In the bustling corridors of modern workplaces, where time zones blur and collaboration transcends borders, managing your team effectively is no longer a mere task—it’s an art. As an HR professional, it’s impossible to manage it all alone—onboarding, benefits administration, performance reviews, and more. Employee management software is your copilot as you check items off a never-ending to-do list.
An effective employee portal can do more than just store information; it can actively engage employees.
Not many companies track how engaged their workers are, but a small test showed it might be a good idea. When one company made its employees happier at work, fewer people skipped work, and absenteeism went down 27.5%.
Finding the right employee self-service portal can transform an HR department’s efficiency, making daily tasks smoother and more manageable while helping people enjoy their jobs. Over the past year, we at ClickUp have tested and compiled a list of the 10 best employee portal software options for 2024, each selected for its ability to improve productivity, communication, engagement, and overall human resource management within a company.
From no-code employee portal builders to knowledge management and HR workflow software, this guide will help you evaluate software options with quick overviews of each tool’s strengths, pricing, core features, and integrations.
But first, here are the key aspects you should look for in employee portal software.
10 Best Employee Portal Software in 2024
- What Should You Look for in Employee Portal Software?
- The 10 Best Employee Portal Software to Use This Year
- 1. ClickUp—Best for secure employee access
- 2. Simpplr—Best for enhancing internal communication
- 3. Guru—Best for knowledge management and information sharing
- 4. Dayforce HCM—Best for comprehensive human capital management
- 5. Deel—Best for global payroll and compliance
- 6. Axero Copilot—Best for improving employee productivity
- 7. Zenefits—Best for all-in-one HR solutions
- 8. Softr—Best for creating custom internal tools without code
- 9. Staffbase—Best for fostering employee engagement
- 10. PeopleOne—Best for integrating employee collaboration
- Increase Workforce Efficiency with Employee Portal Software
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Should You Look for in Employee Portal Software?
Based on our research, employee portal software should include all or at least some of the following features:
- Document management: Always look for tools that can effortlessly collate routine HR documents, such as tax forms, pay slips, offer letters, and benefits summaries. You don’t want to remember which piece of information lives inside which tool—consolidate them for quick discoverability
- Knowledge sharing: Look for a platform with a shareable knowledge base that includes company handbooks, policies, training materials, and other essential information so that employees’ lives become easier
- Announcement distribution: For effective communication across all levels of the company, select a tool using which you can share company announcements, reminders, and notifications easily
- Employee directory: You should be able to store contact information, job titles, locations, and more in a centralized location. This makes it easy to find and connect with colleagues across different departments and locations
- Benefits administration: Look for tools that offer self-service options for employees to enroll in and manage company benefits
- Integrations: Check if the tool can integrate with your existing HRMS software, payroll software, and other business operations tools for a seamless workflow
- Templates: Go for a solution providing employee handbook templates and onboarding templates to simplify HR processes and ensure consistency across the organization
- User-friendly interface: Employees are more likely to adopt a platform that’s easy to use
Many employee portal software tools are designed for giant companies, with many features and a prohibitive cost (you won’t find out the price until you jump through hoops). There are better choices out there that are affordable and easier to use.
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 10 Best Employee Portal Software to Use This Year
Here are the top employee portal software options for this year. They made it to our list simply because they make managing and connecting with your employees much easier.
Let’s start with the house favorite—ClickUp!
1. ClickUp—Best for secure employee access
I like ClickUp’s Human Resources Platform best because it makes everything easy to find and use in one place. It’s like having a super-organized HR office in one computer program!
Simplify everyday people management and employee onboarding, support employee development, or find new ways to keep your team engaged—ClickUp can make it all effortless and reduce your workload!
Document management
ClickUp Docs let you store all your important HR documents in one place, such as onboarding guides, employee handbooks, and company policies.
ClickUp Docs can also help you:
- Create, edit, and share documents with your team. Whether it’s drafting company policies, employee handbooks, or process guidelines, multiple team members can work on them together in real-time
- Track changes and maintain different versions of documents. When updating HR policies or procedures, you can easily go back to previous versions and compare updates if needed
- Control who can view, edit, or comment on specific documents. For HR purposes, this means you can keep sensitive information(like employee contracts or performance reviews) safe and visible to authorized personnel only
- Integrate easily with other tools like ClickUp Tasks and ClickUp Reminders and workflows. For instance, if you’re discussing a new employee onboarding process, you can assign tasks to team members responsible for different steps using ClickUp Tasks
Automation of busy work
If all this sounds like a lot of (manual) work, try using the ClickUp Brain’s AI Writer for Work to automate parts of it.
