Short answer
Zoho People is Zoho’s cloud HR system, covering the employee database, leave management, attendance tracking, shifts, timesheets, onboarding, performance reviews, HR case management and learning. UK HR teams can configure leave policies, bank holidays and approval chains to match their contracts. Payroll is not part of Zoho People in the UK, so it is usually connected to a separate UK payroll provider.
Key takeaways
- Modules are tiered: leave on every plan, attendance and onboarding from Essential HR, performance from Professional.
- HR case management and learning (LMS) sit on the Premium plan and above.
- Leave policies must be configured to your contracts and UK statutory rules; they are not preset.
- Zoho Payroll is not offered in the UK, so plan a payroll export or integration.
- Self-service web and mobile apps take routine requests off the HR team.
Many UK SMEs run HR on a mix of spreadsheets, email approvals and a shared drive of contracts. That holds until headcount passes about thirty or forty people, or until the business adds a second site. Then holiday clashes, missing right-to-work records and chasing appraisal forms start eating HR time.
This guide looks at Zoho People from a UK HR team’s point of view: what each module does, how to set it up for UK rules, and where you will need other tools.
What does Zoho People include?
The product is organised into modules that become available by plan. The table summarises the main ones; plan names and contents change, so confirm them on the current Zoho People pricing page or our Zoho pricing guide for the UK.
| Module | What it covers | Available from |
|---|---|---|
| Employee database | Profiles, documents, org chart | Free |
| Leave management | Leave types, balances, requests, approvals | Free |
| Attendance tracking | Check-in via web and mobile, attendance reports | Essential HR |
| Shifts and timesheets | Shift scheduling and rotation, timesheets | Essential HR |
| Employee onboarding | Onboarding workflows and tasks | Essential HR |
| Performance management | Appraisals, KRAs and goals | Professional |
| HR case management | Employee queries with SLA tracking | Premium |
| Learning (LMS) | Courses, blended learning, assessments | Premium |
How does leave management work for UK teams?
Leave management is where most UK firms start. You define leave types (annual leave, sickness, parental leave, TOIL, unpaid leave), set entitlement rules and accrual, and choose who approves. Employees request leave from the web or mobile app, see their balance, and managers see team calendars before approving.
Setting up leave policies for UK rules
- Statutory minimum. Most UK workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year. Configure entitlements that meet or exceed this; see GOV.UK holiday entitlement guidance.
- Bank holidays. Load the correct holiday list per location. England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different bank holidays.
- Part-time and irregular hours. Set pro rata rules and decide whether to track in days or hours.
- Carry-over. Configure carry-forward limits and expiry to match your contracts.
- Leave year. Align it with your contracts, whether calendar year or another start date.
None of these rules are preset for UK law, so the set-up is only as accurate as your policy design. We recommend a policy review before configuration.
Attendance tracking, shifts and timesheets
Attendance tracking lets employees check in and out from the web or mobile app, with options including facial recognition on supported devices. Managers see late arrivals, absences and hours worked. Shift scheduling and rotation help sites with rotas, such as warehouses, care settings or retail. Timesheets record time against jobs or clients, useful for professional services firms billing by the hour.
If you use location or biometric data for attendance, carry out a data protection impact assessment and update your privacy notices. UK GDPR treats biometric data used to identify people as special category data.
Employee onboarding and performance management
How does employee onboarding work?
Employee onboarding workflows assign tasks to HR, IT, the line manager and the new starter. Typical UK tasks include right-to-work checks, contract signature, bank and emergency details for payroll, equipment requests and induction training. New starters can complete forms before their first day, so day one is about the job, not paperwork.
Performance management and appraisals
From the Professional plan, performance management covers goals, KRAs and appraisal cycles with self-review and manager review. Keep the first cycle simple: a few goals, one review form and a clear timetable. Complex competency frameworks can come later once managers are comfortable.
What about payroll and other systems?
Zoho Payroll is currently offered in the US, Canada, India and several Gulf states, not the UK. UK businesses therefore connect the HR system to their existing payroll software or bureau. The usual pattern is a monthly export of joiners, leavers, changes and absence data, or an API integration if your payroll provider supports one. Our Zoho integration services cover both approaches.
On higher plans it also integrates with Zoho Recruit, so hired candidates flow into onboarding without re-keying. Read our guide to Zoho Recruit for UK hiring. For firms on Zoho One, the HR app is part of the bundle alongside CRM, Books and many other apps.
Is Zoho People the right HR software for UK SMEs?
As HR software for UK SMEs, it is a strong fit when you want configurable workflows, self-service and a reasonable cost per employee, and when payroll already sits with a bureau or a separate tool. It is a weaker fit if you want a single UK product that includes payroll, pensions auto-enrolment and HR in one place. Weigh how much you value one supplier against flexibility and integration with the rest of your systems.
How should you roll it out?
HR systems succeed when employees actually use them. A phased rollout keeps the change manageable.
- Clean the employee data. Start with accurate names, job titles, managers, locations and start dates. The reporting line drives every approval, so get it right.
- Go live with leave first. It touches every employee, delivers a quick win and builds the habit of using self-service.
- Add attendance or shifts where the business needs them, starting with one site.
- Introduce onboarding for the next wave of new starters, then refine the task lists after each hire.
- Run the first appraisal cycle once managers are comfortable with the system.
Communicate each phase clearly, give managers a short guide to approvals, and name an internal owner who can adjust policies without waiting for outside help. Review the leave and absence reports after the first month to catch configuration errors early, such as a wrong entitlement or a missing bank holiday.
How ThoughtLogik helps
ThoughtLogik is a UK Zoho Premium Partner and holds Zoho People certification. We help HR teams move from spreadsheets to a system they trust.
- Policy review and UK leave configuration, including bank holidays by nation.
- Onboarding, attendance and appraisal workflows set up around your process.
- Payroll exports or integrations to your UK payroll provider.
- Data migration and training for HR, managers and staff. See our Zoho People UK services.
Frequently asked questions
Does Zoho People handle UK payroll?
No. Zoho Payroll is not available in the UK, so the HR system is connected to a UK payroll provider by export or integration.
Can it manage UK bank holidays?
Yes. You load holiday lists per location, so staff in Scotland or Northern Ireland get the right days.
Is there a free plan?
Yes, a free plan covers the employee database and time off for very small teams. Attendance, onboarding and performance need a paid plan.
Is Zoho People GDPR compliant?
Zoho provides GDPR features and an EU data centre, but compliance also depends on how you configure access, retention and privacy notices.
How long does set-up take?
It depends on headcount, locations and modules. Leave and the employee database are usually live first, with performance and learning added in later phases.
Ready to retire the HR spreadsheet? We will design your leave, onboarding and payroll links properly. Book a free consultation or see our Zoho implementation approach.
