Software for employee management system use in a small business is judged on the record before the modules: one record per person keyed by employee ID; the contract, the handbook acknowledgment, the onboarding checklist, the hours, the reviews and the write-ups against it; each asked for when due, signed where it should be, locked at the signature, and exportable. The tools on this site print every document free, without an account; this page is what the software has to do with them and how the prices compare.
The record and the documents
The fields payroll and a manager need, and the documents in date order. The onboarding checklist on this site assigns the ID as its first line and the contract tool, handbook template and review template print three of the documents.
Asked for, signed, locked
The contract before day one, the handbook with it, the review on the date, the handbook re-acknowledged when it changes; signed online; locked at the signature with every version kept. On the trial, sign a review as both parties and try to edit it afterwards; it should refuse.
Hours and reviews
Timecards approved against the schedule with overtime shown per workweek on the DOL rule cited below; the PTO and overtime calculator on this site is the arithmetic. Reviews booked at hire and reminded, with the history at the next.
The price
From the vendors' own pricing pages, cited below: Homebase lists its Essentials plan at $30 per location per month billed monthly or $24 billed annually, with unlimited employees, and a Basic plan at $0 for one location with up to 10 employees; BambooHR starts at $10 per employee per month for Core and $17 for Pro; Deputy's Core plan is $6.50 per user per month. HeadcountDesk Pro is $24 per month per location. Per location does not move when the shop hires; per employee does.
Questions people ask about software for employee management system
Do I need scheduling in the same system?
Useful, not essential; the record and the documents are the part a small employer cannot do without.
How long does setup take?
An afternoon to enter the team and upload the signed documents, when the documents exist.
What is free here?
Every document tool, without an account.