Most organizations would agree that effectively managing remote teams requires robust HR technology.
By evaluating key criteria like communication features, analytics, and integration, you can determine if a remote HR platform truly empowers distributed workforces.
In this post, we'll explore the comprehensive capabilities to look for when assessing solutions, compare top vendors, and outline best practices for successful implementation.
Introduction to Evaluating Remote HR Software
Remote work has become increasingly popular, with more organizations adopting flexible and remote work policies. As a result, there is a growing need for human resource (HR) software tailored specifically for managing remote teams and facilitating remote work.
Understanding Remote HR Software
Remote HR software refers to human resource information systems (HRIS) and other tools designed for managing remote employees and distributed teams. This type of software aims to provide the following key capabilities:
- Centralize HR data and processes to enable managing a remote workforce from a single platform
- Streamline recruitment, onboarding, payroll, and benefits management for remote employees
- Facilitate communication, collaboration, and company culture across distributed teams
- Provide performance management, learning, and other HR functionality tailored for remote work
By implementing purpose-built remote HR software, organizations can effectively oversee all HR operations for both remote and onsite employees from an integrated system.
Advantages of Implementing Remote HR Software
There are several key benefits that remote HR software offers, including:
- Increased efficiency - Automates manual tasks, consolidates systems, provides self-service options to remove HR bottlenecks when managing remote staff.
- Enhanced visibility - Provides centralized data and analytics into the remote workforce for better decision making.
- Improved communication - Facilitates team collaboration, knowledge sharing, and social interaction across distributed teams.
- Tailored remote functionality - Offers dedicated tools for remote recruiting, onboarding, performance management, and other HR processes.
- Consistent employee experience - Enables administering streamlined HR services and company culture across both remote and onsite staff.
By leveraging these advantages, HR departments can effectively adapt their practices to support remote work long-term. Evaluating remote HR systems against organizational needs is key for implementation success.
What is remote HR?
Remote human resources (HR) refers to managing and supporting employees who work remotely or from home. As more companies adopt remote and hybrid work policies, HR teams need solutions to help them oversee distributed workforces effectively.
Some key aspects of remote HR include:
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Recruiting and hiring remote talent: Finding and onboarding employees virtually instead of face-to-face. This requires using video interviews, pre-employment tests, and digital paperwork.
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Managing remote teams: Tracking productivity, enabling collaboration, promoting engagement and company culture across distributed teams.
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Payroll and benefits administration: Processing payroll, managing time off, administering benefits, and ensuring tax and labor compliance for remote employees.
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Performance management: Setting goals, providing feedback, conducting reviews, and rewarding remote employees to boost productivity.
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Regulatory compliance: Following regulations around remote work like labor laws, data privacy rules, remote work policies, etc.
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Communication and culture: Facilitating open communication between leadership, HR, managers, and remote staff to maintain corporate culture.
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Technology implementation: Selecting, implementing, and supporting HR tech tools for the unique needs of managing remote employees at scale.
The right remote HR software can help organizations handle these responsibilities seamlessly while saving money and improving efficiency.
Is Remote co a legit site?
Yes, Remote.co is a legitimate remote job board for finding and posting remote and online jobs.
Founded in 2014, Remote.co has established itself as one of the most popular job boards focused exclusively on remote work opportunities. Some key points about the legitimacy of Remote.co:
- Verified by major business review sites like Trustpilot
- Strong traffic with over 850,000 monthly visitors
- Thousands of remote jobs posted from reputable companies
- Detailed screening process for employers posting jobs
- Free for job seekers to search postings and apply
So in summary, Remote.co is a trusted site in the remote work space. Job seekers can use it with confidence to find authentic full-time, part-time and freelance remote job openings from legitimate employers. The site has robust processes in place to vet companies before allowing them to post job ads.
What is remote com?
Remote is a HR software platform designed specifically for managing remote teams and distributed workforces. It provides capabilities for remote hiring, onboarding, payroll, benefits, compliance, and more to support the unique needs of companies with employees working from different locations.
