ADP Workforce Now vs. BambooHR®

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP Workforce Now
Score 7.5 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
ADP Workforce Now is a cloud-based HR platform for mid-sized businesses. It features customizable modules of various HR services that businesses can tailor to their specific needs, as well as regulatory monitoring and alerts to help businesses remain compliant.N/A
BambooHR®
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
BambooHR is an cloud-based human resources solution that provides onboarding, payroll, and benefits management. It also offers automated time-off management and employee self-service.
$250
per month (minimum price for 25 employees or fewer)
Pricing
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR®
Editions & Modules
Essential
Contact sales team
Enhanced
Contact sales team
Complete
Contact sales team
HR Pro
Contact sales team
Payroll Essentials
Contact sales team
HR Plus
Contact sales team
Hiring Advantage
Contact sales team
Performance Plus
Contact sales team
Core
$10
per month per user
Pro
Contact Sales
per month
Elite
Contact Sales
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR®
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredOptional
Additional DetailsPlease contact ADP for a product demo and ask about a hands-on "test drive" of Workforce Now.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR®
Considered Both Products
ADP Workforce Now
Chose ADP Workforce Now
I also used UltiPro (way back -- it didn't even appear in dropdown). Recommend ADP Workforce Now above all others. Paycor and Paycom were both very clunky. I even helped implement Paycom and could never get it to work how the business needed it to.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now is quite robust on the payroll side, but my overall favourite is BamooHR.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We went with ADP because our thousands of per diem nurses were already in the system so we got an extremely substantial discount to utilize ADP as our HRIS for our corporate employees.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Between the different HRISs and ATSs I have had experience with, ADP is probably the most robust. It is pretty difficult to find a system that incorporates all the essential HR functions (people data, time and attendance, PM, ATS, etc) and does it all seamlessly for large …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
The ease of use for ADP Workforce Now (i.e. setup, integration with benefits offerings, etc.) is second to none. I came into the role as the organization's Executive Director with very little HR and Payroll experience and had minimal difficulty "keeping the trains running on …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
I think e-recruit is a little more difficult than ADP. ADP Workforce Now is more user friendly and has an easier way to find information.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
They are fairly comparable. Bamboo has less features and data is spread across multiple pages instead of a simple employee snapshot like ADP.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now was cheaper and a lot more user-friendly.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
BambooHR is extremely user-friendly and is significantly cheaper than the add-ons available with ADP. The HR functions like getting employees to sign policies and fill out forms are really easy to navigate and track. I also really liked their verbiage in that software--not …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Namely is a terrible system and they have awful customer service. I would never recommend them. We left them after a few months.
I've evaluated BambooHR because I've heard great things about it as an HRIS, but it doesn't have payroll and I prefer all-in-one systems when it comes …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We previously used Paychex for payroll only and Bamboo HR for certain employees. We used manual spreadsheets to track vacation and pay. We selected ADP because it was the best tool to fit all of our needs. We were able to consolidate into one system. We no longer use a …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP is so much easier. I don't have to modify my process to work with the system. The system works with my company and when you are subject to multiple compliance checks (banking/finance industry) that is key. The interface is intuitive, streamlined and easy to use.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We are currently looking at Pressgold as a possible new payroll provider. Comparing price and product.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now is much easier to use than BambooHR. I remember BambooHR was underutilized in the organization I was at previously, and it was difficult to navigate. ADP is much more robust and easy to use in comparison. It is customizable by the administrators to be able to …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
My company chose ADP, probably because they are the leading payroll solution. To re-iterate, if there was another alternative that was as prevalent and established, I'm sure they could make a better end product as far as features and especially usability goes. They need some …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We used BambooHR and really liked it. Selected ADP because we did not want to find integrations for benefits and payroll - we wanted it to be "all in one," which is what ADP Workforce Now could provide. This was the same with Zenefits.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now falls well short when compared to the other similar players in the cloud HCM space (Bamboo, Ultimate, Dayforce, etc.,), as well as the big three (Workday, Success Factors, Oracle Fusion).
