10 Best HRIS For Small Businesses To Manage HR Processes [2022]

monday.com’s flexible Work OS system makes it easy to organize task-based information on customized boards, with built-in visualization tools. While it’s not a true HRIS system, the flexibility of their software means it can be tailored to support any workflows you want to track, including core HR functions like employee data, leave management requests, performance reviews, recruiting, onboarding, and learning and development, and much more. Once your boards are set up and organized into workspaces for teams, departments or tasks, you can easily visualize the data in many different types of graphs and charts for key stakeholders to review at a glance.

With over 200 HR-related templates to choose from and 30 column types, it’s a fast and low-cost way of organizing employee data and processes, especially for small businesses that are currently running their HR processes out of Excel spreadsheets. By migrating your task-based HR data to Monday.com, you can take advantage of their time-saving features such as customized automation and team collaboration features like the ability to assign co-workers to specific tasks. Their advanced search function and the ability to favourite boards make it quick to navigate information. As well, to keep your workflows uncluttered, you can also easily archive items or retrieve them anytime with zero limitations.

monday.com integrates with a wide range of productivity and communication tools including Dropbox, Excel, Google Drive, LinkedIn, Slack, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Outlook, Zoom, Zapier, and others.

Pricing for monday.com starts at $8 USD/user/month. They also offer a 14-day free trial, as well as a free forever plan with limited features for a maximum of two users.

Collage is a great HRIS choice for Canadian businesses as it comes pre-set to Canadian employment standards. Their platform includes all the typical components you’d expect in an HRIS, including self-service employee modules, a time-off management system, performance management features, a recruiting portal with an applicant tracking system, and robust HR reporting across all employee data. The performance management module includes modern, continuous feedback elements like 360-degree reviews, check-ins and customizable survey tools.

Managers and employees will appreciate the simplicity of the time-off management system, which can be accessed via their mobile-friendly app as well. Collage automatically tracks time off accruals and balances and syncs vacation requests with a company calendar so teams always know when co-workers will be away. Vacation requests can also sync with payroll depending on how you configure your platform.

Payroll functions are not included in their Core HRIS package, but a data sync with other payroll software can be added for an additional $3 CAD/user/month. Customers can also outsource their payroll functions to Collage’s team of CPA-approved payroll managers who provide full payroll management services that are fully compliant with Canadian tax laws. This is a helpful option for small companies that don’t already have payroll expertise in-house. HR professionals will also appreciate the system’s ability to streamline benefits administration by syncing directly with your benefits provider for an additional fee of $2 CAD/user/month.

Software-specific integration details are not included on their website, though their HR platform can integrate with common payroll systems and benefit providers.

For Collage’s Core HRIS features, the price starts at $7 CAD/user/month, but add-ons to sync with benefits or payroll programs are available for an additional fee. They have a 10-user minimum, but volume-based pricing is available for companies with over 100 employees. A free demo is available, and a free trial can be arranged via their website.

Zoho People is a cloud-based HR software platform that helps simplify HR operations and the employee experience. Their employee database scales easily and is used in over 45 countries. Their platform streamlines core HR functions such as employee onboarding, time off management, HR file management, and employee database management. Even at their lowest pricing level, users will benefit from module-based reports, workflow management tools, and “Zia” – their AI bot which answers employee questions and can be accessed from any screen within their system.

Technically an HRMS (human resources management system), this is a great choice for businesses with hourly, shift-based, field-based, or remote workforces due to the depth of their attendance tracking, shift-scheduling and mobile check-in features. By enabling Zoho People’s geo-fencing capabilities, companies can mark geographic locations such as client offices or field sites using GPS points. GPS-based attendance improves the accuracy of reported work hours by ensuring mobile staff can only log in when they arrive in the area, and log out when they leave.

Their full-feature mobile app is another bonus for mobile workers as they can access company information or connect with their colleagues in just a few clicks. As well, remote workers can check-in and out of their workday using People Kiosk: a digital version of the old punch-clock system that uses facial recognition to identify workers and track in and out times.

