ADP Workforce Now vs Criterion HCM
Last Updated:Our analysts compared ADP Workforce Now vs Criterion HCM based on data from our 400+ point analysis of HR Management Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.
Product Basics
ADP Workforce Now is a cloud and on-premise platform for businesses seeking a one-stop shop for everything HR, including remote, in-office or hybrid teams. It operates as a professional employer organization (PEO), offering tools to tackle complex and time-consuming HR tasks.
It includes payroll management, time and attendance, talent management and benefits administration. Tools like payroll automation, data syncing and error detection help HR managers overcome common challenges like payroll inaccuracies and time-consuming manual processing.
It's ideal for teams that want to boost efficiency and save time on core HR tasks while navigating compliance regulations. Its key features include applicant tracking and recruiting, compensation management, document management, employee onboarding, employee self-service and payroll management.
It’s embedded with protective layers such as physical security, intelligent detection, fraud defense and other mechanisms for enhanced security and data privacy.
According to recent user reviews, users generally find it intuitive and reasonably easy to navigate. In contrast, some users report long customer support wait times.
Monthly pricing starts at $110. Pricing also depends on features, modules or packages selected, such as bundling payroll and HR. A free trial is also available.
Product Assistance
Product Insights
- Streamline Processes: Automate critical processes like onboarding, record-keeping and employee status changes. Track and report about certifications, licenses and compliance data.
- Improve Employee Experience: Empower employees with access to their pay, benefits and time information. Employees can also request time off, view work schedules and download pay statements without HR/admin intervention.
- View Real-Time Insights: View key metrics like labor costs, overtime, actual vs. scheduled hours, turnover rate and other KPIs using data analysis tools.
- Integrate Seamlessly: Integrate with different systems like Workday, Litmos, ZipRecruiter, TSheets, QuickBooks, Slack, Microsoft Teams and more.
- Manage Information Anywhere: Get 24/7 mobile access to time and attendance features, benefits data, and pay details with an app for iOS and Android platforms.
- Enhance Data Security: ADP's security training and awareness program includes annual interactive training covering key topics and policies like phishing, malware and incident response. There are classroom sessions, webinars and visual aids.
- Ensure Compliance: With built-in safeguards like error detection and data syncing, the platform aids compliance with labor laws and regulations.
- Reduces Errors: Increases the security, accuracy and speed of employee and staff data. These increased precisions make it easier to make smart decisions based on actionable insights.
- Saves Time and Money: Automates and streamlines HCM and talent management processes such as compensation, benefits, tracking applicants and performance management. This increased efficiency saves administrators time and sanity. By eliminating manual data entry, it improves the workflow, making it easier for employees to use the platform. Through the system, it’s possible to have more control over the cost of benefits. The platform is also scalable so users can accommodate sudden company growth.
- More Informed Management: Provides reporting, data manageable and other tools that allow leadership to make more informed decisions. From there, it’s easier to communicate with staff to ensure everyone is on the same page.
- Better Talent Lifecycle: Helps with the entire process including acquisitions, screening, setting up interviews, onboarding, performance management and succession management and more.
- Payroll: Access employee pay data on a dashboard. Automate deductions for benefits and other compensation.
- Manage tax filings and access historical pay summaries.
- Prorate pay during a cycle or apply it to previous runs.
- Identify payroll errors via warning notifications.
- Time & Attendance: Offers tracking and scheduling capabilities with digital time clocking, visual schedules and clocks with finger scan functionality.
- Facilitate absence management with absence analysis, leave tracking and more.
- Secured Time Tracking: Reduce time theft (like buddy punching) with finger scanning, facial recognition and geofencing.
- Time Tracking Options: Employees can clock in and out using their mobile device, kiosk app, web timesheet, tablet or smart time clock. The time kiosk application enables pin codes or facial recognition for an added layer of security.
- Scheduling: Assign shifts and let employees swap as needed, reducing productivity bottlenecks. Configure scheduling work rules like max hours/days.
- Scheduling by Skill: Ensure efficiency by matching specific employees to jobs based on their skills, licenses and certifications. Use skills-based scheduling to assign employees with the required language and training provisions.
- Dashboards: View absences, schedules, hours worked and overtime. See timecard statuses to help wrap up time details without delaying payroll.
- Time and Attendance Compliance: ADP’s compliance on-demand option gives clients access to a team of consultants for guidance on key practices. Access a content library with info on federal, state and local laws, and regulations.
- Talent Management:
- Recruiting and Hiring: Automatically create job descriptions and job postings. Offers screening, compliance mandates by location, hiring-practice guidance, credential verification and background check tools.
- Management and Growth: View employee performance, deliver learning programs and offer leadership skill improvement tools. Reduce talent gaps and plan ahead with succession management.
- Benefits Administration:
- With ADP AE Snapshot™, managers can access employee metrics on enrollment preferences and decisions.
- Access ranks of different plans, compare options, calculate and evaluate various scenarios, and configure plan selections with PlanFit.
- Enroll and manage benefits through the mobile app.
- Use eligibility, enrollment activity and plan summary reports.
- ADP® DataCloud: Reference reliable industry data and compare company trends and data to information from similar organizations. Predict turnover and discover contributing factors using big data through Turnover Probability Explorer.
- ADP® StandOut: Personalize digital coaching content and use 15-minute strength assessments. Offers:
- Real-time team engagement, custom and performance pulse surveys.
