With the right software, you can make the human resources aspect of
your small business a well-oiled, efficient machine. Instead of
scrambling to remember how much vacation time an employee has taken, you
can just open your human resources management (HRM) solution. Need to
gather and mine data for employee performance reports? Your HRM platform
has that at the ready for you, too.

I found four outstanding software titles that won’t cost you a penny
but will offer every feature you need to keep your HR department running
smoothly.

1: SimpleHRM

SimpleHRM (Figure A)
offers an open source version of its professional platform. This
version offers time management, and it can be installed on either a WAMP
(Windows Apache MySQL PHP) or LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP) server.

Once installed, SimpleHRM offers every feature you need to solidify
your HRM department: employee information, leave management, travel
management, expense management, benefit management, and task reporting.
SimpleHRM allows you to assign a CV to an employee and define
eligibility for rehire. Each major module offers plenty of granular
control, and the user interface is well laid out.

The installation requires the Apache rewrite module be installed and
enabled (the steps for this will vary, depending upon the platform), and
you will need to create the MySQL database prior to installation.
Outside of that, the installation for SimpleHRM is as simple as
downloading the file and unpacking it in your document root, pointing
your browser to the newly created folder (i.e., http://ADDRESS_TO_SERVER/SIMPLE_HRM_FOLDER), and walking through the web-based installation.

Figure A


SimpleHRM 

2: OrangeHRM

OrangeHRM (Figure B)
is a powerhouse human resources tool that any small or midsize business
can benefit from using. With OrangeHRM, you have options: You can
download and install the system on your own hardware, or you can
purchase a hosted solution. To get prices for the hosted solution, you
have to contact them from their Request a Quote page.

OrangeHRM’s features include: fully modular, addons (e.g., benefits,
employee self-service, training, budget, job and salary history, etc.)
for purchase, all standard HR functions (employees, leave, benefits,
performance, etc.), and more.

The installation is fairly straight-forward. With a self-extracting
Windows installer or full-source installations for Windows, Mac, and
Linux, you can get OrangeHRM up and running on nearly every platform. If
you don’t have the hardware or the skills to set up Orange onsite, you
can request a quote for a hosted instance of OrangeHRM. You can also purchase support plans and customizations.

Figure B


OrangeHRM

3: WaypointHR

WaypointHR (Figure C) is the HR
software for any small or midsize company looking for a platform that
nearly any user, of any experience level, can use. WaypointHR can manage
employee data, which include:

  • Personal details
  • Holiday/sickness/absence history
  • Employment/contract/job/salary details
  • Discipline and grievance records
  • Performance appraisals
  • Exit interviews and termination
  • A five-step add employee wizard
  • Export reports to PDF
  • Multi-site facility layering

WaypointHR also offers an active online support forum, a dedicated support website
(which includes developer support), as well as an on-demand solution
(for those that do not want to bother with the installation of
WaypointHR on a local machine). To get a quote for the on-demand
solution, visit this page, fill out the questionnaire, and wait to hear from WaypointHR.

Figure C


WaypointHR

4: iCE Hrm

iCE Hrm (Figure D)
is another modular HR solution that offers a local install or a
cloud-based solution. As with all of the other solutions, the iCE Hrm
local installation is free of charge, and to get a quote for a  hosted
solution, you can visit the iCE Hrm hosted solution contact page.

The iCE Hrm platform focuses on the essentials of HRM: employee
information, leave management, and time tracking. One unique feature of
iCE Hrm is the rule-based leave management tool, which delegates leave
management to corresponding supervisors.

The iCE Hrm platform offers an incredibly user-friendly interface, so
there’s no worry that end users who aren’t as computer savvy will have
trouble getting up to speed with the system. The iCE Hrm platform also
uses a smaller code base than most (it’s written in JavaScript and PHP),
which means anyone with the skills can easily extend the platform to
specifically fit their needs.

Figure D


iCE Hrm