10 Best Workforce Management Software Solutions to Optimize Your Team

Managing schedules, tracking hours, and planning labor across multiple teams is harder than it looks. Even small mistakes can lead to overtime costs or understaffed shifts. Workforce management (WFM) software centralizes these tasks, giving managers clear visibility into schedules, real-time hours, and labor allocation, so teams run efficiently and predictably. 

In this article, we break down 10 top workforce management tools, highlighting what each does best so you can pick the solution that fits your team. 

What is workforce management? 

Workforce management is the set of tools, processes, and practices that companies use to ensure the right employees are in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills. It covers everything from scheduling and time tracking to labor forecasting, compliance, and performance management — all aimed at keeping operations efficient and employees supported. 

Workforce management includes several key areas, such as: 

• Labor management: Covers planning and reporting on workforce productivity. 
• Time and attendance tracking: Capture hours worked, track overtime, and ensure accurate labor data. 
• Leave management: Handles vacation, sick leave, parental leave, and other time-off requests. 
• Shift and coverage planning: Adjust staffing in real time to fill gaps, manage absences, and balance workload. 
• Workforce analytics: Use dashboards and reports to track labor trends, costs, and staffing efficiency. 

Best workforce management tools of 2026 

Best for: Time tracking, scheduling, and labor planning 

When teams manage scheduling, time tracking, and labor across multiple systems, even simple tasks such as approving timecards, filling shifts, or tracking labor costs can quickly get complicated. 

Paylocity brings all these workforce management processes together on one platform, letting users automate scheduling, time and attendance, and shift planning instead of managing them manually. 

Paylocity is a good fit for organizations that want a single platform to manage their team’s time and schedules without compromising efficiency and employee experience. It gives managers the tools they need to plan smarter, while employees get flexible options to clock in, swap shifts, or request time off from any device. 

Key features:  

• Time and attendance tracking: Captures hours across mobile, web, badge, and biometric systems, letting employees submit time and managers approve it in one place. It also tracks attendance, absences, and shift participation, giving managers clear visibility to plan coverage and keep labor costs on target. 
• Scheduling: Paylocity’s scheduling tools let managers build and adjust employee schedules with smarter staffing logic and real‑time updates. Employees can view their schedules, claim open shifts, or swap shifts through the mobile app, helping teams stay covered and labor costs in line 
• AI-driven shift recommendations: The platform uses historical data and scheduling rules to suggest optimal shifts. This helps managers fill schedules efficiently and maintain coverage across teams and locations. 
• Adaptable time capture options: Employees can clock in using a badge, biometric scanner, tablet, mobile app, or web browser. Features like geolocation, facial recognition, and fingerprint validation help prevent time theft and ensure compliance.  
• Headcount planning: Managers can utilize staffing data to help managers plan team sizes and budgets with precision. Real-time insights and collaborative workflows make it easier to align headcounts with business goals and adjust quickly to changing needs. 
• Performance management: Centralizes goal setting, real-time feedback, and 360° reviews to keep teams aligned and accountable. Managers can track progress, gather multi-source feedback, and identify high-potential employees to drive engagement and development year-round. 

Pricing: Custom 

2. BambooHR

Best for: HR management 

BambooHR is a cloud‑based human resources information system (HRIS) designed to centralize core HR tasks in one place for HR teams to manage employee data, onboarding, performance, and reporting.  

It pulls employee records, approvals, and workflows into a unified platform that’s commonly used by small to medium‑sized businesses that want a single system to handle HR operations. 

While BambooHR handles core HR tasks well, some users find reporting and analytics limited for advanced needs, and performance management features are basic compared with specialized tools.G2 - BambooHR 

Key features: 

• Project or job time tracking: Allows teams to assign hours to specific projects or tasks, giving managers insight into where labor hours are spent. 
• Performance management: BambooHR provides tools to set review cycles, track goals, and collect feedback. It includes templates and reminders to keep performance evaluations on schedule. 
• HR reporting and analytics: The platform offers built-in and customizable reports on metrics like headcount, turnover, and time-off usage. 

Pricing: Custom BambooHr - Pricing

3. ADP Workforce Now

Best for: Labor costs and staffing needs

ADP Workforce Now is a cloud‑based human capital management (HCM) platform that combines payroll, workforce management, HR, and benefits in one system. 

It’s designed for mid‑sized to large organizations that need robust payroll processing and compliance support while also managing employee data, time, scheduling, and reporting from a single dashboard.

