23 HR Tools for Employee Engagement & Workforce Planning

Technological advances have transformed several industries, and HR is no exception. There are several tools available across multiple areas of HR that can make a huge difference in engagement, productivity, organization, and beyond. But with so many different options out there, it can be hard to know which tool does what, let alone to narrow down the list of vendors and choose from it.

Here’s a list of 21 HR tools that demonstrate how technology can improve employee engagement and workforce planning efforts at your organization.

Employee Data Management

1. BambooHR

BambooHR, which collects and organizes data acquired throughout the entire employee life cycle, is designed to free HR employees up so they can focus more on people and less on processes. Employees are empowered by self-service options that allow them the opportunity to edit their own personal information. BambooHR can also be integrated with Pingboard and other third-party HR tools so all systems are automatically updated.

2. Namely

Namely is an HR tool that is designed to accommodate the needs of midsize companies (approximately 50-1,000 employees) and can be used by everyone on the team: employees, HR, and company leadership. Seventy-five percent of Namely clients say it has increased employee engagement—primarily because the tool looks and feels like popular social networks and empowers employees to use self-service options to complete tasks. Like BambooHR, Namely also integrates with Pingboard and other HR tools to offer automatic data updates.

Payroll and Benefits Management

3. ADP

ADP is a payroll and benefits solution built to work for employers of all sizes across a number of industries. Employee and manager self-service options allow for fast, easy payroll and simplified benefits administration. ADP also integrates with Pingboard and other HR tools for automatic updates.

4. Intuit QuickBooks Payroll

Intuit QuickBooks Payroll is a full-service payroll solution that is designed to meet the unique needs of small businesses. Fast, easy payroll services save time and allow for seamless direct deposit, which employees love.

Managing Recruitment

5. Lever

Lever is a recruiting tool that enables companies to hire faster, better, and smarter, effectively increasing recruiter productivity and reducing time to hire. And it doesn’t just benefit recruiters—employees appreciate less downtime due to open positions; managers appreciate being more involved in hiring decisions; and candidates appreciate a more organized, efficient hiring process.

6. Greenhouse

Greenhouse offers a full talent acquisition suite that improves the hiring process for everyone from hiring managers and recruiters to candidates. The tool delivers everything that recruiters need to build a winning recruiting process; a stellar candidate experience; and a diverse, engaged workforce.

Organizational Chart Maker

7. Pingboard

Pingboard is an interactive org chart software solution that helps companies organize teams, plan for growth, and keep everyone connected. The ability to create and collaborate on multiple org charts (including private drafts) makes it easy to plan for hiring phases and navigate reorgs. With the digital directory, employees can build personal profiles with photos, fun facts, and more, which helps team members get to know one another and improves working relationships.

HR Project Management

8. Trello

Trello is a project management tool that helps teams work more collaboratively and get more done using boards, lists, and cards. Employees love Trello’s engaging interface, and managers love the ability to organize and delegate more efficiently.

Learning Management Software

9. Cornerstone 

Cornerstone is a digital learning solution that provides people with the skills that they want and the company needs. Employees can browse for self-driven development opportunities, and managers can assign training tasks for compliance, job performance, and more.

Conducting Background Checks

10. Checkr

Checkr is a background-check company that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to make hiring more inclusive and efficient. Using Checkr, recruiters can improve the candidate experience, optimize the talent pool, and meet their compliance requirements.

360 Review Software

11. 15Five

With 15Five, managers can share continuous feedback to boost employee performance and remove roadblocks. Managers can send weekly questions on everything from personal productivity to team-wide morale. Employees and managers can both benefit from engaging in a meaningful dialogue, which improves business outcomes and fosters career growth opportunities.

12. Reflektive

Reflektive is a unique performance management tool that allows companies to measure employee engagement and analyze people data. Employees gain real-time feedback, regular check-ins and reviews, and goal management tools, all of which help them develop professionally. Managers can measure employee sentiment through company-wide surveys and targeted polls, and then analyze the data and take action to improve on it.

