The 8 Best Employee Management Software For Small Businesses

BambooHR is award-winning software that offers tools for the entire employee lifecycle. BambooHR is loaded with features to simplify hiring and onboarding new employees, offboarding employees, and even building company culture.

This all-in-one software is also intuitive and easy to use. BambooHR has received high praises across the web from its users. Numerous add-ons are available, and award-winning customer service is available to help you get the most out of your software.

BambooHR Pricing

BambooHR has two pricing plans: Essentials and Advantage. Unfortunately, pricing is not disclosed online. However, you can contact BambooHR directly for a free quote. A seven-day free trial is available to test out the software.

BambooHR Features

BambooHR is a robust HR solution that offers plenty of employee management tools, including:

• Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
• Mobile hiring app
• Easy onboarding & offboarding
• Employee records in a single, secure database
• Employee self-service portal with time-off management, company calendars, & org charts
• Employee satisfaction surveys
• Performance appraisals
• Employee wellbeing tools
• Integrations through the BambooHR Marketplace
• Add-ons including payroll, time tracking, & performance management

Is BambooHR Right For You?

BambooHR is best suited for small- to mid-sized businesses that want a complete HR and employee management solution. BambooHR is a good match for businesses seeking software that’s easy to set up and use but still boasts many basic and advanced functions that you’ll find with more complex employee management software.

Connecteam is an employee management solution that’s designed for deskless businesses. This mobile solution allows you to easily manage, communicate with, and train your employees. Connecteam is easy to use and customizable and has received numerous positive reviews from its users — all at a competitive price.

Connecteam Pricing

Connecteam has four pricing plans ranging from $0 – $99/month. This pricing covers up to 50 users. Additional users can be added for $0.60 – $3.60/month per user. The more expensive plans include more advanced features like live GPS tracking, process automation, multilocation management, and onboarding customization. You can save 18% by paying yearly. A 14-day trial is available.

Connecteam Features

Connecteam has a solid set of features for operations, communication, and HR, including:

• Time tracking
• Job scheduling
• Task management & delegation
• Geofencing
• Integrations with payroll software
• Live GPS tracking
• Group & team live chats
• Custom surveys
• Skills courses & quizzes
• Rewards & recognition

Is Connecteam Right For You?

Connecteam is most suitable for businesses that don’t have the typical office setup, whether it’s a remote team or employees that are out in the field (such as construction workers or cleaning crews). While larger, more traditional businesses may find the HR features lacking (i.e., a lack of built-in payroll), smaller businesses that want to improve employee communication, eliminate paperwork, and improve efficiency in daily operations might find what they’re looking for with Connecteam.

Gusto is an award-winning payroll & HR platform. This cloud-based software is easy to use and can be used to manage your team, from making sure they’re paid on time and receiving benefits to hiring and onboarding new employees. Gusto is easy to use even if you’re new to using this type of software, and the company even simplifies transitioning over from your current HR software provider.

Gusto Pricing

Gusto has three basic plans that range from $40 – $149/month plus an additional $6 – $12/month per user. A custom plan for businesses with at least 25 employees is also available. A contractor-only plan can be purchased if you don’t have employees at a cost of $6/month per contractor. Add-ons including health insurance, workers’ comp, HSAs, and FSAs are available for an additional fee.

Gusto Features

Gusto boasts over 200,000 users, and it’s no wonder. The software boasts an intuitive interface loaded with features like:

• Custom onboarding checklists
• Personalized offer letters
• Benefits packages
• Full-service payroll
• Basic time tracking
• Geolocation for verifying hours
• Compliance tools
• Performance evaluations
• Numerous integrations with software including QuickBooks, BreezyHR, & Xero

Is Gusto Right For You?

While Gusto does lack some features you’ll find with other software (like training programs), it offers plenty for small- to medium-sized businesses looking for an all-in-one payroll, benefits, and HR software.

Monday.com isn’t as robust as some of its competitors, but it does have several positive aspects that have landed it on this list. While this cloud-based software is primarily used for project management, it also has a variety of employee management and HR features. Monday.com also offers a forever-free plan.

Monday.com Pricing

Monday.com has four basic plans that range from $0 – $20/month per user. Custom Enterprise plans are also available. Discounts are available if you pay for a year upfront. You can sign up for the free plan to test the software, or take advantage of a free trial of the software’s paid plans.

Monday.com Features

Monday.com has several useful features for managing your teams and projects. One thing to note is that not all features are available on the free plan. Standout features include:

• Recruitment pipeline
• Employee onboarding templates
• Employee offboarding templates
• Engaging activities to boost employee morale
• Employee directory
• Time tracking
• Time off requests
• Team collaboration

Is Monday.com Right For You?