Some key features of Remote's remote HR software include:
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Global Payroll - Pay workers in over 120 countries while handling local taxes, benefits, and compliance requirements. This removes the headache of setting up entities abroad.
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Contractor Management - Onboard contractors quickly, pay them automatically, and track time worked across projects. This brings structure to working with freelancers.
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Benefits - Offer health insurance, retirement accounts, equity incentives and other benefits tailored for remote jobs and applicants. This helps attract and retain top talent anywhere.
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Applicant Tracking - Use customized career sites and built-in sourcing tools to find and screen remote candidates. This simplifies recruiting for remote roles.
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HR Services - Get HR support and best practices for managing remote teams. This includes guidance around culture building, performance management policies, asynchronous communication, and more.
In summary, Remote provides an all-in-one platform with the core HR tools and services needed to build and manage productive remote teams at scale. For rapidly growing companies struggling to adapt traditional HR practices to distributed workforces, Remote's specialized solution streamlines processes and enables efficient remote work integration.
What does Remote Technology Inc do?
Remote Technology, Inc., also known as Remote or Remote.com, aims to empower companies to efficiently manage global workforces. Their solutions enable organizations to:
- Onboard, pay, and provide benefits for international employees and contractors
- Comply with local laws and regulations when hiring remote staff
- Build cohesive remote teams across borders through collaboration tools
- Optimize productivity for distributed workforces
Specifically, Remote's offerings include:
- Global Employer of Record: They hire international workers on your behalf, handling payroll, taxes, and benefits in compliance with local laws.
- Contractor Management: They onboard and pay international contractors while ensuring regulatory compliance.
- Payroll Solutions: They calculate, file, and pay payroll in multiple currencies across 180+ countries.
- HR Services: They provide tailored HR consulting and support for remote hiring and management.
In summary, Remote Technology seeks to provide the infrastructure and services to help companies navigate the complexities of managing global remote teams. Their solutions aim to create a seamless payroll, compliance, and collaboration experience when hiring internationally.
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Comprehensive Features of the Best Remote HR Software
Remote work is becoming increasingly common, and having the right HR software is critical for managing a productive and engaged distributed workforce. As companies evaluate options, there are several key features to consider that set the top platforms apart.
Essential HR Capabilities for Remote Work
The foundation of any strong remote HR software is delivering core HR functionality tailored for distributed teams, including:
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Maintaining accurate employee records virtually: Storing information like contact details, payroll info, time-off balances, etc. in a secure cloud database accessible from anywhere.
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Managing payroll: Built-in or integrated with payroll software to handle remote worker pay, tax calculations, direct deposits, and year-end tax documents.
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Tracking time and attendance: Tools for distributed staff to log hours worked, take time off, request schedule changes. Provides visibility into productivity.
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Performance management: Set goals, provide feedback, conduct reviews and boost productivity for remote staff through online tools.
Recruiting and Hiring Remote Staff Efficiently
Specialized features to source, screen, interview, hire and onboard new remote team members globally:
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Applicant tracking: Manage job postings and efficiently track applicants end-to-end.
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Pre-screening and video interviews: Schedule and conduct remote interviews, screen candidates online.
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Customizable onboarding checklist: Get new hires up to speed with training, documentation, and introductions to the company and team.
Facilitating Asynchronous and Synchronous Communication
With teams spread across time zones, leading options provide:
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Team messaging: Instant messaging, group chat channels, and threaded conversations to enable real-time collaboration.
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Document sharing: Cloud storage to distribute files, SOPs, handbooks and facilitate asynchronous work.
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Video conferencing: Face to face virtual meetings, screen sharing sessions, town halls and events to build connections.
Performance Management for a Productive Virtual Workspace
Finally, some platforms offer additional features to motivate and develop talent, like:
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Goal setting: Align individual objectives to company goals and track progress.
