Kronos Workforce Ready vs Kronos Workforce Central

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Our analysts compared Kronos Workforce Ready vs Kronos Workforce Central based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Workforce Management Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Kronos Workforce Ready Software Tool
Kronos Workforce Central Software Tool

Product Basics

Kronos Workforce Ready (now known as UKG Ready) is a cloud-based HRM software designed to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, across all industries. Users have access to a broad range of features and additional integrations to complete a variety of core human resources tasks.

Facilitating management of both full- and part-time employees as well as hourly or salaried employees, it is customizable to meet the specific needs of any business. Users have the option to start with the full deployment of modules or begin with a single module and build from there.
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Kronos Workforce Central is a full-service suite designed to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, regardless of industry. Based in the cloud, it is fully scalable — giving users the flexibility to use the most important functionalities on the go, no matter how big the organization grows.

With its numerous capabilities, managers can automate and streamline many core HR tasks. It facilitates the management of an entire team, driving employee engagement and bolstering business processes.
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$21/User, Monthly
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$4/Employee, Monthly
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Product Assistance

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Email
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Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
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24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Compliance:  Real-time visibility allows managers to assess employees’ leaves of absence and utilize FMLA form templates that can update automatically as new information is entered into the system. The system will automatically update to the most current regulations according to legislative changes from the U.S. Department of Labor. 
  • Convenience:  Mobile apps, compatible with both Apple and Android devices, allow managers to complete common tasks from their smartphone. Employees can also utilize the mobile app to clock in for shifts with their GPS coordinates, view pay statements and manage their time-off requests. 
  • Customization and Scalability:  Users can customize dashboards to view data at-a-glance and build customizable reports based on custom filters. Additionally, the scalability of the system allows managers to build the system itself to meet the specific needs of your business based on the modules added to the interface. 
  • Performance Insights:  Embedded analytics can be leveraged to track and measure business metrics as well as create detailed reports about how your organization’s workforce is performing. 
  • Consistent Branding:  Branded career sites allow your organization to ensure consistent branding across all of your job postings. Applicants can use this branded job site to search for jobs, upload their resumes and apply online directly through the website. 
  • Unified Platform:  Kronos Workforce Ready provides tools to complete all core HR tasks throughout each phase of the employee lifecycle. From attracting fresh talent to conducting performance appraisals, you can complete a variety of vital HR tasks through a single interface. 
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  • Automation: The system can automatically perform essential workforce management functions automatically, freeing up HR managers to prioritize human-focused tasks that can’t be automated by technology. 
  • Analytics: The systems reporting and analytic functionalities provide managers with data and insights which can be viewed in the interface dashboard to give managers insights into daily business operations. 
  • Integration: Kronos Workforce Central integrates fully with other Kronos solutions to allow systems to share data and streamline workflows, making integration seamless. Users can also choose to integrate this system with other third-party products with the help of Kronos Integration Manager utility. 
  • Unified Platform:  Rather than utilizing multiple systems, users can leverage Kronos Workforce Central’s platform to complete a variety of core HR tasks, including scheduling, time tracking and productivity management. 
  • Improve Engagement:  With mobile capabilities, users can access the system to perform essential workforce management tasks and streamline communication. The app offers direct lines of communication between individual employees, managers and other teams, improving communication across the board. 
  • Boost Productivity:  Capabilities that allow users to work offline, like offline punch and Smartviews, allow employees and managers to access the system even if Kronos’ network is down, ensuring that technical issues never hinder the workforce. 
  • Greater Visibility:  Managers can access relevant employee information easily through Kronos Workforce Central. The system allows managers to view employee availability, time punches, location and what activities they’ve worked on, providing managers with a robust view of what their workforce does and when they can do it. 
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  • Absence Management:  Kronos Workforce Ready’s scheduler allows managers to sort employees based on availability, seniority, skill set and more in order to build schedules, fill open shifts and adjust when there are unplanned absences. 
  • Compensation Administration:  With tools like Excel or the interface’s built-in worksheets, you can model compensation scenarios in order to assess budgets based on real-time data. The system’s time-off calendar can provide alerts and give managers visibility into employee time off. 
  • Employee Attestation:  Managers can send employees prompts to confirm that they’ve taken required breaks in order to stay compliant with relevant legislation and organizational regulations. These customizable prompts can be set to send automatically, and managers can choose to receive alerts when an employee misses a scheduled break. 
  • Employee Development:  System administrators can define training courses, schedule classes and assign employees to take the classes. Managers are able to monitor open seats and gain visibility into employee participation and performance within the courses. 
  • Job Acquisition:  Managers can create internal and external job requisitions and approve them automatically. This feature allows users to define the number of open positions within the organization, auto-populate and edit job descriptions, sort open positions, and view an applicant’s status. 
  • Onboarding:  The system allows administrators to generate an onboarding checklist to detail specific tasks and time frames to help managers track the onboarding process from start to finish. Automated alerts remind candidates to finish incomplete forms, enroll in benefits, complete orientations and more. 
  • Payroll Reporting:  The paycheck reporting feature provides a complete summary of payroll and a comparison of current and previous payroll periods. Managers can also view a 12-month breakdown of labor expenses to help inform future budget planning. 
  • Performance Management:  Kronos Workforce Ready delivers insight into employee performance, attendance, absence and productivity in order to provide objective reviews. Managers can use the “Merit Matrix” tool to award pay increases based on performance rating and pay grades. 
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  • Employee Self-Service: Enable the self-service function in the mobile app to allow employees to get answers to questions, view schedules, clock in and out of shifts, update their availability, swap shifts, submit requests and more. 
  • Time Tracking: The system can send real-time alerts through email or text message to notify managers of things that need immediate attention, such as employees who will be working overtime hours. By integrating this feature with payroll processing, managers can ensure that payroll is always accurate and processed on time. 
  • Scheduling: Automatically generate schedules with the system’s best-fit module to ensure optimal schedules that reduce instances of overstaffing. Employees can use the self-service functionality to view schedules through the mobile app, as well as set scheduling preferences and swap shifts with coworkers. 
  • Absence Management: Maintain productivity levels by tracking absences and gaining visibility into areas where absences are affecting labor costs. This allows managers to intervene when they notice absence trends. 
  • Core HR: Collect and measure data related to the workforce, including performance metrics. Managers can update employee profiles and benefits programs, manage schedules, ensure employees receive proper training opportunities and analyze payroll data. 
  • Payroll: Leverage the benefits of integrated time tracking by automatically calculating employee hours to process payroll. The system also helps ensure compliance by generating standard tax forms and reports to help organizations prepare for quarterly or annual audits. 
  • Reporting: Managers can create interactive charts and graphs to help recognize trends within the workforce. Managers can generate and view charts directly through the dashboard. 
  • Mobile App: The system is compatible with both IOS and Android mobile devices as well as tablets, making it easy for managers and employees to access the system remotely. Through the app, managers can respond to issues quickly and employees are able to complete tasks related to time management, submit reports and more. 
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Product Ranking

