When it comes to payroll and HR, many HR professionals report that that flexibility is of paramount importance. But several people report that Paylocity struggles to handle any deviation from the normal service model.
If your company has unique requirements for payroll, time tracking, reporting, integrations, or anything else, you need an HCM flexible enough to handle that complexity. You need great software backed by people who can help you reach your goals.
At Criterion, we know every company has different needs. That’s why we help configure our system to meet the unique requirements of customers in virtually every industry — especially the complicated ones.
If you’re looking for an alternative to Paylocity, look no further. Criterion HCM can handle your every HR challenge.
If you want someone to be paid the exact same amount every single pay period, Paylocity might work. But if your payroll process has any dependencies on jobs, projects, subtasks, or unions, or requires unique calculations each pay period, users report Paylocity has trouble keeping up.
This is unacceptable for companies in construction and professional services as well as non-profits — who tend to have complex time tracking and payroll needs.
“Overnight shifts are hard to accurately calculate, as we pay on the shift not on the day relating to overtime/doubletime etc. Manual calculations are sometimes difficult and time-consuming. Right now, I am experiencing an error in [Paylocity’s] reporting system which will not allow me to pull in pay stubs for prior pay periods. They say it is an ‘enhancement’ being worked on but that doesn't sit well with our auditors.” - Kandee F (G2 Review)
Payroll in Criterion can be configured to accommodate any kind of unique rules or agreements. Create custom pay structures and benefits packages, and apply them to any employee in the system with ease.
Our HCM automatically uses time tracking information to calculate payroll for each employee according to overtime rules, union affiliation, FLSA section 7i exemption, and much more. If you have a unique consideration in your payroll process, Criterion can accommodate it.
“Working with Criterion, we were able to make sure that the system was able to accommodate all the [payroll] needs across the country…If the information is put in correctly, it flows through a reliable system and people get paid correctly.” - Patrick Goodhue, Inflector
Anyone who works in construction (or a similar industry) knows that union rules can complicate payroll. However, Paylocity’s treatment of union rules seems to be more basic, with only a few preset configurations.
If you need to calculate payroll for different unions or job locations with different rates within the same week, Paylocity might not be able to handle that level of nuance.
Often, users can only use prebuilt calculations and generate standard reports in the system. But if you work with a union that requires a specific format, you’ll typically need to configure that report manually in Paylocity each time.
“...the implementation team is not trained for companies that have different divisions, different departments and need special reporting. In addition, if you work with unions, Paylocity cannot handle the complexity of different unions, different rates for [the] same people on different jobs.” - Carla K (TrustRadius Review)
With Criterion, you can configure your payroll process to match unique union rules or related requirements. We’ve built in several calculations and rates for unique union locals across the United States, Canada, and the UK already.
We can even automate your payroll process according to collective bargaining agreements, even if you have different variations every single week.
Do you have employees that travel back and forth to work in different locations? We can handle those local union rules with no manual calculations or delays. You have complete control over every variable on the backend for accurate processing and reporting.
“With what we found in our investigations, especially with prevailing wage and other complexities that we have with our payroll, we're very happy to be with Criterion." - Louisa Clark, Clark Service Group
Configuring Paylocity’s timekeeping tools can be a major hassle. Beyond clocking in, clocking out, and some very basic rule definitions for overtime, users don’t seem to have many options to customize timekeeping.
The platform also offers limited ability to generate custom reports. In our research, we’ve found that they only allow for 64 customer-defined fields within their system. Additionally, some users have reported the platforms don’t communicate very well.
“We found out the hard way that [Paylocity’s] HR & Payroll and Time & Labor modules are two totally different systems that do not speak to each other. Time off requests entered in Time & Labor do not reflect in HR & Payroll and vice versa.” - Anonymous User (G2 Review)
With Criterion, you aren’t confined to any strict rules or parameters for timekeeping or reporting.
You can configure the time tracking interface so that employees can log time however you prefer. You can also set up geofencing and custom permissions to prevent time theft.
Our HCM allows for an unlimited number of user-defined fields, and the entire system is built on a single unified database. This way, you can combine fields across all modules to generate automatic reports about virtually anything related to your business. The system is built to be flexible and configurable.
Multiple users have reported that implementing Paylocity is quite difficult and the support is less than stellar.
“From onboarding to current use, everything with Paylocity is a mess — 6 months post implementation, employees still don't have access to various functions such as request time off, upload documents for their direct reports. Everything in Paylocity is a ‘work around’ with no real deadlines.” - Christina D (G2 Review)
“Our HR Implementation Specialist failed to configure anything except for our ACA, so we were left to configure all the other modules (Performance, Recruiting, Onboarding, etc.) ourselves. It took us three months to finally connect our E-Verify account…” Anonymous User (G2 Review)
“I disliked how difficult and disorganized the Paylocity implementation process was. It felt like we were being inundated with information from multiple people presenting their individual pieces of software, which led to confusion and inconsistencies in understanding. Even when it was finally launched, there were still glitches that caused further delays for a long time afterwards.” - Jamie L (G2 Review)
We provide all of our customers with a dedicated customer success rep for the duration of their subscription. Criterion users universally praise the support they receive throughout implementation and beyond.
“The support is very reliable, and it’s nice to know that your issue will be resolved quickly.”
“Their support is crackerjack. They get right back to us. They’re really helpful and knowledgeable.”