BambooHR®
Chose BambooHR®
We started implementation with ADP Workforce Now and it was a 6 month nightmare of complicated protocols and our company having to bend our processes to fit their platform. It was hard to get assistance and answers from their support team were very vague. We ultimately …
Chose BambooHR®
scalability is an issue with BambooHR (missing lot of competent), integration with other tools (EDI feed, compliance etc)
Chose BambooHR®
Bamboo HR is so so much more user-friendly and easier to navigate on both the admin and employee side of things. This significantly helps reduce headaches and frustration when something needs correction. There is always something that will need to be fixed, so having a platform …
Chose BambooHR®
We switch our clients from the other HRIS platforms to BambooHR, because they do everything better and have amazing customer support.
Chose BambooHR®
Less expensive than ADP and much more up to date and efficient than Heartland
Chose BambooHR®
BambooHR is easier to use and has a more pleasant experience as a user. The dashboards are also easier to comprehend.
Chose BambooHR®
BambooHR is much more user friendly. What it lacks in technical/complexities it is working to improve.
Chose BambooHR®
BambooHR was much more user-friendly.
Chose BambooHR®
BambooHR pricing leaves it a bit harder of a sell than some of the competitors we have used in the past. If it was fully featured rich with an overflow of integrations that might be different, but as it stands, without a pricing change, I think that bridge is a harder sell for …
Chose BambooHR®
I used to use that software but couldn't meet up my demand. But in BambooHR workforce management platform features are really amazing than that. Platforms, content and overall everything of BambooHR is work-worthy.
Chose BambooHR®
Other tools with a more unified platform (including a more mature payroll solution) have been much more robust in terms of their data and reporting capabilities. BambooHR, however, has the edge on having a flashier look that may be more appealing to some up-and-coming …
Chose BambooHR®
Feels more intuitive and easier to use. ADP is working to catch up to the digital transformation while BambooHR was born digital.
Chose BambooHR®
Again, BambooHR is a great choice for companies with contracted or hourly employees to track but there are other, more user friendly tools like ADP.
Chose BambooHR®
I haven't used many products similar to BambooHR. One that is kind of close is SecureDocs, but it doesn't nearly match the depth of BambooHR. They are about the same when it comes to storing documents, but BambooHR is great in that it does so much more! That's where it really …
Features
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR®
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
1058 Ratings
5% below category average
BambooHR®
7.8
249 Ratings
4% below category average
Employee demographic data8.3935 Ratings8.3224 Ratings
Employment history8.2974 Ratings8.2229 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.2924 Ratings8.0223 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.6951 Ratings7.7213 Ratings
Organizational charting7.3666 Ratings7.3230 Ratings
Organization and location management7.7731 Ratings8.0220 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.9673 Ratings7.3130 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.9
1069 Ratings
3% below category average
BambooHR®
7.5
168 Ratings
8% below category average
Pay calculation8.81030 Ratings8.2123 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.6408 Ratings6.892 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.0321 Ratings7.392 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.5817 Ratings6.8129 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.81017 Ratings8.3126 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.3800 Ratings8.0137 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.6488 Ratings7.381 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.9
875 Ratings
3% below category average
BambooHR®
8.6
215 Ratings
5% above category average
Approval workflow7.7797 Ratings8.3209 Ratings
Balance details7.9829 Ratings8.2200 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.1673 Ratings9.1129 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
1050 Ratings
6% below category average
BambooHR®
8.5
242 Ratings
4% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.31013 Ratings8.6162 Ratings
Update personal information8.21003 Ratings8.8238 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.9811 Ratings8.3210 Ratings
Employee recognition6.5382 Ratings8.1154 Ratings
View job history7.732 Ratings8.7228 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
12 Ratings
28% below category average
BambooHR®
8.8
74 Ratings
