Sana from Workday provides four key functions within the Workday platform: ‘find’, ‘act’, ‘build’, and ‘automate’ – but the company says human workers are still a core part of the process.

‘Find’ lets workers answer organizational-specific questions drawn from their Workday data, such as vacation policy or queries about ongoing customer campaigns, while ‘act’ leans more heavily on Sana’s AI agent functionality to update documents and populate fields on an employee’s behalf.

For example, a user could ask for Sana from Workday to update a client’s contract value, which it could then do in the relevant system without the employee needing to leave the chat window.

‘Build’ and ‘automate’ are more akin to vibe coding, in that they allow users to create dashboards and summaries from Workday data, or to construct multi-step workflows for agents. Examples include creating an agent that automatically reviews one’s email inbox for receipts and combines them into a report for manual review.

Workday also announced the Sana Self-Service Agent, which automates HR and finance tasks such as filing expenses, verifying pay cheques, or changing worker schedules based on live data.

Sana Enterprise lets businesses connect this conversational AI experience to their third-party enterprise apps. At launch, this includes connectors for Atlassian Confluence, Box, Gmail, Google Drive, Jira, Microsoft Outlook Email, Notion, Salesforce, ServiceNow, SharePoint, Slack, and Zoom.

“AI only works in the enterprise when it’s connected to trusted, deterministic systems, and that hybrid architecture is exactly what Workday is building,” said Aneel Bhusri, co-founder, CEO and chair at Workday.

“Sana is what brings it all together. It’s not just a new Workday experience – it’s a powerful way for people to search, reason, and orchestrate work across the enterprise.”

In response to an ITPro question on whether AI hallucinations are still a concern, Gerrit Kazmaier, president, Product and Technology at Workday, said that hallucinations are “a feature, not a bug” in consumer-facing LLMs but they’re something to entirely avoid in enterprise AI.

“Our value add, the value add of Workday, what we are engineering here at Workday, is actually building AI systems that put nondeterministic AI on enterprise rails,” he said.

“So running them repeatedly, safely, securely governed, and basically engineering the hallucinations away through clean data and through safeguarding.”

How Sana from Workdays automates core tasks

Workday acquired Sana Labs in November 2025 for approximately $1.1 billion (£830 million). At the time, the company highlighted how Sana’s enterprise knowledge would help to build a horizontal layer across enterprises that connects data and workflows.

Joel Hellermark, SVP and GM of AI at Workday and founder and CEO at Sana, showed in a demo how Sana from Workday and Sana Enterprise can combine to improve enterprise productivity.

Hellermark showed how he could ask the Sana Notetaker agent to update a customer’s Salesforce entry based on a call he had with them the previous day.

The agent then draws on the transcript from the call, captured by the Sana Notetaker agent, and uses the relevant information to update the Salesforce entry in a single click by the user.

In another example, Hellermark asked Sana to create an expense report based on his inbox, with the agent then able to pull details such as his flight tickets, hotel stay, and team dinner and create a single ‘submit report’ button to send the document into Workday.

On top of the pre-built agents within Sana from Workday, businesses can create their own. Hellermark showed how managers can create custom workflows for an agent to follow each time a new employee is onboarded, for example.

He demonstrated how he could give a new colleague access to a tool simply by asking the agent to do so. In the same vein, he could ask Sana to draft an email to the new employee inquiring about her laptop preferences.

“The big difference between Sana’s connectors and some of these historical connectors that were more enterprise search-like, is that we built them for agents first,” explained Hellermark.

“So this means that we can do write actions and not just read actions into all of these enterprise applications.”

Hellermark added that with Workday’s decades of experience building out strict application permissions and security, paired with Sana’s architecture, agents can accurately capture the correct governance controls to handle enterprise data and only perform authorized actions.

AI replacing human work

Responding to a press question on the organizational value of AI, especially when it comes to HR automation, Bhusri stated that it’s one that “keeps me awake at night”.

“I do think a lot of low level HR work is going to get replaced by agents – there's no way around it,” he said.

‘What the industry needs to own, including Workday and you'll see more from us on this topic, [is] we have to figure out a way to to take care of the employees that are dislocated for no better word on because of AI, we have to come up with a plan for them.”

Bhusri added that Sana is automating manual work, letting businesses do what previously took weeks in minutes, and that while this has obvious value for businesses it will have to be paired with focused support for human roles.

“A big part of what Sana and Workday does with learning is retraining, and we've got to double down on the retraining side,” he added.

“I mean, I hope there's a world where AI is complementary to humans. We have to find a path to that.”

However, Bhusri called out recent claims that AI could replace SaaS applications as “misinformation”.

“There's this idea that AI is going to replace a lot of these applications with things like vibe coding, which I'm a technologist and I've been in this space for a long time, I just don't see that happening.”

Workday’s applications, which cover HR, finance, and payroll, are deterministic – they have a clear start and end point.

“You think about a payroll process: you launch the payroll process, you end the payroll process,” said Bhusri.

“You can't get it mostly right, you have to get it right every time. AI, for all of its power, is really a probabilistic and reasoning engine, and it will help to come up with solutions and answers on what step to take next.”

Bhusri explained that Workday sees AI as an additive technology to these deterministic business processes, rather than something that can or should replace them entirely.

“So the power is really bringing the deterministic enterprise applications like Workday, and our competitors, SAP, Oracle, are in a similar place, with probabilistic reasoning.”

Hellermark noted that although 100% of Sana’s software engineers now use Claude Code, with 80-90% of its code being AI-assisted, the firm is hiring as many software engineers as it can right now.

This “paradox”, he said, feeds into his hope that AI could drive workers to quickly reskill.

“So my hope is that this era will result in the return of the polymath, that will see a renaissance of sorts where people can very quickly upskill into new domains and will remove some of the sort of specialist needs, and people will increasingly become generalists.”

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Payroll and HR solutions provider Zellis has announced plans to acquire elementsuite in a move the firm said will expand the capabilities of its HR software offering.

The transaction, for which financial terms were not disclosed, will see elementsuite combined with Zellis’ own payroll and HR software to create an end-to-end, AI-powered platform.

Headquartered in Watford, elementsuite provides an AI-powered HR and workforce management (WFM) software suite designed to manage the full employee lifecycle.

Prominent fast food giants McDonald’s and Five Guys are listed as customers.

Subject to customary closing conditions, Zellis and elementsuite will now become one company in a move Zellis said will see both sets of customers gain access to new AI-powered software capabilities.

“We’re excited by the opportunity that this combination brings for new and existing customers of both elementsuite and Zellis,” commented Zellis CEO Abigail Vaughan.

“Bringing together the depth of talent across both businesses and combining the strength of elementsuite’s HR and AI capabilities with Zellis’ payroll, HR and AI capabilities will deliver even more value to our combined customers.”

Founded in 1963, Zellis specializes in the provision of payroll, HR, and managed services to customers across the UK and Ireland with more than 500 employees.

The firm itself has grown to become the largest provider of its kind in the UK, serving more than five million customers’ employees and over 60 million payslips every year.

Zellis eyes AI gains with latest acquisition

The elementsuite acquisition is Zellis’ latest move to expand its AI capabilities and follows the release of its HCM AIR solution, which is designed to enhance functionality and the employee experience, in June of last year.

Commenting on the move, Steve Elcock, CEO and founder of elementsuite, said Zellis’ standing will enable the firm to better meet the needs of the market.

“We are incredibly proud of the AI enabled HR suite we have developed in recent years and, with the support of Zellis, are looking forward to bringing the benefits of our technology to more businesses,” he said.

“Zellis’ leadership in payroll will further enhance our overall offering and will help us better meet market demand.”

Across all industries, the need to find and recruit high quality talent has reached a significant point. Skills shortages are arguably now the greatest barrier to growth for many organizations, which is why recruitment and retention is now an increasingly important priority for business leaders.

According to a PwC’s Workforce survey, 23% of UK workers expect to change jobs within the next twelve months, up from 18% in 2022. This suggests that the ‘Great Resignation’ is certainly not over, meaning it’s up to employers to entice prospective employees more than ever.

With organizations battling rivals to gain traction within finite talent pools, they are having to showcase to potential hires an enhanced level of employee experience – from benefits to well-being through to flexible working, training and career development opportunities. They’re also having to demonstrate how their organizational values and purpose align with an employee’s own drive and priorities.

It’s vital to recognize however, that technology – and in particular, applications and digital services – now sit at the heart of the recruitment process. Global research by Cisco AppDynamics finds that the average person now uses a total of six applications or digital services when looking for or applying for a new job – and this increases to eight in the U.S. and nine in India.

Today's job seekers use a wide range of different digital services – including jobs sites, social media, employer websites and employer review sites. And most are using these services daily so as HR leaders double down on their strategies to attract talent, they must ensure their applications and digital services – whether that’s careers pages on their websites or email and messaging services for candidates – are performing at an optimal level. Otherwise, they risk annoying and alienating potential hires.

Jobseekers have no time for employers that deliver poor digital experiences

With people now entirely reliant on digital services to find, research and apply for new jobs, their expectations for these services are now sky-high. 97% of jobseekers state it’s important the applications they use to find and apply for jobs provide a fast and seamless experience, without any delays or disruption. Additionally, 64% claim that if these applications fail to perform, it puts them off working for the potential employer.

For employers, this is a stark message – if their recruitment-focused applications and digital services suffer from disruption or downtime, they are jeopardizing their chances of attracting almost two-thirds of potential new hires.

People now want the same level of digital experience from their employer (or potential employer) as they get in every other area of their lives. They expect their experience when looking for and applying for a new job to match that when they’re streaming movies and music, ordering groceries, or connecting with friends online.

HR leaders need to recognize that people are no longer willing to accept second rate digital experiences just because applications and digital services are work-related. And they also need to be aware that people’s reactions when they encounter poorly performing applications are now incredibly strong. 73% of people admit that they would feel anxious and angry if the applications they were using to find and apply for a new job didn’t perform properly.

Employers can secure leading talent by optimizing application performance

The message from job seekers to potential employers is clear – they simply won’t put up with disruption or downtime when using jobs-related digital services. In fact, more than half claim that employers have only one shot to impress them with their digital services. There are no second chances.

This is why it’s so essential for HR leaders to work with their IT departments to ensure that they are providing potential hires with fast and seamless experiences at every stage of the recruitment process.

Currently, many organizations are struggling to manage application availability and performance within multi-cloud and hybrid environments. Technologists don’t have the unified visibility they need to get a clear line of sight on applications running across on-premises and cloud native environments and this makes it extremely difficult for them to identify and troubleshoot issues before they impact end users – whether that be customers, current employees or potential new recruits.

To mitigate this risk, organizations need to implement an observability solution which spans across both cloud native and on-premises environments and allows technologists to monitor the health of key business transactions distributed across their entire technology landscape. With real-time insights from the business transaction’s telemetry data, technologists can swiftly understand the root cause of issues and expedite resolution, so that applications are operating at peak performance at all times.

Significantly, the research shows that employers that can deliver seamless digital experiences can take a big step towards becoming an employer of choice for candidates. 78% of people claim that they would want to work for an employer that provides brilliant, seamless digital experiences throughout the recruitment process.

At a time when HR leaders are looking for any advantage, they can get over their rivals in the jobs market, this is a potentially game changing benefit. By focusing on digital experience throughout the recruitment process, employers can steal a march on the competition and attract the high-quality talent they need to grow.

Racial and gender-based inequality in tech recruitment is still a pervasive issue, according to new research.

The State of Wage Inequality report from Hired shows that bias in recruitment and hiring processes is actively harming people of color and women, with only minor progress being made on this front in the last five years. 

While the report highlighted that 99% of hiring leaders say they “make efforts to ensure hiring decisions are free from bias”, additional work is still required to root out long-standing cultural issues. 

Just over half (56%) of hiring managers reported that bias is still present in their workplaces, according to Hired. Gender-based biases are among the most common they see in their organizations, with 17% reporting this as a key issue.

Similarly, 12% reported that racial biases are also a lingering problem, followed by age-based discrimination. 

In particular, Hired said that representation “remains an issue for non-male, non-white individuals".

In 2022, 38% of positions advertised only offered interview opportunities to men. This marks a slight increase from 37% recorded in 2021, the report found.

Affinity and confirmation bias

A key factor in the continued issues reported by HR leaders was that many hiring managers experience “affinity and confirmation bias”, the report said. 

“Affinity bias occurs when interviewers favor candidates who are similar to themselves,” the report explained. “Confirmation bias leads hiring managers to focus on information that confirms their pre-existing beliefs about a candidate.”

Hired warned that both these issues directly harm individuals applying for jobs that don’t meet preconceived notions or beliefs held by the hiring managers. 

Long-term, this has an adverse effect on workplaces, leading to teams that are “largely homogenous” and lack diversity. 

Diverse teams deliver results

Eliminating bias in recruitment and hiring processes delivers broader results than merely improving diversity statistics. Companies which prioritize racial and ethnic diversity were 36% more likely to achieve “above average financial returns”, according to a report from McKinsey.

Meri Williams, CTO at Pleo, told ITPro “diverse teams win” and that organizations should place a stronger emphasis on fostering workforce diversity.

“This isn't purely about being fair to those of different genders or races – the more diverse teams are, the more varied an organization’s thinking becomes and the broader the range of solutions they develop,” Meri said. 

“Attracting a diverse workforce begins with an unbiased hiring process. And while it’s essential to ensure talent acquisition is set up right, do not overlook the fact that commitment to inclusion should run beyond the HR team and through the entire company.

“The work doesn’t stop there either and leaders must enable a diverse culture to thrive through an inclusive workplace design.”

An exodus of partner organizations from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) could spell doom for the trade lobby group. 

On Friday, insurance firm Aviva announced that it planned to cut ties with the industry body after The Guardian reported that a second woman had made  sexual assault allegations against two male CBI staff. 

The recent allegations follow a string of claims of serious misconduct by current or former CBI staff in recent weeks. 

Responding to the fresh claims, Aviva said that recent events highlighted that the CBI “no longer spoke” for British industry. 

The move sparked a wave of similar reactions from a number of major organizations, with NatWest, Lloyds Banking Group, Rolls Royce, Meta, John Lewis Partnership, and Unilever among more than 50 firms that suspended ties with the trade group in recent days. 

The current situation could place strain on the CBI as companies look to distance themselves from the scandal-ridden organization - and if the current trend continues, the trade body could lose out on a significant volume of revenue. 

According to the CBI, the trade body represents more than 190,000 members, with partners paying an annual membership fee believed to be in the region of £90,000 for larger organizations. 

Members at the trade group pay an annual membership fee in January, meaning that if organizations fully cut ties, it could face serious financial difficulties toward the end of 2023. 

Speaking to The Guardian, anonymous industry sources suggested that the CBI may be “forced to wind down” due to a pending cash flow crisis later in the year. 

The prospect of winding down was raised by CBI president Brian McBride earlier this month, with the executive warning that a leadership vacuum in the wake of the misconduct news could seriously impact member confidence in the body. 

In a statement on Friday, the CBI board said that it “shares the shock and revulsion” at incidents that have occurred in the organization. 

“We are deeply sorry and express our profound regret to the women who have endured these horrific experiences,” the statement said. 

Late on Friday, the CBI also revealed that it would suspend all policy and membership activity until an extraordinary general meeting in June when they would put forward proposals to restructure the organization.

