# People First Reviews **Vendor:** MHR **Category:** [Workforce Management Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/workforce-management) **Average Rating:** 4.4/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 12 ## About People First People First is a mobile-first integrated platform from MHR, that covers all your HR and payroll needs in a single, easy-to-use, real-time software. The platform is modular so that it can grow with you as your needs change and the core platforms can be enhanced by purchasing additional modules. People First's modules include: - HR - Payroll - Talent Management - Workforce Management - Learning - Analytics - Workforce Planning Since 1984, MHR has been building and delivering integrated HR, payroll, and finance software for our customers spanning SMEs to large multinational corporations. As a family-owned business, we have the freedom to invest in what really matters - creating innovative user-friendly products and services to help save time and money, reduce error and streamline business processes. Discover how People First from MHR can help increase efficiency, boost productivity and build a more connected, resilient, and engaged workforce. ## People First Reviews ### 1. People First: Intuitive, All-in-One Hub for the Entire Employee Lifecycle **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sarah W. | HR Consultant, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 06, 2026 **What do you like best about People First?** What I love most about People First is that it allows us to manage the entire employee lifecycle in one place. It’s brought everything people-related into a single system, giving our employees one central hub for accessing any information connected to their employment. Using the External Links tile, our people can now get to any system, portal, or website they need to carry out their day-to-day role, which helps us maintain it as a single centre of truth. It’s also extremely intuitive and easy to navigate, both from an administration perspective and for end users. From a performance standpoint, it handles high-volume tasks with ease and runs smoothly. Since implementing People First, we’ve found we need to contact the Service Desk less because the platform has been reliable, and when issues do come up, we can usually work them out ourselves. When we do need to reach out, they typically respond quickly and are very helpful. This was especially true during the initial implementation: between our Implementation Manager and the Service Desk, the support we received was excellent, and we felt fully supported throughout the entire process. I also feel that People First offers excellent value for money when you consider what it can deliver in comparison to some of the more expensive platforms which are available. We carried out a full market review before selecting People First and it came out on top in terms of features and on price. The ROI we have achieved from moving to People First has been impressive particularly in terms of improved HR team efficiencies, improved communication and metrics as well as enhanced end user experience, including the app. **What do you dislike about People First?** People First comes with a large number of standard reports which whilst easy to run, they are fixed and it is not possible to change the reporting criteria. The impact of this is sometimes you may need to run a couple of reports and manually merge them to bring together all the information you need which is more time consuming. More enhanced report writing functionality would be a welcome improvement. **What problems is People First solving and how is that benefiting you?** From an HR administration perspective, before we moved to People First our setup felt fragmented, with clunky, time-consuming processes and information stored across various places. Since implementing People First, this has been transformed: our processes are far more streamlined, and our overall efficiency as a team has improved because we spend less time on admin tasks. For example, contractual amendments and changes are managed seamlessly through the system. When an employee record is updated, the relevant correspondence is created automatically and can be sent directly from People First to the individual. Their acceptance is then returned and stored on their record. This also means all information is kept in one place, ensuring compliance with GDPR. This function is particularly helpful when a high volume of changes need to be made, for example at salary review time. People First allows us to manage such tasks with ease and efficiency. The new AI features are helping streamline these further. ### 2. Seamless HR, Payroll & Recruitment Integration **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Amanda H. | HR Advisor, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 02, 2026 **What do you like best about People First?** As a user of a legacy system that didn’t integrate HR with payroll, seamless integration was our main initial objective. With this system, the HR, Payroll, and Recruitment modules link smoothly with each other, which means there’s no double entry and our data stays up to date. We’ve also found Live Pay to be a real benefit for our users, as it allows them to spot and correct any discrepancies before payroll is processed. The app is equally useful for anyone who wants to book annual leave outside office hours, without needing to log in. **What do you dislike about People First?** The only downside at present is that the organisation chart feels a little rigid, and it can’t be extracted for printing or viewed in another format. That said, we’ve been able to work around this by adjusting our own team layouts. I’m also confident this will become more flexible in future, as it has already been raised as an idea and, from experience, we’ve found that MHR regularly takes feedback on board and finds a solution. **What problems is People First solving and how is that benefiting you?