Namely vs Workday HCM

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Our analysts compared Namely vs Workday HCM based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Payroll Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Namely is a comprehensive software solution designed to streamline HR management tasks, making it particularly well-suited for mid-sized companies seeking to manage their workforce efficiently. This platform stands out for its ability to integrate core HR functions, payroll, benefits administration, and talent management into a single, user-friendly interface. One of the key benefits of Namely is its emphasis on improving employee engagement and compliance, offering tools that facilitate a better workplace culture. Its popular features, such as customizable HR workflows and robust reporting capabilities, allow businesses to tailor the software to their specific needs, enhancing operational efficiency. When compared to similar products, users often highlight Namely's intuitive design and responsive customer support as significant advantages. Pricing for Namely typically follows a per-employee-per-month model, which allows for scalability and flexibility in budget planning, making it a cost-effective choice for companies looking to invest in a comprehensive HR management solution.
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Workday HCM is a SaaS solution that unifies all aspects of managing the employee lifecycle in a single HRMS. The suite of modules allows organizations to operate globally, run payroll, administer benefits, manage talent and facilitate learning, among other things.

While designed for medium and large enterprises, the platform can support the needs of smaller businesses as well. A business process framework provides control for all internal processes. The software is also equipped with audit tools and built-in security capabilities, and it offers mobile apps for flexible access.
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$9/Employee, Monthly
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$42/Employee, Monthly
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Product Insights