CBI scandal - what happened? 

Earlier this month, an expose by The Guardian revealed that more than a dozen women reported “various forms of sexual misconduct” by senior figures at the industry lobby group. 

The complainants, all of whom were current or former staff, approached the publication with reports of what they described as a “toxic culture at Britain’s most influential business lobbying organization”.

These complaints followed separate allegations made against director general, Tony Danker - one of which the publication said was “defined as sexual harassment”.

In response to the allegations, the CBI launched a review of its organizational culture and dismissed Danker due to “specific complaints of workplace misconduct”. 

The trade group said at the time that its investigation, conducted by employment law firm Fox Williams, revealed “serious failings” throughout the organization.

What if the CBI fails?

The CBI misconduct incident is among one of the biggest scandals to have faced British industry in recent years, and has seriously impacted the confidence of member organizations over whether the trade body is the preferred industry champion moving forward. 

If the CBI was to wind down due to reduced membership-based revenue streams in the coming months, then a number of key British industries would be left without one of its flagship lobby groups. 

The CBI represents thousands of UK companies spanning a range of sectors, and has grown to become one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the country. 

In recent years, the trade body has also played an increasingly important role in supporting the UK’s tech industry and helping to bridge the gap between government and industry. 

Last month, the CBI announced plans to launch ‘Project Decacorn’, a programme aimed at bolstering support for high-growth tech companies to enable them to scale from unicorn level to ‘decacorn’ level - a company valued at over $10 billion. 

Amazon employees have reportedly launched an internal campaign to reverse the CEO's decision mandating a worldwide return to office push.

Corporate employees have formed a channel on the company’s Slack to argue for continued remote work. In it, a petition has been shared claiming that the new office policy “runs contrary” to the company’s promises.

CNBC reported that more than 14,000 had joined this channel by 21 February, a growing fraction of the roughly 300,000 global employees affected by the shift in stance on remote work.

Andy Jassy, CEO at Amazon, announced on 17 February that all Amazon corporate staff would be expected to return to the office at least three days per week effective from 1 May.

Dismayed employees have pointed to a 2021 commitment made by Jassy to continue remote working, and an acknowledgement that "no one-size-fits-all approach for how every team works best" when it comes to work patterns within the company.

Explaining the change in stance, Jassy said that leaders can more effectively teach staff when they’re in the same room, and that in-person meetings are a better way for employees to become immersed in the company culture.

“It’s not simple to bring many thousands of employees back to our offices around the world, so we’re going to give the teams that need to do that work some time to develop a plan,” Jassy wrote in a message to Amazon employees.

“We know that it won’t be perfect at first, but the office experience will steadily improve over the coming months and years) as our real estate and facilities teams smooth out the wrinkles, and ultimately keep evolving how we want our offices to be set up to capture the new ways we want to work.”

Reports have suggested that details on the return to office are still being finalised, including how it can apply uniformly across departments like human resources and software engineering.

Pragmatic Engineering’s Gergely Orosz cited discussions with insiders who stated that employees, managers, and human resources were surprised by the announcement and questioned its absence from the firm's recent all hands meeting.

The change in remote work allowances follows Amazon’s laying off of 18,000 staff, citing an uncertain economic climate and a need to preserve the long-term health of the company.

It also comes as the company approaches the first anniversary of the formation of Amazon Labour Union (ALU), the first such organised group of Amazon warehouse workers.

What’s happening in big tech?

Tech workers have long been the beneficiaries of policies such as remote work, and during the pandemic companies allowed a growing number of employees to move away from the office full-time. Since then, these promises have been slowly reneged, amid wider cuts to workforce numbers and hiring goals.

Twitter, which was among the first to tell employees to work from home indefinitely, has since mandated staff return to offices and decimated their benefits, while in leaked audio obtained by ABC News, CEO Elon Musk was heard to say “if you can show up at an office and you do not show up at the office: resignation accepted. End of story".

But while big tech layoffs appear locked into most corporate strategies at the moment, wisdom on remote working has differed, and some have argued that turning back the clock on hybrid work is a mistake.

Earlier in February, GitHub announced it would go fully remote in the same breath as announcing that 10% of its workforce would be fired.

In November, LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report noted that employers are posting fewer remote job positions, even as demand for remote jobs has increased.

In today’s increasingly volatile business landscape, tech workers cannot rely on old norms of employer loyalty for job security. The hard fact is job cuts have arrived, and will continue, as the sector enters a profound downturn.

We’ve already seen Amazon and Salesforce announce 26,000 job losses between them alongside reports Vodafone is mulling layoffs as part of wider cost-saving measures, and Microsoft cut 10,000 employees in a cost saving measure. This is only the beginning, with other major corporations plotting cuts as they cope with the economic turbulence of 2023.

Unions, meanwhile, offer workers a means to collectively bargain with employers and get pay and retention assurances in writing rather than as statements of goodwill. In a sector that’s now regularly seeing big names cut between 10 – 50% of their workforces, employers will struggle to build trust with workers unless they are willing to back it up with agreements. Unions can play a key role in this.

The current state of the tech sector is a far cry from this. In the United States, 33.9% of public sector workers were unionised in 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, versus 6.1% of private sector workers. Those working in professional and technical services had lower rates still (1.2%).

There are a number of reasons why union membership among tech employees has been slow to grow, and has always lagged behind the private sector average. Perhaps the most obvious is the tech industry has long been considered one of the most lucrative to work in, and therefore in no need for organised action.

Silicon Valley software engineers can make more than $1 million per year, and cities such as San Francisco, Seattle and New York offer median yearly compensation above $180,000. Even in roles that aren’t as well-compensated, many tech workers see potential in themselves to helm the next big startup in their sector given time, and may rationalise poor working conditions as a necessary sacrifice on the way to greatness.

Although union membership in tech is low worldwide, and union representation in the UK tech sector almost non-existent, workers in the EU and UK enjoy a far wider range of rights than their American counterparts. These include maternity leave and sick pay, underlining the benefits counterparts in the US should be organising to demand.

In this way, employees would be shielded against the kind of sudden upheaval that a merger or acquisition may bring to their job. The biggest example in recent memory is Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, which saw the CEO fire half its employees, demand the rest agree to harsh new working conditions, and slashed existing benefits such as permanent work from home or child care.

Companies looking to boost productivity should embrace unionisation in accordance with their principles, in a win-win for management and employees. It’s unsurprising that employees can focus on their work more if they aren’t worrying about job security or childcare arrangements and, with proper union protections in place, they can receive it in confidence through union-negotiated, binding work agreements.

Microsoft has taken the right approach with its decision to accept ZeniMax workers’ unionisation in anticipation of “good faith” negotiations. It should be that just as a company’s C- suite works to protect profits and shareholder interests, workers are allowed to protect their rights and the value of their labour.

The received wisdom is that younger employees crave meaning above raw progression in their roles. While this is an important discussion to have, executives would do well to consider the meaning inherent to unionised workforces and the self-maintaining sense of community they can achieve collectively.

A modern coalition of tech unions could champion hybrid work – in fact, tech workers are arguably some of the best situated to embrace a modern union structure and lead structural reform that other sectors could look to as an example. It could also do away with destructive workplace arrangements that have become too common in developer environments.

‘Crunch’, a term that developers use to describe the punishing overtime that many companies enforce in the weeks leading up to a product’s general release, has always been unsustainable. Like the six-day weeks of the early 20th century, this practice should be consigned to history in favour of fair conditions that factor in worker satisfaction. In the same way that unions won workers the weekend, they can win improved office hours, pay and equitable conditions.

Rejecting unionisation is pure short-termism, and efforts to suppress unionisation of one’s workers are the calling card of a company that never plans to provide its employees with living wages or meaningful career opportunities. The time for unchecked expansion at the expense of tech workers should end, in favour of an equitable future shaped as much by those contributing their labour to big tech as by the household names. Companies looking to be on the right side of history, like Microsoft and others, will embrace unionisation for a more secure, happy, and productive workforce.

The best free people search platforms give you a budget-friendly way to look up and confirm basic facts about someone online. Paid services can dig much deeper, but when you only need to verify an identity or track down an old friend, the no-cost options usually do the trick. They can even handle quick, preliminary hiring checks, though any serious screening still calls for formal, professional vetting.

Expect these free tools to show only essential data — current contact info, general location, and a limited number of searches per day. Details like past addresses, financial history, or criminal records typically sit behind a paywall. In our latest round of testing, That’s Them kept the top spot: its generous free features outshine most competitors, letting you search by email, IP address, or even VIN — capabilities many other services reserve for paid tiers.

What do the best free people search sites offer?

Free people search sites are designed to offer a baseline of information without a fee, catering to users who need quick verifications or are undertaking casual searches. Typically, you can search by name, and, often, by phone number or address. Some platforms may also allow searches by email address or even more unique identifiers. The results usually include basic contact information, potential relatives, and sometimes current or past general locations.

However, it's important to set realistic expectations. Free services will almost invariably have limitations. These can include a cap on the number of searches you can perform daily, less detailed information compared to paid tiers, and frequent prompts to upgrade for more comprehensive data. You're unlikely to access sensitive details such as full criminal records, extensive financial histories, or detailed employment backgrounds through free searches. For such in-depth investigations, particularly for professional due diligence or formal background checks, dedicated premium services are generally necessary.

What are the best free people search sites?

Our top recommendation is still That’s Them, which continues to offer a generous range of free search parameters and insights compared to competitors. Alongside name and address lookups, it still supports searches via email, Internet Protocol (IP), and VIN.

Whitepages, Zaba Search, TinEye, and Peek You are close competitors, offering a range of free search services that rank among the top free people search sites available.

Whitepages remains a go-to for those starting with a phone number, while TinEye excels if you only have an image to go on. For simple social media checks, Peek You can help pinpoint usernames and associated online profiles. Zaba Search’s appeal lies in its quick, hassle-free results.

The best free people search sites available right now

The best allrounder - THAT’S THEM

That’s Them consistently impresses with the breadth of search parameters available on its free tier. Beyond standard name and address lookups, it often allows users to search by email address, IP address, or even a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), uncovering data points that many competitors reserve for paid plans. This makes it a versatile tool for various informal search needs.

While the free service is robust, more detailed reports or a higher volume of searches necessitate an upgrade. As of early 2025, That’s Them continues to offer subscription plans, with pricing typically starting in the range of 20−30 per month, varying based on the level of access and features. It's important to note that while accessible globally for basic free lookups, the depth and accuracy of information are generally more comprehensive for individuals within the US.

The best for phone numbers - WHITEPAGES

Whitepages has long been a household name for directory services, and it remains a strong option, especially for reverse phone number lookups. The free version provides potential owner names, associated cities, and sometimes indicators of spam or scam risks tied to a number. Name and address searches are also available, often yielding information about possible relatives and general location history.

To access more detailed information, such as current mobile numbers, full street addresses, or comprehensive background reports, a premium subscription is required. Whitepages offers various tiers, with basic plans for enhanced lookups starting around $5−10 per month, and more comprehensive background check services costing significantly more.

Premium plans and detailed data are predominantly available for individuals and records within the United States.

The best for quick searches - ZABA SEARCH

Zaba Search is valued for its simplicity and speed when you need to quickly verify basic information. If you have a name or a phone number, Zaba Search can often provide a quick confirmation of an individual's general location and age range, sometimes with partial phone details. The ability to filter by city or state is helpful when searching for common names.

Compared to a service like That’s Them, the free results on Zaba Search tend to be less comprehensive. For more detailed reports, including full contact information, address history, or potential social media links, Zaba Search often directs users to affiliated paid background check services. Pricing for these deeper dives, accessed via partners, typically starts around $25−40 per month.

The best for image searches - TINEYE

TinEye occupies a unique niche; it's not a people search site in the traditional sense of finding personal data but is the leading tool for reverse image searching. If your starting point is a photograph, TinEye can help you discover where that image (or similar versions) appears online. This is invaluable for verifying the authenticity of profile pictures, identifying the original source of an image, or checking for potential misuse of photos.

A key limitation is that TinEye's web crawlers generally do not index images directly from within major social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram due to their privacy settings. However, it can find images on blogs, news sites, forums, and other public websites, which might indirectly help in an investigation. TinEye offers its core reverse image search for free and also has paid API plans for high-volume commercial use.

The best for social media searches - PEEK YOU

PeekYou focuses on aggregating an individual's public online presence, particularly across various social media platforms and web services. If you have a username or a name, PeekYou attempts to locate associated profiles on sites like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram (public profiles), blogs, and other online communities. It can sometimes surface basic demographic information like age, city, and potential family connections linked through these public profiles.

While useful for mapping out a digital footprint, obtaining detailed contact information or comprehensive background data through PeekYou usually involves clicking through to one of its premium affiliate partners, such as Truthfinder or BeenVerified. The free information is a good starting point for understanding someone's online persona.

Best free people search sites FAQs

There are several factors to consider when looking for the best free people search sites, depending on the questions one needs to answer or the specific pieces of information required. Users often ask:

The benefits of people search sites

Fact check someone: Quickly verify basic details provided by individuals, whether they are online contacts, potential casual acquaintances, or verifying someone you've met offline.

Save time: Instead of manually scouring numerous search engines (such as Google) and social media platforms, these sites can consolidate some publicly available information, saving initial research time.

Have information in one place: Some services attempt to aggregate data from various public sources, providing a centralized, albeit often basic, overview of an individual's online presence or public records.

How we chose the best people search sites

Our review process for these free people search sites focuses on several key factors. We assess the variety of search parameters available on the free tier, the accuracy and relevance of the information provided without cost, and the overall user-friendliness of the platform. 

We also considered the transparency regarding what is free versus what requires a paid upgrade, and the relative value offered by any associated premium services if that information is readily available. Our aim is to identify sites that deliver tangible value to users seeking information without an initial financial commitment.

This guide offers an overview of some of the best free people search sites available in 2025. For users who find their needs extend beyond what free services can offer, exploring dedicated premium background check services may be the next step. 

ITPro may have detailed reviews or guides on services like PeopleFinders or TruthFinder that delve into their paid features and data depth. Always choose a service that aligns with your specific information requirements and ethical considerations.

Ethical considerations and limitations of using free people search sites

While free people search sites offer a convenient way to access publicly available information, their use comes with significant ethical responsibilities and inherent limitations that users, especially IT professionals, must acknowledge. Understanding these aspects is crucial for the responsible and lawful use of these tools.

Firstly, privacy implications are paramount. Even though these sites compile publicly accessible data, the aggregation and easy accessibility of this information can feel intrusive to the individuals being searched. 

It's essential to use these tools with a legitimate and ethical purpose, such as reconnecting with a lost acquaintance or verifying information provided directly to you, rather than for casual snooping or digital voyeurism. IT professionals, in particular, should be mindful of not misusing these tools in a way that could compromise their professional integrity or an individual's expectation of privacy regarding their consolidated digital footprint.

Secondly, the accuracy and completeness of data on free tiers can be a significant limitation. Information might be outdated, incomplete, or even incorrect. Namesakes can lead to misidentification, and data refresh cycles vary. 

Relying solely on free people search results for critical decisions, such as those related to employment (beyond very informal pre-screening), tenant screening, or any situation requiring high accuracy, is ill-advised. Formal background checks through FCRA-compliant services are necessary for such purposes. Free searches can offer clues, but they should not be considered definitive or exhaustive proof.