** It has resolved the double-entry link between HR and payroll that we previously had with our old system. Having the Recruitment module linked to our website also makes us, as a firm, look more aligned with current trends. In addition, expanding our use of the Progress module has helped move our workforce towards a more dynamic way of working, and I believe that introducing regular check-ins has had a positive impact on retention, whereas previously we were only carrying out annual and half-yearly reviews. Manual onboarding and offboarding is now handled through the People First platform, which helps ensure there are no errors at the data-entry stage and enables new joiners and leavers to have a smoother transition. Annual leave was always an issue for us, as we had to manually calculate entitlement for pro rata employees. Now People First calculates this automatically and also provides a clear breakdown. The ability to allocate public holidays to part-time employees and then deduct them for working days has also benefited us, ensuring we remain compliant and provide the correct annual leave entitlement. ### 3. User-Friendly, reporting feature could be enhanced. Good Collaborative tool for engagement **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Manufacturing | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 05, 2026 **What do you like best about People First?** People First as a system is user friendly and relatively easy to set up, amend and change details for the organisation. The project management programme to initially set up with PF is very good. Overall the performance is good and the price is competitive. **What do you dislike about People First?** We only bought the payroll application so information and reporting is limited without purchasing workforce management ie. detailed costings of overtime for example. We moved to a third party provider as we wanted to move to a 3rd party payroll provision and wanted expertise, at times I find the level of expertise provided is not to the level I would expect. I often find myself offering the solutions to problems. On occassions the case management isnt not quick enough and I have had to chase to get resolutions. The impact on this is that the level of Customer SErvice to hte end user is slower than I would expect. We moved to payroll benefits last year yet I feel that the amount of involvement expected by medmix is still huge and has not driven any time benefit. **What problems is People First solving and how is that benefiting you?** Prior to PF we had a very manual process. PF is Streamlining the payroll process on site and making payroll less time hungry. This means we can focus on provide a strategic HR function focusing on other objectives rather than being a transactional department. ### 4. Streamlined Processes, But Needs Feature Polish **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Frances W. | Head of People & Cultute, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 01, 2026 **What do you like best about People First?** I find People First to be incredibly valuable for our business as it brings about transparency and better communication across diverse groups, while streamlining processes. I personally really enjoy the cross section of formal updates, info sharing, and old-fashioned human connection it offers. The newsfeed element is a standout feature, bringing us all together by allowing everyone to post and share info, which helps create a sense of community. Additionally, I find the user interface to be easy. The initial setup was very easy, with the consultants being very helpful and the LearnNow stages being great. **What do you dislike about People First?** There are benefits to this, as well as pain points, but the development of new functionality has been painful in places. Payroll and WFM leap to mind. It felt like the software hadn't been fully thought out before rolling out, some obvious and big features were missing. On the positive, when we raise this, most of the time the solution comes along quickly. But it does lead you to question how well new features will roll out in the future. **What problems is People First solving and how is that benefiting you?** People First (when fully implemented) should make the connection between clocking in records, payroll and people processes simple. I think it helps to enhance transparency, improves communication across diverse groups, and streamlines processes as it stands. ### 5. Effortless HR and Payroll Integration with Outstanding Support **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Connor C. | Senior Human Resources Manager, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 01, 2026 **What do you like best about People First?** I like how People First has streamlined many of our processes, making it easier for team members to book annual leave and update their details without involving HR, thanks to the self-service feature. The app's ease of use and the ability to provide company updates are big pluses. I also appreciate the platform's design for being easy to navigate, and I find the organization chart really helpful, especially for new joiners since it includes employee photos to help identify who is who. The initial setup was very easy, with excellent support from a project manager and two consultants who provided clear guidance and were always available whenever needed. **What do you dislike about People First?** There are a lot of updates which is great, but sometimes it can take a bit of time to get your head around what has changed. **What problems is People First solving and how is that benefiting you?