  • Save Time: Automatically perform common actions, such as approving promotions or pay raises, with workflows. Eliminate the need to assign new users every time an employee leaves or changes positions via role-based approvals assigned to titles rather than individual employees. 
  • Organize Workflows: Create different workflows for different departments, teams and additional groups at company. 
  • Keep Everyone Informed: Stay updated on the latest company news with a central news feed that supports uploading images, GIFs and videos. 
  • Configure Employee Profiles: Choose which fields to include when setting up employee profiles. 
  • Build Org Charts: Set up org charts that show the relationship of every worker. Supports teams of any size, along with multiple leaders. Automatically updates when new hires join, using the relationships stored in the employee database. 
  • Track Events: Stay on top of important dates like holidays, legal deadlines and other events, as the calendar feature has critical dates already included. Download it as an ICS file to sync with an online calendar. Also includes monthly resources and tips on HR topics. 
  • Control Access: Manage access controls for data by assigning user roles and setting permissions so everyone can access the information they need without compromising sensitive data. 
  • Plug In Apps: Integrate with over 50 partner apps from eSignature and international payroll to office management and HR outsourcing. Includes TSheets, Litmos, OneLogin, G Suite, Adobe, Jobvite and Ameriflex. 
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  • Deep Data Insights: Equipped with reporting and analytics tools, Workday HCM provides a complete view of critical KPIs to inform better decisions. It allows you to become familiar with your workforce, promote employee growth, foster diversity and prepare for the future. Workday’s Prism Analytics and Data-as-a-Service applications provide graphs, charts, benchmarking reports and more. 
  • Fast, Enhanced Recruiting: You can streamline and speed up the recruiting process with collaboration tools, task reminders and calendar syncing. A referral leaderboard encourages employees to refer other qualified candidates. 
  • Easy Expense Reporting: Mobile receipt scanning and approval workflows simplify the expensing process for employees and managers. You can also set spending controls and give employees the ability to start reports. With data analytics tools, you can spot trends and gain insight into expenses throughout your company. 
  • Efficient Absence Management: This feature uses a smart calendar for managing time off. It also provides tracking for different types of absences and the ability to analyze carryover. 
  • Simplified Time Management: Time tracking and approval is available on any device, and alerts surface items that need attention. The system automates rules and calculations to cut down on manual tasks and the risk of errors. 
  • Improved Hiring Decisions: Dashboards present all your talent acquisition data in one place for easy viewing, and machine learning suggests areas of improvement. You can also compare your company to peers via benchmarking and use compensation comparisons to create effective offers. 
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  • Payroll: Includes:
    • Regulatory compliance, employee access, prebuilt reports, and automatic generation and filing of 1094s and 1095s for ACA.
    • Benefits deduction calculations, so payroll numbers are always updated.
    • Automatic syncing with all HR data.
    • End-of-year reporting like W-2s and 1099s, including tax filing.
  • Time and Attendance: Enables:
    • Data transfer to the payroll module for accurate processing, with options for online time tracking. Offers physical clocks equipped with punch-in methods such as PIN, fingerprint and ID card.
    • Data summary views surrounding hourly workers with the admin dashboard, which shows and uses reports to drill into greater detail on different metrics.
    • Scheduling, managing overtime and performing mass editing actions.
  • Talent Management: Provides onboarding capabilities, eSignature, custom performance reviews, task tracking, configurable employee surveys, goal management, customizable automated review cycles and more. 
  • Benefits Administration: Includes health insurance, FSA and HSA options, life and disability insurance, 401(k), wellness programs, and more. Additional insurance coverage for pets and identity theft available as well. Namely Exchange automatically sends employee elections to Cigna. 
  • HR Analytics: Contains:
    • Metrics on diversity using factors like gender and age.
    • Pay gap analyses for gender and ethnicity, sorted by job level, department and other criteria.
    • Dashboard with KPIs such as trends for headcount, time off and attrition.
    • Custom reports to gain deeper insights and compare performance against industry benchmarks.
  • Mobile App: Available for iOS and Android, with geo-fencing for time management. Employees can request time off, while managers can receive notifications and view team PTO. 
  • Open API: Enables Namely to act as a system of record and facilitates single sign-on. Import data from other platforms, such as an applicant tracking system, learning management system or ERP. 
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  • Payroll: Workday HCM offers payroll capabilities for the U.S., U.K., France and Canada. All transactions compile in the payroll module. It includes a calculation engine, which enables running reports and calculations for groups and individuals at any time. A compliance dashboard shows information about upcoming changes as well as the areas of greatest impact within your organization. 
  • Benefits Administration: The software supports a variety of plans, such as health, flex, wellness and retirement. Tools such as the ACA dashboard ensure proper coverage as well as aid managing forms and regulatory changes. The system supports integration with hundreds of providers. 
  • Talent Management: This feature includes onboarding and career and development planning components. New hires can access messages, videos and more from a single dashboard, and there’s also support for international and internal transfers. Pulse surveys and a skills cloud provide insight into your workforce. Additionally, you can set goals, perform reviews, manage succession plans, aid employee career development and pinpoint retention risks. 
  • Learning Management System: Equipped with LMS capabilities, this module helps your organization deliver and track a variety of training materials. Elements include scoring, quizzes, learning campaigns, video, learning paths and more. You can also offer courses to external groups. For extended training, the Workday Content Cloud grants access to third-party content directly from Workday HCM. 
  • Compensation Management: With this feature, you can build customized compensation packages for global use by choosing from over a dozen compensation plan types. It supports international currencies and allowance plans based on local limits. The toolset includes a grid worksheet, events coordination for things like new hires and promotions, pay-range segments, tracking of pay equity, configurable statements, and unified data from other Workday HCM modules such as payroll and benefits. 
  • Workforce Planning: The Workday Adaptive Insights Business Planning Cloud provides tools to create models, compare what-if scenarios and build hiring strategies. It also facilitates collaboration along with evaluation of metrics like costs and workforce breakdown. The platform provides review and approval workflows and integrates data from other organizational systems. 
  • Global Compliance: The solution’s flexibility enables you to configure the pre-built frameworks based on your company’s needs. It contains support for 240 countries, 1,500+ reports, 170 absence plans, geographic controls such as privacy preferences and date formats, and over 3,000 localized data fields. You can automatically translate into over 30 languages, receive free legal support across 58 jurisdictions and control all aspects of the setup. 
  • Workday Marketplace: You can extend the capabilities of Workday HCM by connecting it with third-party integrations for case management, hiring, training and other processes. Partner solutions include LinkedIn Learning, Salesforce Worker and Salesforce Chatter, Saba, HireRight Background Check, and Humanity Employee Shift Scheduling. 
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Product Ranking

#18

among all
Payroll Software

#12

among all
Payroll Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

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Dashboard and Reporting
Platform Capabilities
Security and Compliance
Payroll and Tax Management
Benefits Management
Dashboard and Reporting
Security and Compliance
Native Integrations and Extensibility
Payroll and Tax Management
Time and Attendance Management

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Namely
Workday HCM
+ Add Product + Add Product
Benefits Management Dashboard And Reporting Expense Management Mobile Capabilities Payroll And Tax Management Platform Capabilities Security And Compliance Time And Attendance Management 94 100 60 67 95 100 100 91 88 100 60 72 95 88 100 91 0 25 50 75 100
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

71%
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29%
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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 1299 reviews
Great User Sentiment 3039 reviews
81%
of users recommend this product

Namely has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 81% when considering 1299 user reviews from 6 recognized software review sites.