#10

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#82

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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 1996 reviews
Great User Sentiment 1786 reviews
81%
of users recommend this product

Kronos Workforce Ready has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 81% when considering 1996 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

80%
of users recommend this product

Kronos Workforce Central has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 80% when considering 1786 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

4.2 (14)
4.4 (14)
4.0 (846)
4.0 (1218)
n/a
4.0 (491)
4.1 (778)
n/a
4.3 (43)
4.3 (63)
4.0 (315)
n/a

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Reliable Timekeeping: All reviewers who reference timekeeping felt that Kronos has met all their needs of a timekeeping solution, from timesheets to PTO to forecasting FTEs.
Payroll: 80% of users who mention payroll asserted that processing payroll is easy and its integration with HR, time and labor modules makes it efficient.
Easy to Use: All reviewers who mention usability stated Kronos Workforce Ready is easy to learn, with user-friendly time tracking, navigation and reporting.
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User-Friendly: The platform’s functionalities are intuitive and easy to use, as noted by approximately 80% of users who mention the system’s usability.
Functionality: Kronos Workforce Central delivers on all of the promised features and capabilities, with each of the advertised features living up to user expectation, as reported by 85% of the users who mention the functionality of the product.
Customization: About 80% of users note that native integration capabilities and customization options allow users to successfully adjust the system to meet their unique business needs.
Support: Support is responsive, knowledgable and helpful, as reported by 60% of reviewers who mention support.
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Slow: The application freezes or slows down often, as stated by all reviewers who mention running the software.
Expensive: All reviewers who reference cost observed that the system’s maintenance and modifications lead to a high TCO.
Customer Service: 70% of reviewers who mention customer service complained of not receiving timely and proper assistance.
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System Speed: The platform loads slowly and users experience frequent system downtime, as reported by 100% of the users who mention system speed in their reviews of Kronos Workforce Central.
Reporting: Of the users who mention reporting, 60% say that the reporting functionality is limited and lacks customization options necessary for some industries.
Implementation: The implementation process is long and difficult, especially for users without prior IT experience, according to 85% of reviewers who mention the implementation process.
Integration: Businesses with robust needs must rely on integrations and add ons that slow the system down, as reported by 99% of users who mention the system’s integration needs.
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Kronos Workforce Ready is suitable for businesses of all sizes and provides intuitive time tracking, scheduling and payroll features. Many reviewers felt that the software runs slow and is priced on the higher side compared to similar HR products. However, its timekeeping capabilities, mobile app and other features makes it a strong product overall and a good choice for companies looking for a one-stop HR solution.

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Kronos Workforce Central offers a robust suite of workforce management capabilities and most users find that the system is easy to use. It’s customization capabilities allow most businesses to configure the system to meet specific business needs, and most issues with the system are resolved by contacting customer support. However, some users have found that the need for add-ons can slow the system down and can be cost prohibitive to smaller businesses. Users also note that the implementation process is lengthy and difficult. If your business requires more than the base functionality of the platform and requires significant technical support, this solution may come at a steep additional cost to the base subscription.

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