Furthermore, there are legal and regulatory considerations. While the sites themselves operate legally by compiling public records, the use of the information obtained is subject to laws like the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in the US if used for decisions regarding credit, employment, insurance, or housing. Misusing information for discriminatory purposes, stalking, or harassment is illegal and unethical. 

Users must be aware of and comply with all applicable local, national, and international data protection and privacy laws, such as GDPR, if searching for individuals in Europe.

Finally, users should be aware of the potential for misuse by malicious actors. While you might be using these sites for benign reasons, the same tools can be exploited by others for doxxing, identity theft, or social engineering. Understanding this helps to appreciate the importance of managing one's digital footprint and advocating for responsible data handling practices.

While free people search sites are useful tools, they must be approached with a clear understanding of their limitations and a strong commitment to ethical use, respecting privacy, and adhering to legal frameworks. Ultimately, they are a starting point, not an endpoint, for information gathering.

When seeking detailed information on an individual, having the best people search sites on your side is crucial. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about some of the most popular tools available for researching information and conducting a background check.

There are many reasons to look up an individual’s information online these days. For some, it provides peace of mind about the history of new acquaintances, neighbors, or even reconnecting with old friends and family members. Others might have been contacted by someone they don’t know via phone or email and want to identify the sender.

People search sites are designed for personal searches such as these. It's important to remember that most of these services are not FCRA-compliant. This means they generally cannot be legally used for purposes such as screening potential tenants or employees, or to verify a person’s eligibility for loans, credit, or insurance. If those are the types of searches you’re looking to perform, you’ll need to use FCRA-compliant background check services.

If you need ways to screen employees during recruitment or onboarding, you might like to check out our guide on the best talent management software or our review of the best cloud HCM software.

What are the best people search sites in 2025?

Overall, PeopleFinders and TruthFinder (which now often includes Instant Checkmate functionality after acquisitions) stand out as robust options. PeopleFinders is known for its speed, ease of use, and flexible pricing, including affordable one-off reports. TruthFinder (and its associated brands) is often subscription-based but typically provides comprehensive reports that can include social media details, criminal records, and more.

Also on the list is Whitepages, notable for offering a free tier for basic information. US Search can take longer to compile reports, but often provides a preview of the data before purchase. Intelius offers an advanced user experience with interactive data presentation. For searches encompassing vehicle details or unclaimed property, BeenVerified remains a strong contender.

It's crucial to note that the people search industry is dynamic, with companies sometimes merging or changing service offerings. Pricing and specific features should always be verified directly on the provider's website before making a commitment.

The best people search sites in 202

PeopleFinders

PeopleFinders distinguishes itself by offering both one-off report purchases and subscription packages. This flexibility is great for users who don't need ongoing search capabilities. Basic reports are typically inexpensive (historically around $1−3), providing fundamental information.

More detailed reports, which could include criminal and property history, can be more expensive (historically around $9−10 for a single report). Monthly subscriptions for unlimited basic or detailed reports are also often available, with prices generally ranging from $20−30 per month. That said, we advise always checking the site for current rates.

PeopleFinders allows searches using names, phone numbers, and email addresses, which is useful if you only have limited information. A key benefit is that it often provides a list of potential matches before you commit to a purchase, helping you verify if the correct individual is likely to be found. According to the PeopleFinders website, their service is not for FCRA-regulated purposes. Reports may not always include social media handles.

PeopleFinders is a great, cost-effective option if you only need to perform a one-off search or if you have an email address as your primary starting point.

Read our full PeopleFinders review.

Instant Checkmate

Searching through Instant Checkmate can provide users with some of the most thorough reports available. Reports are often divided into categories such as criminal records, relatives, financial history, and online presence.

Services like this may delve into a person’s online activity, including social media posts, dating profiles, and even if they appear on government watchlists or have weapons permits. Unlimited report downloads are common with subscriptions.

Historically, these services are subscription-only. A one-month subscription might cost around $25−35, with potential discounts for longer commitments (e.g., a three-month plan could be around $20−30 per month). We advise verifying current pricing on the website. 

There's often no option for single reports. The search process can feel longer than some competing offerings due to interactive questions designed to refine results.

If you’re looking for in-depth social media activity, online presence, or extensive background details and are comfortable with a subscription, Instant Checkmate is a strong contender. 

Whitepages

Whitepages is one of the longest-standing names in online directories and offers a free search option. This free lookup typically provides a person’s full name, associated landline phone numbers, current address, and age range.

Premium reports unlock more detailed information, such as relatives, associates, mobile numbers, criminal records, financial records (like bankruptcies and foreclosures), property details, and more.

Whitepages' pricing can be multifaceted. A one-off background report might cost around £10-12. For more comprehensive contact information (including mobile numbers and full address history), they often offer a premium contact subscription (e.g., around $5−7 per month for a set number of reports, or a higher tier for more reports, perhaps $20−25). They may also offer an "Enhanced Background Report" for a higher one-time fee (e.g., $30−40), which could involve more current data retrieval. Check the site for current details.

Whitepages is a versatile option, whether you need a quick, free lookup for basic details or are willing to pay for more comprehensive and potentially very current public record data.

US Search

US Search aims to pull a wide variety of data, including social media information, photos, and detailed contact information like cell phone numbers. A significant benefit is that US Search often provides a preview or summary of what the report will contain before you commit to a subscription.

The information can be highly detailed, for instance, providing case numbers and offense descriptions for criminal records. The search portal, however, might not be as quick or modern as some alternatives, potentially requiring navigation through several screens.

Historically, US Search has been subscription-based, with monthly fees around $20. A point of friction in the past was the requirement to call customer service for subscription cancellation; it's advisable to check their current cancellation policy.

If you’re looking for detailed insight into someone’s social media activity and appreciate a preview before committing to a subscription, US Search is worth considering.

TruthFinder

TruthFinder is recognized for its ability to delve deep into public records, drawing from county, state, and federal databases to compile extensive background checks on individuals. Users can initiate searches with relative ease, guided by useful prompts designed to narrow down results and identify the correct person.

The platform is adept at uncovering a wide array of information, including financial details (such as bankruptcies), comprehensive criminal records (such as felonies, misdemeanors, sex offenses, and arrest records), traffic offenses, and more. A notable feature is its system of flagging reports that may contain sensitive or serious criminal information, providing a warning to the user before they access the full details. For potentially graphic content, TruthFinder also implements an age confirmation step.

For individuals curious about their online footprint, TruthFinder offers the ability to search for their records, claim their profile, and request corrections for any inaccuracies found. This provides a measure of control over the information presented.

While initiating a search is generally straightforward, compiling the full report once an individual is selected can be a lengthy process. Users may encounter multiple interactive questions and loading screens, which, while intended to refine results, can extend the waiting time before a report is ready for download.

Regarding access, TruthFinder typically operates on a subscription model. This means users usually cannot purchase individual, one-off reports and must instead opt for a recurring monthly subscription (historically in the $25−35 range, but always verify current pricing on their official website) to gain unlimited access to reports. A drawback for some is that a detailed preview of what a report contains is often not available before payment.

Despite the potentially longer report generation times and subscription-only model, TruthFinder's platform is generally easy to navigate. It stands as a robust option for users seeking in-depth background information, particularly concerning financial histories and comprehensive criminal records, and who are comfortable with an ongoing subscription for regular search needs.

Intelius

The Intelius user interface generally allows for easy searching with a name, phone number, or address. A strong point for Intelius is the depth of information it can provide about people connected to your search subject. You can often include details about family members or associates in your report. Interactive maps might display data related to known addresses.

While reverse phone lookups can be quick, full background reports may take a few minutes to prepare as the system compiles data. Intelius is usually subscription-based, with unlimited reports often costing around $20−25 per month. One-off report purchases are less common.

If you want comprehensive information on a person’s network and appreciate interactive data presentation, Intelius offers a solid platform.

BeenVerified

BeenVerified offers some distinct features, including an unclaimed property search. This allows you to see if there are unclaimed assets or money in your name (or the subject's name) across different states. It supports a broad range of search inputs, including vehicle license plate details.

Reports from BeenVerified are typically well-designed, with clear sections for different types of information. However, you may not get a detailed preview of the findings before committing to a monthly subscription, which could be around $25−30 per month. As with some other services, check their current cancellation policy, as direct online cancellation hasn't always been available.

BeenVerified is user-friendly and offers unique search capabilities like vehicle lookups and unclaimed property searches, making it a valuable tool for those specific needs.

How to choose the best people finder for you

Selecting the ideal people-finder hinges on several distinct considerations. Because most platforms deliver comparable — even virtually indistinguishable — feature sets, your final pick will frequently boil down to subscription cost or overall interface comfort. Nevertheless, certain characteristics render particular services markedly better suited to very unique, specific, specialized use cases.

When your priority is obtaining straightforward data at the lowest possible price, Whitepages deserves initial consideration. Conversely, searchers who plan to conduct thorough background investigations routinely and still want an inexpensive monthly plan will find US Search an attractive, cost-effective alternative service overall.

When the only clue you have is something less conventional — perhaps an e-mail handle or a vehicle’s plate number — select a platform geared toward such reverse lookups, notably BeenVerified or PeopleFinders, which both specialize in that unique capability.

Nearly all of these services supply smartphone applications replicating their web-based functionality, yet users seeking particularly dependable performance on both iOS and Android may gravitate toward PeopleFinders, whose cross-platform app frequently earns praise for consistency and ease.

Many individuals turn online to vet fresh personal contacts — be that a prospective flatmate or someone met through dating apps. In such situations, InstantCheckmate’s exceptionally comprehensive digital-footprint dossier, including linked dating profiles, provides the reassurance and context many people crave before moving forward with them.

Another common reason to turn to a people finder tool is looking up old friends and family with whom you’ve lost touch. You might remember their old address or still have a phone number for their childhood landline, for example. In that case, interactive visuals of an individual’s family network, as provided by Inteliu,s can provide the context you need to find who you’re looking for quickly.

Ethical considerations and opting out 

While people search sites can be useful, it's important to use them responsibly and ethically. Accessing someone's personal information should be done with respect for their privacy and only for legitimate, non-harmful reasons. Never use this information to harass, stalk, or intimidate anyone.

Many people are uncomfortable with their information being readily available on these sites. Most people search sites offer an opt-out process that allows individuals to request the removal of their records from the platform's public searches.

• How to opt-out: The opt-out procedure varies by site. Typically, you'll need to find an "Opt-Out," "Remove My Information," or "Privacy" link, often in the website's footer. You may need to identify your specific record, verify your identity (e.g., via email or phone), and then submit the removal request. Some sites make this easier than others.
• Persistence: Opting out of one site doesn't remove your information from others, nor does it remove it from the original public records sources these sites draw from. You may need to repeat the process for multiple people search sites. Additionally, new information or changes to existing public records could lead to your information reappearing later, so periodic checks might be necessary.
• Data broker removal services: There are also paid services that specialize in removing personal information from a multitude of data brokers and people search sites, which can save considerable time and effort.

Understanding these aspects enables users to be better informed about people search sites and empowers individuals to manage their online footprint.

Further reading on people search sites

Budget may be a barrier to conducting your searches for individuals online; learn how to find someone for free on the internet in our step-by-step guide, and find out which premium people search platforms offer the best free people search sites.

Knowing how to find a person online for free has become a straightforward task, offering numerous methods to connect with long-lost friends, family members, or professional contacts. Knowing the right steps can make all the difference, whether you're looking to reconnect with a former colleague or track down a high school friend.

Thanks to the internet, finding people online is now easier than ever. Here are seven methods you can use to locate someone using free online resources.

Preparing to find someone on the internet for free

Before starting your search, consider whether the person you wish to find might prefer to remain private and whether they would be comfortable being contacted.

Afterward, compile a comprehensive list of everything you know about the individual. Even minor details can combine to create a complete picture, so include as much information as possible.

Information could include:

• Name (including names they may have used previously)
• Date and place of birth
• Educational institutions they attended
• Details of any of their associates
• Previous employers
• Any criminal convictions they may have
• Social media profiles
• Hobbies or social clubs

For accessing this information in the US, the laws in each state can vary greatly, so spend some time researching the specific laws in the state where you’re searching. Although marriage and divorce records tend to be public, birth and death certificates are often subject to stricter rules if they are less than 100 years old. You may also find that any identifiable information has been removed from any records you obtain.

You may be able to view such information remotely, assuming there is an electronic copy of it and that it is kept by the county clerk’s office, which tends to be the case. The contact details for the county clerk’s office should be relatively easy to find as they are often located on the office’s website. After you’ve got these details you can then make contact with the office to gain more information about public record access.

It could also be worthwhile to invest in a people search tool if your best efforts don't yield any results. Although many of these carry fees, the best people search sites often offer competitive deals, and you may find you only need to sign up for a short time.

Key considerations when people searching

Privacy considerations and ethical implications

When searching for someone online, it's crucial to consider privacy and ethical implications. While the internet offers powerful tools to locate individuals, using them responsibly is essential to respect privacy rights and maintain ethical standards.

Respecting privacy

Before conducting an online search, ask yourself why you want to find this person and what your intentions are. Ensure that your reasons for seeking them are legitimate and respectful. Remember that everyone has the right to privacy, and your search should not invade this right. It's important to avoid using any information found online to harass, stalk, or intimidate individuals.

Legal and ethical boundaries

Many online search tools provide access to public records and other information that might not always be ethically appropriate to use. Always consider the legal boundaries when using such tools, and ensure your actions comply with applicable laws and regulations. For instance, accessing certain records might require consent, and sharing personal information without permission can lead to legal consequences.

Responsible information sharing

Once you've found the information you're seeking, use it responsibly. If you plan to contact the person, ensure your communication is respectful and considerate. If they express a desire not to be contacted, honor their wishes.

By maintaining respect for privacy and adhering to ethical guidelines, you can ensure your online search efforts are both effective and considerate.

What is TruthFinder?

TruthFinder is one of the best people search sites on the market today. It uses public records to provide you with people’s identity information, including family members, location history, and criminal records. If you don’t have a name to start with, the platform also enables you to perform searches using a phone number, address, or email.

What does TruthFinder do?

TruthFinder offers background checks sourced from public records, enabling you to do the following:

• Quickly search through databases using just a name, phone number, email address, or physical address
• View someone’s family members, location history, employment and educational background, property ownership, and—where relevant—criminal records and traffic violations
• Access someone’s contact details, such as email addresses and phone numbers
• Identify social media and online dating profiles which are likely used by the queried person
• Get an overview of someone’s credit history, including debt levels and bankruptcies
• Uncover basic identity details, such as name and location, by reverse-searching a phone number
• Find out whether you’ve been a victim of identity theft by querying your own records using TruthFinder’s Dark Web search

How consumers can use TruthFinder

Background checks provided by TruthFinder cannot be used for employment or tenancy screening purposes in the USA, since they do not comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). However, TruthFinder has lots of benefits for personal use, including the use case examples below.

Relatives

Re-engaging with long-lost family members, like cousins you haven’t seen since childhood, is possible with TruthFinder’s name search. The company’s background check can include current and past addresses, names of family members, and education history, which you can use to correctly identify the relative based on the information you already hold on them.