ClickUp Brain can help you brainstorm ideas for creating HR documentation like employee handbooks, polish the language and tone of formal emails and memos, summarize long comment threads to present key information for data-driven decisions, and so much more.
You can also use built-in ClickUp Automations or create custom automations using ClickUp Brain to:
- Automate repetitive tasks, like approving employee leave requests, updating leave balances, and tracking time off
- Simplify the onboarding process by automatically sending crucial documents, providing IT resources, and scheduling training sessions for new hires
- Track employee work hours, manage shifts, and automate attendance processes for payroll calculations
Templatization of processes
ClickUp has a library of free HR templates to help you get started. This means you don’t have to build everything from scratch, saving you hours of time and effort.
For example, the ClickUp Employee Handbooks, Policies & Procedures Template can help you better organize and communicate your company’s essential documents.
This template lets you keep all your important employee info in one place, from how to get started (onboarding) to all the company rules (policies). Everyone can easily find the latest info, and adding new information as your company grows is easy.
The ClickUp Employee Handbooks, Policies & Procedures Template offers:
- 17 sections of detailed information, such as a welcome note, description of the ideal team member, onboarding details, company culture, workplace policies, etc.
- A customizable front cover for easy printing or PDF formatting
- A front-page dashboard that shows all subpages, with space to assign section owners and contributors
You can use over 100 built-in ClickUp Automations or create custom ones. Your team will appreciate the time saved by automating and templatizing repetitive tasks, letting them focus on HR strategic initiatives.
ClickUp best features
- Visualize HR processes with 15+ customizable ClickUp Views
- Use comments, @mentions in tasks and Chat view, and customizable notifications to collaborate with colleagues. Set up shared spaces for cross-functional teams, including HR and other departments
- Set Milestones and employee scorecards for effective talent management
- Manage employee schedules, time-offs, and meetings with the ClickUp Calendar View
- Use ClickUp Dashboards with built-in time tracking and timesheets
- Engage in real-time discussions through ClickUp Chat View
- Connect with tools like Slack and Google Drive with ClickUp Integrations, allowing seamless file sharing and data exchange
- Protect sensitive employee data with robust security measures
ClickUp limitations
- New users may experience many need some time to learn how to use all of ClickUp’s features
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/user per month
- Business: $12/user per month
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp Brain: Add to any paid plan for $7 per Workspace member per month
ClickUp ratings & reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (9,500+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (4,000+ reviews)
2. Simpplr—Best for enhancing internal communication
Simpplr is like a digital bulletin board for your company. It allows you to post announcements, calendars, and ways to give feedback and recognition to coworkers on one platform.
The platform personalizes your feed to show you only the updates that interest you. You can see things by topic, what’s popular, or what you choose.
Simpplr’s AI assistant is like a super search engine for work. Need a file? Stuck on an HR task? Just ask the assistant, and it’ll help you find what you need or even start workflows. This digital hub allows employees to easily access company announcements, calendars, feedback collection, and peer recognition.
Simpplr best features
- Keep employees in the loop with the latest company news right on the company intranet
- Connect with employees across mobile, desktop, chat, email, and digital displays
- Empower managers with engagement data and actionable recommendations
Simpplr limitations
- Doesn’t have a built-in knowledge and content management solution. You’ll need other integrations for this
- Some users say they experienced occasional glitches with the AI Assistant’s accuracy
Simpplr pricing
- Custom pricing
Simpplr ratings & reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (300+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (100+ reviews)
3. Guru—Best for knowledge management and information sharing
If you’re looking for an AI-powered enterprise search, knowledge base, and intranet software packed into one, consider Guru. At the heart of Guru is its AI-powered knowledge management system, which easily integrates with existing workflows.
It reduces the time spent searching for information. The tool’s ability to capture and organize knowledge in real time ensures that teams are always equipped with the latest data, improving decision-making processes.
It can also track how people use the knowledge base. By analyzing these patterns, you can identify information gaps and resolve them.
