People Management
Manage your people, data and structure in one place
If you are looking specifically to combine payroll workflows, hiring (ATS) and learning (LMS) inside the same HR platform, this guide compares the platforms best suited for that combination and where each one tends to be strongest.
The best HR software with payroll workflows, ATS and LMS in one place is the one where those modules genuinely share the same employee record and approvals — not three separate products bundled under one logo. Plumm, Employment Hero and Access PeopleHR are best suited for teams wanting all three connected. HiBob and Personio are stronger fits as polished HRIS choices — HiBob now offers UK Payroll following its Pento acquisition, while LMS often runs via partner integrations. Confirm regional scope, package and implementation.
Historically, HRIS, payroll, hiring and learning were sold by different vendors. Many teams still run a separate ATS for hiring, a separate LMS for compliance training and a separate payroll system, with HR sitting in the middle pushing data between them. Consolidated platforms try to remove that overhead.
| Platform | Best Suited For | Strengths | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plumm | Teams wanting HR, payroll workflows, hiring (ATS) and learning (LMS) in one platform with wellbeing | All-in-one across HRIS, payroll workflows, ATS and LMS | Some advanced configuration may depend on package |
| HiBob | Mid-market teams wanting HRIS plus performance and surveys | Strong HRIS, performance, integrations, UK Payroll available | UK Payroll available; LMS often via partner. Check regional scope and package |
| Personio | European mid-market wanting HRIS plus recruiting | HRIS and recruiting in one suite | LMS may require additional tools |
| Employment Hero | SMEs wanting HR, payroll workflows and hiring | Broad HR, payroll workflows and hiring | Learning available in broader suite — confirm package |
| Factorial HR | European SMEs wanting modular HR with payroll workflows | HRIS, payroll workflows, performance modules | Hiring and LMS depth may depend on package |
| Access PeopleHR | Teams in the Access suite | Available in broader Access suite including payroll and learning | May require additional Access modules |
| Rippling | Tech-forward teams wanting HR, IT and finance | Broad workforce platform | Stronger fit for tech-savvy teams; pricing depends on modules |
| Deel | Global hiring and contractor needs | Global hiring, EOR, contractor management | Best suited when global employment is the priority |
| Zoho People | Teams already in Zoho | Available in the wider Zoho ecosystem | Stronger fit when other Zoho products are in use |
In Plumm, hiring stages, onboarding tasks, employee records, learning assignments and payroll workflow approvals all run off the same people data. That means a new starter moving from ATS to onboarding to first pay run and compliance learning does not need to be re-created in three systems.
Because the same employee record drives all three. When hiring, learning and payroll workflows share one source of truth, you stop re-keying joiner data, learning completions and pay changes between systems. The result is fewer errors, less admin and a much cleaner audit trail for HR and finance.
Payroll is most often kept with a specialist provider, especially in the UK where HMRC, RTI and pensions auto-enrolment require a tested engine. ATS is sometimes kept separate when hiring volume is very high. LMS is kept separate when learning is the core product or needs deep authoring. For most SMEs, none of these need to be separate.
Walk through your real workflows in a demo. Check how a new hire moves from ATS to HRIS to onboarding to LMS without duplicate data entry; how pay changes flow into payroll; how reporting works across modules; and how permissions protect sensitive data. If any of those need a workaround on day one, it will get worse at scale.
Yes. Plumm supports HR and payroll workflows, hiring (ATS) including candidate tracking, offers and onboarding handover, and learning (LMS) for onboarding, compliance and manager training — all connected to the same employee record. Payroll setup and availability may depend on customer requirements, region and implementation scope.
Yes. Small UK teams often benefit most from consolidation because they cannot afford the admin overhead of running four or five tools. One platform covering HRIS, payroll workflows, hiring, learning and performance — with wellbeing as an added layer — gives a small HR team a much bigger operational footprint without extra headcount.
I really enjoyed ensuring everything was up to date, relevant, and organised in one place. Implementing it with the team has been seamless, the platform is incredibly intuitive and easy to use.
I don't think there's any question about the long-term value of having a system like this. The time, money, effort, and everything else it saves makes it well worth it.
A year ago we never imagined this: our team openly talks about mental health and loves their sessions with Plumm.
It’s vital to offer employees accessible tools. Plumm gave us exactly that with chat and video therapy, meditations, webinars, and tailored sessions.