Once you’ve validated their personal details, contact details provided in the report—such as email address, phone number, and social media profiles—can enable you to re-establish contact with the relative. A current address is also likely to be included, which you can use to send a letter or arrange a visit.

Neighbors

Whether a new family has just moved next door or you’re arranging a playdate for your child, you can retrieve important background information about those near to you, starting with a name or an address. Results such as previous residential addresses, criminal records, bankruptcies, and details about family members can help you verify someone’s statements, so that you can proceed with your activities feeling at ease.

Dating prospects

Sometimes, you want to make sure the person you allow into your life is being truthful. For example, meeting up with someone from a dating app can be a more comfortable experience if you fact-check important elements in advance. If you have their full name or phone number, you can get instant results on TruthFinder.

Should you find unsavory details in the person’s location history, employment background, criminal record, or social media profiles—for instance, that they are already married—at least you know where you stand.

Business associates

The individuals you’re in business with—be they investors, clients, or suppliers—could potentially affect your financial position or get close to the people in your life. So, it may be useful to know critical details from their background checks, such as their criminal records, traffic violations, owned assets, and any bankruptcies or debt they may have.

While you cannot use TruthFinder to make employment or tenancy decisions, you can use it to validate business information that your associates have provided you with.

Property seekers

TruthFinder allows you to begin a search using a property address, and offers detailed property data in its background checks, including the number of rooms, ownership history, and local census data. This information is especially useful if you’re a prospective property buyer or realtor in need of a quick property snapshot and ownership details.

Similarly, if you’re a tenant planning to make a rental offer, getting details on the owners and the local neighborhood—including a list of registered sex offenders—could help inform your decision.

Features and benefits of TruthFinder

Personal information

Information such as full name, age, family members, and current location can help you fact-check data that someone has given you—such as a prospective partner. These details can also be used to check that you’ve got the right person, and, hence, that the ensuing information is relevant to your search.

Location history

TruthFinder offers a list of current and past locations at which an individual has been registered. You can visualize the addresses on a map and even access street view—which saves you from going to Google Maps, if, say, you’re browsing properties to buy by address. Additional property details include possible neighbors, previous owners, and demographic statistics.

Contact details

Likely phone numbers and email addresses registered with the individual may appear in their background check. Though TruthFinder cannot guarantee that these contact details belong to the person you’re searching for, it’s a risk some users are willing to take, if, for example, they’ve lost contact with a family member.

Social media

Where possible, TruthFinder includes individuals’ social media profiles, including Facebook and Twitter, along with likely images of the queried person. Such alternative ways of contact are particularly useful if the report doesn’t include phone numbers or email addresses. Additionally, a reverse email search could reveal potential dating profiles—which may be of interest to current or prospective partners.

Criminal records

Though it can contain unpleasant findings, the criminal records feature is important for users who are cautious about letting someone new into their lives or around their children. Details about the charges or offenses in this section are sourced from government agencies, such as the FBI. A list of sex offenders residing around the person’s area of residence is also included in TruthFinder background checks.

How much does TruthFinder cost?

TruthFinder is a paid people search service, charging $28.05 a month, billed monthly, for unlimited background checks. While there is no annual billing option, you can pay $46.56 for two months at a time, which saves you 17% compared to monthly billing.

If that feels too steep, there’s good news: unlimited reverse phone number searches are priced at $4.99 a month, billed monthly. However, this plan doesn’t include name, address, or email searches, and returns limited results on an individual compared to a full background check.

There is no option to buy a one-off report, which some competitors including PeopleFinders and Whitepages offer on top of monthly subscriptions. Though not officially advertised, a limited trial priced at $1 for five reports only may be offered by TruthFinder’s algorithm when users attempt to close the website window.

TruthFinder FAQs

Is TruthFinder legitimate?

TruthFinder taps into public records to compile individual reports—including county, state, and federal records—so its business is legitimate. If you’re concerned about your information being available to other TruthFinder users, you can ask the company to remove your details from its systems. If you’re looking for background checks to help you make employment or tenancy decisions, however, you should look for other solutions that are FCRA compliant.

Is there a fee for using TruthFinder?

TruthFinder charges $28.05 for its services on a monthly basis, or you can pay $46.56 for two months at a time for an overall discount. Sometimes, users are also offered a one-off $1 trial consisting of five reports. Most solutions on the people search market charge fees for background check data, including contact details, location history, and criminal records.

How do I get TruthFinder for free?

TruthFinder does not offer a free plan or trial for its people search services. Without a subscription, performing a name search will only return a list of potential matches, followed by their age, family members, and registered cities of residence. If you’re on a budget and don’t require advanced details such as criminal records or asset ownership, try free websites with robust people search results, such as That’s Them.

Can someone see if you look them up on TruthFinder?

TruthFinder claims that the individuals you check on the website will not get notified of your search. Additionally, the data saved to your account, such as past searches, is secured with 128-bit encryption, which is a common industry standard.

Main takeaways

Here are the key points you should remember about TruthFinder:

• TruthFinder is a background check provider for consumers which provides information including someone’s location history, contact details, and criminal records
• Users who might benefit from TruthFinder’s background checks include those wanting to reconnect to long-lost relatives or verify a blind date’s identity
• If you don’t have a name, you can query TruthFinder’s records using a reverse phone number, email, or address search
• To use TruthFinder, you must pay either one or two months in advance, though you may also get offered a trial for $1
• While TruthFinder is a legitimate business that utilizes public records, you cannot use it to make employment or tenancy decisions

Further reading on people finders

For budget-friendly alternatives when looking for people finders, you can check out our best free people search sites, and learn Discover how to find someone for free on the internet. If you're looking for a premium search platform, make sure to check out our guide to the best people search sites.

What is a background check?

A background check is a quick, cost-effective way to verify someone’s identity, with reports usually covering address history, contact details, family members, and criminal records. The best people search sites achieve this for consumers by accessing public records and providing instant results, while business-aimed solutions provide more thorough reporting, and may include manual checks by staff.

What does a background check do?

If you’re about to make an offer to an employee or offer a lease to a tenant, a background check helps you to:

• Verify someone’s name, location history, social security number, employment, and education
• Make sure you’re aware of their criminal and motor vehicle records
• Check their credit history and other financial liabilities that could impact your business

If you’re using background checks for personal decision-making, you can:

• Search for someone’s records using their name, phone number, address, or other identifiers
• Find basic information including property ownership, contact details, and even social media profiles
• Pay a premium fee to have an overview of their criminal records, financial solvency, and personal and business associates

How stakeholders can use a background check

Employers

Employers can use background checks to screen candidates before making employment offers. By verifying information, including previous jobs, educational background, social security number, and location history, hiring managers ensure that each new employee is fully qualified.

Where relevant, background checks can also help meet legal requirements, either at company or state level, by ascertaining criminal convictions, traffic violations, or credit history.

When using background checks to make employment decisions, it’s legally required that employers use providers that comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)—such as GoodHire—to ensure that reporting is accurate and respects candidates’ rights.

Landlords and realtors

Background checks allow property managers to efficiently screen prospective tenants. You can find out, for instance, whether the person has good credit history—which could indicate the likelihood of paying rent consistently.

Trust is a crucial element in real estate relationships, so landlords may want to validate information including a prospective tenant’s name, age, past addresses, and employment. The same benefits apply to a realtor verifying the credentials of a prospective property buyer or seller.

Similar to employment offers, tenancy-related decisions can only be made using FCRA-compliant tools, such as Whitepages Tenant Screening.

Consumers

Individuals can use people search websites, such as TruthFinder, to verify the identity of someone entering their family or close circle, or as a way to find out someone’s location or identify from information such as a phone number. People search sites for personal use don’t necessarily have to be FCRA-compliant.

For instance, organizing a playdate with the new neighbors, finding the phone owner of a missed call, or meeting up with a dating app prospect are all legitimate reasons an individual might want to verify someone’s background.

Getting results based on a name, phone number, or address search is usually quick and straightforward, potentially saving you hours relative to manual research on Google, social media, or public record inquiries.

Features and benefits of a background check

Personal information

The personal information section of a background check includes the person’s name, current and previous addresses, employment and educational history, email, phone number, and, in some cases, social media profiles such as Facebook or LinkedIn. This feature can help verify someone’s identity, and fact-check information given to you by the individual.

Family and relationships

A person's associates, including family members, partners, housemates, and business connections, can also be included in a background check, usually accompanied by their respective ages and locations. Some websites offer to run additional background checks for associates, which can be useful, for instance, if you’ve got reservations about someone’s business or romantic partner.

Criminal record and motor vehicle records check

The criminal record check has varying degrees of detail, depending on the provider, but it generally includes the type of charge, its date, and other related details. Depending on the federal and state law that applies to your business, the check may only include data from a specific number of states, going back a limited number of years. The Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) check, which can include traffic violations like running a red light as well as information such as vehicle ownership, is sometimes offered alongside the criminal record check.

Asset ownership

Background checks can also include assets owned by the individual, such as land, houses, or commercial properties. Asset details include addresses, buying price, current property value, other registered residents, and local demographic statistics. This information can be valuable if you’re a realtor assessing a buyer or seller, or if you’re moving into a new property and are interested in the owner’s background.

Financial solvency

Credit checks, bankruptcies, and debt levels can be included in a background check, usually as a premium add-on feature. This section can indicate financial difficulties at a personal or business level, and where the debt or insolvency originates. Understanding someone’s ability to manage money could benefit you if you’re thinking of entering a business partnership or a romantic relationship with someone, or if you’re an employer hiring someone in a financial management role.

How much does a background check cost?

Background checks provided for employment or tenancy decisions are usually priced differently from those intended for consumer use. The former may be priced according to the annual volume of checks required, so larger enterprises may see a lower cost per check.

Businesses are also able to control costs by selecting individually priced components, whereas consumers have less flexibility over report contents.

For an employee background check, GoodHire charges $54.99 per Standard report if you need less than 25 checks a year, and has custom pricing if you require over 25 yearly checks. Landlords and realtors can order a background check and credit report for $38 per report from RentPrep, with optional add-ons, such as a $10 income verification section per report. Other vendors, including First Advantage, require customers to get in touch for a quote.

Background checks for consumer use tend to be cheaper, as they don’t have to be FCRA-compliant, and don’t usually include manual verification. These often have a monthly subscription cost, which includes unlimited people searches, and price add-ons separately for advanced results.

For example, Intelius charges $29.63 a month, billed monthly, and an additional $7.59 per report for premium data including criminal records and bankruptcies. Some vendors, however, do charge on a per-report basis—for instance, a background check from PeopleFinders costs $1.95 flat.

Background check FAQs

What do they look at in a background check?

A typical background check for consumer use includes personal information such as name, age, and address, followed by employment and education history, family relationships, contact details, and an overview of traffic violations and criminal records. Some solutions may also include links to the person’s social media and even online dating profiles.

Additionally, solutions aimed at employers and landlords may offer extensive employment or tenancy data—the names of previous landlords, for instance—as well as any credit history irregularities or criminal offenses as defined by the FCRA.

Where can I get a full background check?

If you’re using a background check to make an employment or tenancy-related decision, then you must use a solution that’s compliant with the FCRA. Such providers include GoodHire, Sterling, and HireRight for employers, and VeriFirst, My Smart Move, and RentPrep for landlords and realtors.

For most personal matters, you can get a background check with people search websites, such as PeopleFinders, BeenVerified, and Intelius. Though these aren’t always FCRA-compliant, they offer a reliable public records summary of someone’s location, associates, and contact details.

What is the best website for background checks?

While it depends on your individual requirements, we believe that PeopleFinders and Instant Checkmate are among the best background check providers, due to their user-friendly interfaces and robust search results. They can’t, however, be used to make employment or tenancy decisions.

FCRA-compliant First Advantage is effective for screening employees and tenants, as the company returns quick and effective results with international coverage.

If you’re looking for a free solution for personal use, That’s Them provides valuable basic information limited to 10 reports a day.

What is the main reason to do a background check?

The main reason companies order background checks is screening job candidates before making an employment offer, which can help establish trust and protect company assets.

Property managers may want to verify prospective tenants to validate references and credit history required to pay rent before signing a legally-binding agreement. Consumers tend to do background checks to verify information about someone in their life or to locate long-lost acquaintances or relatives.

How long does a background check take?

Depending on how the data is sourced, background checks can be instant or take several days. For example, Intelius is a people search software that scans billions of public records and provides near-instant results, while First Advantage combines data analysis with manual checks by FCRA-certified staff, concluding reports in 24 hours or more.

As a rule of thumb, more complex background information—including criminal history and international checks—comes with a longer waiting period.

Main takeaways

We’ve covered a lot of ground, so here are some bite-sized points to take away from this article.

• A background check is a report that outlines important information about someone’s identity, from age and address to employment and criminal records
• Businesses making employment or tenancy-related decisions must use FCRA-compliant background checks to verify their candidates’ identity
• Consumers may want to use people search websites, which are usually cheaper than FCRA-compliant providers, to fact-check basic information about people in their lives
• Personal data, such as name, age, current and previous addresses, employment, education, phone number, and email addresses, is usually included in background checks
• Advanced reports may also include known associates, criminal records, MVRs, owned properties, bankruptcies, and credit checks; vendors may price these reports as add-ons
• People search websites usually return instant results, while employment and tenancy solutions can take up to several hours or days due to information complexity

Further reading on people searches

For consumer solutions, have a look at our buying guides for the the best people search websites, and if you're on a tight budget, the best free people search sites. It's also worth learning how to find someone for free on the internet in our step-by-step guide, if you've got no budget, but need to find out information.

PeopleFinders is a search engine that’s dedicated to public records. If you’re looking to conduct a background check or criminal record search on a potential candidate, then this tool can help you.

PeopleFinders offers one of the best people site searches available. It’s intuitive and easy to use, and you can get the results you need in a matter of minutes. The solution works by sifting through public databases to identify the person in question, based on simple details like their name, address, or phone number.

With access to over 43 billion public records in the US, PeopleFinders can make your pre-employment checks much quicker.

PeopleFinders: Plans and pricing

PeopleFinders offers a variety of pricing options. Its basic searches appear for free when you first type in a name, but you will need to pay to access your results.

A standard PeopleFinders membership costs $24.95 a month. This gives you access to reports that include basic details like contact information and addresses.

The company also offers a premium membership at $29.95 a month, giving you access to more granular details like business records, criminal records, and bankruptcy declarations. This plan is more suitable for HR personnel.

As well as this, PeopleFinders has enterprise-designed plans created for larger companies that need to conduct a high number of people checks regularly. For $72 a month, you receive 1,000 searches, including the details found in a premium membership. For $150 a month, you receive 5,000 searches.

If you’re only looking to conduct a one-off background check, then you could consider buying a single report, which will cost you $1.95.

PeopleFinders: Features

PeopleFinders offers a variety of ways to find the person you’re looking for, either through their name, phone, email address, or home address. The phone functionality is particularly good for combatting nuisance calls if this is an issue in your business.

Basic searches

If you’re looking to contact a former employee or need to locate details related to a reference, you should use the primary search function.

After you enter the details you have—such as a person’s name and location—you’ll be asked if you can give any more information to narrow down the search, such as the person’s middle name and age.