“I would recommend Criterion to other companies in our industry because their customer service is easy to talk to, very responsive, and super helpful — which I think is the biggest part of any company that you do your payroll or HR through.”
“Throughout implementation…they were great to work with and still are.”
Paylocity doesn’t seem openly concerned about making their product work with your unique software setup. While they have some existing integrations, connecting their platform to others isn’t their specialty.
If you need to connect your payroll system to an ERP or project management system that’s outside of their current connections, they might be able to do it — but it will probably cost extra money and still have serious limitations.
Overall, Paylocity tends to be better with flat file integrations. But if you have unique programs in your tech stack that you want to integrate with payroll via API, you may have to choose another option.
“Do not use [Paylocity] if you want to integrate other services. They nickel and dime you to death!” - Debbi N (TrustRadius Review)
“While Paylocity offers integrations with many popular HR software tools, companies with very specific integration needs may find it challenging to integrate with Paylocity's platform. In such cases, companies may require more flexible software solutions that allow for tighter integrations.” - HR Admin (TrustRadius Review)
Criterion offers an open API for seamless connectivity between our HCM and any third-party software product.
We’ve already built several successful integrations with ERP and Project Management platforms like Microsoft Dynamics, Unanet, Procore, and more. But our flexibility doesn’t end there.
We’ve even integrated Criterion with custom in-house software for our clients. These are totally unique programs that don’t exist anywhere else that are now completely connected to Criterion.
All customers have complete access to this API with no callback limits or extra fees. Even if you don’t have a highly technical understanding of integrations, you can explain your needs to us, and we’ll set up your system accordingly.
“Every week, we just download the information, and it feeds that into Criterion — other [payroll platforms] were not able to make that work...” - Louisa Clark, Clark Service Group
“If we need information specific to an employee or hours allocated to a certain employee each week, we know that Criterion houses that information…the information is so consistent between the two [programs], that we’re able to rely on that connectivity.” - Patrick Goodhue, Inflector
At Criterion, we simply offer more configurability and better support than Paylocity and other platforms for the same price.
“We settled on Criterion for a bunch of reasons. One being the price point was right. Two — the capabilities to develop within the system, specifically union items, which a couple of the other products weren’t able to deliver for us.”
“I would recommend Criterion to other companies in our industry because their customer service is easy to talk to, very responsive, and super helpful — which I think is the biggest part of any company that you do your payroll or HR through.”
“It's done a good job with all the rules that we have and all of the different pay rates that our employees could be working on in a given week…The way that they set up the system upon implementation has made all of that much easier on a weekly basis to process our payroll."
Criterion HCM handles multi-location, multi-union payroll with ease. Employees simply track their time, and our system automatically calculates payroll (and union dues) each week according to the various union rules that apply to your workforce. We even handle rules for complex union locals like Quebec.
You can connect your HR and employee data to the rest of your system with our open API. Criterion seamlessly integrates with your ERP, project management, or custom in-house software for automatic syncing and streamlined reporting.
In Criterion, you have access to all backend tables for how the system operates. In other words, you own the configuration of your HCM system. Change any feature to meet your needs. We also educate our customers on configuration, so you don’t always have to call us to make a change.
Where Paylocity provides a rigid, plug-n-play solution for companies who fit a strict model, Criterion can do that and handle more complex payroll and HR needs. We provide a completely configurable solution for any company, with excellent support to make our platform work for your needs — no matter what unique processes or programs you use.
At Criterion, we constantly improve our service through automated testing, peer review of new code/new features, 2-week regression testing prior to every new release, and bi-weekly review and approval of all product enhancements. Based on our research, the only way Paylocity attempts to collect customer feedback and improve their service is through the occasional net promoter survey sent throughout the year.
No matter what industry you’re in, our HCM can benefit you. We have experience working with organizations from a variety of sectors, including Construction, Non-Profits, Higher Education and School Districts, Local Government, Manufacturing, Utilities, and more. We also work with Tribal and First Nations Governments.
No. Criterion has never been breached, and no Criterion user has experienced data vulnerability or loss as a result of using our system. However, in 2018, Paylocity was required to disclose a breach. In the incident described, the personal information of one client's employees was exposed to the administrator of another Paylocity client. Since then, Paylocity had to create supplemental training for their employees on the proper handling of personal information.
Criterion promises 99.9% uptime with 90% guaranteed customer satisfaction, which we measure on every single service ticket we receive. An annual satisfaction rating below 90% is subject to a 1% subscription credit. However, Paylocity has no defined SLA for their customers.
In Criterion, any field can be the subject for a new custom report. You can also combine fields from different modules (including custom fields you’ve created yourself) to track specific data correlations and generate unique reports from virtually any part of your system. With integrations, you have even more granular control, pulling data from your project management system, ERP, or anything else you connect to our HCM. All of it is available at your fingertips.
Don’t force your company to fit Paylocity’s rigid structure. Go with an HCM that adapts to your needs.
If you want to create unique pay structures or rates for employees, automate payroll for employees in multiple unions, or further customize your HCM, Paylocity isn’t a great solution.
At Criterion, we know every company is different. That’s why we take a hands-on, collaborative approach to developing a scalable, unique solution that works for your organization and adapts to its changing needs.
With the completely configurable Criterion HCM, you own the solution. You own the platform and how it works. We’re here to support you every step of the way.
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