PeopleHR review

HR teams already have enough to deal with not to need any complex systems, but small and mid-sized organizations lacking in dedicated HR teams risk being left even further behind.

PeopleHR is a cloud-based HR platform designed to meet this challenge by offering businesses scalable tools to handle all of their core requirements, including onboarding, performance management and payroll.

Now part of the Access Group suite of business software solutions, PeopleHR was designed specifically with SMBs in mind by a team from the UK.

Its modular approach allows businesses to select only the features they need while keeping costs predictable, so it’s simple to keep clear of pricier options you don’t need.

More recent developments have included an AI-powered assistant called Evo, which acts as a copilot for HR teams by helping with automation and analytics.

PeopleHR counts more than 7,000 customers on its books from across the UK, and prides itself on being “open and transparent” for all its customers.

• Our guide to the best HR software

PeopleHR: Plans and pricing

Like most HR platforms, PeopleHR has a few different tiers of membership to cater to increasingly demanding needs – in this case, there are four options.

Starter costs £3 per month and includes the AI tools, analytics, absence management and more.

Upgrade to core for £5.50 per month for a more enhanced version of copilot’s GenAI tools as well as expenses management, e-signatures and APIs that support third-party integrations.

These are both available with 14-day trials, but Pro and Elite+ at £8 and £9.50 per month aren’t. They bring features for larger organizations, like employee benefits, rewards and recognition, but they also have important features like time tracking, timesheets, rotating work patterns and performance management.

PeopleHR: Features

PeopleHR isn’t short on functionality, with all the key features you’d expect covered. Employee records, absence tracking, document management and attendance monitoring are all there.

But it’s much more than a basic system, because performance management features including scheduling reviews, goal setting, feedback collection and analytics help HR professionals keep tabs on their workers’ progress.

It’s also a useful tool for the recruitment process, with job posting, candidate tracking and application management available through an integrated portal.

All in all, PeopleHR distinguishes its platform into five separate areas: HR (for people management, absence and expenses, automated workflows and timesheet management), payroll, talent, learn and engage (for rewards and recognition, employee benefits and wellbeing).

In recognition 83% of companies see using AI in their business strategies as a top priority, PeopleHR also has its own AI tool built-in – called Evo, it takes care of administrative workloads so that HR workers can focus on the people.

The best part is that the copilot generative AI HR Assistant and the Evo dashboard are available across the four subscription tiers.

PeopleHR: Ease of use

PeopleHR is widely regarded as an easy-to-use platform that’s intuitive and self-explanatory. We found the layouts to be simple and the process to look familiar to others on the market, suggesting there shouldn’t be any major learning curves.

Separate tabs down the left site of the web portal reflect different areas of the site (and functionalities).

The built-in AI also helps HR workers to interact with their data in natural language while surfacing analytics more easily, so there’s no major headaches on that front either.

PeopleHR also has a mobile app that workers can use to find things like colleague details in the company directory, holiday and absence allowances, expenses and other documents.

The app can also be protected with biometrics to keep personal data secure.

PeopleHR: Support

When you start looking into the pricing of PeopleHR, you’ll notice you can’t just subscribe to a membership and take it from there. You’ll need to chat to an agent and go through an onboarding process, and this training is included as part of the pricing.

Once you’re up and running, though, you may still need support, be it technical or just a query about a feature. Support channels include email, phone and chat, which is really positive, but it’s not necessarily instantaneous. To chat, for example, you’ll still need to book a slot – it’s not a live chat in the sense that many consumers are already familiar with.

There’s also a knowledge base that covers FAQs, webinars, other videos and training opportunities.

PeopleHR: Final verdict

PeopleHR delivers a well-rounded, cloud-based HR solution that balances performance and usability well. It’s packed with functions and available in your choice of four tiers to maximize affordability, helping to make it a strong fit for a variety of company sizes.

One of the platform’s main strengths is its modular design, which gives organizations the flexibility to start small and add more over time as they expand, without having to change providers.

Another standout feature is PeopleHR’s implementation of generative AI. With tools like Evo, PeopleHR can automate common HR tasks like approval workflows, reporting and analytics, which the company says comes at the benefit of workers who can then free themselves up to focus on their company’s people.

That said, the platform isn’t without its limitations. For example, some features that we’d consider mainstream are reserved for higher-tier subscriptions, so the cheaper options might not be suitable anymore.