PeopleFinders’ search engine will then get to work, scanning public databases for identities that match your search criteria. If the name you’ve searched for is very common, then PeopleFinders may generate a few possible results.

To help you narrow down your search, it will also include granular details about each individual so you can identify the person you’re looking for.

Background checks

With a premium plan, you can conduct deeper searches on individuals and discover information relating to court records and criminal history.

Like the basic checks, you start this process by entering your information about the individual in question. The more information you have, the quicker PeopleFinders will identify the person.

The reports are comprehensive and detailed. One thing to note is that the data is not listed chronologically. For example, past addresses are listed in numerical order, but it’s not clear if this is the newest to last address or the opposite.

The reports also don’t include social media information, so you will need to find this manually if needed.

You’ll notice that PeopleFinders has multiple web pages for background checks and criminal record checks, but we found that these search tools showed us the same results.

Mobile application

PeopleFinders mobile application is called IdentityWatch. It is available on both Android and iPhone devices. The mobile app has additional functionality that isn’t available with the web version.

For example, if you receive a phone number from an unknown person, PeopleFinders will automatically run a reverse search of the number in its database to provide you with background information. If it identifies the number as a nuisance call, it can block the call for you.

PeopleFinders: Interface and in-use

PeopleFinders is straightforward and intuitive to use. Even if you aren’t tech-savvy, you will find PeopleFinders easy to navigate. The user interface is similar to that of standard search engines, and the website signposts the details you should enter at each point.

Once you’ve entered your search, it can take a little time for PeopleFinders to generate names. For us, it took about 3 minutes for the final list of individuals to load. While this is a little lengthy, PeopleFinders becomes quicker and more accurate if you provide further details, so we anticipate some searches will be much faster.

While it loads results, PeopleFinders updates you on the status of the search via a percentage dial so you have a rough idea of how close you are to receiving your information.

PeopleFinders: Support

PeopleFinders has a dedicated knowledge base filled with step-by-step articles that answer common questions about how to use the site, your membership, and how PeopleFinders collects its information.

The articles are on the shorter side, but they’re written in straightforward language and get quickly to the detail.

PeopleFinders also answers customer queries by phone and email. You can contact PeopleFinders by phone any day of the week, but note that Saturday and Sunday hours are limited to 7am-3:30pm PST.

Via email, PeopleFinders promises to reply to customer queries within one working day. There is currently no online chat function.

PeopleFinders: Security

PeopleFinders uses encryption to store your account information and credit card details. Encryption is also used to secure searches, meaning that the person you searched for won’t know you’ve looked them up.

The platform also gives you the option to opt-out of its searches, so that your personal details don’t appear amongst these records. However, because PeopleFinders also includes details from third-party websites, this doesn’t guarantee that you won’t appear in its search engine.

Alternatives to PeopleFinders

There are plenty of people search engines on the market with similar functionality to PeopleFinders. The other major players in this space are BeenVerified, Instant Checkmate, and TruthFinder.

PeopleFinders has a slight edge on these platforms due to extra functionality. Namely, the mobile app is a unique differentiator, as is the ability to purchase a one-off report rather than pay for a membership.

PeopleFinders: Final verdict

Ultimately, PeopleFinders is an easy way to gather data about potential candidates and employees. No matter your level of technical knowledge, you will likely find the platform easy to use. While the background checks take a couple of minutes to load, the platform is undoubtedly faster than scouring the internet for this information yourself.

Further reading on people search software

Take a look at our top provider picks for the best people search websites, and if you're on a tight budget, the best free people search sites. Discover how to find someone for free on the internet in our step-by-step guide, and discover what a background check entails.

Welcome to IT Pro's News in Review, a weekly bite-sized bulletin of the top tech stories of the week, for the week ending 27 May, 2022.

This week's stories:

• Broadcom formally confirms $61 billion acquisition of VMware
• UK workforce is “unprepared and unskilled” for future of work, survey finds
• Nvidia pauses hiring to help cope with inflation

You can find more videos like this in our video library and even more on our YouTube channel. Let us know what you think of this week's video – you can also find us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US Department of State, and the US Department of the Treasury have issued an advisory warning organisations against unknowingly hiring North Korean IT workers.

North Korean nationals have been known to apply for several freelance and remote working tech positions in US-based companies, with the roles often requiring expertise in app development, graphic animation, artificial intelligence (AI), AR/VR, biometrics, cryptocurrency, and general IT support.

When hired, the remuneration paid to the IT workers, who in some cases earn even $300,000 (£240,687) per year, is one of the main sources of revenue for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles programme.

Assistance in funding DPRK’s military operations is against US federal law, the FBI warned on Monday, with those helping the country evade sanctions – even unknowingly – likely to face up to five years in prison as well as a fine of up to $250,000 (£200,810).

To avoid potentially hiring North Korean nationals for tech roles, organisations have been urged to look out for inconsistencies in name spelling and personal information such as contact information or work location, as well as education history or biography. North Korean IT workers can be based in China, Russia, Southeast Asia, or even Africa to avoid suspicion, and often pose as nationals of other Asian countries. They are also likely to request payment in virtual currency in an attempt to avoid being identified by formal financial systems or use a freelance work platform as an intermediary.

To ensure that programmers and developers hired through freelance work platforms are who they claim to be, employers should verify candidates’ identities over a video call, as well as conduct thorough background checks. As documents including driver’s licences and university diplomas can be easily forged, organisations have been urged to directly contact the candidate’s educational institution or former employer, and avoid using reference contact information provided by the candidate.

The advisory comes weeks after programmer and blockchain expert Virgil Griffith, a US citizen based in Singapore, was sentenced to 63 months in prison and fined $100,000 (£77,000) for helping North Korea launder money and evade sanctions. Having illegally travelled to Pyongyang in April 2019, Griffith provided instructions on how North Korea could use blockchain technology such as smart contracts to negotiate nuclear weapons with the US.

Diversity efforts across the UK’s tech industry were significantly derailed by the fallout of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research by Tech London Advocates (TLA).

Almost one in two (45%) of surveyed members of TLA and Global Tech Advocates cited the two events as key reasons why efforts have failed to improve representation within the tech sector, particularly within management.

The report found three quarters of London’s tech companies have almost no Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) representation on their senior leadership teams.

Gender representation also remains scarce, with nearly two thirds (62%) of respondents indicating that women in senior leadership teams remain in a minority.

The findings come only weeks after the Tech Talent Charter revealed that the number of women in UK-based technology roles increased only by 2% year-on-year, from 25% in 2020 to 27% in 2021.

It's feared that a lack of representation could cost the UK tech sector its world-leading position, according to one in two (51%) industry leaders surveyed by TLA.

According to founder Russ Shaw CBE, “the tech sector is still sorely lacking in diversity & inclusion, and that is simply wrong”.

“The data shows that after many years, the UK tech sector is still struggling to shift the needle when it comes to making this flourishing industry inclusive to all,” he said.

Shaw warned that tech leaders need to be more proactive on the issues of diversity and inclusion, adding that meaningful action is needed urgently:

“There is no time to waste here - the industry must take action before it is too late and the benefits which D&I can bring to the UK tech sector slip away. Fundamentally, technology should be inclusive and open to everyone. If we seize the opportunity now with practical steps and effective strategies, we can set the foundations for a future-facing sector that can keep growing and maturing, strengthened by the diversity of the talent which supports it,” he said.

The report findings come hours prior to TLA’s Tech for D&Iversity event that will feature addresses from DCMS secretary of state Nadine Dorries and London mayor Sadiq Khan.

Workday is moving TomTom's human resources data to the cloud, in order to give the satnav producer a single source of HR information for its 4,600 employees across 35 countries.

Workday said its Human Capital Management (HCM) tool will serve TomTom’s needs by giving managers visibility and insight into their teams across multiple regions, aiding decision-making, and give employees self-service access to relevant information, all from desktops and mobile devices.

Arne-Christian van der Tang, senior vice president of group HR at TomTom, said: “People and innovation are at the heart of TomTom’s success, which means it’s critical to have tools like Workday in place to continually find top talent and keep our employees engaged as we grow.

“[Workday] understands the importance of an engaging user experience and self-service when delivering HR tools that will help us create a more connected workforce and drive future success.”

The deal with TomTom comes after Workday revealed it had signed 300 companies to its recruitment platform in September.

The company also announced plans to open a new European headquarters in Dublin last year, creating 200 new jobs on top of the 400 staff it already has based in the Irish capital.

Increasingly, on-premise solutions are holding back innovation, with processes often disconnected and across multiple systems. The right cloud solution can solve many of these issues, and with many now as secure as on-premise tools, the reasons not to consider cloud are diminishing.

Many IT departments understand the benefits of cloud and have introduced cloud services in a variety of different ways to drive the business forward.

But there are a number of ways HR departments – which are at risk of being left behind when it comes to digital transformation – can benefit from the cloud as well.

With that in mind, if you’re exploring how the cloud could work for your business, here are five ways it could benefit your HR department.

1 - Enabling flexibility

Whether it be a reorganisation, a merger, or changes in compliance, having a flexible system that can grow and change with the business is essential in today’s fast-paced world. Having HR services in the cloud allows much greater flexibility and means departments are not completely reliant on IT to adapt to new business requirements.

The cloud also offers an element of future-proofing. Whether it be artificial intelligence, machine learning or automation, these "tools of the future" are maturing rapidly, with a growing number of businesses finding solid use-cases for them in their organisation.

Although you may not be ready to dive straight into automation, having HR systems running in the cloud will ensure that they are prepared for integration with cutting edge technologies when the time is right.

2 - Increasing efficiency

Recruiting, onboarding and processing employees are a key function of an HR department. If these processes are done using paper-based workflows or outdated technology, it can really slow things down and even cause the loss of in-demand candidates.

Many cloud-based HR solutions offer tracking for applicants and a workflow for the whole recruitment process, from applying and uploading CVs to scheduling an interview and sorting out the job offer documentation.

The advantage of the cloud in particular is having everything unified. Legacy systems can offer end-to-end workflows, but are often disconnected from the rest of the business. The cloud, however, offers HR, payroll, finance and other departments a unified experience, which in turn will give better visibility across the company.

3 - An improved user experience

Cloud HR software offers a modern, intuitive user experience, which can be accessed from any device, rather than being reliant on software installed on particular machines. This in turn means that flexible working can be an option for members of the department; an increasingly important requirement for employees.

For other business staff, a cloud-based HR system can allow them access to information about their salary, holidays and benefits any time they want, from wherever they need it. Having modern, accessible systems can have the added benefit of increasing staff retention.

4 - Ready for data

The cloud offers huge potential for integrating high-quality analytics into HR functions. Data and analytics can be used for a vast range of tasks related to HR, from measuring employee satisfaction, to pay benchmarking, retention trends and business efficiency.

Data analysis can be done at the touch of a button through dashboards and reports, or even using big data and predictive analytics.

In turn, the processes that require a lot of data can be automated. Whether this is timesheet submission, performance reviews or holiday requests, a cloud system can automate the update process for specific tasks related to employees.

5 - Constant compliance

Business regulations are being constantly updated or added, whether it be privacy requirements or timesheet compliance. HR and finance departments in particular have strict compliance procedures which can have heavy consequences if not followed properly.

Most cloud-based solutions have an advantage over traditional on-site applications as updates are pushed out automatically, which means HR can be reassured that they’re constantly compliant with the latest legislation and processes.

Mobility and flexibility are becoming the norm in the modern workplace, and because of this, it has never been more important to keep track of what your employees are up to.

Fortunately, there's HR software available that does exactly that, allowing business owners and managers to keep an eye on those both inside and outside of the office, ensuring that employees are keeping up to date with their work.

HR software is also incredibly useful as part of the hiring process, as it's able to automate tasks such as sifting through candidates and matching qualifications and experience to the right roles.

Key features

The nature of HR software means organisations and businesses can add or remove services based on their specific needs. It's a fantastic feature, but means - as these needs vary from business to business - that there is no one-size-fits-all product.

Talent recruitment is an example of an issue faced by many organisations, for instance, struggling to recruit staff through the existing recruitment system. To mitigate this, an organisation may opt for a recruitment module to smooth the process. Employee reviews, similarly, may become difficult to manage, leading an organisation to deploy performance management tools as part of their overall software package.

HR software is popular in light of this modularity, allowing users to add or remove functions, and change configurations, as the business expands. Moreover, users are able to take up services from alternative providers in the event one provider does not have the module; integrating modules from multiple providers simultaneously.

Sticking with recruitment software, this can also be used to boost internal communication, among its many applications. A host of options out there today come with collaborative tools that allow members of a team, or multiple teams, to work together far more efficiently with each other, and across departments in an organisation.

With a huge variety of choices available, we examine your best options to help you choose the right platforms to suit your organisation's needs.

Types of HR systems

When looking for an HR system to implement in your organisation, it's important to consider the type of tool you need to help your HR team on a day-to-day basis.

The main purpose of a Core HR system is to manage existing staff, including keeping track of all your employees' personal details, their training schedule, the benefits they've signed up to and absence tracking.

If you're looking to find, hire, retain and train staff, you'll need to think about signing up to a strategic HR system. For example, if you need to appoint a lot of staff in a short space of time, you'll want to consider a strategic system, because it'll cut the cost of finding right-fit candidates over time. It's perfect for high volume recruitment businesses such as retail or hospitality.

If you need aspects of both core and strategic HR systems, you'll want to consider an integrated HR tool that combines the best of both worlds. It covers the entire employee lifecycle - from finding candidates to managing existing staff, making every single step of discovering new talent, managing the onboarding process and ensuring the employee is always growing in their role a doddle

Activ Absence

Website: www.activabsence.co.uk

Overview: Activ Absence focuses on managing staff absences. According to the company that created it, the cloud-based software is easy to pick up with minimal training, and businesses using the software save time and money and up to 30 per cent less sickness absence.

Features: As with the other cloud-based services in the roundup, Activ Absence sports a dashboard detailing staff absences, a calendar, departmental summaries and notifications, among others. This dashboard can also be customised to suit the user.

One of the many tools the service deploys is the Bradford Factor Score. This is commonly used to help with controlling absences and shows an organisation and its staff the direct impact of their absence on this score. The service claims this score can act as a deterrent to prevent further absences. If the score gets too high, trigger points alert the appropriate people to take action.

While the tool is aimed at HR staff, line managers and employees can also use it. Line managers can see who is off and when and get trend reports to manage shortages and help staff return to work. Employees can manage their own holiday requests through any device and see their own Bradford Score.

The software can also integrate with other HR software and cloud-based services.

Pricing: Guide price for 10 employees/ £22.50 per month (minimum 12-month subscription). In addition to the subscription, there is a one off set up fee starting from £99.

BambooHR

Website: www.bamboohr.com

Overview: BambooHR is a web-based human resources information system (HRIS) to manage staff through a clean directory interface.

Features: “BambooHR is like having your own fleet of Pandas to do all of the work for you,” say its creators. That’s one way to describe this capable HR package, aimed at helping small to medium businesses manage existing staff.

It does away with spreadsheets and stores your employee data in a secure location. HR staff can access information quickly, make updates to records and approve requests using software that’s helpfully designed to feel more like the user experience of a social network.

BambooHR promises swift support from its team, and positive testimonies for the service have been given by Disqus, Stitcher and 99designs.