- Light-touch check-ins with employees.
- Coaching intelligence and insights.
- Learning Management: Allow employees to self-enroll for courses. Custom build or upload training content. Provides:
- 41 pre-packaged compliance and development courses.
- Course tracking dashboards.
- Publishing and tracking of instructor-led training.
- Online demos
- HR Assist: Features include:
- Federal and state compliance reporting, along with regulatory expertise and guidance.
- Job description templates and wizards.
- Employee handbook assistance.
- HR doc library and toolkits with guides, forms, documents and policies.
- ADP TotalSource®: Offers support for benefits, payroll, hiring and compliance across all 50 states. Has features like full-time recruiters, applicant tracking, ZipRecruiter integration, mobile-friendly career sites, background checks and onboarding.
- Workforce Management: Effectively plan projects and assign tasks, even on the go. Managers can remotely view time off, hours worked and timecards. There’s also overtime and absence analytics and reporting for helpful insights.
- Digital Record Keeping: Store confidential company data securely in the cloud. Upload data in batches to save time. Search and audit information.
- Onboarding: Facilitate a fully integrated onboarding experience for new hires. Capabilities include:
- Digital onboarding
- Digital I-9 processing.
- Identification of employee payment preferences.
- Onboarding completion reminders.
- Talent Management: Manages talent acquisition, onboarding, employee record creation and sends messages through one central database. It targets different points in the employee life cycle to aid in tracking applications, onboarding, performance management, learning management, communication, increasing engagement and more.
- Recruiting: Helps identify candidates, sort applications, screen potential hires, track interview processes and manage references, facilitate job postings and background checks. It also provides an online career portal to increase the number and variety of candidates. Through this, recruiters cut down on time and effort.
- Learning Management: Provides courses for employees and sends notifications for pass or fail status. It also manages certifications allowing managers to track progress and ensure compliance.
- Performance Management: Users can create scales to rate performance, set time periods for review, assign competencies and use standard or customized templates that allow for feedback from various different employees.
- HR: Manages attendance, benefits, compliance, communications, enrollments, payroll, and other HR tasks with one complete database. It facilitates strategic planning, streamlining workflows and other important administrative tasks. All data and important information is centralized, organized and more easily accessible.
- Data Management: Administrators have data for contacting employees, compensation, complying with the Equal Employment Opportunity, employment status, performance reviews and more. It automatically sends essential documents and reports through fax, email or online.
- Open Enrollment: Allows all staff to select and sign up for benefits. Provides email benefit letters, tracking and automatically transmits deduction to payroll systems to reduce errors.
- Self-Service for Staff: Lets employees track time, manage their PTO, get information on their payroll and more. Managers can approve PTO, write up employees and do reviews for performance. All staff can post and share information to increase collaboration and engagement.
- Mobile Capabilities: Enables workers to enter and track their time on the go. With a secure login, it tracks worker details, enters start and finish times, manages vacation and can register employee location.
- Reporting: Pulls information on emergency contacts, worker birthdays, training costs, overages, compensation planning and EEO details. The report is printable and can be customized for other needs.
- Time and Attendance: Provides scheduling, labor tracking and other attendance features for on-site or remote staff. It has one-click integration with payroll systems and provides verification for staffing with badge, biometric and PIN options.
- Payroll: Processes payment and deals with filing taxes, calculates payroll and integrates with time clocks. Administrators can print checks, download ACH files, file taxes electronically, track expense and entry information en masse into the system. In terms of taxes, it calculates local, state and federal taxes and aids in returns.
Product Ranking
#11
among all
HR Management Software
#615
among all
HR Management Software
Analyst Rating Summary
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User Sentiment Summary
10989 reviews
14 reviews
ADP Workforce Now has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 85% when considering 10989 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.
Criterion HCM has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 89% when considering 14 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.
Awards
SelectHub research analysts have evaluated ADP Workforce Now and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Training.
Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews
ADP Workforce Now is a popular PEO and HR solution for businesses that need a comprehensive HCM for payroll, time and attendance, benefits administration, reporting, and compliance assistance. It’s ideal for small teams, mid-sized organizations and larger businesses looking to improve their time tracking, ensure payroll accuracy and go paperless with document management.Standout features include automated time tracking, collaborative scheduling, talent acquisition, configurable work rules, employee self service and data syncing.Time and attendance features support productivity by ensuring proper staffing, tracking time via desktop or app, and providing time clocks or ADP® Kiosk access. Additionally, it supports online schedule management, time-off requests and approvals.It also facilitates benefits administration, SmartCompliance, financial wellness support, and performance and compensation management, fostering a positive employee experience.Additionally, ADP Workforce Now has AI capabilities that can automate repetitive tasks, analyze workforce data for insights, find tax forms, access company policies, and submit PTO requests through mobile devices or myADP. AI-driven analytics aid decision-making across key HR functions like recruiting, compliance and time management.Users commend ADP's time tracking for its efficiency and user-friendly interface. However, some users report drawbacks, including customer service issues and a learning curve during implementation.As a PEO, ADP offers assistance with workers' compensation, claims management and tax support in all 50 states.Overall, ADP Workforce Now is an inclusive HR solution that provides essential features for payroll, time tracking, and HR management while also offering custom reports, automation and AI capabilities to all business sizes.
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