86%
of users recommend this product

Workday HCM has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 86% when considering 3039 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

4.8 (12)
4.8 (14)
3.9 (247)
4.0 (1144)
4.16 (411)
n/a
4.2 (407)
4.4 (836)
4.3 (30)
4.8 (605)
3.7 (192)
4.1 (440)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Namely and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Platform Capabilities.

Platform Capabilities Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Workday HCM and concluded it deserves the award for the Best Overall Payroll Software available today and earns best-in-class honors for Native Integrations and Extensibility.

Analysts' Pick Award
Native Integrations and Extensibility Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Role-Based Access: Available with a single click, this feature allows users to view, add and update information anytime, according to 100% of reviews mentioning it.
Customization: It’s possible to customize almost all functions and operations, as noted by all reviews of customization.
User-Friendly: As per 80% reviews on this element, a user-friendly interface makes navigation easy.
Regular Updates: All reviews on updates indicated that Namely releases updates regularly to improve its functions and capabilities.
Comprehensive Solutions: All users referring to this aspect appreciated the end-to-end HCM capabilities for HR, payroll and benefits.
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Intuitive: 95% of users who mentioned ease of use observed that the software has an intuitive interface, making it easy to navigate and find information, even for novice users.
Multiple Functionality: 90% of users who mentioned functionality state that Workday HCM acts as a one-stop shop for many HR tasks.
Payroll and Benefits: All reviewers who mentioned payroll had a positive experience, with the ability to track hours, collect tax forms, log pay stubs and more.
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Time and Attendance: Adding manual data in the timesheets and attendance manager is a tedious task, according to 100% of reviews on this feature.
Customer Support: All reviews on this element indicated that support is slow and unresponsive.
Integration: There’s a lack of integration and communication between the payroll and HRIS modules, according to all reviews on integration.
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Slow: Of reviewers who mention user interface, 5% noted some processes are slow, causing the system to show errors.
Requires Training: For first-time users, there’s a bit of a learning curve to get started, requiring training.
Clunky Mobile App: 85% of reviewers who mentioned the app noted that it has issues quite often and doesn’t include schedules, forcing users to use a separate app.
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Navigating the realm of HR software can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack, but Namely consistently emerges as a top contender, especially for mid-sized businesses. Users frequently highlight its user-friendly interface, affordability, and comprehensive features as standout qualities. Reviews often mention the intuitive design and ease of navigation, making it accessible even for those without extensive HR experience. The platform's affordability, without compromising on essential features, is another recurring theme in user feedback. Namely's wide range of features, encompassing payroll, benefits administration, talent management, and compliance tools, further solidifies its position as a versatile and valuable solution. When compared to competitors like Deluxe, Namely's broader scope of features becomes evident. While Deluxe primarily focuses on payroll processing, Namely offers a more holistic approach to HR management. This distinction is crucial for businesses seeking a comprehensive solution that extends beyond basic payroll functions. Namely's emphasis on employee engagement and its intuitive self-service portal are also differentiating factors that resonate with users. The platform empowers employees to manage their own information, benefits, and time-off requests, fostering a sense of ownership and streamlining HR processes. Considering its strengths and weaknesses, Namely appears to be an ideal fit for mid-sized businesses with 25 to 1,000 employees. Its scalability, comprehensive features, and focus on employee experience cater specifically to the needs of growing companies. Namely's ability to streamline HR processes, improve efficiency, and enhance employee engagement makes it a valuable asset for businesses looking to optimize their HR operations and cultivate a positive work environment.

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Workday HCM is suitable for businesses of all sizes. It is a simple and easy-to-use product with multiple functions that contain all HR data in one place. Payroll and benefits are easy to view and verify. Some improvements are required in the mobile app and system speed. Otherwise, its payroll, timesheet tool, ease of use and unified structure can bring a lot of benefits.

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Workday HCM

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