Pricing: On application

ClearBooks

Website: www.clearbooks.co.uk

Overview: While ClearBooks may be better known as providing payroll and accountancy SaaS, it also provides HR functionality. The service is geared towards small businesses and integrates with the vendor's accounting and payroll apps.

Features: When logging in, the service home screen is a dashboard that shows information such as which staff are on holiday, upcoming birthdays, other absences, staff leaving and new joiners.

The service keeps track of employee attendance with an overview of holidays, illnesses and appointments, both approved and pending. Absences can be recorded as a half or full day and covers absences such as sick leave, lateness, parental leave, conference attendance and training, as well as holiday, to name a few.

Staff holiday records can be synced with other web and desktop calendars a business uses. Employees can log into their account to view how many days of their holiday allowance they have taken, how many they have remaining, and whether time off requests are approved or pending.

It also keeps track of employee qualifications and training documents and HR staff can also upload employee documents such as contracts, CVs and review summaries, which can then be shared between HR and other departments.

User permissions can be set to ensure only relevant people such as direct managers can see employee information and approve absences.

Pricing: From £2.50 per employee per month, minimum two employees.

Dinamicks

Website: www.dinamiks.com

Overview: This SaaS product is a cloud-based employee performance appraisal service that enables employees to improve their performance by focusing on achieving business goals. It automates the performance appraisal process and makes it easier to share and update information throughout the year.

Features: Dinamicks has a home screen that is not a dashboard as such, but a series of icons labelled Your Team, Our Goals and Values, Analysis, and Administration.

Within "Your Team", the user can see individual team members, their position and appraisal status, and new team members can be added here as well.

"Our Goals and Values" details an organisation's goals, (such as increasing sales, marketing strategy, etc) and values (such as honesty, integrity, keeping promises).

"Analysis" displays a simple dashboard displaying information regarding your team's performance objectives in relation to your own, and the business' overarching goals.

"Administration" covers adding employees to the service, job roles, goals, values and everything else needed to plan out and run an appraisal system.

Pricing: On application

Fairsail HRMS

Website: www.fairsail.com

Overview: This HR service is aimed at mid-sized organisations. While the provider is relatively small compared to other players in the market, the service has a comprehensive list of features needed by HR professionals.

Features: Fairsail HRMS is based on the Salesforce Force.com platform and boasts a full HR management system, including all employee records, organisation charts, employee portal, and reporting.

It also supports multi-national organisations, as it has multi-currency and multi-language options, as well as different employment rules and calendars. Its talent management section includes performance planning, goal setting, performance reviews, skills tracking, 360 feedback and succession planning.

It also comes with an applicant tracking system, criteria-based interviews and scorecards, careers page, screening, portals, email templates, and onboarding.

The service will also integrate with multiple payroll and benefits providers. It also sports time and attendance management, benefits and open enrolment as well as holiday management.

Pricing On application

FinancialForce HCM

Website FinancialForce

Overview: FinancialForce is built on Salesforce.com’s cloud platform Force.com. It is a fully-integrated human capital management solution that helps small and medium businesses manage every aspect of the employee lifecycle, from hiring to retiring.

Features: FinancialForce sports modules for core HR functions, applicant tracking and recruiting, onboarding, compensation management, learning management and a host of others.

It uses data analysis to offer key insights into employee and organisation performance, ensuring everyone - including C-Suite execs, VP of HR, HRM, CIOs and SysAdmins can use it to make better decisions and leverage the business.

If you're looking to develop the talent in your organisation, FinancialForce helps you reward those who deserve it most, ensuring hey are nurtured to benefit your business long-term.

Price: On application

Halogen Software

Website: Halogen Software Inc

Overview: Halogen Software is a cloud-based performance management suite that aims to drive employee performance across multiple disciplines, from learning and development to succession planning and compensation.

Features: The software is flexible, offering a variety of modules that work in tandem to achieve your intended performance goals.

For example, the recruiting and onboarding module helps an HR team attract and engage new hires with an integrated process of recruiting and onboarding the best talent, while the performance management module enables organisations to align, engage and inspire existing employees, while.

Others available include compensation for rewarding staff, succession and leadership to help promote the best talent with a plan to help them flourish and learning and development to develop the skills your employees hold.

The Canadian-owned software maker has also developed a solid reputation as a customer-focused organisation, and users speak highly of its customer support. It is also known as an affordable solution for mid-sized businesses.

Price: On application (free trial available)

Hronline

Website: hronline

Overview: Hronline is a web-based HR service aimed at small businesses. It enables business owners to set up the system and register their staff. Managers can monitor who is in and employees can request holidays and track absence from their smartphone.

Features: It sports a management dashboard for quick access to sickness, advice & holiday requests. There is also a reports dashboard to help identify trends within the business.

The premium package also offers access to professional employment law advice 24/7, while the mid-level package includes limited access to employment lawyers too. It can log advice cases in the user’s account against employees or groups of employees, view on-going and current advice cases, store detailed records of your cases and respond directly to the advisor you last dealt with.

The service also sports an app on Android and iOS that allows business owners to track HR issues and employees to request holidays and update personal details.

The service also features the ability to store important company documents in one centralised location, such as training documents, drivers Licences, CBR checks, handbooks and performance reviews.

Pricing: on request

JobDiva

Website: www.jobdiva.com

Overview: JobDiva is a global applicant tracking system and front-to-back talent management solution.

Features: Integrated HR suite JobDiva gives businesses the means to keep track of current staff, clients and new candidates for roles they are currently advertising.

It’ a fully-integrated platform, offering messaging features, billing trackers, and reminder tools to help you stay on top of holiday time, events and other key dates.

Its biggest plus is the fact you can access it from mobile devices (iPad version pictured above), enhancing the ability of HR staff to do their work remotely.

Pricing: On application

Jobscience

Website: www.jobscience.com

Overview: JobScience takes the stress out of recruitment, helping HR teams find candidates and track applicants through the process.

Features: HR and hiring managers are able to create job listings through the platform and post them to their corporate careers page. They can also automatically post them to their social accounts with Facebook and LinkedIn integration.

Candidates can apply directly through LinkedIn, making it an easier process for them to apply, which is more likely to attract better talent to the role. The system keeps every candidate's details within the CRM, meaning recruiters can simply search for talent with the relevant skills quickly. It'll also pull in the details of candidates from the social accounts, so anyone following the company page can be approached if their profile fits the bill.

CVs can be uploaded in bulk and JobScience will automatically create a profile for each candidate and when a new job becomes available, it will automatically scour the existing candidate profiles to find someone who could be a match.

Once a fit is uncovered, recruiters can manage the applicant journey by tracking correspondence, scheduling interviews and forwarding relevant candidates to hiring managers when required.

Pricing: On application

Namely

Publisher: Namely Inc

Overview: Namely combines core HR team management, payroll processing, benefits and talent management into a single package.

Features: Employee information is displayed clearly in profiles. The system has a built an e-signature system, reducing the need for HR to chase paper contracts too, saving time and admin burden.

To make admin even easier for HR departments, Namely focuses extensively on employee benefits, helping organisations offer their employees a whole range of extra bonuses for working at the company and performing to their best ability, including health insurance offers, employee wellness programmes including gym memberships and extra benefits for commuters - clearly addressing some of the employee bugbears.

Customers speak highly of the software, as well as Namely’s customer service which has been described as “outstanding.”

Price: On application (product preview available)

Reward Gateway

Website: uk.rewardgateway.co.uk

Overview: Reward Gateway bills itself as an "employee engagement platform". In other words, an online benefits program. It allows employees to get discounts to a range of goods and services.

Features: New to Reward Gateway is a service called SmartHub. This allows organisations to build up a benefits programme specifically tailored to them rather than having a generic program. Users can pick and choose which discounts they want to offer employees using "SmartTiles" and dragging these onto the rewards page. Analytics will then tell the user which discounts are popular in order to maximise usage of the program.

The service's Reward and Recognition program is aimed at helping users achieve organisational goals around HR. It claims that this can help in reinforcing certain behaviours or attitudes, or completely overhaul corporate values. This part of the programme includes "InstantAwards". These allow HR staff to send a monetary award to valued staff who can then spend it within the program, getting discounts on other goods and services.

The overall program also caters for salary sacrifice measures such as childcare vouchers, cycle to work schemes and holiday trading (buying and selling annual leave).

HR Directors can use Reward Gateway's technology to communicate with their staff as well on things such as upcoming events, deadlines or anything else.

Pricing On application

Sage HR Online

Website: www.sagehr-online.com/l/en

Overview: Sage HR Online was only launched earlier this year. It describes itself as a complete package that ranges from talent management through to skills development and performance reviews.

Features: Once logged in, the service brings the user to a dashboard where they can view all areas of HR and their functions, which are shown as cards displaying information. The dashboard can be customised to show other information concerning human resources and cards can be moved around the dashboard to suit a user's preferences.

The personnel overview shows the number of employees and "active managers". All these have a breakdown by gender, average age and working hours for employees, and employees per manager.

There are open personnel tasks that show what jobs need to be completed while active employees shows current staff on the roster.

There are also cards showing open vacancies, applicant overviews and new job applications. All incoming CVs, attached documents, and data are automatically imported into the system and presented in a clearly structured design that is permanently available.

Pricing: On application

UltiPro

Website: www.ultimatesoftware.com

Overview: Ultimate Software’s cloud-based UltiPro aims to help simplify and improve work experiences for every employee.

Features: UltiPro one of the most trusted pieces of core HR software around. It gives HR teams instant access to critical employee data, job profiles, and more, with a variety of tracking features. HR staff can provide transfers, promotions, benefits information, and oversee continuous performance management and development.

As well as core staff development and attendance features, UltiPro has built-in payroll support, asset records, and recruitment management tools. Users praise its intuitiveness and the ease at which it can be customised compared to other SaaS HR packages.

Pricing: On application

Workable

Website: https://www.workable.com/

Overview: Workable offers HR teams an easy way to track job applicants, replacing cumbersome emails and spreadsheets.

Features: Aside from its applicant tracking system, Workable also helps you write job descriptions and post them to multiple sites like Glassdoor and SimplyHired, while all the notes, analytics, schedule and communication within your hiring team stays on one central platform to make everything easily accessible.

Best of all, it integrates with your own email and calendar so you don't need to keep the application open when scheduling meetings.

Pricing: Workable offers annual and monthly plans, and the latter can be paused and reactivated as convenient. Annual prices start at an average of $16 per month for one job, with a standard price of $83 per month for five jobs. Monthly prices start at $19 per month for one job, with a standard price of $99 per month for five jobs.

Workday HCM

Publisher: Workday Inc

Overview: Workday’s HCM solution is used by the likes of HP, TripAdvisor and TomTom. The software combines HR and talent management in a single system and aims to give your HR team a holistic view of your workforce across divisions and countries.

Features: It offers intuitive self-service features to enable staff to check salary payments, book holiday and so forth.

For HR, the system capably handles promotions, leave, ad-hoc job changes, bonuses and equity arrangements. All of this is tracked, and the data can be surfaced in clean diagrams and sheets to assist your team in making better decisions.

Users have claimed that Workday’s mathematical formulas aren’t always that straightforward, and occasionally cause issues. But, for the most part, this scalable, durable solution is well-liked by businesses of all sizes.

Price: On application (product preview available)

This article was first published on 13 August 2015 but has since been updated (most recently on 1 July 2018) to reflect recent developments.

Adecco has announced it's extended the use of Salesforce to its front office, meaning the recruitment specialist can manage candidates, recruiters, and customers from one place.

The solution will also enable staff to keep tabs on customer requirements, seamlessly matching the right talent to customer demand when it's needed much faster. It's been built upon Salesforce's Analytics, Einstein, Community Cloud, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and Marketing Cloud alongside Talent Rover's staffing and recruiting software platform.

“I am excited by the new solution and partnership we have developed over the last year with Talent Rover, Salesforce and Accenture,” said Rob James, CIO, the Adecco Group.

“We now have all the key ingredients combining proven innovative technology, industry experience and global deployment capacity to change the game for Adecco with customers and candidates. This platform has been successfully piloted over the past year, delivering impressive results in select markets and will be rapidly deployed globally.”

Adecco's front office platform enables any staff to track applicant progress, their availability and placements, also matching them with the ideal opportunities. Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Einstein AI will support candidate discovery to find the right fit more accurately.

“The world of work is fast turning digital and human resources can no longer stay on the sidelines of this process,” said Miguel Milano, president, EMEA, Salesforce.

“The HR solution that the Adecco Group is developing with Salesforce and our partners will provide professionals and candidates in this sector with a modern platform that transforms the staffing and recruitment process across every touchpoint.”

SAP will sell OpenText's end-to-end HR document management system as part of its SuccessFactors suite, claiming it will enable businesses to take control of their employee management and boost HR efficiency and productivity by centralising all resources.

SAP SuccessFactors Extended ECM will hep businesses keep all their documents and other resources in one place, digitise existing documents, create new ones, as well as storing, managing and accessing older documents when they need to.

The platform includes a search facility to help HR staff find the documents they need on demand. Additionally, it also offers the creation of new documents such as contracts using templates, speeding up the onboarding process.

“More than any other department, HR professionals are responsible for a vast amount of information which is pivotal to the organisation,” said Adam Howatson, chief marketing officer at OpenText.

“Helping companies manage their essential employee records through a single, cloud-based source is a significant step for companies wanting to more effectively manage an increasingly global, digital workforce. SAP SuccessFactors Extended ECM by OpenText offers HR professionals a solution uniquely designed to help reduce the time and complexity associated with document management.”

Anyone needing access to employee documents, including the HR department, managers and the employees themselves can use SAP SuccessFactors Extended ECM to access documents on demand, with managers alerted if employees haven't completed the relevant documentation within the stated deadline, SAP said.

"HR digital transformation is about removing the many manual tasks that are tedious and complicated, and that expose the organisation to security and compliance risks,” added Yvette Cameron, senior vice president of Strategy at SAP SuccessFactors.

"As workforces expand and businesses become increasingly global, HR cannot afford to spend hundreds of hours each year manually storing, managing and retrieving employee documents. With SAP SuccessFactors Extended ECM, we are fulfilling our commitment to helping our customers achieve efficiency and accuracy as they operate on a global scale."

Direct Line Group accidentally turned its marketing, finance, and HR departments into their own tech support teams by moving to Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The insurer initially adopted AWS for dev and test workloads, believing it was making mostly a technology decision, said Ash Roots, Direct Line's director of digital.

Speaking at the AWS Enterprise Summit in London today, he added: "The bit that I've observed most is how it has been a catalyst for organisational change."

The company comprises Direct Line insurance, but also Churchill, Privilege and Green Flag breakdown assistance. Issuing 13,000 car insurance quotes a day, the group sells a new policy every 10 seconds and manages a total eight million policies.

When it first looked at the cloud, Direct Line was trying to find faster technology while still operating in a regulated environment.

"When we started looking at how AWS could help the focus was on tech because that's where we thought the right place was to start," Roots told delegates.

Direct Line experimented with running some services in dev and test environments, and this year moved its customer FAQs, Direct Line for Business, and Green Flag websites into production on AWS.

But Root saw more benefit in how AWS empowered non-technical departments to experiment and innovate.

