of employee performance and training and education programs. |
Workforce management | These tools help manage day-to-day workforce activities by tracking time and attendance, activity and task tracking, scheduling and absence management. |
HR service delivery | These tools are provided largely for the benefit of employees, offering direct (online) access to important records and information regarding their employment. |
Workforce analytics | These functions include reporting and data visualization features as well as predictive HR analytics models to help the predict and plan for likely future scenarios and challenges. |
Core HR buyer. Your company has grown and it’s time to graduate from your spreadsheet-and-email methods of managing employees. Core HR platforms provide the essential, must-have HR functions such as personnel tracking, absence management, payroll, benefits administration and recruiting. Core HR platforms can be purchased for on-premise installation or as online software.
Best-of-breed core HR buyer. You already have a system for managing human resources. It’s an older system and doesn’t have much fancy functionality, but it’s integral to your operations and would be costly to replace. But, you’ve found you need some additional functionality, maybe something to help you better track applicants or update your appraisal and review processes. Often, HCM applications can be purchased as best-of-breed solutions, letting you add new HR functionality without much capex or system downtime.
Strategic HR buyers. If you’re in this group, then you probably have loftier HR goals, like workforce optimization and strategic workforce planning. These goals require better analytical tools that can help with forward-looking projections and planning. To the average (core) HR buyer, some of these tools would be considered “nice to have.” But for companies that want to amp up their HR strategy and are looking for tools to help with, for example, performance management, succession planning or compensation management, then HCM software is usually the best choice.
There’s a variety of stand-alone HR applications and full HR and HCM platforms on the market, and buyers are encouraged to examine all of their options before making a purchase decision. Depending on if you’re a core HR buyer, a best-of-breed core HR buyer or a strategic HR buyer (see explanations above) you might find the perfect HR tool on one of the related pages below: