The 16 Best HR Apps for Increased Efficiency

You’ve heard it before: work smarter, not harder. Because human resource professionals are constantly being asked to do more and become more strategic, it’s crucial to find ways to be more efficient. Luckily, there are hundreds of HR apps and HR mobile apps popping up to help them out. Since having so many options can feel intimidating, we’ve compiled a list of our favorites for you to check out:  

Glassdoor

Claiming and managing your organization’s Glassdoor profile is a simple way to begin to manage your employer brand. Adding a few pictures and workplace details won’t take much time but can have a big impact on candidates looking for information about working for you. You may even find ways to improve your employee and candidate experience if there are already reviews posted.

Boomr

Boomr can help you and employees keep track of hours worked. Employees can use Boomr’s app on their smartphone, tablet or PC. Better yet, Boomr is integrated with BambooHR, so hours worked are sent and synced automatically with time-off accrual settings which can then be sent directly to payroll. How slick is that?

LastPass

That sticky note at the bottom of your desk drawer with 10 different logins scribbled on it? You can throw it in the trash. (Maybe shred it first…) LastPass can store all your passwords safely. All you have to do is remember one master password. We love using LastPass to safely and discreetly share passwords with other coworkers who may need access to shared accounts.

BambooHR

We don’t usually pat ourselves on the back, but if we’re good enough to be PCMag’s editors’ choice, we must be doing something right. Our employees and almost one million other employees at thousands of organizations all over the world use our HR app. Some of our favorite features include the ability to look up any coworker’s phone number, view who is out of the office, and request time off from anywhere. It’s convenient, easy to use, and beautifully designed.

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Northpass

Looking for a better way to train employees? Northpass can help. It’s super easy to use, so you don’t need any e-learning experience to set up training for your employees. Northpass  lets you get employees up to speed on anything from company policies to job-specific trainings.

Trello

At some point, your paper to-do list just won’t cut it anymore. Especially if you need to coordinate tasks with coworkers. Trello can help you create organized to-do lists and tasks that you can share with other employees. Plus, their customizable backgrounds make lists fun and gorgeous.

Workable

If you are planning on doing more hiring this year, you likely need better software solutions to help you advertise jobs, track applicants, organize interviewer notes, and report on hiring data. Workable’s in-depth applicant tracking system can do it all. Plus, they have a beautiful, clean interface and they integrate with BambooHR!

LinkedIn

Of course. Our recruiters are on their LinkedIn mobile apps almost constantly. It’s a great way to communicate with potential employees quickly, but LinkedIn also helps our HR team stay up-to-date on best practices by joining groups and reading tailored news. Some of our favorite LinkedIn HR groups include:

– Linked:HR

– HR Professionals powered by HRCI and HRPA

– SHRM (Society for Human Resources Management) Official Group

Twitter

Twitter isn’t just for following the news (or comedians, celebrities, and politicians, if that’s what you’re into). It’s a great way for HR leaders to gain insight quickly from HR thought leaders. Whether you’re just tuning in for their 280-character quips or looking for recommendations on relevant articles and resources, you’ll find it all on Twitter. Some of our HR team’s favorite tweeting thought leaders are:

– Rusty Lindquist: @RustyLindquist

– Josh Bersin: @Josh_Bersin

– Meghan Biro: @MeghanMBiro

Expensify

We promise you won’t miss the stack of receipts piling up on your desk. Expensify makes it easy for employees to submit receipts using their mobile phones and also saves you time scanning, tracking, and organizing. Not to mention, Expensify has absolutely gorgeous reporting tools.

Calendly

Do you love the long email exchanges required to nail down meeting times? If so, don’t check out Calendly. It makes scheduling much simpler. All you have to do is let Calendly know when you’re available for meetings, share your link with the person you’re trying to meet with, and let them pick a time to meet. Using their integrations, your appointments can sync with the digital calendar you already use. Easy peasy!

Google Drive

Documents, presentations, and spreadsheets are easy to share and update using Google Drive. Plus, it’s free! Most of us here at Bamboo use Google Drive exclusively. Version control is one of our favorite advantages; because projects are shareable and sync across devices in real time, there aren’t multiple versions to track. We also love being able to access our files anywhere we go.

Google Hangouts

If you’re not careful, this app can actually reduce efficiency (sending GIFs to coworkers can be a lot of fun). However, the ability to communicate quickly with anyone in your organization using chat or video calls can be extremely helpful and ensure that coworkers in different locations stay connected. Plus, the mobile app and smartwatch app make it easy to stay in-the-know while on-the-go.

Slack

Slack is an incredible tool for those who want chat capability with a little more organizational punch. Groups are created for different projects, teams, and departments to help keep discussions neat and relevant. Plus, with their many integrations with project and document management softwares, you can include data, reports and more in your chat stream.

GoodHire

Running background checks can feel intimidating. GoodHire makes it quick, simple, and efficient for you and your candidates. They handle all the compliance, so you don’t have to worry about changing laws. Plus, they integrate with BambooHR to make ordering and tracking background checks even easier.

Grammarly

You won’t have to stress about sending an email with the wrong “to/too/two” or a stray comma ever again. Grammarly’s app and browser plugin help you avoid embarrassing grammar, punctuation, and spelling blunders. It’s quick to install and there’s a free version, as well as a more in-depth paid version.

Whether you’re looking for a better way to manage all your HR data or simply a better way to schedule meetings, there’s an HR app that can help. No matter which inefficiency you decide to tackle, you’ll be on your way to making time for better, more strategic HR work. And we think that’s a worthy cause. Best of luck!

Let us know in the comments below which HR apps you use to be more productive!