** People First streamlines our HR and payroll processes. It simplifies booking leave, allows self-service updates, and provides an interactive platform for company updates. The organization chart and easy navigation are especially useful for new joiners. ### 6. People First Streamlines the Full Employee Lifecycle with Seamless Integration **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Higher Education | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 01, 2026 **What do you like best about People First?** We have made the decision to fully adopt People First, utilising the complete suite of functionality. Its seamless integration across people, jobs, learning, and talent supports the full employment lifecycle, from hire to retire, and delivers a streamlined experience for both colleagues and administrators. **What do you dislike about People First?** The main challenge with People First has been the transition from our existing system. As a result of extensive advancements and enhancements, the legacy system does not integrate seamlessly with the new platform, leading to a greater level of effort than originally anticipated. **What problems is People First solving and how is that benefiting you?** People First is helping us move a significant amount of work from paper-based processes, emails, and SharePoint into a single system, improving both efficiency and security. It will also allow us to place greater confidence in the data it produces, as it provides a single, reliable source of truth. ### 7. Intuitive Navigation and Easy Access to Information **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Karen C. | Senior HR Manager, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 07, 2026 **What do you like best about People First?** Navigating around the site is very intuitive. All the information that I need I can easily access **What do you dislike about People First?** I find Data Explorer a challenge to use. The reports that I like to generate is often difficult to built and often have to use trial and error. **What problems is People First solving and how is that benefiting you?** We are just at the early stages of introducing BYOBI and our hope is that this will allow us to produce more meaningful data easier ### 8. Easy to Use with Responsive Support—Makes Payroll Smoother **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Helen C. | Head of HR, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 02, 2026 **What do you like best about People First?** I really like the ease of use and customer support is very responsive. I use the system on a daily basis and it has made payroll much smoother. Everyone likes the communication element along with the payslip view **What do you dislike about People First?** I would like it to have more functionality to automate overtime based on hours worked to reduce managers workload **What problems is People First solving and how is that benefiting you?** It is automating average holiday pay and our sickness policies. Reporting is much easier as well ### 9. Transformative and User-Friendly with Superior Support **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Ian H. | Head of Talent, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 02, 2026 **What do you like best about People First?** I find People First incredibly user-friendly, really intuitive, and modern. It's constantly evolving, and even since signing our contract, there have been updates that have improved things and will continue to do so. The system also gives us one central source of truth and creates an aligned system where HR and payroll are fully integrated. I appreciate that our experience has been really positive so far, with the support being incredibly knowledgeable and supportive, always available whenever we need them, whether via email or face-to-face on Teams. **What do you dislike about People First?** Nothing as yet! **What problems is People First solving and how is that benefiting you?** People First gives us a central source of truth, aligning HR and payroll for full integration and avoiding duplication. ### 10. Intuitive, Modern UI — needs better reporting functionality **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Non-Profit Organization Management | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 12, 2026 **What do you like best about People First?** Intuitive user interface, easy to use and navigate. Modern look and feel. Integration with easy generator to put together e-learning programmes. Fortnightly updates to the system with clear release notes. **What do you dislike about People First?** Data explorer is not the best reporting tool and does have some limitations. BYOBI is also proving unreliable. The system is not configurable in some areas that other systems are e.g. workflows / notifications, holiday allowance details is confusing for our users. **What problems is People First solving and how is that benefiting you?** User engagement with system. The system acts for us as a single source of truth, feeding into our intranet and IT team. Issuing correspondence through the system. Onboarding portal is pretty good. ### 11. People's first choice **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sheetal U. | Treasury Risk Analyst, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 07, 2024 **What do you like best about People First?** I was intrigued by the concept of People's First and the idea of connecting with others in a meaningful way. The promise of a platform that prioritizes genuine connections and authentic interactions was what drew me to download the app. **What do you dislike about People First?** The UI can be improved according to my knowledge **What problems is People First solving and how is that benefiting you?** Navigating the People's First app was a breeze. The interface is user-friendly and intuitive, making it easy to browse through profiles, connect with others, and engage in conversations. I appreciated the clean design and straightforward layout of the app. **Official Response from Ashleigh Soppet:** > Hi Sheetal, thanks for taking the time to leave a review. Your feedback is very valuable to us. Thanks - Ashleigh. ### 12. best software **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Rashim S. | Senior Human Resources Specialist, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 31, 2023 **What do you like best about People First?