Remote work doesn’t have to mean you lose oversight.

The way we work is changing. Rolling COVID lockdowns increased fuel prices, and political unrest has made remote work not only an option but a necessity. More companies are embracing work-from-home strategies. Done well, they can save you money while providing workers more flexibility. What’s more, you don’t need to sacrifice oversight. Supervise, motivate, and refocus workers with our top HR software for remote teams.

Best HR Software for Remote Teams

  1. Monitask – Our Top Recommendation
  2. Bamboo HR – Our Runner Up
  3. Factorial – Best for Small Businesses
  4. Leaveboard – Best for Small Budgets
  5. Asana – Best for Enterprise
  6. Attendance Bot – Best for Clock-In
  7. Oyster – Best for International Hires
  8. ActivTrak – Best for Productivity and Efficiency
  9. Controlio – Best Monitoring Solution

1. Monitask – Our Top Recommendation

PRICING: From $5 per user monthly

In 2016, Thomas Simon launched Monitask. His intention was to promote and enable working from home. Monitask is based in the United States and caters mostly to North American clients. Unlike most other HR software brands, Monitask is focused exclusively on remote work.

KEY FEATURES:

  • A screenshot tool that provides proof employees are focused on the job, not personal matters or play.
  • Remote computer monitoring.
  • Attendance and clock-in features make sure workers “come in” and do the job.

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Monitask is very reasonably priced. Although cheaper than many competitors, it provides similar features.
  • You can see what workers are doing by monitoring their screens.

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Some employees find Monitask’s screen monitoring overly invasive. It may not work for all company cultures.
  • Monitask doesn’t deliver some of the other HR features some businesses find essential. You might need to purchase multiple software options.

2. Bamboo HR – Our Runner Up

PRICING: Starting from $99/month. Prices vary based on the number of employees.

Ryan Sanders and Ben Peterson founded Bamboo HR in 2008. The company dedicates itself to resolving a variety of HR problems. Bamboo HR delivers great performance in many essential areas. They also have the features to keep managers informed while workers are home or on a job site. The company is currently based in Utah, USA.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Performance appraisal software keeps you updated. Evaluate employees frequently rather than waiting for annual reviews. There are options for weekly, 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day reviews.
  • Automated reminders for important dates and meetings.
  • The feedback feature lets management provide feedback during and right after projects. Employees get to hear they’re on the right track.
  • Time-management with tracking and time off.

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Bamboo HR has a strong reputation among employees. Its performance appraisal options regularly check in with workers. Limited scope questions engage employees. Bamboo HR lets you address concerns before they fester. Employees feel they are being seen and listened to.
  • Bamboo HR increases workflow and productivity. Each employee can be assigned a unique goal.

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Bamboo doesn’t offer clock-in or attendance features. Instead, the software evaluates performance and reports project step completion. This might not work for hourly employees.
  • The company primarily serves North American clients. Businesses outside this region may be underserved or not get the support requested.

3. Factorial – Best for Small Businesses

PRICING: From $60/month.

Bernat Farrero, Jordi Romero, and Pau Ramon founded Factorial in 2016. The company headquarters are in Barcelona, Spain. Factorial serves small and mid-sized businesses. The brand focuses mainly on human resources and job performance issues. Clients work in over 60 countries, mainly in Europe.

KEY FEATURES:

  • The documents manager keeps all paperwork accessible online to be shared with teams and individual employees. Contracts, client messages, and feedback can be stored.
  • Organizational charts showing hierarchies, teams, and project steps.
  • Mobile app for clocking in and out. Employees receive a notice and stay in communication.

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Factorial guarantees workers are paying attention when they’re on the clock. The digital signature feature requires employees to periodically sign. You know when workers are struggling to stay on-task.
  • The employee portal allows workers to update one another, share ideas, and make suggestions. Just because you’re out of the office doesn’t mean workplace socialising can’t take place.