In addition to Zoho’s own apps (of which there are many!), further integrations exist for Google Workspace and Google Analytics, Office365, Slack, Zendesk, WordPress, Joomla, and payment gateways such as PayPal, WePay, WorldPay and more.

Zoho People starts at $1.25 USD/user/month for their Essential HR level. A free demo is available, and they offer a 30-day free trial as well.

Paycor’s HR platform is designed to help companies eliminate paper-based administrative tasks by automating common workflows. Their unified employee database acts as a single source of information for all employees, and eliminates the need to re-enter data manually.

While it’s technically an HCM (human capital management) platform, Paycor’s Basic service level includes self-service employee onboarding, in-product compliance tracking, document storage, in-house communication options such as a chat feature, company news and mobile push notifications, and a long list of payroll features. Their user-friendly mobile app also gives employees the ability to access their pay statements and tax documents, request time off, view their work schedules, and manage their employee benefits.

This platform is a great option for small businesses because you can start off with the Basic modules, and scale up to add more features when you’re ready, and your budget allows. Paycor embraces this approach and is happy to work with you to tailor their technology to your business needs rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution. With their more advanced service levels, you unlock features for talent management, workforce management, and a multitude of employee experience tools such as pulse surveys, goal tracking, and feedback and recognition tools.

Paycor can integrate with a handful of other HR and payroll tools including MyEnroll360, WorkforceHub, TimeDock, Global Shop Solutions, Glassdoor, GoodHire Background Checks, Hubworks, Workforce.com, Zip Forecasting, TimePilot and others.

Customers who enroll with Paycor receive one month of free payroll services. After that, pricing starts at $99 USD/month plus $5 USD employee/month. There is no free trial version, but a demo and a guided tour can be arranged.

Sapling’s People Ops platform allows HR teams to automate common HR tasks from onboarding to offboarding and everything in between. This tool simplifies tasks using auto-assigned workflows, email scheduling, and alerts which can be customized for different locations, departments or employee types to standardize processes. This is a useful feature for companies with distributed teams as it helps HR managers regulate processes across all work locations and departments. The system also comes with pre-built reports to analyze any type of data that’s stored in the system.

Helpful features to improve your employee experience include colour-coded org charts by location, department or custom groups, an employee directory, and customizable employee profiles to help reflect your company culture and core values. HR teams will appreciate the system’s ability to track job-related data such as promotions, salary adjustments, relocations and other historical changes. The system also supports paid time-off (PTO) tracking, including customizable PTO policies for different groups.

Sapling is technically an HCM (human capital management) platform, so their main focus is improving people-centric processes like onboarding and offboarding, and enhancing internal communication through features like intranet services, shared calendars, and mobile app accessibility. The platform does not include any built-in payroll functionalities. However, their deep integrations make it easy to combine Sapling with the other tools your business is already using, such as payroll providers and applicant-tracking systems. This actually gives a lot of flexibility since you can keep any systems you’re using, and focus on upgrading your employee experience via Sapling instead.

Sapling integrates with 50+ leading HR, IT and productivity systems including JazzHR, Lever, Workday, ADP, Paylocity, 15Five, Kallidus, Lattice, OneLogin, Greenhouse, Okta, Zapier, the Google Suite, Slack, Lessonly, ChartHop, Jira, LinkedIn, and many other platforms.

Pricing for Sapling’s People Ops Platform, including their core HRIS features, starts at $6.99 USD/user/month for a team of 100 people. Add-ons are available for time-off tracking and survey tools, for an extra fee. For their All-in-One platform you can request a free quote on their website. A free demo is also available.

Eddy is an all-in-one HR software solution for managing people, processes and payroll. Their simplified and fully digital processes for onboarding, training, time-tracking and time-off requests eliminate the need for spreadsheets and paper forms, and can save your HR teams between 10 to 15 hours of administrative wrangling per week – a significant amount.

