HR software for small businesses

Growing your small business doesn’t mean adding more tools. It means bringing your technology and data together so you can spend less time managing systems and more time on your business.

People First brings everything together in one connected platform, helping you simplify everyday processes, reduce manual work and support your growing team.

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Discover People First

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Trusted by 1,400+ organizations

Spend less time on paperwork and more time on your people

Simplify HR & payroll

Manage your people, payroll and employee data from one connected platform.

Free up valuable time

Reduce repetitive admin with automated workflows and employee self-service.

Scale with confidence

Support your growing workforce with software designed to evolve with your business.

Business professional smiling whilst using a laptop

Don't let manual processes hold your business back

As your business grows, so do your HR responsibilities. When you're relying on spreadsheets, manual processes or disconnected systems, the challenges quickly start to add up:

Hours wasted on admin
Slow hiring and onboarding
Disconnected employee data
Manual payroll errors
Compliance demands increase

HR software that grows with you

People First helps you streamline HR and payroll, reduce manual work and create consistent people processes that support your business as it grows.

Bring HR and payroll together in one platform
Automate repetitive tasks and workflows
Empower employees with self-service
Keep employee data secure and organized
Scale with additional modules as you grow

Discover People First

HR platform showing performance reviews, scheduling, learning and workforce management

Ready to make HR simpler?

See how People First can reduce admin, simplify your people processes and support your business as it grows.

Book your demo

HR analytics dashboard showing department insights, including employee turnover metrics and a monthly turnover trend chart

HR self-service dashboard showing remaining leave balance, approved absence requests and department information including department name, ID, location and active date

Recruitment pipeline showing applicants and their progress through hiring stages

Screenshot to demonstrate workforce management capabilities within People First platform

Employee experience dashboard featuring scheduled check-ins, performance ratings, and learning and development resources to support career growth

Everything you need in one platform

Streamline HR processes: Remove paperwork and manual HR processes with a single source of truth for your people data. Centralize employee records, documents and policies, automate routine tasks and approvals, and reduce admin to free up your team to focus on driving business growth.
Employee self-service: Running a lean HR team means every minute counts. With People First, employees can self-serve everyday HR tasks through a mobile-first experience, reducing admin and freeing HR to focus on more strategic work.
Check PTO details, benefits, and HR information quickly
Update personal details anytime, anywhere with confidence
Get instant answers to HR and policy questions with built-in AI
Recruit with ease: Finding and hiring the right people shouldn’t slow your business, especially as you grow. Streamline every stage of recruitment with tools that help you attract top talent, simplify onboarding with digital workflows, and complete background checks with ease.
From offer acceptance to day one, create a smooth, professional experience that helps new hires become productive faster while reducing administrative effort for your team.
Make workforce planning simple: For a lean HR team, keeping on top of leave, schedules, and compliance can be a challenge. Bring everything together in one place to track work hours and absences, manage schedules with ease, and stay aligned with state labor laws, reducing admin and helping your team focus on supporting a growing workforce.
Grow together: As a small business, your people are one of your biggest competitive advantages. Give employees a clear path to grow and stay engaged, while creating the skills and capabilities your business needs to scale. With the right tools in place, you can build a high-performing culture without adding extra pressure to your HR team.
Deliver personalized learning and development pathways
Set goals, track performance, and support career growth
Keep employees engaged with regular feedback and recognition

Seamless integration with your existing tech stack

Why choose MHR?

40+ years experience

For over 40 years, MHR has helped organizations simplify HR, payroll and people management. That expertise is built into People First, helping growing businesses manage their workforce with confidence.

1,400+ organizations trust us

From SMEs to large enterprises, more than 1,400 organizations trust MHR with their HR, payroll and workforce management. We help businesses streamline processes, improve efficiency and support long-term growth.

98% customer retention

Our customers stay with us because we build lasting partnerships. From implementation through to ongoing support, our experts help you get the most from People First as your business evolves.

How can People First support us as we grow?

People First grows with your organization by replacing manual processes with a unified HR, payroll, and workforce platform. It uses scalable cloud tech, automation, employee self-service, and real-time reports, integrating smoothly with existing systems for visibility and control as your business expands.

Can you help us move from spreadsheets to People First?

Yes. MHR provides implementation and data migration support to help you transition from spreadsheets and manual processes to People First. Our consultants work with you to plan the migration, validate and import your data, configure the platform to meet your needs, and guide your teams through onboarding and training.

Can we start with one module and add more later?

Yes. People First scales with your organization. Many customers start with one or two modules, for example, HR core and onboarding and expand as their needs grow. No rip-and-replace. No new procurement process. Your existing configuration carries forward.

Is People First built for US compliance requirements?

Yes. ACA, COBRA, I-9, E-Verify, FMLA, state wage and hour laws, and sector-specific requirements. Compliance is built into the platform’s core workflows, not added on top. Audit trails, deadline alerts, and compliance tracking run automatically across the relevant modules.

Do we have to replace our payroll provider?

No. People First connects to your existing payroll provider, so you get People First’s full HCM capability without changing your payroll setup or contracts.

Will employees actually use it?

Yes. People First is built around employee self-service and a mobile-first experience, making it easy for employees to access HR information, update their details, complete tasks, and stay connected from any device.

The platform includes features such as personalized news feeds, communities, surveys, polls, and employee engagement tools that encourage ongoing interaction beyond traditional HR processes.

See why 1,400+ organizations trust our global platform

Schedule a personalized demo and get answers for your specific business challenges