1-Minute Review: Zenefits is a human resources (HR) platform and payroll software that focuses on automating, simplifying, and optimizing the way small to medium-sized companies manage employees.
Zenefits offers a centralized hub to store and manage employee data such as documents and personal information. Zenefits connects various tools and integrates with other software platforms for an all-in-1 accessible online HR dashboard.
It provides HR tools to help automate everyday tasks, eliminates the need for paper documents, fosters efficient communication, and ultimately, saves time. The end result is a faster, simplified approach to HR management and payroll.
Best for:
- Small- to medium-sized businesses
- Businesses rapidly expanding
- Businesses that work with freelancers
Pros:
- Automates tasks such as onboarding, PTO, document management and more
- Advanced data security technologies
- Feature-rich platform and mobile app
- Easy to navigate
- Incorporates org charts
Cons:
- Wait times to get in touch with customer service representatives
- Additional charge for payroll software on plans billed monthly
Zenefits offers 3 distinctive pricing plans for users: Essential, Growth, and Zen. There is a minimum 5 employee billing requirement no matter which plan you choose. Larger organizations may qualify for enterprise pricing plans.
The Essential package starts at $8 per month per employee for annual billing. Monthly billing costs start at $10. The Essential plan includes all of Zenefits’ necessary features, including the Core HR, scheduling tools, 3rd-party app integrations, and mobile app access.
The Growth Plan is the most popular plan, with pricing starting at $14 per month per employee for annual billing and $18 for monthly billing. The Growth plan contains all the features within the Essential package but also incorporates compensation management and performance management.
The most sophisticated plan is Zen. Pricing starts at $21 per month per employee for annual billing and $27 for monthly billing.
It incorporates all the features within the Essential plan and the Growth plan, but also includes well-being monitoring tools, employee engagement surveys, and People Hub, Zenefits’ very own internal communication feed.
You can also include additional add-ons to your plan. You can choose between payroll services, advisory services, or using your own broker.
Payroll services are included in all annual plans for free but cost $6 per month on monthly billing plans. Advisory services are $8 per month on monthly plans and $10 per month on annual plans. The cost of using your own broker is $5 per month for both monthly and annual billing.
Zenefits offers all the must-have features of a human resources platform. Its Core HR program provides tools for hiring and onboarding, employee management, time-off tracking, business intelligence, and documentation management.
Specific functions include:
Hiring and onboarding: Users can send offer letters, tax documents and use digital signatures to improve the efficiency of paperwork. You can also streamline background checks, automate account provisions and even provide a space for new employees to onboard themselves.
Employee management: Every piece of data is updated automatically throughout the entire system when any changes are made. Employees are also able to upload their personal information from any device to automatically sync with Zenefits. Plus, they choose which information they’d like to share within a company-wide organization chart. There are also automation workflow tools to help with promotions, team transfers, and terminations.
Time off tracking: Users can manage PTO policy, set blackout dates, track employee's time off, and integrate absences into payroll and scheduling. The platform also provides a space for employees to submit PTO requests while allowing HR team members to manage and approve those requests.
Business intelligence: Zenefits provides reporting tools for compensation summaries, equal opportunity statistics, headcount activities, stock options, and turnover rates.
Documents management: Zenefits makes it easy to securely store and organize important employee documents such as tax forms, payroll documents, offer letters, confidentiality agreements, and more. You can also manage privacy documents, company handbooks, non-competes, and other forms.
Payroll tools are free with a yearly Zenefits membership. Other features such as compensation management, performance management, wellness monitoring tools, engagement surveys, and an internal communication feed are available on advanced memberships.
Zenefits offers a dedicated help center with answers to common questions. There’s also a virtual learning center featuring online videos.
If you need further assistance, you can contact the Zenefits customer service team through a customer service chatbot. Communicate with the chatbot about your questions, and it will be able to direct you to further assistance. Customer service is only available from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PST.
Some customers have found the chatbot directory to be more frustrating than direct customer care. Even when customers have been able to get in touch with Zenefits representatives, there are usually wait times and no call-back system available.
Zenefits offers mobile app integration for Apple and Android devices. Employees can manage their information, manage PTO, track lunch breaks, view pay stubs, and perform other essential tasks through the Zenefits app. Most importantly, the feature rich-mobile app is well-organized and easy to navigate.
Zenefits takes data security extremely seriously and has implemented policies to protect customers' privacy. Zenefits provides 2-factor authentication, proactive notifications when data is changed, and end-to-end encryption for data in transit (TLS) and data at rest (AES-256).
The system was built on Amazon Web Services and incorporates high-security cloud technologies.
Despite being loaded with numerous HR features, the Zenefits platform is intuitive to use. The system can hold over 50 different types of tech software and is organized in such a way that data and other important information is automatically updated once changes have been made.
Zenefits has received numerous awards for its software and cloud capabilities. Most notably, Zenefits was awarded for the Best Core HR Software by G2 Crowd and as the Top 20 HR Softwares by Capterra. Over 11,000 small to medium-sized businesses and 400,000 employees rely on Zenefits for HR tasks.
Zenefits helps streamline many essential HR tasks such as onboarding, benefits, PTO, documents, communication feeds, and much more. There are several pricing plans to choose from and users have the flexibility to opt for monthly or annual billing. However, monthly billing options are more expensive than their annual billing counterparts, and payroll is only incorporated for free on plans billed annually.
Zenefits’ platform is secure, intuitive, and easy to navigate. Its Core HR Software is incredibly comprehensive and greatly improves HR efficiency. It offers a host of automation tools and integrations that optimize everyday business processes.
Although Zenefits primarily targets small to medium-sized enterprises, the system works well with larger organizations as well. Zenefits is compatible with not only full-time employees but also part-time workers and freelancers.
Despite the many benefits Zenefits has to offer, the way the system handles customer service could use some improvement. Some users with more complicated requests have had to deal with long wait times before they could get in touch with a live Zenefits representative. Even then, customer service is only available within a limited time window.
Overall, the benefits of Zenefits outweigh any negatives. This HR service works wonders to optimize your HR department and improve the way your firm manages employees.
Contact Zenefits to learn more about how it's software solutions can help your business.