Zoho People: A Practical Guide to HR Software

Zoho People is Zoho’s HR management system. It holds employee records and runs time off, holidays, attendance, shifts, onboarding, custom forms, approval workflows and performance reviews, with a self-service portal and mobile app for employees. It connects to Zoho Recruit for new hires and to payroll and accounting, so HR data flows where it is needed.

This guide covers what Zoho People does, what each plan costs and the setup decisions that matter most. It sits in the HR & People Management section of our Zoho One ecosystem guide.

What Zoho People Does

Employee records

A central employee database with personal, job and document details, organized by department, location and reporting line.

Time off and holidays

Leave types, accrual and carry-forward rules, approval workflows and holiday calendars by location. See our guides to setting up time off in Zoho People and holidays in Zoho People.

Attendance and shifts

Check-in and check-out from web or mobile, shift schedules, overtime rules and attendance reports.

Custom forms and workflows

Create forms for any HR process, such as equipment requests or travel approvals, with approvals and automation. See customizing forms in Zoho People.

Onboarding and offboarding

Checklists, documents and policy acknowledgements for new starters, and structured exit steps for leavers.

Performance and self-service

Goals, reviews and feedback, plus a self-service portal and mobile app where employees update details, request time off and view payslips or documents.

Time Off Done Right

Time off is usually the first thing employees use, so it pays to get it right. Define each leave type with its accrual, carry-forward and approval rules, assign it by location or employee type, and check a few balances after import. Our step-by-step guide to setting up time off in Zoho People is our most-read People article for good reason.

How Zoho People Connects to Other Apps

• Zoho Recruit: hired candidates move into Zoho People as new employees.
• Zoho Payroll: time off and attendance feed payroll where Zoho Payroll is available; see our Zoho Payroll review.
• Zoho Expense: employee details and approval hierarchies for expense claims.
• Zoho Books and other payroll providers: payroll and HR data for accounting.
• Zoho Cliq: HR announcements and approval notifications in chat.

Zoho People Pricing

Paid plans may have a minimum number of employees, and People Plus bundles combine People with Recruit, Payroll and Expense. Zoho People is included in Zoho One. Check the current Zoho People pricing page for your region.

Which Plan Fits Which Company?

A Typical Month in Zoho People

1. Employees request time off and check in from the app; managers approve.
2. New starters complete onboarding tasks and acknowledge policies.
3. HR reviews attendance exceptions and leave balances.
4. Approved data feeds payroll and reports for management.

Who Gets the Most Value from Zoho People

• Small and mid-sized businesses moving HR off spreadsheets and email.
• Organizations with several locations and different holiday calendars or leave rules.
• Businesses with shift workers who need attendance and scheduling.
• Companies already on Zoho One that want HR connected to the rest of the business.

Setting Up Zoho People: The Decisions That Matter Most

1. Agree leave types, accrual rules and carry-forward limits with HR and management first.
2. Set up locations and departments, then holiday calendars per location.
3. Decide which employee fields are needed and who can view or edit each.
4. Build approval workflows that match your reporting lines.
5. Import employees with accurate start dates so leave balances calculate correctly.
6. Roll out self-service and the mobile app with a short guide for employees and managers.

Popular Zoho People Guides From ABR

Our most-read Zoho People articles help HR teams configure the details: how to set up time off, holidays in Zoho People and customizing forms. Start with time off if you are setting up Zoho People for the first time.

Moving From Spreadsheets or Another HR System

Export employee details, start dates and current leave balances, clean them in a spreadsheet and import them after policies, locations and holiday calendars are configured. Check a few employees’ balances by hand after import. If you are moving from BambooHR, our comparison of Zoho People vs BambooHR includes a switching plan.

How Long Setup Takes

Records and time off can be live within one to two weeks for a small company. Attendance, shifts, custom forms and performance reviews add a few weeks, depending on how many policies and locations you have.

Common Zoho People Mistakes

• Importing employees without correct start dates, so leave balances are wrong.
• One holiday calendar for every location.
• Approval workflows that do not match real reporting lines.
• Too many custom fields that nobody maintains.
• Launching without telling employees how to use self-service.

Security and Access

HR data needs careful access control. Zoho People uses roles and permissions so employees see their own records, managers see their team and HR sees what it needs, with field-level control for sensitive information such as salary or identification documents. Changes are logged, which helps with audits and disputes.

Reports HR Should Review Monthly

• Leave taken and balances by team, to spot burnout or unused leave.
• Attendance exceptions such as late check-ins or missing records.
• Headcount, joiners and leavers by department.
• Onboarding tasks still open for recent starters.

Zoho People Guides

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