Guru best features
- Integrate with collaboration tools like Slack to provide relevant information within workflows
- Use the verification feature to make sure that the information stored is always up-to-date and accurate
- Use AI-powered search and recommendations to identify knowledge gaps, duplicate content, and connect employees to subject matter experts
Guru limitations
- The mobile application can be less intuitive compared to the desktop version, potentially limiting on-the-go access
- Some users may find the interface challenging at first. They might need time to learn to use all the features
Guru pricing
- Free trial for 30-days
- All-in-one: $15/user per month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Guru ratings & reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (1,500+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (300+ reviews)
4. Dayforce HCM—Best for comprehensive human capital management
Dayforce HCM has everything you need for human capital management. It guides HR departments through the entire employee lifecycle, from recruitment to offboarding. It brings together HR, payroll, benefits, workforce, and talent management into a unified application.
The platform gives real-time access to all HR data in a single interface, facilitating candidate scouting, effortless onboarding, balanced scheduling, employee development, payment management, and benefits administration.
It also improves the self-serve experience with an easy-to-use custom employee portal. This portal helps employees manage routine tasks on their own, saving HR teams a lot of time.
Dayforce HCM’s best features
- Improve payroll operations across 200+ countries and territories, simplifying processes
- Apply AI for informed hiring choices, workflow optimization, and effective talent retention
- Embed privacy controls for data security, prioritizing safety at every level
Dayforce HCM limitations
- Large, unreadable reports may be generated
- The self-service employee portal has been reported to be outdated
Dayforce HCM pricing
- Custom pricing
Dayforce HCM ratings & reviews
- G2: 4.2/5 (750+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.3/5 (950+ reviews)
5. Deel—Best for global payroll and compliance
Managing payroll and compliance across different countries can be tough as we continue to work remotely. Deel makes this process easier so that you can focus on your core business activities without worrying about the complexities of international HR management.
The platform provides multi-currency support and global payroll management in 150+ countries without the need to get through each country’s intricate payroll regulations individually. Deel also lets you create contracts for all your remote workers, whether they’re full-time employees, contractors, or freelancers.
With built-in customizable templates, you can be sure all your contracts follow the local laws wherever your employees are.
Deel best features
- Provide 24/7 customer support for global operations
- Automate invoicing and withdrawals
- Get real-time visibility into workforce data, including headcount, payroll, and other key metrics
Deel limitations
- Access to some features in Europe is limited
Deel pricing
- Deel HR: Free
- Deel Engage: $20/employee per month
- Deel US Payroll: $19/employee per month
- Deel Payroll: $29/employee per month
- Deel US PEO: $79/employee per month
- Deel Contractor management: $49/month
- Deel EOR: $599/month
Deel ratings & reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (3,500+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (950+ reviews)
6. Axero Copilot—Best for improving employee productivity
Axero Copilot is an advanced AI-powered knowledge management tool that transforms how teams collaborate and access information. Its Intelligent Search gets you results quickly by understanding the context of queries. The Content Recommendation Engine recommends relevant articles and documents, improving productivity by giving you timely insights.
The Automated Content Curation feature keeps your knowledge base organized and up-to-date. Its User Analytics feature gives insights into content usage. This helps you identify gaps and improve information sharing.
Axero Copilot’s best features
- Create digital workspaces for each department to help keep the intranet organized
- Use collaboration tools to network internally, share job opportunities, and manage top talent
- Track mandatory training, policies, or other important materials with the Required Reading feature
Axero Copilot limitations
- Limited customization options for specific business needs
Axero Copilot pricing
- 30-day free trial
- Cloud Standard: Custom pricing
- Cloud Premium: Custom pricing
- Cloud Enterprise: Custom pricing
- On-prem: Custom pricing
Axero Copilot ratings & reviews
- G2: Not enough reviews
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
7. Zenefits—Best for all-in-one HR solutions
You can simplify processes for both HR teams and employees with Zenefits. For instance, it automates the onboarding processes, including background checks, offer letters, and self-onboarding.
The built-in scheduling tool effortlessly automates payroll syncing, provides real-time monitoring, and offers convenient check-in/check-out systems for teams.
Zenefits supports integrations with various platforms, including Google Workspace and Slack, and 401k providers for benefit management.
Zenefits best features
- Get access to a built-in compliance calendar and avoid errors
- Configure predictive analytics for customized insights
- Generate custom salary benchmark reports
- Use the Visual Analytics feature to get insights into workforce trends without managing multiple datasets
Zenefits limitations
- Users experience numerous reported bugs
- Lacks retirement integrative capabilities
Zenefits pricing
- Essentials: $10/month per employee
- Growth: $20/month per employee
- Zen: $33/month per employee
Zenefits ratings & reviews
- G2: 3.9/5 (450+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.2/5 (800+ reviews)
8. Softr—Best for creating custom internal tools without code
Softr is customizable employee portal software perfect for small businesses and agencies. It easily transforms existing employee data from spreadsheets or databases into a fully functional application.