This is a great software option for small business owners with frontline or deskless workers, since new hires can complete and e-sign all their onboarding paperwork digitally on their first day, or even earlier by using their self-onboarding features. Several other notable features that new employees will appreciate are new-hire task lists (which are trackable by managers and HR administrators), and first day messages, so hiring managers can answer all those typical first-day questions before new hires even ask them. This simple feature goes a long way to boosting your new employee’s user experience, by giving them the information they need to show up on day one with confidence.

Another feature I really like is Eddy’s training tracking module, which allows companies to track anything with an expiration or renewal date. Users receive automated reminder notifications so nothing will ever slip through the cracks. This alone is a huge time-saving feature for many industries that require specialized training, licenses or workplace safety certifications. You can also attach copies of certificates to training records, and run built-in reports for an overview of your training compliance in just a few clicks.

Eddy’s HR platform starts at $8 USD/employee/month plus a $49 USD base fee per month. Add-ons are available for payroll, applicant tracking, and HR advisor services for additional fees. There is no free trial available, but you can request a free demo and quote via their website.

Rise’s People Management platform touts itself as the #1 all-in-one option for Canadian businesses, and it’s easy to see why. Their system is easy to customize depending on what you need, and they offer a full suite of core HR modules including people management, payroll, recruiting, onboarding, time-off management, performance management and self-service mobile app access. Add-ons are also available for benefits administration, and scheduling & time-tracking, regardless of which plan you choose.

The thing I like the most about this platform is how functional it is for companies with lean HR teams, or no HR support at all. Platform administrators can easily control which details employees can view and update themselves, eliminating data entry bottlenecks. As well, typical time-draining processes like onboarding and orientation training can be automated using checklists and custom workflows, with self-service functionalities to collect new hires personal information even before their first day.

The simplified workflows continue in their recruitment process, which supports custom pipelines and applicant funnels with drag-and-drop capabilities to move candidates through the process in a snap. Another feature small HR teams will appreciate are the pre-loaded questions in the performance management module, which are proven to generate useful and actionable feedback and support employee growth. Capitalizing on recent performance review trends such as 360 degree reviews, the system also incorporates feedback from peers, direct reports, managers and the employee themselves in the review cycle, with the freedom to customize as you see fit.

One feature I have not seen with many other HRIS platforms is the integration of benefits management within the platform. With Rise, employees can enroll, view their coverage details, and update their personal information without ever leaving the portal. Another exciting bonus is the fact that the benefits management module can be unlocked for free for any Canadian companies using Sun Life as their benefit provider.

Rise integrates with commonly used accounting software including FreshBooks, Xero, Intuit Quickbooks, and Wealthsimple, which allows employees to file their taxes for free using Wealthsimple Tax. As a bonus, for every tax return filed, users will receive a $15 credit to their Wealthsimple Cash account, and Rise will donate a meal to someone in need through Second Harvest.

Rise starts at $6 CAD/employee/month for the basic People Management + Payroll configuration. To unlock additional features, custom pricing plans are available. Also worth noting: new clients can try out their top tier Optimize level for 3 months for free, which is essentially a 90-day free trial of their full-feature model. A free demo is also available.

Say “hi” to Bob, an HRIS platform designed to maximize the employee experience and link employees to your company culture. Their platform includes all the core features you’d expect in a robust HR system: employee data management and HR analytics, benefits management (beyond simply healthcare coverage), culture tools, a document hub with DocuSign built right in, streamlined time and attendance tracking features, digitized onboarding, a dynamic people directory with a linked org chart, and customizable workflows and reports. You can also add more advanced features, such as compensation management, a payroll hub, performance management, and people analytics depending on your business needs.