Some users find parts of ADP Workforce Now unintuitive, with document management and scheduling requiring extra steps or lacking clarity.G2

Key features:

• Skill‑based and demand‑aware scheduling: Managers can create schedules that match employee skills, certifications, and availability while aligning with budget or demand patterns, and employees can swap shifts or share availability.
• Tax filing and compliance: ADP Workforce Now calculates payroll taxes and files them automatically across relevant jurisdictions. It monitors regulatory updates to keep processes compliant. 
• Workforce analytics: It provides dashboards and reports on labor costs, headcount, and turnover to help plan staffing needs.

Pricing: CustomADP - Custom pricing

4. Connecteam

Best for: Daily operations

Connecteam is a workforce management platform that brings scheduling, time tracking, communication, and basic HR workflows into a single mobile-first app — particularly for teams that aren’t always at a desk. 

It lets managers plan shifts, capture hours with GPS-enabled clock-ins, assign tasks and checklists, and share updates or forms with employees from one interface. Employees can see their schedules, clock in and out, access job details, and communicate with teammates all from their phone or desktop.

Some users find Connecteam has a steep learning curve, with certain features and settings being hard to locate. Reporting flexibility is limited, particularly for time-off tracking, which can require workarounds or manual effort.G2 - Connecteam

Key features: 

• Employee time clock: Connecteam’s time clock captures employee hours through mobile or desktop clock-ins and can include GPS location tracking to tie time entries to work sites. 
• Scheduling: The platform provides tools to build and share schedules, set recurring shifts, and notify employees of assignments, helping managers coordinate coverage more efficiently. 
• Task management: Managers can assign tasks and checklists, track completion in real time, and digitize workflows that would otherwise rely on paper or spreadsheets.  

Plans and pricing:Connecteam pricing

• Basic: $29/month 
• Advanced: $49/month 
• Expert: $99/month 
• Enterprise: Custom

5. Zoho People

Best for: Small business

Zoho People is part of the broader Zoho ecosystem, and it integrates natively with other Zoho apps like Zoho Recruit, Zoho Payroll, Zoho CRM, and Zoho Projects. It can connect with over 950 third-party applications via Zoho Flow.Zoho Integrations 

It’s used by organizations of various sizes that want a single place to manage employee data and routine HR workflow. 

Some users report that initial setup, as well as setting up advanced workflows or forms, is not straightforward and requires extra support or tutorials.G2 - Zoho People

Key features: 

• Flexible attendance management: Zoho People lets employees check in/out via web or mobile with IP/location rules, facial recognition, and biometric support so attendance is captured accurately in real time. 
• Shift and job scheduling with patterns: Define custom shift patterns, auto‑assign schedules based on those patterns, and rotate shifts automatically across teams, departments, or locations. 
• Learning and performance: Zoho People includes a built-in learning management system (LMS) for employee training and tools for setting goals, gathering feedback, and conducting performance reviews.

Plans and pricing:Zoho People - Pricing

• Essential HR: $1.50/user/month 
• Professional: $2/user/month 
• Premium: $3/user/month 

6. When I Work

Best for: Employee scheduling 

When I Work is workforce management software designed to support scheduling, time tracking, and communication for hourly teams. Managers can create schedules, approve time-off requests, review shift swaps, and assign open shifts. Employees receive their schedules and confirm shifts through the app. 

The platform includes mobile clock-ins with schedule and location restrictions, overtime alerts, labor reports, and payroll integrations.

Some users report occasional issues with employees clocking in, particularly on Android devices, and note that the app can sometimes have bugs that affect functionality.G2 reviews

Key features:

• Shift scheduling: When I Work allows managers to build and publish schedules, assign open shifts, and review shift swaps from one system.
• Time clock and attendance: The platform includes a mobile time clock that records hours worked and supports schedule and location-based clock-in restrictions. 
• Team messaging: It provides built-in one-to-one and group messaging so managers can notify teams of schedule changes or operational updates.

Pricing:G2 - When I Work

• Single Location  or Schedule: $2.50/user/month
• Multiple Locations & Schedules: $5/user/month

7. TimeClock Plus

Best for: Time tracking

TimeClock Plus is a workforce management software solution focused on time and attendance tracking, leave management, and ensuring payroll data accuracy. It collects employee time across locations using mobile, web, badge, and biometric clocks, and tracks hours worked, breaks, overtime, job codes, and pay rates. 

It is used across sectors, including K–12 education, local government, and other public sector environments. County School Districts use it to manage time tracking and compliance for 11,000+ employees.https://tcpsoftware.com/customer-stories/pasco-county-schools/

Some users note that TimeClock Plus can feel clunky, with menus that aren’t always intuitive and require extra clicks to navigate.G2 - TimeClock Plus

Key features:

• Substitute coverage management: Streamlines last-minute shift coverage by letting managers find qualified substitutes, assign them through a dashboard, and send automated SMS or email notifications.
• Advanced time tracking: TimeClock Plus records employee hours using mobile, web, badge, and biometric clocks across locations. It tracks breaks, overtime, job codes, and pay rates for payroll accuracy.
• Labor cost reporting: The platform provides reports on hours worked, overtime, and labor distribution by role or department. This helps teams review labor costs using recorded time and pay data.