13. Lattice

Lattice is a performance management solution that covers reviews, feedback, one-on-ones, goals, praise, and status updates. With so many features baked in, Lattice provides employees with the resources they need to manage their job performance, measure progress toward meeting goals, and grow in their career. Lattice encourages companies to build a culture that celebrates two-way, real-time feedback; communication; and goal-setting.

14. Zonka Feedback

Zonka Feedback is an Employee Feedback Software to collect and measure employee feedback at all touchpoints of your company. Zonka Feedback is designed for both small and large organizations to create surveys, take real-time feedback, manage responses, and take timely action to close the feedback loop, increase employee satisfaction and engagement, and reduce employee turnover. With Zonka Feedback, you can measure employee loyalty and satisfaction through effective metric surveys like eNPS, Employee Wellness Survey, Employee Satisfaction Surveys, and more. 

With its new version Zonka for Webex, you can also create and share live surveys, polls, and quizzes during your ongoing Webex meetings, and analyze the results at the moment without breaking the flow.

Compliance Management System

15. ThinkHR Comply

ThinkHR Comply is a compliance software solution that provides employers with thousands of up-to-date tools, documents, checklists, and forms. The system also provides resources for companies of all sizes to help them align with compliance best practices, including a job description builder, performance review tools, and employee classification tool kits.

Onboarding New Employees

16. HR Cloud

HR Cloud is an onboarding solution that automates everything from intro emails and direct deposit setup to paperless forms, freeing new hires up to focus on meeting new people and having a great first day. New hires love the personalized portal, and recruiters appreciate the automation of time-consuming onboarding tasks.

17. Sapling

Sapling is an HR tool that takes care of the entire onboarding process, from the setup of email and equipment to paperwork and other tasks. New hires will appreciate the warm welcome in their pre-boarding email, as well as the chance to focus on first-day fun instead of endless paperwork.

Scheduling Meetings

18. Calendly

Calendly is an automated scheduling software solution that makes scheduling painless, enabling employees to schedule meetings without back-and-forth emails. This enables team members to take ownership of their scheduling and communicate with coworkers and clients more frequently.

Tracking Time and Attendance

19. ZoomShift

ZoomShift is an employee scheduling software that offers a unique time tracking feature. It allows for better time management so that milestones can be easily viewed and client expectations can be better managed. Employees can clock-in for assigned shifts using the web time clock or mobile time clock and management can edit timesheets on the fly from the free iOS and Android apps.

20. Deputy

Deputy is a robust scheduling software used to manage the workforce in a wide variety of different industries, from healthcare to retail stores. It helps with simplifying staff scheduling, creating timesheets, improving employee communication and saves hours on administrative tasks. Deputy can be linked to several different payroll, HR and POS apps for maximum business efficiency and speed. It also has a mobile app for managing remote teams which allows both managers and employees to swap shifts, see tasks, organize shifts and more – anytime and anywhere.

Recognizing Accomplishments

21. Bonusly

Bonusly is a recognition and rewards platform that makes recognition more impactful and gives visibility to everyone’s contributions. The platform can also be integrated with popular communication tools such as Slack, encouraging frequent and timely employee recognition.

22. Kazoo

Kazoo is a real-time rewards and recognition platform that enables employers to recognize rock star employees, improve collaboration, incentivize actions, and create a culture that’s motivated and energized. Employers can motivate employees with behavior bonuses and company awards to create a more rewarding workplace.

Managing Employee Retirement Benefits

23. Guideline

Guideline provides retirement benefits for small businesses, offering employees the opportunity to choose from 40-plus mutual funds for their 401(k). Startup employees will appreciate the option to save for retirement and the easy-to-use platform that Guideline offers for managing plans.

Technology has enabled companies to work more efficiently, improve employee engagement, boost productivity, and streamline tasks. With the right HR tools in your digital toolbox, you can further engage your employees and improve your workforce planning efforts in the process.

Struggling to figure out the best tools for your business? Download our HRIS vs. Org Chart Software guide to learn more.