Rippling employee management review

Rippling tackles all of your human resources tasks in one go

Rippling
(Image: © Rippling)

TechRadar Verdict

Rippling is ideally suited for small to medium-sized businesses that require a well-rounded HR solution along with payroll back up if they need it.

Pros

  • +

    Super user experience

  • +

    Great app integration

  • +

    Easy to expand

Cons

  • -

    Costs can add up

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Rippling is a one-stop software solution that lets businesses manage their HR needs along with providing a series of add-ons that can help improve efficiency. Alongside HR, there are several benefits administration features within this all-in-one platform augmented by payroll and talent management tools. Adding wider appeal is the way that Rippling lets you expand the feature set to include IT products, with the option for managing employee apps such as Slack and Gmail

The IT aspect of Rippling gets an extra boost from the ability of the software to handle device management. Employee computers, software and security can all be administered using this innovative software package. On a practical level, Rippling offers lots of flexibility as you can scale it up to include as many add-ons as you think your business needs, with pricing that adjusts accordingly.

Rippling

Rippling starts at just $8 a month per user but you'll probably want to enlist the help of its add-ons too (Image credit: Rippling)

Rippling: Pricing

You can start using Rippling from $8 a month, per user, which offers access to the Employee Management Platform. This is the core aspect of Rippling that allows management of vital areas including employee data and general operations. However, in order to make use of the other available features within the Rippling arena you’ll need to pay for the various add-ons. 

Rippling suggests that you get in touch with them for a customized quote, depending on your requirements. You’ll be able to pick from options including full service payroll, benefits administration, applicant tracking along with Rippling’s app management package, its device management option and more.

Rippling

Rippling can be supplemented by its great payroll feature (Image credit: Rippling)

Rippling: Features

While Rippling can be used by smaller businesses, it’s certainly powerful enough to be employed by larger concerns, thanks mainly to its advanced set of additional features. Rippling is particularly useful for automating many manual tasks, such as the onboarding of new employees, along with offboarding and all points along the way. 

The Employee Management Platform sits at the heart of Rippling and comes armed with a variety of tools, while also providing a unified employee database structure. Business owners can carry out task management from here, keep tabs on workflow and approvals, perform reporting chores and customize other areas such as fields and alerts along with position management. 

Move on through the HR management aspect of Rippling and you’ll find the capacity for carrying out full service payroll too. This lets you pay staff across all 50 states, and international territories. It offers federal, state and local tax filing, W2, W4, 1099 and new hire filing while also being able to handle garnishments, multiple pay rates and more besides. 

In addition, benefits administration chores are covered, with management of medical, dental, vision and 401K areas all capable of being handled. Employees can also be given the option of utilizing online self-service features.

Rippling

Other add-ons include this neat device management option (Image credit: Rippling)

Rippling: Performance

It’s all about the performance factor if you’re using Rippling to not only tackle HR and payroll duties, but also stitch together IT tasks too. For example, if you’ve got the IT products configured as part of the package you’ll be able to manage employee hardware including choosing devices, machines and software configurations. 

Meanwhile, everyday employee management tasks are similarly easy to handle thanks to the lean, almost minimalistic interface, which offers speedy performance even when you’re navigating more complex data heavy areas such as running payroll and collating detailed reports. Rippling also benefits from its easy integration with over 400 different apps, allowing you to add in extra functionality and speed up workflow with very little effort.

Rippling

You also get access to a raft of powerful reporting tools inside Rippling (Image credit: Rippling)

Rippling: Ease of use

Full marks should go to the team who developed the Rippling interface as it’s got a great look and feel. The overall design is slick, easy to use and feels bang up to date. This makes working with the feature set very easy indeed, with a central dashboard area that lets you dip into core features instantly. 

The main menu offers quickfire access to key areas of Rippling, such as people, apps, tasks and reporting, while the central work area offers up a reassuringly straightforward overview of the task in hand. We also love the single sign on option, which lets users pick from their list of apps in one location. Add it all together and the Rippling user experience proves to be wonderfully fuss free.

Rippling

Rippling also offers integration with over 400 different productivity apps (Image credit: Rippling)

Rippling: Support

There are all of the usual support options available to customers of Rippling, with subscribed users being able to log into a dedicated help center. You’ll find that the support is basically divided down the middle, with an option for administrators who handle all things Rippling for a company able to get help via the center mentioned above. 

Rippling

There are options for administrators and employees when it comes to support (Image credit: Rippling)

Meanwhile, employees who make use of Rippling’s features and functions and who need support are encouraged to contact the designated Rippling administrator at their place of employment.

Rippling: Final verdict

Rippling is a great proposition if you’re a business that’s looking to streamline your HR workflow along with other administration tasks. With its slick interface, flexible package options and keen pricing there’s plenty to like about Rippling. 

While the costs might start to add up as you add on features, including the likes of the payroll and app management aspects of the software, the resulting increase in productivity looks like it could produce a decent return on your investment. 

The best bit about this arrangement is that you’ll only end up paying for the features that you need, with the provision for adding more easily if you find your business needs them further down the line.

Rob Clymo

Rob Clymo has been a tech journalist for more years than he can actually remember, having started out in the wacky world of print magazines before discovering the power of the internet. Since he's been all-digital he has run the Innovation channel during a few years at Microsoft as well as turning out regular news, reviews, features and other content for the likes of TechRadar, TechRadar Pro, Tom's Guide, Fit&Well, Gizmodo, Shortlist, Automotive Interiors World, Automotive Testing Technology International, Future of Transportation and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology International. In the rare moments he's not working he's usually out and about on one of numerous e-bikes in his collection.