Pricing: Custom

8. Dayforce

Best for: Real-time labor insights

Dayforce provides workforce management tools that support demand-based scheduling, time and attendance tracking, and labor planning within a single platform that also connects to global payroll. 

Managers can use real-time workforce data to monitor coverage, address absences, and adjust schedules, while multiple time clock options and task management tools help coordinate labor and operational work across locations.

Some reviewers discuss that Dayforce may require back-end support for certain configuration changes, offers limited admin customization and dashboard flexibility. It can also be challenging to integrate with other tools.G2- Dayforce

Key features:

• Demand-based scheduling: Dayforce builds schedules using business demand, labor budgets, pay rates, and worker availability. This supports more accurate staffing and helps limit over- or under-scheduling.
• Labor planning: Dayforce provides tools to plan staffing based on business demand and operational goals. Managers can adjust labor plans using workforce data to support coverage and productivity.
• Task management: The platform allows managers to create, assign, and track tasks by location or department. Task progress can be reviewed in one place to support day-to-day operations.

Pricing: CustomDayforce - Pricing

9. Rippling

Best for: Custom reporting 

Rippling’s ecosystem has 600+ pre-built third-party appsRippling - Third Party Apps — including tools like QuickBooks Online, Google Workspace, Slack, and NetSuite. Rippling also supports custom integrations via API, which helps companies connect workforce management data with payroll, IT, accounting, and other systems

Managers can set up schedules, track attendance, and handle overtime, with the system automatically applying rules for breaks and overtime approvals. You can also build reports on attendance, labor costs, and productivity, and get alerts when employees are late or missing shifts.

Some users note that Rippling can be slow to load at times, particularly when clocking in or navigating pages. A few also mention that certain modules, like performance review tools, can be confusing to navigate.G2 - Rippling

Key features:

• IT device provisioning: Automatically assign and track laptops, phones, and other devices for new hires and returning employees.
• HR workflow automation: Automate tasks like time-off approvals, shift assignments, and onboarding checklists to keep processes consistent.
• Real‑time labor cost visibility during scheduling: As you build or adjust schedules, Rippling shows live labor cost impact — including flagged overtime or compliance issues.

Pricing: CustomRippling - Custom pricing

10. UKG

Best for: Large-scale workforce analytics 

UKG’s workforce management tools help organizations track time, manage schedules, and monitor labor data in real time. Employees can clock in using devices such as mobile apps, web browsers, or biometric clocks, and the system captures the hours worked, attendance, and any exceptions for managers to review. 

UKG offers tools such as strategic workforce planning for forecasting labor needs and UKG One View™ to unify payroll data across many countries

Some users find navigation during new hire processing cumbersome, requiring multiple steps to access specific sections. Others note that certain settings, like the “work from home” flag, do not function as expected for tasks such as tax calculations.G2- UKG

Key features:

• Time tracking and attendance: UKG captures employee hours accurately through mobile, web, or biometric clocks. Attendance and exceptions are tracked in real time to monitor labor costs and maintain clean payroll data.
• Workforce scheduling: AI-assisted scheduling helps cover shifts while accounting for availability and preferences.
• Reporting and analytics: Provides real-time workforce data and alerts for overtime, compliance, and labor planning.

Pricing: CustomUKG - Pricing

How to choose the right workforce management software for your company

The best enterprise workforce management software balances automation, visibility, and flexibility, helping managers make informed decisions while giving employees easy access to the tools they need. Here are key factors to consider when evaluating options:

• Comprehensive time tracking and scheduling capabilities: Choose a system that accurately records hours across devices, supports flexible scheduling, and adapts to shift changes, helping managers align labor with business needs. 
• Integrated payroll and benefits management: Integration with payroll and benefits ensures that hours worked, overtime, and leave feed directly into pay calculations, reducing errors and saving time. 
• Advanced reporting and analytics for labor costs and productivity: Software with real-time dashboards and customizable reports helps managers track labor costs, overtime, attendance patterns, and productivity, supporting better staffing decisions. 
• Compliance features: Ensure the platform enforces labor policies, tracks mandatory breaks and overtime, and updates automatically to reflect changing labor laws, helping reduce risk. 
• Scalability and flexibility to support company growth: The right solution should adapt as your business grows, handling more employees, locations, or complex schedules without requiring a complete system overhaul.