10% above category average
Tracking of all physical assets6.012 Ratings8.874 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.8
974 Ratings
10% below category average
BambooHR®
7.1
206 Ratings
6% below category average
Report builder7.6957 Ratings7.3199 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.2952 Ratings7.4198 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data5.6569 Ratings6.6142 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.2
142 Ratings
10% below category average
BambooHR®
8.1
207 Ratings
1% above category average
New hire portal7.6138 Ratings8.4199 Ratings
Manager tracking tools6.9112 Ratings7.8186 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.0
329 Ratings
14% below category average
BambooHR®
7.8
138 Ratings
3% below category average
Corporate goal setting7.1255 Ratings7.099 Ratings
Individual goal setting6.9307 Ratings7.8132 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility7.0252 Ratings8.969 Ratings
Performance tracking7.2302 Ratings7.5126 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.5
426 Ratings
20% below category average
BambooHR®
7.7
155 Ratings
3% below category average
Performance plans6.6383 Ratings7.2141 Ratings
Performance improvement plans6.3328 Ratings7.2119 Ratings
Review status tracking6.0386 Ratings8.497 Ratings
Review reminders6.9402 Ratings8.1101 Ratings
Multiple review frequency6.5335 Ratings7.7134 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
7 Ratings
26% below category average
BambooHR®
8.7
81 Ratings
11% above category average
Create succession plans/pools5.86 Ratings8.246 Ratings
Candidate ranking5.86 Ratings8.867 Ratings
Candidate search6.37 Ratings8.768 Ratings
Candidate development6.26 Ratings9.059 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
5.9
438 Ratings
26% below category average
BambooHR®
8.0
176 Ratings
4% above category average
Job Requisition Management7.1383 Ratings8.1134 Ratings
Company Website Posting6.8374 Ratings7.7144 Ratings
Publish to Social Media5.1300 Ratings9.191 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting6.1336 Ratings7.4140 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention2.38 Ratings7.488 Ratings
Applicant Tracking6.8378 Ratings8.3160 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts7.2399 Ratings8.3167 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR®
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR®
Likelihood to Recommend
7.9
(1123 ratings)
8.2
(245 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.5
(83 ratings)
9.7
(17 ratings)
Usability
2.6
(80 ratings)
8.6
(173 ratings)
Availability
7.3
(14 ratings)
9.3
(5 ratings)
Performance
6.4
(13 ratings)
8.7
(5 ratings)
Support Rating
6.6
(494 ratings)
8.1
(137 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.2
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
5.8
(17 ratings)
9.2
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
1.5
(34 ratings)
8.6
(6 ratings)
Configurability
6.4
(10 ratings)
8.6
(4 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
8.4
(3 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.1
(8 ratings)
9.6
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.7
(785 ratings)
8.9
(5 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(2 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
5.2
(8 ratings)
8.9
(4 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
6.1
(8 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR®
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
During COVID, ADP Workforce Now was great about keeping up with changing laws and regulations. They built reports that helped us apply for PPP loans and then later apply for forgiveness. Webinars and other training avenues were well constructed, accurate, and informative. We were all at a loss together and having a partner who ensured the legal side was met was one less worry. They can easily do the day-to-day compliance and regulatory things. COVID highlighted how quickly it could be done.
Read full review
BambooHR
It works very well for submitting PTO requests and identifying information around personnel matters. I love being able to quickly see how long someone has worked for the company or whether there are upcoming birthdays so I can send a personal note. There are analytics and charts around organizational segmentation that are less valuable for a smaller company like ours.
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Pros
ADP
  • HRIS that is personalized for the employee and addresses DE&I needs.
  • Payroll, of course! The system addresses all needs, such as deductions, additional pay, premium OT, and shift differentials.
  • Onboarding is an excellent way to stay in compliance and have all documents completed.
  • Tax and Banking and resolution to any issues.