This helps keep your current tech stack bloat-free and saves unnecessary expenditures. With Softr’s drag-and-drop no-code builder and over 100 pre-made widgets, you can create personalized applications tailored specifically for your company’s employees.
If you need functionalities like employee onboarding, an employee directory, intranet, wiki, or benefits management, Softr allows you to build a user-friendly portal easily. You can centralize all employee resources, directories, and calendars into a single app that matches your business needs.
Softr best features
- Use templates and logic builders for rapid application development
- Integrate it with existing tools and databases, such as Google Sheets, HubSpot, and SmartSuite, for building apps suited to your workflows
- Collaborate on building applications and add custom CSS and JavaScript code for added functionality
Softr limitations
- Not a perfect replacement for fully custom-coded solutions
Softr pricing
- Free
- Basic: $59 /month
- Professional: $167/month
- Business: $323 /month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Softr ratings & reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (350+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (60+ reviews)
9. Staffbase—Best for fostering employee engagement
Manage HR tasks and create a communication platform for employees with Staffbase. It’s easy to use and has many features to keep everyone informed and connected.
Staffbase stands out by centralizing peer-to-peer communication across multiple channels. This makes it easy to announce important information and engage employees in real-time discussions.
You can also use Staffbase to create dedicated channels for different teams and departments, which helps simplify communication and break down information barriers within the organization. Features such as push notifications, employee surveys, and targeted content delivery let you personalize communication and engage employees effectively.
Staffbase best features
- Facilitate simple collaboration and get easy access to the latest versions of company documents
- Create professional and engaging content in employee communication software
- Get access to back-office data to improve decision-making for internal communication strategies
Staffbase limitations
- Requires significant IT effort, especially during the initial setup
- Employees will need training to start using the tool
Staffbase pricing
- Starter: Custom pricing
- Business: Custom pricing
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Staffbase ratings & reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (70+ reviews)
10. PeopleOne—Best for integrating employee collaboration
PeopleOne is a modern intranet solution that brings your workplace culture to life. Built on Microsoft SharePoint, it’s made for HR and internal communication teams across various industries, such as Manufacturing, Logistics, Construction, Healthcare, Finance, and Professional Services.
It’s an excellent tool for HR teams who want to improve the employee experience and support remote work initiatives.
PeopleOne’s self-serve portal makes it seamless to access important HR documents on desktop and mobile platforms.
PeopleOne best features
- Conduct employee pulse surveys, host polls, and manage rewards programs
- Use the Blog feature to keep employees informed and help them brush up on relevant articles
PeopleOne limitations
- Lacks HR administrative capabilities such as payroll, expense management, and leave requests
- Advanced reporting and analytics features may be less extensive than specialized HR software solutions
PeopleOne pricing
- Essential: Custom pricing
- Standard: Custom pricing
- Pro: Custom pricing
PeopleOne ratings & reviews
- G2: Not enough reviews
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
Summarize this article for me pleaseIncrease Workforce Efficiency with Employee Portal Software
When choosing among employee portals, the key is to pick one that works well with your business’s essential functions, processes, and tools. Even with the productivity boost a great tool can provide, you won’t see a return on investment if it’s implemented poorly or the employees don’t want to use it because it’s too complex.
Look for a solution that takes care of your major HR and operations challenges instead of a feature-heavy platform that might not meet your needs. An adaptable tool will help you introduce new processes without interfering with productivity while also providing the flexibility to grow your capabilities in the future.
For example, ClickUp offers an ideal balance of functionality and adaptability. It helps solve operational bottlenecks and enhances productivity by improving visibility and cross-functional collaboration.
The People Piece, an organizational development consulting firm, experienced this firsthand.
Before ClickUp, they struggled with siloed work across various tools such as Word docs, spreadsheets, and Slack, which led to frustrations and mistakes. By adopting ClickUp as a central platform, People Piece was able to ensure that all work was captured in a central location and organized by initiatives and projects. This helped them track each task better and avoid missing steps, bringing more visibility across the organization.
They were able to create detailed project and list structures to manage large-scale procedures like recruiting and onboarding. This ensured every action item had a concrete place in their workflow.
ClickUp makes the life of a human resources manager simpler with its extensive set of employee management capabilities.
Sign up for a free ClickUp account and discover it for yourself.
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