Best Workforce Management Software 2021
As your company grows, it becomes more and more difficult to keep track of HR processes and tasks. Workforce Management Software (WMS) streamlines everything from attendance tracking, onboarding, benefits, payroll, time tracking, employee scheduling and more, so that your HR department can properly manage employees.
Imagine trying to manage the ecosystem that comes with having employees without help?! It’s almost impossible! Having a WMS that fits the needs of your company, ensures your employees are happy and have the information they need so that your business can run as smooth as possible.
What’s on This Page
What is Workforce Management Software?
Workforce management software is a digital tool that helps streamline your processes so that your teams can focus on their jobs while minimizing stress and increasing productivity. WMS is designed to support the day-to-day operations of your workforce, keep records central and secure, and ensure health, safety and compliance protocols are being met by all stakeholders.
WMS offers a variety of tools to help plan, manage and track work, schedules, and time off. Many companies use workplace management software to help forecast labor demand, plan projects, cerate employee schedules and report on workforce efficiency.
This software is usually used by HR departments to help them keep a finger on the pulse of the company. While the HR department is usually the one to champion this software, employees can also use self-service options to request time off, check paid-time-off balances and check pay stubs without interrupting the HR workflow.
What Workforce Management Tools Do I need?
It all depends on how big your company is, how many employees you have, how many locations you have, and if your company is international or local. Most WMS will have the features you need to run an optimized operation, but you should assess your needs first so that when you start looking at WMS features you already have an idea of what you’re looking for or the problems you’d like to solve.
Top 5 Rated Products
Remote
Best for global workforce management
Features
Remote’s features are stand out for a global-focused WMS. The software allows you to easily prepare global benefits programs, manage payroll across borders and consider international benefits and taxes. It allows contractor payments in more than 170 countries and has employer of record availability in more than 40 countries.
When you run a global corporation, it’s easy to get caught up figuring out the nuances from country to country when it comes to regulation and compliance. Remote has a network of HR professionals and legal experts that stay on top of these, always ensuring full compliance.
Price
Remote costs $299/employee/month, depending on the country, and goes as high as $599. If you’re a startup or social purpose organization, contact Remote, as there is special pricing available for these types of organizations.
User Experience
Remote’s user experience is intuitive and practical. The interface immediately gives you a view of your most important employment documents and data, so that HR departments can stay on top of employee needs. The platform partners with HR systems globally to ensure seamless integration with systems in different countries. The Global Employee API and partner integrations ensure that you have the tools to take advantage of their offerings.
Customer Service
Remote offers 24/7 customer support and has an extensive knowledge bank on its site. Start by telling their chatbot your problem, if the bot can’t sort it out, contact Remote at any time to troubleshoot your issues.
StackCompare.com
4.5 (Aggregate Score)
Capterra.com
N/A
G2.com
N/A
Oracle
Best for Mobile workforce management
Features
Oracle Workforce Management has a robust suite of features to help you keep track of payroll, time, and attendance. Some of the more noteworthy features are:
- Global Absence Management – enables local customization and best practices to track and manage absences on a global scale. This will help you ensure compliance and save long-term costs.
- Real-Time Rules Engine – This feature validates time entry and calculates overtime in real-time.
- Collection of Compliance Data – visualize and analyze data for compliance to support regulatory reporting
- Oracle Mobile Workforce Management (MWM) is a highly functional smartphone app companion so that managers and employees can have access to the platform while on the move.
One thing to note is that there are few customizations allowed, so users must work within the configuration provided, it’s also a bit slow when pulling more robust reports.
Price
Oracle Workforce Management costs $13 per user per month for a minimum of 1000 employees. Contact the company for a free demo.
User Experience
Oracle Workforce Management comes with a bit of a learning curve if you want to reap the full rewards of using the platform. Once your employees understand how to use the platform, they’ll be able to easily access self-service compensation charts, profitability, and cost management dashboards and easily report incidents.
Customer Service
The most basic package will allow for 24/7 service requests and access to the My Oracle support system and knowledge base. From there phone support is accessible through the My Oracle Support page, once you’re logged in to your account.
Training is offered through Oracle University which offers advanced learning and certification courses, guided learning courses and interactive learning experiences.
StackCompare.com
4.25 (Aggregate Score)
Capterra.com
N/A
G2.com
N/A
Fuse
Best for Customization
Summary of product
Features
Fuse is one of the most customizable workforce management tools on the market. They have a marketplace of third-party tools which allow you to pick and choose what you need for your company, ensuring that the software 100% works for you.
Their standout features are their self-service tools – they’re intuitive and mobile-friendly. Employees are easily able to schedule, access benefits, find resources, and open enrollment without HR intervention.
Templates are available for administrative process automation, ready-to-go hiring, and training workflow so that the whole employee lifecycle can easily be managed.
Price
Fuse Workforce Management costs $18 per user per month and offers a free demo.
User Experience
While the features are excellent and customizable, there is a steep learning curve for onboarding. That said, once you get the hang of it – it’s easy to use and offers benefits
that outweigh those of many of its competitors.
Customer Service
The customer service team is celebrated for being knowledgeable and pleasant. They are quick to respond and can solve almost any problem. They are available via phone or email. If you have a common issue or frequently asked question there is a variety of support documents and tools available for customers.