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360° feedback: Collect anonymous peer feedback to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
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Learning management: Assign online training courses and track completion to develop skills.
When evaluating remote HR systems, prioritizing these comprehensive capabilities will ensure your platform can support a thriving distributed workforce now and as your company scales.
Remote HR Software Comparisons and Reviews
Analyzing Top Remote HR Software Solutions
The top remote HR software solutions on the market include Gusto, BambooHR, Zenefits, Rippling, and Paycor. These platforms offer core HR capabilities like payroll, benefits administration, employee data management, and more tailored specifically for remote and hybrid workforces.
Key strengths of leading solutions:
- Gusto: Excellent payroll and compliance features, contractor payments, intuitive UI
- BambooHR: Robust employee data management, custom reporting, applicant tracking
- Zenefits: Streamlined onboarding, built-in time tracking, ATS integrations
- Rippling: IT provisioning and management, unified platform, strong security
- Paycor: Configurable dashboards, real-time analytics, strong mobile experience
Most offer employee self-service portals, custom workflows, HR analytics, and integration capabilities as well. Pricing varies based on company size and features needed.
Feature Set Face-Off: Remote HR Software Reviews
When comparing feature sets of top remote HR software options:
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Core HR: Gusto, BambooHR, and Paycor lead with extensive core HR capabilities like payroll, compliance, reporting, and data management.
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Recruiting: Zenefits, BambooHR, and Rippling have strong built-in or integrated applicant tracking systems for streamlined recruiting.
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Communication: Gusto, Rippling, and Zenefits focus heavily on employee engagement including collaboration tools, surveys, and remote onboarding.
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Analytics: Paycor and BambooHR enable robust reporting and analytics for data-driven decision making.
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IT Management: Rippling stands out with its integrated IT management including device provisioning, SSO, directory management, and more.
So depending on where companies want to focus in supporting their remote workforce, they can select the platform aligning closest with their priorities.
Understanding Pricing Models of Remote HR Platforms
Pricing structures for remote HR systems include:
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Per employee per month: Typically $5-$15 per employee monthly for core HR features. Scales up with company growth.
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Tiered pricing by company size: Set monthly fees based on predefined employee count tiers like 0-50, 51-200, 201-500 workers, etc.
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A la carte model: Pay only for specific modules needed rather than entire platform. Allows customization of costs.
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Enterprise pricing: Custom quotes for large enterprises with 500+ employees. Includes premium support and configuration.
Companies should factor in any additional costs for extras like contractors, dependents, integrations, premium support, or advanced features as well. Defining core requirements first allows properly budgeting for the best remote HR software match.
Exploring Remote HR Software Alternatives
Beyond the highest rated mainstream solutions, alternatives worth considering include:
- Deel for fast contractor onboarding and global hiring capabilities.
- Hibob for enhanced employee experience including recognition and events.
- Fountain for high-volume hourly hiring at scale.
- Culture Amp for advanced employee feedback and engagement surveying.
These may better address specific remote HR needs around hiring, engagement, and productivity depending on organizational priorities and existing tech stack.
Best Practices for Remote HR Software Integration
Strategic Planning for Remote HR Software Implementation
Implementing new remote HR software requires careful planning and alignment on business objectives. Before selecting a platform, organizations should:
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Identify current pain points and workflow inefficiencies in managing remote employees. Common issues include poor communication, lack of collaboration tools, and difficulty tracking employee productivity.
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Define must-have capabilities based on remote work priorities. This may include asynchronous communication, document sharing, task management, and remote payroll.
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Set clear goals and success metrics for the project, such as increasing productivity by 15% or improving new hire onboarding time.
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Get executive buy-in and budget approval before moving forward.
Training and Empowering Users for Remote Work Integration
Properly training employees and providing ongoing support increases adoption of new remote HR systems. Best practices include:
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Offer both live and self-paced training resources to accommodate different learning styles.
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Incentivize participation by making training mandatory or through gamification.