** it is the user friendly portal and all the domains are up to the mark **What do you dislike about People First?** I do not think so there is any dislike about this one **What problems is People First solving and how is that benefiting you?** HRMS, payroll and performance management **Official Response from Ashleigh Soppet:** > Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review, Rashim. We're so pleased you're enjoying using the system and getting value from it. Thanks - Ashleigh. - [View People First pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/people-first/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-05-14+01%3A56%3A41+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=cdb30655-97ab-401b-92ab-ec77b48da9ac&secure%5Btoken%5D=3fbb3150072d44a69311aeb751215a9a354d3eea629dd14feb311d64a02e9a13&format=llm_user) ## People First Integrations - [6sense Revenue Marketing](https://www.g2.com/products/6sense-revenue-marketing/reviews) - [6sense Sales Intelligence](https://www.g2.com/products/6sense-sales/reviews) ## People First Features **Core HR** - Organization Management - Time, Attendance, and PTO - Expense Management - Salary Structures - Compliance - Benefits Administration **Employee Self Service** - Web Portal - Benefits Manager - Mobile **Automation** - Process Automation **Performance reviews** - 360 Reviews - Customizable Forms - Review Status Tracking **Generative AI** - AI Text Generation - AI Text Summarization **Generative AI** - AI Text Generation - AI Text Summarization **Generative AI** - AI Text Generation - AI Text Summarization **Generative AI** - AI Text Summarization **Agentic AI - Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)** - Adaptive Learning - Natural Language Interaction - Decision Making **Agentic AI - Onboarding** - Autonomous Task Execution - Adaptive Learning - Natural Language Interaction - Proactive Assistance - Decision Making **Administration** - Payroll Entry - Time Off Accrual - Direct Deposit - Expense Reimbursement - Pre-tax Deductions - Wage Garnishment - Approvals - Check/W-2 Printing - Check/W-2 Delivery **Sourcing** - Career Page Configuration - Social Sourcing - Job Posting - Candidate Sourcing Metrics **Platform Content** - Forms Library - E-Forms - E-Signature - Background Checks - Offer Letter Approvals - Offer Letter Templates **Course Authoring** - Course Builder - Role-Based Templates - Assessments & Quizzes - Instructor-Led Training **Logistics** - Dashboards & Reporting - Data Collection - Lanuguage Options **Platform Basics** - Performance Benchmarking - Reporting & Dashboards - Interoperability **Goals** - Goal-Setting - Company Goals And OKRs **Generative AI** - AI Text Summarization **Taxes** - Tax Calculation - Tax Filing - Automatic Tax Payment **Candidate Management - Applicant Tracking System** - Candidate Evaluations - Applicant Data Management - Hiring Processes Tracking - Automated Resume Parsing - Scheduling - Candidate-Facing Statuses - Workflow Building **Platform Additional Functionality** - Self-Service Portal - Automated Team Introductions - Compliance Training - Automated Onboarding Workflows - Onboarding Notifications **Course Delivery** - Learning Paths - Communication & Notifications - Assignment Scheduling **Management** - Schedule Creation Tools - Schedule Management - Employee Leave Management - User Access - User Role Access - Employee Information - Employee Information Automation **Platform Content** - Employee Pulse Surveys - Survey Customization - Goal and Challenge Creation - Science-based templates **Feedback** - Continuous Feedback - Requesting Feedback - 1-On-1 Meetings - Public Praise **Integration** - API / Integration - Time Tracking Integration - Accounting Integration - Core HR Integration **Platform Data** - Time-to-Productivity Reporting - Onboarding Process Reporting - Visualization **Course Management** - Gamification - Varied User Types - Certifications - Industry Compliance **Monitoring** - Regulations Enforcement - Compliance Monitoring - Integration **Platform Additional Functionality** - Employee Segmenting - Goal and Challenge Creation - Peer Recognition - Social Feedback Portal **Data** - Dashboards And Reports - Historical Data **Platform** - Customization - Integration APIs - Internationalization - User, Role, and Access Management - Performance - Mobility - Reporting - Dashboards **Platform** - Reporting and Dashboards - User, Role, and Access Management - Performance and Reliability - Scalability **LMS Marketplace** - E-Commerce - Course Marketplace - Subscriptions **Recruiting and Onboarding** - Interview Scheduling - Onboarding **Agentic AI - Performance Management** - Multi-step Planning - Natural Language Interaction **Interface** - White Labeling - Multilingual **AI - Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)** - Predictive Insights - AI Job Description - Chatbot **Training & eLearning** - Assessments and Practice - Content Delivery and Tracking - Content Creation - Customer Training - Manager Portals - Content Storage and Management - Content Libraries **Generative AI** - AI Text Generation - AI Text Summarization - AI Text-to-Image **Agentic AI - Corporate Learning Management Systems ** - Adaptive Learning - Natural Language Interaction **Workforce Management Platform Features** - Time & Attendance Tracking - Absence & Leave Management - Skills Management - Succession Planning - Workforce Analytics - Self-Service Capabilities - Team Communication ## Top People First Alternatives - [Access PeopleHR](https://www.g2.com/products/access-peoplehr/reviews) - 4.0/5.0 (392 reviews) - [BambooHR](https://www.g2.com/products/bamboohr/reviews) - 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