HR has become one of the most strategic functions in the business. In 2025, the best teams aren’t just managing operations—they’re shaping culture, guiding retention, and driving performance. And behind that impact is the right stack of tools.
Today’s top HR platforms support everything from remote onboarding to real-time feedback and personalised benefits. Whether you're refining culture or scaling fast, these are the tools helping HR teams deliver meaningful impact.
1. Internal Communication: Slack, Workvivo, and MELP
Effective internal communication is the cornerstone of a connected, resilient workforce—especially in distributed teams.
Slack remains a favourite for instant team messaging and app integrations.
Workvivo, now backed by Zoom, adds a social layer to internal comms, turning updates into culture-sharing moments.
MELP provides a streamlined way to manage internal updates, team-wide announcements, and two-way engagement—designed to support clarity and reach in hybrid work environments.
2. Employee Recognition: Bonusly, Nectar, and MELP
Employee recognition continues to be a key driver of engagement and retention. In 2025, real-time, peer-driven recognition is the norm.
Bonusly offers a points-based system integrated into daily tools like Slack and MS Teams.
Nectar allows companies to tailor values-based shoutouts and recognition workflows.
MELP keeps recognition simple and aligned with your values, making it easy for anyone—manager or peer—to appreciate a colleague in real time.
3. Benefits and Wellbeing: Ben, Sequoia, and MELP
In 2025, flexible, localised, and personalised benefits are no longer optional—they’re expected.
Ben gives HR teams the power to create regionally tailored benefits and perks with ease.
Sequoia combines US benefits management with analytics and wellbeing strategy. MELP enables employers to offer curated benefits packages based on individual lifestyle needs, while managing spend and uptake centrally.
4. Performance and Feedback: Lattice, 15Five, and Culture Amp
Performance management has shifted away from annual reviews toward continuous feedback, goal tracking, and coaching.
Lattice remains a leader with features like OKRs, 1:1 templates, and review cycles.
15Five blends check-ins, feedback, and manager training into one people development platform.
Culture Amp combines performance tools with deep employee engagement and DEI analytics.
5. Hiring and Onboarding: Greenhouse, Ashby, and BambooHR
Fast, fair, and human-centred hiring is essential—especially when competing for talent globally.
Greenhouse remains a robust ATS trusted by scale-ups and enterprises alike.
Ashby adds analytics, structured hiring, and modern design for leaner recruiting teams.
BambooHR, best known as an HRIS, also offers smooth onboarding workflows for growing teams.
6. People Analytics: HiBob, ChartHop, and Visier
HR analytics is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s a competitive advantage.
HiBob combines people data with slick design and is ideal for fast-growing global teams.
ChartHop visualises everything from headcount planning to DEI trends, giving HR and finance shared visibility.
Visier offers deep workforce analytics and predictive insights, often used in larger organisations with advanced data needs.
7. Expense Reimbursement: MELP and Navan
Even expense management plays a role in the employee experience. Fast, transparent, and mobile-friendly tools improve trust and reduce admin.
MELP’s reimbursement feature lets employees submit claims and track approval without delays—ideal for teams consolidating benefits, expenses, and communication in one place.
Navan (formerly TripActions) combines expense reporting with business travel tools for larger or travel-heavy organisations.
The top HR tools of 2025 don’t just streamline admin—they shape how people feel at work. They help organisations align communication, recognition, benefits, and analytics in ways that support culture and performance.
Whether you’re rolling out a global engagement platform or just starting to rethink performance reviews, the most important question remains the same: Does this tool make work better for our people?
Because in the end, the best HR tech doesn’t just manage—it empowers.