Monday.com is best for independent contractors and smaller teams that want basic project management and team management tools within an easy-to-use interface. A free plan that supports up to two users is available, although there are some limitations in terms of features. To take full advantage of everything that Monday.com has to offer, a paid plan is worth looking into.

Kissflow bills itself as a low-code no-code work platform, offering a variety of business tools including custom apps and forms to project management boards. The Kissflow HR Cloud System is ideal for employee management, boasting a variety of tools designed to simplify HR processes.

Kissflow Pricing

While Kissflow does provide pricing for its Workflow software, it does not offer specific pricing details for Kissflow HR Cloud. You will need to contact the company directly for a quote and to schedule a demo.

Kissflow Features

Kissflow HR Cloud offers features to make tedious HR processes more efficient. Standout features include:

• Onboarding & offboarding
• Employee self-service portal
• Employee database
• 360-degree feedback
• KRAs & OKRs
• Real-time communications
• Employee referrals
• Job profile templates
• Candidate feedback to improve the interview process
• Employee recognition programs

Is Kissflow Right For You?

Kissflow HR Cloud is robust software capable of handling the employee management needs of large companies. Despite its abundant features, many users indicate the system is easy to use and intuitive. And while pricing isn’t disclosed, the pricing model for Kissflow Workflow and customer feedback indicate that this is one of the more expensive options in employee management software. With so many features and a potentially high cost, this option may not be suitable for smaller businesses with few employees.

If engaging your employees, improving performance, and boosting employee morale are your goals, 15Five may have exactly what you’re looking for. This performance management software is designed to help improve communications, give and receive critical feedback across your team, and easily manage goals and OKRs.

15Five Pricing

15Five has four pricing plans that range from $4 – $14/month per user. Subscription fees are billed annually. Manager training is available for $99 – $300/month per manager. While a free trial isn’t available, you can contact the company directly to book a demo of the software.

15Five Features

Engage with your team and meet your goals more efficiently with this cloud-based program, which boasts features like:

• Performance reviews
• 360-degree feedback
• Engagement surveys
• Weekly check-ins
• Employee recognition
• Topic-based assessments
• Goal setting with OKRs
• HRIS integrations
• Manager training

Is 15Five Right For You?

15Five is software best suited for mid- to large-sized businesses that want to prioritize employee performance and goal setting. Businesses looking for software with more HR features, as well as smaller businesses with very few employees, may want to look elsewhere for an employee management solution.

Zoho People is part of the popular Zoho suite of small business products, which also includes payroll and accounting software. This cloud-based software integrates with other Zoho products, making it a good choice for current users. However, even new users will find a lot to like in Zoho People, which simplifies HR processes, optimizes your time and attendance systems, and allows you to set up engaging training programs.

Zoho People Pricing

Zoho People has five pricing plans ranging from $1.50 – $10/month per user. Add-ons, including Zoho Recruit and Zoho’s Learning Management System, are available for an additional monthly fee. A basic free plan that includes an employee database and time-off management is available. You can try out the software with a 30-day free trial.

Zoho People Features

Based on the plan you select, you can have access to numerous employee management and HR features including:

• Blended learning with online, virtual, & classroom training
• Course management
• Assessments
• KRA & goals tracking
• Performance appraisals
• Employee database management
• Onboarding
• Workflow management
• Biometric integration for attendance
• Shift scheduling & rotation

Is Zoho People Right For You?

Zoho People offers a wide assortment of features suitable for businesses of all sizes. It stands out for its training program, which offers blended learning, centralized course management, quizzes, assessments, and discussions, but that’s not all it offers. From its performance management system to time and attendance tracking, this software covers all the bases to help you effectively manage your employees and automate HR processes.

Ceridian Dayforce is Human Capital Management (HCM) software that provides a robust set of features to its users. Whether you’re looking to attract top talent, streamline mundane HR processes, or mitigate risk with global compliance, Dayforce has you covered.

Dayforce HCM Pricing

Unfortunately, Dayforce HCM does not disclose its pricing online. You will need to contact the company directly for a custom quote.

Dayforce HCM Features

Dayforce HCM is loaded with features that cover everything from hiring new employees to retaining and engaging with your current team. Notable features include:

• Employee management platform
• Employee safety monitoring
• Employee surveys
• Performance reviews
• Training options include eLearning, classroom learning, & webinars
• Time & attendance tracking
• Benefits enrollment & administration
• Recruiting features, including pre-screenings & offer management
• Continuous global payroll supported in 160+ countries
• Self-service employee portal

Is Dayforce HCM Right For You?

Dayforce HCM is best suited for larger businesses with more complex employee management needs. The robust feature set is ideal for larger teams but may be overkill for smaller businesses with fewer employees. Implementation and using the software can get a bit complicated, so it’s better reserved for more experienced users.