"Your marketing department, your finance department or even your HR department, they could be involved in spinning up a server," he said. "AWS takes eight clicks to set up a server compared to the previous processes we used to have where you'd have to fill in a form, then meet someone, then have an SLA, and then something might happen."

That technical improvement had a knock-on effect on the people and services around it, too.

"The person who's requesting something has to respond quicker because the actual activity happens much faster," Roots said.

"It changes all of the support mechanisms around it. We're used to being an organisation where change is pretty [slow], you know the cycles; they can be monthly, quarterly, weekly. But if you can get to a continuous delivery stage the whole organisation can change at pace ... it could be your budget cycles have to change because the whole organisation has changed too."

Roots said it was the cloud's cultural impact on Direct Line Group that has had the biggest effect.

"If you want an experimentation-type mindset and people to fail fast and you want to encourage that, Amazon's that safe place to go because you know it's safe, you know if your thing works, it will scale."

Technology will remain a chief area of focus for Direct Line's future use of AWS, but Roots also wants to use the cloud's agility to continue to change the pace of Direct Line's culture of innovation.

"For me, the biggest opportunity is how we can use this as an intervention to make the organisation faster and smarter," he concluded.

Travel services provider HotelBeds has implemented Workday's Human Capital Management (HCM) system in order to transform its HR and talent management capabilities.

The solution will help HotelBeds streamline HR operations and processes, allowing HR staff to concentrate on strategy and improve workplace planning using real-time analytics. This provides key insights to managers, helping them learn about the people they employ and how to develop their skills where needed.

Workday also helps companies retain their talent by tracking entire employee lifecycles, highlighting how they should make their next move to keep the most valuable staff.

“We want our HR team to become more strategic and bring more value to the business, creating a competitive advantage to the organisation and improving the experience of employees and managers,” said Elena Pérez Cabello, HR director at Hotelbeds Group.

“With Workday, we will have all HR information about our employees in one unified system built to arm employees with access to the right information at the right time, so they can support the needs of the business both now and into the future.”

Because Workday is built in the cloud the solution is highly scalable, which allowsit to grow as a business takes on more staff, for example, or opens up new offices overseas. It also avoids the use of legacy systems that can't be upgraded easily, ensuring HotelBeds is futureproofed.

“As the travel industry continues to face massive change and increased demand to deliver more personalised customer experiences, it’s crucial for businesses to have a unified, global view of HR information to harness the full potential of their workforce,” said Chano Fernandez, president, EMEA & APJ, Workday.

“Industry disruptors, like Hotelbeds, are moving HR to the cloud to empower their people with the data they need to be more effective, deliver better customer service, and further the company’s competitive edge in the market.”

In a drive to be more forward-thinking, the traditionally legacy-led industry of recruitment and HR is moving to the cloud in order to improve processes and become more effiicient.

Whether making the decision to seek out right-fit talent with the help of innovative cloud-led platforms, engaging candidates and employees using big data or opting to adopt cloud-based human capital management (HCM) software, HR teams should be looking to private, public and hybrid cloud environments to set teir organisation apart from the rest.

Factors behind this shift include the convenience of a vendor sending regular updates via the cloud to the system, but also a desire to shift non-core applications off-premise, as companies focus their resources instead on the services that differentiate them.

We round up the key uses and things you should bear mind.

Latest news

21/03/2016: Satnav provider TomTom has selected Workday to create an HR cloud that will offer a single source of information on its 4,600 workers spread across the world.

Workday's Human Capital Management (HCM) tool will let managers access relevant data from desktop and mobile devices, wherever they are, and allows TomTom to benefit from automated updates and a simpler user interface for its HR staff to use.

Arne-Christian van der Tang, senior vice president of group HR at TomTom, said: “People and innovation are at the heart of TomTom’s success, which means it’s critical to have tools like Workday in place to continually find top talent and keep our employees engaged as we grow.

“[Workday] understands the importance of an engaging user experience and self-service when delivering HR tools that will help us create a more connected workforce and drive future success.”

14/01/2016: Oracle has begun a recruitment drive for 1,400 salespeople to sell its cloud products across EMEA.

Of these new staff, 450 will be based in a new cloud sales centre in Dublin, joining Oracle’s current 1,400 employees in the city, with the others spread across sites in Amsterdam, Cairo, Dubai, Malaga, and Prague.

Dermot O’Kelly, senior VP for Oracle UK, told Cloud Pro the Dublin centre will boast a social media hub where sales reps can engage with customers.

He added: “We’re really ambitious, we’re making no secret of the goal to become number one in the cloud globally, and we want to attract people who can match our ambition.”

13/01/2016: The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has upheld the right of companies to read their employees’ private online messages.

The decision was taken after a Romanian engineer was fired in 2007 for using Yahoo Messenger to conduct personal conversations with his fiancée and brother, as well as professional contacts.

The engineer argued that, although using the app for personal correspondence was against the company’s policy, the monitoring of his private communications was a violation of his rights.

His arguments were dismissed by the court, however, which took the view that it was entirely reasonable that “an employer would want to verify that employees were completing their professional tasks during working hours”.

The ECHR’s decisions are legally binding for all countries that have ratified the European Convention on Human Rights.

23/12/2015: Ministers have called for schools to better monitor pupils’ internet usage in order to prevent students becoming radicalised by groups such as ISIS.

Education secretary Nicky Morgan explained that schools should set online filters and keep tabs on the content pupils are looking at online to prevent them being able to access propaganda issued by extremists.

Morgan also told ministers that teaching unions should be consulted on the plans and should be involved where relevant.

01/12/2015: A report by Bilendi has revealed 78 per cent of HR teams are being driven crazy by paperwork, specifically forms.

Additionally, tracking hard copies of documents is also causing distress in organisations, yet only 30 per cent of companies have actually used a digital service for managing such paperwork.

“From recruiting, to hiring, to maintaining and eventually transitioning employees, there is an overwhelming amount of paperwork and manual processes for HR to deal with," Richard Langham, Head of the Adobe Document Cloud business for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said.

"Digitally transforming these processes allows HR departments to eradicate the frustrations they experience by simplifying their workflows, enabling them to have more time to focus on high-impact work.”

02/11/2015: SAP has confirmed it now has 1,000 SuccessFactors HCM customers in EMEA.

More than 400 of these picked SuccessFactors Learning and another 300 have deployed SuccessFactors Employee Central, while British American Tobacco (BAT) is rolling out SAP's HCM tools to 57,000 employees across the world.

BAT CIO Phil Colman said: "Our IT strategy focuses on a single portfolio of connected applications running on standardized technology to drive competitive advantage across the business.

“Implementing SAP SuccessFactors solutions will help us to continue to deliver on that strategy."

12/10/2015: IBM has acquired premier Workday services partner Meteorix in an attempt to enhance its financial management and HR service offerings. IBM said HR executives are in continuous fight to attract, engage, develop and support new talent and existing employees and this tie-up will mean finance and HR executives can join forces to lead against the competition to retain staff better.

Workforce Software has added job and holiday bidding features to its platform, allowing employees to take control of their own time, rather than leaving it to an employer to dictate when they can or can't take their annual leave.

Everything you need to know

What are the main advantages of cloud-based HCM over traditional software?

When it comes to any cloud service, there are generally two main advantages: cost and flexibility. That’s certainly the case when it comes to HCM systems. It’s much cheaper to run, particularly when it comes to large enterprises.

There is one other advantage too. They tend to be much easier to use and employees, used to cloud-based consumer products, will be happier with them. Indeed, if you build services so they resemble consumer internet, then you will get a lot more employees using them, according to Annrai O’Toole, CTO at Workday (you can read our Workday review here).

“That’s the thing about HR; you need to get them accepted and with cloud-based software you get much better employee engagement,” he says.

Who are the leading players in HCM?

Just as Salesforce kicked off the cloud-based CRM phenomenon, Success Factors did the same for HCM (or HR as it was generally known then). Since then, Success Factors has been bought by SAP while Salesforce has boosted its own HCM credentials by acquiring Rypple and ChoicePass.

There are now two different philosophies when it comes to HCM providers: standalone providers such as Workday, the market leader in this field, Cornerstone OnDemand, not too far behind, and the likes of Halogen, SilkRoad and Fairsail, shortlisted in the UK Cloud Awards.

Alternatively, there are the big players: the aforementioned SAP and Salesforce; Oracle, which acquired PeopleSoft in 2005 and Taleo in 2012, and FinancialForce (also shortlisted), which uses Salesforce’s Force.com software platform to develop a range of services.

The trend certainly seems to be for the latter as companies recognise that they cannot operate software silos any longer. According to Tom Brennan, FinancialForce’s vice president of marketing, HR and finance departments are breaking down walls and forming tighter synergies.

“In this year's CFO Sentiment Study Report from The CFO Alliance, two thirds of respondents said that in 2015 they are “concerned or greatly concerned about talent acquisition and retention”, and that they plan to spend more on technology solutions to engage employees and customers,“ says Brennan.

“Forward-thinking companies have a stronger understanding of the importance that HR and finance must continue to work with each other in order to be successful especially as employee costs have become a more conspicuous cost line item. We have seen management teams become more cognisant of the importance of employees in a company's success; that is why we think HCM should embedded in many other apps including finance, operations and CRM,” he adds.

However, Workday’s O’Toole says that being a standalone vendor makes sense. “We work very closely with other packages: It’s something that Workday’s very good at. You see vendors with everything as a collection of software modules, but they’re often a loose confederation –that’s very loosely coupled," he says, adding that Workday will offer better integration and has a close working relationship with Salesforce, collaborating in several areas.

How will HCM products evolve in coming years?

The growing trend is for HCM functionality to be a much more integral part of a company’s strategy. We’re already seeing closer co-operation between IT, HR and finance and that’s something that’s set to continue.

The current trend is seeing IT and HR working together: the HCM department taking the lead in buying the software but calling in IT to deal with some of the security issues. “When you’re a multinational company,” says O’Toole.

"If you have people in different countries, you have a data privacy problem. That’s why when we get engaged with a prospect, we have to get IT people in the room."

That co-operation is important when driving a company forward. “Wall Street is putting a premium on growth and companies have realised that they can’t grow without the right talent and properly motivated people,” says FinancialForce’s Brennan.

“HCM will evolve into a more interconnected solution and will include a focus on connecting people to the data they need to make decisions. Leading the way will be social and data-driven systems leveraging way contextual computing, using software applications, networks, and services to gain a true understanding of the user.”

Brennan says that will also be concomitant changes in performance management systems. “This will also go through a complete change, throwing out the antiquated HR compliance documents, processes and tools. Cloud HCM will introduce effective tools allowing for real time feedback and fluid goal alignment leveraging predicative analytics,” he adds.

Talking of predictive analysis: will we see closer integration between Big Data technology and HCM systems?

This is a growing trend throughout industry as companies look to make better use of data. According to Workday’s O’Toole, one way that this technology can help is in looking at staff retention and churn. “We’ve launched an application that can predict who will stay with the company and who will leave. We tried it on ourselves and that 95 per cent of people that we had predicted would leave Workday actually did leave. You can leverage this technology to give you real business advantage," he says.

The hard core work of analytics will completely change the image of human resources, according to O'Toole. “This is all about data. HR has been somewhat cast as the guys who do the touchy-feely well: we want to make less touchy feely in future,” he says.

This article was first published on 10 March 2015. It was last updated on 15 January 2016.

If there’s one area where cloud seems a natural fit, it’s in those areas of business life that are not based around fixed office hours and location.

The openness of the cloud means businesses can rely on software and services to make flexible working a key part in business strategies, whether they’re looking to track hours, ensure everyone is working most productively, collaboratively or need to assign tasks in order to keep on top of projects.

In fact, many industry commentators are predicting the next few years will see massive growth in time management and HR-led cloud technologies, with HCM and analytics, to not only make the process easier for employees to manage their own time, but for HR and managers to keep tabs on how much time is being spent on each project or task.

However, these changes in business practice and often, leader mindset, do need some form of control and, most importantly of all; companies do need to ensure that all services are charged for: is cloud playing its part?

Latest News

18/03/2016: Oracle's total cloud revenues grew by 40 per cent in its latest financial quarter, to reach $735 million.

Co-CEO Safra Catz said the company's cloud products are now in a "hyper-growth phase", with particular success seen in Oracle's HCM products.

Of 942 new SaaS customers Oracle booked in the three months to the end of February, co-CEO Mark Hurd said several had switched from Workday HCM to Oracle Fusion HCM.

Meanwhile, 250 new customers went live on Fusion HCM and Fusion ERP. Of 11,000 SaaS customers, 2,000 use the Fusion ERP product, Hurd added.

22/02/2016: Adobe is streamlining the process of building and managing visually appealing apps for mobile platforms with a new service for Adobe Marketing Cloud.

Adobe Experience Manager Mobile (AEMM) aims to enable businesses to build “beautiful, engaging” applications for B2B or consumer use, it announced at MWC 2016.

This new service combines the company’s existing mobile creation tools: Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, aimed at designers, and Adobe Experience Manager, aimed at developers.

Mitch Green, director of product management for AEMM, said Adobe’s big idea is to “manage [mobile] content lifecycles without having to always engage the developer to make updates”.

Other features of this time-saving mobile publishing suite include location-based personalisation, the capability to integrate deep linking and back-end improvements to the push notifications system.

11/02/2016: Sage and Apple have partnered to offer some of Sage’s products exclusively on Apple iPhones and iPads.

Sage Live will only be available on iOS devices through the App Store and is the first of a new series of apps and services the two firms will collaborate on for small businesses.

Sage claimed that Sage Live would “deliver significant advances” in real-time business management and improve efficiency and effectiveness across the entire supply chain for small and medium business customers.

28/10/2015: SAP has revealed that HR is a key focus for its cloud business alongside other business tools including CRM. Its cloud sales grew 102 per cent year-on-year, showing strong growth in the sector and that’s down to demand from HCM and CRM cloud tools.

Darren Roos, SAP’s general manager for Northern Europe commented: They’re looking at their business and saying ‘if we’re going to retain our staff, continue to be able to offer best of breed compensation, then we need something that is agile, that has a great UI, that our staff are going to be able to access on their mobile devices’.”

Thomas Cook has migrated its workforce management systems to the cloud to provide a better customer experience. The move to the cloud means Thomas Cook can better forecast and schedule agents across all of its contact centres.

What difference has cloud made to the time management market

Jose Gaona, vice president of product strategy and marketing at cloud-based time-tracking company Replicon says the technology has made a huge difference to the way that employees manage their time. “Compared to on-premise for time management – such as using paper or Excel spreadsheets – people now have a simple way to enter time from anywhere, anytime and any device.”

There are also the usual advantages of moving to the cloud, he adds; a reduction in the cost of upgrades and support, as well as server replacement, however, these apply to all cloud applications.

But there’s another dimension to time management. The introduction of cloud-delivered services means more than improvements to business practice; cloud can mean that the way that people do business can fundamentally change as they’re no longer forced to keep to regular business hours.

Accounting software company Sage is one firm that has seen a reappraisal by its customers in the way it does business. “A lot of our cloud customers, in particular, operate 24/7, even servicing and supplying global customers in multiple time-zones. They need access to their information on the move, to be able to make key decisions in real-time, often via mobile devices, says Sage 200 online product manager Geoff Watson

There’s also a time dimension, said Gaona, the cloud can enable decision making to be speeded up. “Supervisors can easily approve all time, project and related costs so that payroll processing is more seamless, and business leaders gain a full picture of how productive, profitable and wage/hour compliant the organisation is in real-time,” he says.