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Provide quick start guides, cheat sheets, and video tutorials as easy references.
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Have a dedicated help desk for answering employee questions in real-time via chat or phone.
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Conduct surveys to identify areas for improvement or features requests after launch.
Secure Data Migration Strategies
When transitioning existing HR data into a new remote system, key steps include:
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Backing up the legacy databases and validating the data before migration.
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Using specialized ETL (extract, transform, load) software to securely transfer employee information.
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Testing migrated data in a sandbox environment before going live.
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Having rollback protocols in place in case issues emerge post-launch.
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Confirming all historical data successfully transferred and employees can access correct information.
Enhancing Remote HR Software for Continuous Improvement
To optimize a remote HR platform over time, organizations can:
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Solicit regular end user feedback through surveys and monitor usage analytics to identity areas for improvement.
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Work with vendors to implement new features and capabilities as remote work evolves.
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Integrate complementary software tools for enhanced functionality through APIs.
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Frequently re-evaluate security protocols and disaster recovery systems.
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Conduct annual audits to measure ROI and benchmark against progress on defined objectives.
Special Considerations for Managing Remote Teams
Managing remote teams comes with unique challenges that require tailored solutions. HR software can provide critical support in addressing many of these issues.
Building Trust and Company Culture Remotely
- Foster open communication through tools like Slack and Zoom to enable transparency and relationship building.
- Use pulse surveys to regularly check in on remote employee sentiment.
- Create opportunities for social interaction through remote team building activities.
- Set clear guidelines around responsiveness and availability expectations.
Remote Contractor Management and Compliance
- Leverage contractor management software to handle onboarding, payments, and compliance.
- Review tax and legal obligations when hiring remote contractors globally.
- Implement processes to validate contractor eligibility and prevent misclassification.
- Standardize contractor agreements to ensure IP protection and legal coverage.
Leveraging Remote Employer of Record Services
- Employer of Record (EOR) services enable legal hiring of remote staff worldwide.
- EORs manage in-country payroll, benefits, and compliance on the company's behalf.
- This simplifies remote team management across different countries and legal jurisdictions.
- Key is choosing an EOR with global reach and expertise in HR legalities.
In summary, specialized HR software and services enable organizations to tap global talent while efficiently managing remote teams across geographic boundaries.
The Future of Remote HR Technology
Emerging Trends in AI and People Analytics
Artificial intelligence and advanced people analytics are becoming increasingly adopted in remote HR software to enable data-driven talent decisions. Key capabilities include:
- Predictive analytics to forecast employee retention risks, hiring outcomes, and other talent metrics
- Sentiment analysis to gauge employee satisfaction and engagement from internal communications
- Automated profiling and matching of candidates to open positions based on skills, experience, and cultural fit
As remote work becomes more prevalent, these AI-powered tools provide valuable insights that human resources teams can leverage to make strategic decisions on a distributed workforce.
The Role of HR Apps and Chatbots in Remote Work
HR mobile apps and conversational chatbots are playing a growing role in improving communication, productivity, and experience for remote employees. Key features include:
- Instant messaging with HR chatbots to get quick answers to common questions on policies, benefits, time-off requests, and more
- In-app functionality for collaboration, document sharing, surveys, virtual events, and manager-employee feedback
- Consumer-grade user experience that mimics popular messaging and social media apps employees already use
These tools are essential for replicating hallway conversations and facilitating seamless HR support across distributed teams.
The Integration Ecosystem and the Future of HR Tech
Application programming interfaces (APIs) have enabled connections across the HR tech ecosystem, paving the way for integrated platforms. Key implications include:
- Data sharing between point solutions for core HR, payroll, talent management, and workforce management
- Unified analytics, reporting, and compliance across HR tools
- Potential consolidation as vendors expand offerings through acquisitions and partnerships
As remote work becomes standardized, businesses will demand a streamlined HR technology stack that interoperates smoothly. This trend towards ecosystem integration promises improved efficiency and a more unified employee experience.
