Hey everyone! I've been looking at Zoho People for our small team (15 people). We're currently using a messy mix of spreadsheets and a basic time-off tracker, so anything feels like an upgrade 😅
I see a lot of marketing about its features and integration with other Zoho apps (we use Zoho CRM). But I'm struggling to find honest reviews about the day-to-day stuff. Specifically:
- Is the payroll module actually reliable, or is it better to use a dedicated system?
- How easy is it to set up custom leave policies? The demo looked a bit overwhelming.
- What are the real limitations you've hit as you've grown?
Any pros/cons from actual users would be super helpful. The pricing seems fair, but I'm worried about hidden complexities. Thanks!
We moved from a similar spreadsheet mess to Zoho People last year, for a team of about 20. The Zoho CRM integration is definitely its best feature for us - it's seamless.
For payroll, we only use it for tracking. We still run actual payroll through a dedicated provider. The module seems okay for basic salary tracking, but I've heard from others that it can get tricky with complex tax setups. For leave policies, it's powerful but that means the initial setup has a steep learning curve. Once you get past that first weekend of configuring it, daily use is smooth. Our main limitation showed up with performance reviews. The customization felt a bit rigid compared to a dedicated review tool.
dk
The CRM integration is a lifesaver for syncing employee data and activity - it works exactly as advertised. That alone might justify the switch from your current setup.
On your specific questions, we also treat the payroll module as a tracker only, not the processor. It's fine for calculating standard pay but I wouldn't trust it for complex tax jurisdictions. For the leave policies, yes the setup is complex, but it's because the system is very granular. I'd recommend mapping out all your policies on paper first, then build them in the system over a couple of sessions. Once done, you rarely touch it again.
The biggest hidden complexity for us was the approval workflow setup for things like expenses. It's not intuitive, and we ended up needing a short Zoho consultancy call to get it right. The core HR features are solid though, and for 15 people it should serve you well.