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Most Factorial clients are SMBs. The software might not meet the needs of a larger company.
  • Some competitors offer cheaper rates.

4. Leaveboard – Best for Small Budgets

PRICING: Leaveboard starts at $2/employee each month. There is a free option available.

Cornel Cristian founded Leaveboard in 2017. The company is based in Romania. It primarily serves Eastern European small and independent businesses. Leaveboard is meant to integrate with Slack and other collaboration tools.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Work from home calendars and reports allow HR to supervise what workers are doing minute-by-minute.
  • Employees can check their time off, holiday requests, and more.

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Leaveboard allows you to easily assign individuals to teams. You can quickly reassign employees based on skills, interests, and performance.
  • The company promises real returns in increased productivity, employee morale, and ease of communication.

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Leaveboard is cloud-based. There is nothing to download. Some companies prefer to download software onto their machines. If servers or the internet goes down, there is no access.
  • As a very low-cost option, Leaveboard may not have the tools and extras you need.

5. Asana – Best for Enterprise

PRICING: Per user, Asana starts at $30/month.

Asana launched in 2008. Since then, it’s grown into an award-winning brand. Its headquarters are located in San Francisco, California. Asana was founded by Dustin Moskovitz and Justin Rosenstein. The company delivers a full range of highly-effective HR software. The brand’s clients can be located all over the world.

KEY FEATURES:

  • A workload overview allows management to see who may be busy and who has free time.
  • Project dashboards show the team each step to completing their goal. Employees can input ideas or make requests.

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Asana allows you to assign unique goals to each team or individual employee. While some may focus on sales or production, others can work on group cohesion, completing training steps, or reducing waste.
  • Apps are available that allow remote workers to keep in touch with managers and team members.

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Asana isn’t the easiest option to learn. Competitors offer more intuitive dashboards or fewer features. Less technically literate users may get frustrated.
  • The company is targeted toward mid-sized and larger businesses. Small businesses may get priced out. Others find they don’t need all the features.

6. Attendance Bot – Best for Clock-In

PRICING: from $4/user each month.

Ronak Bansal, Ujjwal Grover, and Subodh Malgonde created Attendance Bot. The Slack plugin launched in 2016. The company is headquartered in India. Attendance Bot works to monitor time and attendance features. It gives remote workers a way to stay on-task and create business hours at home.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Interactive time tracking.
  • Automated reminders let staff know when to punch in and out.
  • Timesheets and reports are automatically generated.

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Attendance Bot does more than tell you someone’s clocked in. It lets you know what projects and work they are focused on. You’ll see when they’re taking breaks and how they’re using their time.
  • Set shifts and schedules so employees work when you need them to.

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Attendance Bot is a clock-in and timed reminder app. It doesn’t have the full suite of HR features competitors offer.
  • Attendance Bot is meant to integrate with Slack. If your business doesn’t use Slack, you won’t get the full performance.

7. Oyster – Best for International Hires

PRICING: From $399/employee per month.

Unlike some smaller alternatives, Oyster boasts an international reach. The company serves clients across the world in over 150 countries. Oyster offers support to businesses expanding across the globe. Hire new workers and keep tabs on your team. Oyster was founded in 2019. The company has no localized HQ, instead hiring remote employees in many regions.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Simplified remote hiring that allows you to search for staff across most nations worldwide. Screen and place candidates into teams for projects with ease.
  • Multi-country payroll system.

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Oyster allows your business to manage employees in different countries and regions. The payroll system automatically calculates wages and taxes. Easily pay staff in multiple regions without guesswork.
  • The benefits manager keeps track of local laws in different regions. Comply with national laws wherever employees are based.

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Oyster doesn’t focus on many of the concepts important to HR managers. The software is a great solution for hiring and overseeing workers abroad. However, it doesn’t provide options for team collaboration or communication.
  • Oyster is significantly more expensive than alternatives.