Read full review
BambooHR
  • Recruiting- communications are easy for both the internal team and candidates
  • Onboarding- the onboarding tasks are great. I love being able to attach documents as well as delay sending out tasks
  • Communication- the employee community is a great tool to keep our communications clean and organized. I love that we now have insight as to who has viewed the comms
Read full review
Cons
ADP
  • Customized pre-process payroll reports (Limited on pre-process payroll reports)
  • Labor Allocation (Allocations make payroll reporting very hard to review and find any errors )
  • Recruiting (ATS is very basic)
  • Geofencing (should be able to change shape rather than a circle)
  • Pay Classes (should be able to change at Practitioner level rather than reach out to support)
  • Cookies and Cache have to be cleared on a regular basis
  • Only able to see employee documents/acknowledgements one at a time in the employee file
  • Timecards can only be managed/viewed by 1 person
  • Timeoff emails do not have a link
  • Cost per payroll - not just monthly fee so cost with off cycle payrolls
  • Separate I9 step not needed - during onboarding - 2nd Everify step
  • ADP Workforce Now does not pull in allowances for Houly employees into payroll ONLY Salaried employees
Read full review
BambooHR
  • I feel like BambooHR is rolling out a lot of updates all at one time, which is awesome, but I could see somebody who's maybe not as tech savvy, feeling like it's a lot of information at one time. I think the support area of the website has thorough walkthroughs, but sometimes the search functions don't really take you to exactly what you're asking about.
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Likelihood to Renew
ADP
Due to the lack of support from the sales and service center we are looking at other options outside of ADP. Again it is a good system, it just lacks the support it deserves from the company employees. It is just unimaginable that you will need to reach out to a service provider several times for the same issue and not get it resolved.
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BambooHR
There's nothing wrong with this platform. I would recommend it to any business starting with more than 10 employees. I will continue to use the program for as long as I need to, hoping they continue being tremendous and finding other ways to incorporate more technology.
Read full review
Usability
ADP
I would give it a 10 however I do not like when ADP does facelifts in Workforce Now which does not add any value other than having to relearn navigation. I am also not a big fan of being forced to refer to the Bridge. We have Google which gives the same results. If I understood the answer I would not contact our Account Rep.
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BambooHR
It's clear and well appointed with prompts on where to go for each category of information it holds. The user has limited access based on a need to know/job related basis. It has a clear help option with the ability to chat, email or read documentation on how to do something.
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Reliability and Availability
ADP
ADP outages are very rare
Read full review
BambooHR
Yes, there is a huge team in the back of the online platform or it looks like it because I have never been left without an answer when I have a question or waiting from a response on my chat .... There must be a huge team, this is so great and I always seem to have someone that is very knowledgeable too. So many times in the past I had to leave with customer service that would connect you with someone else because of the expertise, here everyone seems to be some kind of an expert in the HR function.
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Performance
ADP
Overall, I think the functionality of the program works pretty well. Sometimes, certain browsers do not work well for the policy function of ADP, but that is the only issue thus far
Read full review
BambooHR
I love BambooHR. Reports are easy to run and download and it usually covers any types of requests I get from the management team. You get excel or .csv downloads/reports and it is fast and simple, not too crowded so it is easy to read through. We don't integrate the tool yet but again, soon we will. we just did not had the time to utilize it yet but that's the plan.
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Support Rating
ADP
this is my only down side of ADP, they dont transfer you around a lot (Good) and try to tackle the issue right there, but the english barrier is sometimes a huge brick that stands in the way, and can result in the wrong outcome. There has been times I have asked for someone else as I thought it was getting done wrong, and was still able to get the assistance I needed, just took me explaining it twice
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BambooHR
I have used their support team over a dozen times. They have chat agents available throughout the day. They have support ticket submissions. They have their own resources website with different programs to learn BambooHR®. They also have onboarding support.
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In-Person Training
ADP
In-person training was pretty good - I think this significantly depends on the trainer. Our trainer was really good and showed what ADP can do - but I know that all trainers are not the same - and this truly makes such as difference. Overall, our training went pretty well.
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BambooHR
I didn't have in-person training besides teaching my managers how to use the program. However, I couldn't omit this question (maybe a system glitch).
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Online Training
ADP
At the time training was not as expansive as it is now. If it could go wrong it did for me so the process was difficult and lengthy. I needed to have more in person walkthroughs of things to ensure the transition was done correctly. Not sure what else I can say, we were part of the initial move to Workforce Now when it was introduced.