Their user interface is designed with a social media-like feel to get employees excited about engaging with the company. From a central homepage team members can view birthdays, work anniversaries, and interesting stats about other colleagues to help people make connections – an important feature in today’s work-from-home environment. Their Club View further deepens engagement by sorting the staff directory by hobbies, superpowers, gender pronouns, or other custom categories. Bob also supports company announcements, shoutouts, and emoji-based reactions to help teams maintain a positive vibe. As well, the homepage keeps a log of where staff are (i.e., working remotely, in the office, sick, or on vacation), which is a useful feature for companies with remote or hybrid workforces.

Bob has a long list of 40+ integrations with commonly used programs, including many applicant tracking systems, Azure Active Directory, Google Suite, 360Learning, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zapier and others. They also have an iOS and Android mobile app.

Bob does not advertise prices on their website, but you can contact them via their website to request a customized quote. A free demo and a free trial are also available.

Say goodbye to your filing cabinets – BambooHR’s software as a service (Saas) HRIS system is designed to be a single source of employee data that removes common HR administrative hassles, saving your business time and money. By integrating all your data points into one system, it’s fast and easy to keep your employee records up-to-date, and run deeper and more meaningful reports on the data.

Their platform includes core HR features like an applicant tracking system (ATS), preboarding, onboarding and offboarding functions, e-signature capabilities, time tracking and paid time-off (PTO) tracking systems, a performance management solution, and an employee satisfaction module that measures your eNPS (employee Net Promoter Score). They also have a long list of add-on features that can be configured depending on your needs, such as full payroll processing services, tax filings that are compliant with U.S. federal and state tax laws, year-end forms and many other features. It’s a great platform for small business owners and startups as it can scale over time, as your business grows.

The Employee Self-Service portal gives staff the power to keep their own HR files up-to-date, with the ability to upload documents like health forms, certifications, drivers’ licenses, and whatever else they need. Other self-service elements include their intuitive Time-Off Manager, access to an employee directory, and an org chart that’s updated in real-time. The shared company calendar helpfully captures everyone’s vacation days in one place, as well as key dates like birthdays and work anniversaries.

BambooHR has an open API that allows for integration with other HR software tools. Their API documentation is readily available on their website, so have your IT team take a look before you commit. Support and configuration tips are available on their website for no charge. They also integrate with 60+ commonly used programs including Slack, Greenhouse, HireRight, Indeed, Lattice, 15Five, PayScale, Pingboard, NetSuite, Spark Hire, Zapier, and many others.

BambooHR doesn’t advertise prices on their website, but a free demo and a free trial are available.

intelliHR’s strategic HR software transforms manual processes such as onboarding and offboarding, policy sign-offs, and performance reviews into automated workflows that eliminate the need for manual administration and paper files. To streamline the employee experience, their platform offers dynamic employee profiles, a useful staff directory, and an org chart that updates in real-time as employees come and go. Their self-service employee dashboard allows employees to read policies, fill out forms, or request feedback in just a click. Their manager dashboard is also a helpful feature for consolidating team details and approvals in one place.

On top of all their core HRIS features, intelliHR’s system has a wealth of employee engagement tools built right into their basic plan, which is something you often have to pay extra for with other HR tools. Their engagement tools include 1:1 check-ins, real-time feedback surveys, a 360 degree feedback process, historical feedback summary reports, and manager diary notes that can be added directly to an employee profile for future reference.

The software also includes a quarterly eNPS (employee net promoter score) report, helping managers measure employee satisfaction and loyalty to your organization. This is a useful tool for uncovering employees at risk of separating, and it’s often only available at the top service level of most platforms. The employee wellness dashboard also compiles an insightful word cloud for managers, highlighting any team-wide trends.

Their software does not include any payroll, recruitment, or learning & development capabilities, but that can be overcome via their integrations with many other platforms in those niches.

intelliHR integrates with 45+ other software tools including the Google Suite, Microsoft Outlook, Slack, WorkJam, DocuSign, etrainu, Go1, ADP, BambooHR, DataPay, Xero, Zapier, and others.

Pricing for intelliHR starts at $3.90 USD/employee/month for their Employee Engagement package. You can also request a demo or a 30-day free trial via their website.