8. ActivTrak – Best for Productivity and Efficiency

PRICING: From $9/month for each employee.

ActivTrak is dedicated to ensuring remote employees remain focused during the workday. The SaaS company was founded by Herb Axelrod and Anton Seidler. It launched in 2009. ActivTrak is headquartered in Austin, Texas. It serves primarily smaller businesses.

KEY FEATURES:

  • The activity awareness feature monitors passive and active employees through device usage and time spent on projects.
  • Keyboard and mouse click monitor checks that employees are engaged in work during logged hours.
  • USB and internet connection monitor tells you where employees have been and what they are doing.

REASONS TO BUY:

  • ActivTrak does more than determine whether your employee is online. It actually monitors keyboard usage and mouse clicks. This way, you know workers are awake and involved in projects.
  • The software will also report which sites the worker accessed and for how long. This alerts you to potential problems you can address early on. You can easily use this knowledge to change assignments and move people to other departments.

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Some users find ActivTrak too invasive. Employees may feel they’re being spied on, especially if it is installed on home devices. ActivTrak can’t tell whether someone is taking a break or engaged in offline work, such as a phone call or meeting.
  • ActivTrak doesn’t offer the communication or collaboration resources some alternatives come with.

9. Controlio – Best Monitoring Solution

PRICING: Cloud from $80/user annually. For on-premises solutions, please contact Controlio directly.

Controlio is designed to carefully monitor employee activity. It is ideal for remote work situations. The company is an offshoot of Efficient Lab, which was originally launched in 2004. Aybars Asci is the founder and current CEO of Efficient Lab. Controlio came out in 2017. The company is based in New York City. The company serves

KEY FEATURES:

  • The activity tracker actively monitors what employees are doing.
  • Screen recording and keylogging software.
  • Cloud-based monitoring for remote workers or on-site options for workers coming into the office.

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Controlio allows you to actually see what your employees are working on. Screenshots and video shows you precisely what workers are spending time on. You can be confident employees are working during paid time.
  • Managers can set individual alerts on activity and apply them to specific employees. For instance, you can flag social media sites so you know if employees are going off-task during the workday. The software will take screenshots when behavior violates rules.

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Some companies find Controlio too invasive. It may not be a fit with all business cultures.
  • Controlio doesn’t come with some other essential HR features such as payroll. It cannot be used as a standalone product for all HR needs. Some companies may prefer an alternative.

FAQ

Why should I consider a remote work strategy? COVID lockdowns have ended in my area.

A. Many businesses faced a tough choice in 2020. Strict lockdowns prevented millions of workers from coming into the office. For many companies, this was an unprecedented obstacle. Remote work was seen as a short-term method for coping with closures. The alternative was to shutter offices and close businesses. However, since that time we’ve all learned more about the benefits of working from home. Most employees love it. They save time and money by avoiding the commute. They’re better able to manage home and family needs. Many workers report decreased stress and more attention to detail. In fact, most businesses with remote workers have seen productivity increase. Remote work isn’t seen as a temporary aberration anymore. Instead, it’s becoming a way of life for many people. Some unions and employee groups are advocating for remote work to become permanent, or at least an option. Even if you plan to bring everyone back into the workplace, having remote work options is wise. Freelancers and contractors can be managed in this way. So can employees who feel unwell or are struggling with disabilities. Some workers, including new parents, will want to take advantage of flex time and work from home at least part of the week. Your company will want to prepare for remote work now and in the future.

Why do I need this sort of software?

A. Sending employees home shouldn’t mean productivity suffers. HR software for remote teams allows you to actively monitor and engage workers, just like you would on-site. Unfortunately, not all employees remain dedicated without supervision. Features like remote clock-in and real-time monitoring let you check they’re really on task. This software also lets you maintain communication. Teams can collaborate. Workers can confer with management. This creates a more seamless transition to and from work-from-home. It maximizes your company’s earnings and keeps employees motivated.