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BambooHR
Overall this training was great and our implementation specialist was wonderful and very helpful. We felt really prepared once our training was completed, But we could get additional help immediately even when we were live. The continuation Support heros after implementation are wonderful and you can always get a LIVE person each time you call into their office.
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Implementation Rating
ADP
Either assign more than one specialist to the implementation process, or assign less clients to the implementation specialist. The process requires attention to detail and the ability to test and re-test as well as verify the information. It also requires a lot of back and forth between the client ant the implementation specialist, so they need to be readily available during the whole implementation process.
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BambooHR
We implemented bambooHR in Fall, 2023 then implemented Payroll 1/1/24. A vital piece of information was not known or missed in that we are exempt from State Unemployment Tax and have a Reimbursement Set-up, so bambooHR did not send Payroll Reports to the State. Those reports need to be sent regardless if we are exempt or not.
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Alternatives Considered
ADP
They pale compared to ADP because they each have broken systems that do not flow from beginning to end. Another system is required to support all of the functions needed to process payroll. That puts too much on me, the person, instead of the system. We should work smarter, not harder.
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BambooHR
At my previous employer, I evaluated over 20 HRIS platforms before choosing and implementing BambooHR® (in 2019). I love it! The continuous improvements are promising and I actually feel like product feedback is reviewed and, at times, implemented. With BambooHR®, it truly comes down to what you are looking for. If I was solely doing performance management and career ladders, BambooHR® probably wouldn't be a fit. However, it does an overall great job at most things, and is a good quality product.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
ADP
No answers on this topic
BambooHR
Since my organization has dropped with employees, I always find ways to reduce costs. I thought there would be a cheaper option, but I was glad that my package included a lot for the price, and downgrading would cost more. The rep could have let me downgraded and taken me to a higher package. I am thankful that didn't happen.
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Scalability
ADP
We have been able to grow with ADP from just a few hundred employees to over 10,000 so it's actually very scalable for payroll usage. We do not use the benefits and onboarding offerings for most of our employees but they are built to scale easily enough for when our corporate team has over 1,000 FTE.
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BambooHR
There is so much you can do with this platform, it is incredible and so welcoming. We don't utilize it 100% yet just because we are growing and the HR team has not been able to concentrate on other areas offered to us but but we will soon. Which is also why we got the product, specifically because what BambooHR can do to help us meet our growing business needs.
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Professional Services
ADP
No answers on this topic
BambooHR
VERY professional!
Read full review
Return on Investment
ADP
  • ADP WorkforceNow has provided a positive ROI for our company. It has saved me countless hours in the time I used to spend preparing reports, managing benefits, and annual enrollment, recruitment tracking, and much more.
  • The integration with Payscale has allowed our company to take every position in our organization and benchmark it to industries and job titles. This has allowed us to be more competitive on recruitment and retention.
  • We have used the new DE&I dashboard to provide valuable information on the landscape of our workforce, as well as areas of our organization that may not be as diverse.
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BambooHR
  • Time Savings: Automating onboarding, payroll, and employee record management has cut HR admin time by up to 30%, allowing teams to focus on strategic initiatives instead of paperwork.
  • Improved Onboarding: Streamlined workflows have cut onboarding time by nearly 50%, ensuring new hires are productive faster, reducing turnover risk in the critical first months.
  • - Enhanced Informational Clarity: Centralized employee data means fewer errors and faster access to essential information, reducing compliance risks and increasing accuracy in reporting.
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ScreenShots

ADP Workforce Now Screenshots

Screenshot of ADP Workforce Now: a simple and complete human capital management solutionScreenshot of Benchmarking by ADP DataCloud: an application with an extensive data set ... available to ADP Workforce Now clientsScreenshot of ADP Workforce Now clients can equip their employees with the ADP Mobile self-service app

BambooHR® Screenshots

Screenshot of the Job Info tabScreenshot of Onboarding TasksScreenshot of a New Hire PacketScreenshot of an Employee Performance ReportScreenshot of Employee Satisfaction (eNPS®)Screenshot of Open Enrollment