Is it better to have a time management product that’s integrated within a suite of business application or standalone offering?

Organisations will already have an existing suite of business products; will time management tools fit easily with those legacy systems?

“Many cloud businesses have to move at a rapid pace, and solutions that don’t ‘talk’ are simply a non-starter. Cloud solutions are very good at offering flexibility and integration that can be specified exactly how customers need it. This rapid pace of business is now a business constant, so the need for integration will only continue to rise,” says Watson.

Integrating with such products is rarely an issue, says Phil Jones, director of Timewatch, another cloud-based time management company. “The solution that we have does do all things like billing automatically; we hold all the costing and charging details. We can also offer communication to accountancy engines with APIs, so we can have systems talking to each other.

Replicon’s Gaona agrees that this level of integration offers a way forward. “Our time asset management platform integrates seamlessly with any ecosystem, and we do it via APIs or via your standard import and export utilities,” he says. “We consider ourselves as the nucleus for capturing time, feeding this data into an existing project, payroll, ERP and HR systems.”

How important is mobile to time management software?

This workforce flexibility is being driven by the availability of improved mobile offerings: businesses are no longer tied to the office because they have the capability to work elsewhere.

Sage’s Watson acknowledges the importance of mobility. “Our recent launch of Sage Live in the US looks to harness the power of mobile by giving real-time information so you can make decisions based on what’s in the headlights, not the rear-view mirror. Business can’t settle for an ‘almost’ solution – they need their business to move at pace with mobile solutions that work securely and reliably,“ he says.

Is there a difference between the way the product is being used by small businesses and enterprises? Do you see any differences between North America and Europe?

There’s little difference in the way that time management products are used within small businesses or large corporates – although, says Gaona, it’s important to have the right tools at the back-end to address complex union and pay rules and time off accrual policies.

However, he says there are differences between North America and the more regulated European market, issues that cloud providers across Europe have already had to address. “For example, in Germany there are certain hours that can be worked before overtime pay must be paid to employees, while in the US and the UK there has been a lot of debate about existing labour laws and whether companies with a significant “on demand” workforce like Uber should classify its drivers as employees rather than contractors.”

What will the future bring? How will the product change over the coming years?

We can expect to see some major changes in the coming years as wearables and the Internet of Things reshape the way we live and work, says Gaona.

“In the last decade, time tracking and time management systems have evolved, eradicating tedious and manual processes. With the convergence of more advanced technologies, we see our time asset management platform not only continue to become more automated but also incorporate evolving global labour regulations to support businesses productivity. Whether it’s looking at the next wave of wearables, location-based analytics or automation technologies, we see the process of capturing, managing and optimising time being a simple process for both employees and enterprises.

For Sage’s Watson, changes will be driven by further software integration. “The ability to be able to fully integrate your software universe is fast becoming an expectation of businesses of all shapes and sizes: linking to social media and Office 365, as examples, will become the norm,” he says.

This goes hand-in-hand with a new openness, he adds. “Customers are also already developing an expectation that their solutions, no matter who the provider is, can share information in a seamless way. Vendors who can’t meet this expectation are sure to lose in the cloud race.”

A government-backed e-learning course aims to educate HR staff about the dangers of cyber threats.

Cyber Security for HR Professionals, a free course created by Whitehall and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), aims to help HR workers protect their companies' sensitive employee data.

Ed Vaizey, minister for culture and the digital economy, said: “HR professionals handle sensitive personal data so it’s crucial they are able to protect this properly.They are also responsible for recruiting, managing and developing the workforce in most organisations, so are in the perfect position to help colleagues understand cybersecurity.

"The new e-learning module we’re launching with the CIPD will help the HR profession tackle cyber threats and help keep our citizens and businesses safe in cyber space.”

The course also encourages HR personnel to educate their fellow staff about cyber risks, and tell them about preventative measures, and how a culture of care can protect the whole business.

The initiative is part of a wider cooperation between the government, senior HR professionals, IT and cybersecurity professionals and key influencers to promote the importance of cyber security at work.

CIPD, the body for HR and people development, said HR has a “critical role” to play in mitigating the competency and behavioural risks cyber crime presents.

The costs associated with the most severe online breaches now start at £1.46 million for large businesses – up from £600,000 in 2014, according to government figures for 2015. That cost now stands at £310,000 for small businesses – up from £115,000 in 2014.

The CIPD added this underlined a need for stronger engagement between the HR, IT and security communities to focus on “what is increasingly seen as one of the most significant and growing risks organisations of all kinds face”.

In the CIPD’s latest HR Outlook report, only 38 per cent of HR leaders cited cyber security as a top technology issue, compared to 46 per cent of non-HR leaders.

To address this disparity, the CIPD said it has met with a number of communities and organisations, including the government, the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), and other groups such as the Security Awareness Special Interest Group (SASIG), to promote greater awareness and understanding.

Peter Cheese, CIPD chief executive, said: “More secure technology, of course, is part of the solution, but organisations need to think much more broadly and consider how they are equipping their employees with the knowledge and understanding they need to help to protect their organisation and its data."

He added: “Understanding behavioural risk may lead to greater use of technology to monitor people and their actions at work, but it’s important that we balance that with the right ethical considerations and trust and empowerment of employees.

"We also need to look at the cultures and systems in place that can lead people to make mistakes that expose organisations to risks, whether this is a long-hours culture or people simply not having the tools to do their jobs properly.”

More information on the CIPD’s Cyber Security for HR Professionals e-learning module can be found here.

Customers are flocking to S/4 HANA, SAP’s successor to Business Suite, according to figures showing that the number of users has doubled in just three months.

More than 2,700 organisations now use the enterprise software tool, up from 1,300 in October 2015, SAP revealed in results for its latest financial quarter.

Analyst house TechMarketView’s enterprise software research director, Angela Eager, told Cloud Pro that the uptake goes some way to giving confidence to customers in two minds over the tool.

She said: “It’s certainly scaling up and it’s looking quite good. There’s a lot of discussion within user groups about what the true value of the proposition is but looking at the numbers, some of that is being resolved.”

SAP did not reveal how many customers are using S/4 in the cloud, but admitted last October that the majority of customers had opted for an on-premise deployment, citing more functionality.

The growth in user numbers follows some controversy surrounding S/4 HANA, when SAP introduced an upgrade promotion that allowed existing Business Suite customers to shift to S/4 on-premise without incurring any upgrade fees.

But the UK & Ireland SAP User Group questioned the policy, saying that historically, customers who had paid maintenance fees on an on-premise product were always offered free upgrades.

The promotion expired at the end of 2015 and SAP is yet to announce a new pricing policy.

However, Eager told Cloud Pro that the promotion on its own was unlikely to have provoked the surge in customer adoption.

“You don’t just decide to make the decision to upgrade because you have that like for like offer,” she said. “If your organisation has a good relationship with SAP that would be part of the negotiations anyway.”

She added that moving to the HANA platform represented “a radical change” for businesses that would not be solved overnight.

“You need to do it on a step-by-step basis to see its impact on the rest of your IT estate – how it affects other applications and how the business operates” she said.

Cloud revenues continue climb

Elsewhere, SAP continued its upwards momentum in the cloud, seeing new bookings grow 103 per cent year-on-year to €344 million in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Cloud subscriptions and support revenue for the full year grew 109 per cent year-on-year to €2.30 billion.

Growth in SAP’s HCM cloud solutions helped it achieve this rise, with customer numbers for SuccessFactors Employee Central breaking the 1,000 mark.

Meanwhile, SAP’s core software license business for the quarter grew 13 per cent year-on-year to €4.7 billion.

Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP, said in a statement: "Our completeness of vision in the cloud has distinguished SAP from both legacy players and point solution providers.

“We beat on cloud and software, we beat on operating income and we are ever confident that SAP will remain a profitable growth business well into the future."

SAP raised its 2017 outlook for cloud revenues as a result of the growth, and now expects to rake in between €3.8 billion and €4.0 billion that financial year.

Cloud will exceed on-premise revenue in 2018, the software giant also predicted.

Workforce Software has added job and holiday bidding features to its platform, allowing employees to take control of their own time, rather than leaving it to an employer to dictate when they can or can't take their annual leave.

The new addition forms part of Workforce Software's EmpCentre 15.2 update, which will also see the introduction of jobs bidding, so employees can decide on which tasks to take on when.

Bid administrators can set up the bidding for either holidays or jobs and then notify those it applies to, allowing employees to choose how they work. The interface allows workers to choose shift patterns from an easy to understand dashboard, with little fuss.

It also simplifies the bidding process for administrators, while motivating the workforce as they strive to organise their own time based upon when they work most efficiently.

Administrators can also bulk assign open shifts to certain employees or exchange shifts between specified workers if split shifts are required.

KPIs have also been added to the updated platform, allowing managers to view the costs associated with certain actions or tasks, meaning they are able to budget more efficiently, without being held up by manual calculations.

"Our research shows that self-service access to workforce management information, and the ability to collaborate with peers and managers on key issues like schedule availability and leave/PTO, are key drivers of workforce management software selection and replacement," said Mollie Lombardi, vice president and principal analyst, Workforce Management at Brandon Hall Group.

"By continuing to enhance functionality to support the employee experience and organisational visibility, WorkForce Software is delivering on this critical need."

EmpCentre 15.2 works across mobile devices with a specially developed interface for smaller screens and can be accessed by remote workers, whether they are online or offline.

Global dance company Cirque du Soleil has implemented cloud-based HR service SuccessFactors to help manage its staff as they travel around the world.

Cirque du Soleil tours in more than 100 cities on a yearly basis - with the direct support of an employee group made up of artists, operations and management professionals from 50 different countries.

The organisation said it was looking for a platform that offered both remote access and could handle the extremely complex realities of a global workforce, always on the move.

After an evaluation process, it opted to use SuccessFactors because it is cloud-based and integrates a multitude of workforce-related functionalities that are both mobile and international, according to Bernard Hébert, vice president of Information and Business Systems at Cirque du Soleil. He added that it “simply aligns very well with our needs.”

He said that in using the cloud, the organisation’s HR team is able to deliver all of the key services expected of a world-class HR department, anywhere, anytime.

“It provides the transactional flexibility that is required in order to carry out the HR functions within a company that is complex and in movement,” he added.

“The SuccessFactors Employee Central Function provides us with all the required information to set up any future requirements in terms of master data management.”

Hébert also said it is important, in the future, that employees and direct managers have the option to use self-service functions that the cloud software offers to carry out HR-related activities by themselves.

The unitial investment the group had to make to get up and running was limited to the software component and requires no infrastructure spending, resulting in savings from the beginning, according to Hébert, which made the cloud option much more attractive than staying on-premise.

Furthermore, the core application/platform is maintained and constantly optimised by SAP thus minimising future investment requirements.

“The vast majority of the costs of operational rather than capital investments - making each cloud-based project much less demanding of the enterprise's financial resources,” said Hébert.

Lastly, Hébert said that the service can scale up and down as and when the needs of the group change over time.

Talent management SaaS provider Cornerstone OnDemand has upgraded its mobile application to assist HR staff in remembering employees.

The firm promised further enhancements to support employees with onboarding and recruiting, learning, performance and collaboration. The app has seen improvements in mobile recruiting functions, file accessibility tools, training portals and task checklists.

The key enhancement is its mobile “Do you know” game that tests employees’ knowledge of their colleagues, helping teams to get to know each other quickly and stay connected.

Its mobile recruiting function allows candidates to search and apply for jobs directly from their smartphones or tablets, and recruiters now have access to review candidates, schedule interviews and review requisition fill details while on-the-go.

Users can also use the app to access transcripts and launch mobile-enabled courses both while online or offline. This, the firm said, would increase adoption and impact of training initiatives.

Users have the ability to provide feedback and award badges to colleagues for their performance and contributions on goals and projects. The vendor said this would provide the organisation with up-to-date access to skills, competency reviews and performance activities.

The app now also has access to a Mobile Observation Checklist that assigns validators or verifiers to assess competence or successful completion of tasks as employees are in the workplace.

"As the workforce becomes increasingly mobile, global and hyper-connected, employees expect real-time connectivity with their coworkers and instant access to the information they need, when they need it," said Adam Miller, founder and chief executive of Cornerstone OnDemand.

"We continue to innovate on the Cornerstone Mobile suite to allow employees to obtain the essential tools and resources they require on a daily basis to be the most productive at their jobs – whether it’s mobile learning and training, collaboration, performance, or recruiting."

Broadband provider TalkTalk has moved its HR operations into the cloud, with the help of finance apps provider Workday.

The company has ditched its legacy, on-premise HR system in favour of Workday's cloud-based suite of HR apps to make it easier for it to track the changing needs of its workforce and wider business.

The Workday apps the company will now have access to include Workday Human Capital Management, Workday Time Tracking, and Workday Recruiting.

It is claimed these apps will allow TalkTalk to automate important HR tasks, as well as capture and process data charting each stage of the employee recruitment, probation and performance review cycle.

Furthermore, the system will also provide TalkTalk with access to real-time data about its employees, with regard to costs, headcount and skill levels.

TalkTalk claim the change in HR application strategy was necessary because the “rigid” legacy HR systems it previously used made it difficult to quickly react to the evolving needs of its business.

Nigel Sullivan, group HR director at TalkTalk, said the fast-growing nature of its business means it has to be able to provide staff with the support they need to do a good job.

“Our employees are critical to our success, we are investing in Workday HCM to not only support our development and growth, but also to give us the workforce insights we need to better manage talent and help inform business decisions,” said Sullivan.

Chano Fernandez, president for EMEA at Workday, added: “For sourcing to succession, Workday will help TalkTalk create and enrich the workforce it needs to support future growth and deliver business outcomes.”

Human resource management Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider Workday has been chosen by Sanofi, the sixth largest pharmaceutical company in the world, to provide its HR management systems.

The transition to Workday’s Human Capital Management (HCM) cloud offering will, the organisations claimed, consolidate several on-premise systems scattered across its operations in over 100 countries into a single, unified SaaS application.

The company said the decision to move its HR systems to the cloud followed a change in strategy to focus its efforts on R&D, market diversification and new areas of investment.

In order to do this successfully, the company said it must ensure “the entire organisation was properly aligned and focused against these objectives,” and that called for a more unified approach to HR.

Sanofi plumped for Workday HCM having carried out an internal review and deciding it was flexible and simple enough for its needs.

Furthermore, the Talent Management aspect of the application gives managers greater visibility into the strengths and weaknesses of their employees, providing them with detailed information on and access to a wider pool of potential candidates for new roles as the company grows, it said.

Finally, Sanofi expects to integrate new global processes to reduce the time and effort spent by HR on administrative tasks, take advantage of analytics for more informed and strategic decision-making in this area, and empower managers and employees with greater self-service capabilities.

Aneel Bhusri, co-founder and co-CEO of Workday, said: “Sanofi is a world leader in the healthcare industry with an ambitious plan to transform the company for future growth.

“With Workday, Sanofi will gain a global, unified application that will provide deep visibility into its workforce and greater business insights to support its growth plans and commitment to deliver needed healthcare to millions of people around the world.”