StackCompare.com
4.5 (Aggregate Score)
Capterra.com
4.5 (n/a)
G2.com
4.0 (n/a)
SumTotal
Best for learning
Summary of product
Features
SumTotal is known for its amplified training and learning management. Users who need to update or advance skills are prompted through the platform. Both HR and managers can follow along and track progress. The platform also ensures certification and training are current and will notify managers when they are not.
The learning experience is gamified in the platform, allowing users to earn badges and points. Employees are engaged through rewards for learning behaviors and leaderboards.
Features also allow you to schedule team members according to skill, role, and availability.
Price
Contact Fuse for custom pricing. Reports say the licensing cost is high compared to competitors.
User Experience
The user experience is fun for employees and intuitive. Custom layouts for the front page per user allow employees to make the system their own. The system is accessible on any mobile device which increases overall engagement and productivity.
Customer Service
Phone support is available from 5:00 am – 5:00 pm Pacific Time. Outside of this, email support and support incidents are available.
StackCompare.com
4.0 (Aggregate Score)
Capterra.com
3.2(n/a)
G2.com
4.0 (n/a)
BambooHR
Best for small and medium business
Features
BambooHR is the WMS all-in-one shop that small to medium businesses love. The software is generally used by businesses with under 300 employees and automates processes like employee onboarding and off-boarding. This means that when an employee is joining or leaving your company, you don’t have to worry about sending the necessary documents and tasks, the software does it for you.
The platform makes it easy to create and assign tasks, making it simple for the HR department, business managers, and IT department to know exactly what to do as employees enter and exit the company.
When it comes to time tracking, BambooHR’s tools work for salaried and hourly employees. The user interface for employees is intuitive and makes it easy for employees to request time off. It also makes it easy for managers to set paid time off policies, monitor hours, approve timesheets, and approve time off.
Payroll, time tracking, and performance management come at an additional fee. It does not have expense management tools and benefits cannot be run directly within the platform.
Price
BambooHR’s pricing starts at $99 per month for 12 employees, much cheaper than some of its competitors. For each additional employee, you’ll pay $8.25 per month.
Payroll will run you an extra $75 per month for 10 employees, with each additional employee coming in at $4.25 per month.
If you’d like to add performance management, that will cost you $4.25 per employee per month, and time tracking an extra $3.00 per employee per month.
BambooHR’s a la carte menu makes it so that you pay for the features you need.
User Experience
BambooHR’s cloud-based system is intuitive for all users. From an HR standpoint – it’s easy to see and track essential employee information and automate tasks so milestones are not missed. From an employee standpoint, it’s simple to communicate with managers and HR departments when it comes to HR functions.
There is a wide range of data about employees that is easily accessible through the platform. They also have an updated mobile user experience that is simple to understand and use.
Customer Service
The BambooHR team is delightful and always ready to help. They are available via phone and email, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm MST. However, there is no live chat feature.
There is a large knowledge bank and content library on their site which is made up of how-to guides, eBooks, blogs, and infographics so that if you have a common issue or frequently asked the question you can find the information on your own.
StackCompare.com
4.5 (Aggregate Score)
Capterra.com
4.4 (n/a)
G2.com
4.5 (n/a)
Our Rating Process
We looked into five of the top workforce management products on the market and assessed them based on features, price, user experience, and customer service, so that you’re better informed when you decide to start your WMS journey. We scored each platform out of 5, giving you an idea of each tool’s strengths and weaknesses.
Features
Price
User Experience
Customer Service
Features
Features are important because these are what make the software customizable to your needs. You want to ensure that the features you need are available and meet the needs of your HR department and employees.
Price
When you’re running a business, you’re also running a budget! Price is important because you don’t want to break the bank and put unnecessary stress on your financials. When comparing the price against the WMS features, you’ll be able to better understand your return on investment.
User Experience
User experience is important because you want to make sure that your HR department and employees like using it! It should feel intuitive and not present too many obstacles. If you try to implement a tool with a poor user experience, you might introduce more problems rather than solve them, creating an unorganized workforce reluctant to use the tool.
Customer Service
WMS are at the heart of the company. If you are experiencing an issue with the technology or user experience, it should be easy to find answers to your questions. Whether that’s through knowledge banks or live support, there should be ample resources to support you and your staff.
Product Features
Remote
$299-$599
/ month
- International payroll, benefits and tax
- HR and legal experts ensure compliance
- Visa, immigration, and equity incentive
BambooHR
$99
/ month
- Employee self-onboarding
- Applicant tracking system
- All-in-one HR solution
Oracle
$13 per user
/ month
- Automatic tax updates & IRS reporting
- Robust insights on people management
- Highly functional smartphone app
Fuse
$18 per user
/ month
- Details and highly customizable reports
- Centralized payroll and timesheets
- Third party tools
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Workforce Management Software?
Workforce Management Software is a digital tool that supports your HR department in tasks like onboarding, offboarding, time management and vacation. These tools automate and streamline processes so the people in your organization can focus on their work.
What should I look for in Workforce Management Software?
When looking for a Workforce Management Software, you should work with your HR department to evaluate your organization’s needs. Once you’ve identified your needs – you’ll be able to look for features that fill those needs.