HRdirect Smart Apps vs. Justworks

UPDATE 3/20/2020: I initially gave HRDirect a "0" recommendation due to all the issues we had with the PTO Module. However, since purchasing the Harassment Training Module ($90), this product is the best value for the money and puts us in compliance with mandated requirements. It is easy to use and well-presented. At this point in time, with the issues and frustration level of all our employees, managers, and payroll department, it would be difficult for me to recommend this app as suitable in any scenario. However, should HRdirect fix the issues and get the app to perform as it was originally designed, it would be a great product for a small to medium company that has limited resources yet wants a good product for the money. In our experience, the new hire portal did not appear to be functioning properly; our new hires were not able to access the blank documents. They could see them but not open them (PDFs).

Incentivized

Overall, Justworks is a great platform to use to manage organization wide payroll, benefits (medical/dental/vision), and other misc. HR related services (401(k), life insurance, AD&D). The value Justworks brings to our organization greatly exceeds its cost, which I find very reasonable. I particularly love its customer service, which is fast, reliable, and helpful (By calling a number, you get connected directly to a customer service rep., no answer machines or need to press multiple buttons/selections to get to where you need). By implementing Justworks for our HR needs in the U.S., it greatly reduces the time I spent on HR administration duties while offering great benefits and HR services to our employees.

Incentivized

• Initially, you were able to see all activity and drill down for details.
• It was easy-access for all our employees in the 7 states we operate in.
• It provided tracking for the managers.
• Payroll had access to all PTO requests.

Incentivized

• The JustWorks platform is extremely user-friendly. Everything is built in with a seamless user experience. 9 times out of 10, if my employees are looking for something, it is right in front of them.
• JustWorks has amazing customer service. Every member of their team is equipped to answer any questions you may have. This is super helpful when you have an immediate need and can't get a hold of your Account Manager. They can look up your account, answer questions and relay the information to your Account Manager providing seamless communication.
• JustWorks did an outstanding job walking my employees through their initial set up process. While hesitant about switching insurance carries, our Account Manager was able to answer every question we had with transparency. They even made suggestions about rolling over deductibles that had already been met and gave important information about current healthcare providers being in network.

Incentivized

• HRdirect performed an upgrade in 2019 and that's where things went awry.
• You could no longer drill down through the calendar to see the details - i.e. Doctor's appointment, illness, childcare issues, vacation, etc.
• Previous year PTO requests were not archived and you now had to scroll through hundreds of PTO requests to see the most current.
• Previous PTO requests were listed oldest to most current, resulting in much frustration trying to locate specific ones.
• The print option was not longer functional.
• The online help request form was no longer accessible.

Incentivized

• More HR info in regards to compliance and resources for employees to stay in compliance (they have just started to do this with sexual harassment but more things like this would be great!)
• Better integrations with company holidays and timesheets. They have recently updated PTO to integrate so I'm hoping that company holidays would also be a feature added.

Incentivized

As previously described, there are too many unresolved issues.

Incentivized

Justworks is a really good platform for payroll and even vendor payments. There are some areas of improvement that Justworks could make in the area of bulk processing, to decrease administrative time as well as reporting. There are no reports we currently use from the Justworks platform as we have not found them useful.

Incentivized

Due to the fact that we were patient for more than 6 months with no resolution in sight, we decided to end our relationship with HRdirect for PTO tracking. 3/20/2020: We have purchased the Harassment Training Module. Excellent product with great value for the money.

Incentivized

Justworks offers many different options for customer service. You can contact them via email, phone or Slack. They are quick to resolve issues and if your Account Manager is out of office, they have other Managers covering your account who are knowledgable and ready to support. They also have an office in New York, which makes their support even more localized.

Incentivized

ADP was our previous PEO and, in my experience, they were old, clunky and never got back to us. In my opinion, the customer service was non-existent. Insperity was out of our budget but I think it is a good product. Paychex Flex was similar and I like their product for payroll; however, we wanted to offer healthcare, commuter benefits and a 401k to employees and although Paychex is starting to offer those items through 3rd party providers, it wasn't as integrated of a solution as Justworks presented.

Incentivized

• Initially, HRdirect was proving to be an excellent tool, and we were getting a quick turnaround on small issues. However, the upgrade messed things up on our accessibility, with no resolution in sight.
• Harassment training module is excellent.

Incentivized

• The tool is much cheaper than hiring an outsourced payroll provider (cheaper than other PEO).
• Cheaper than going to market for health insurance on our own.
• Manages all employment tax, etc. which is a huge help and would require additional resources to manage without Justworks.

Incentivized