This week on T3 I take a look at the workplace communication and collaboration app Workmates. Workmates is a slack-like communication app designed by the SMB HRIS technology HRCloud. I’m a fan of HRCloud, great core HR platform for a very reasonable price, so I wanted to see what Workmates was all about.

HRCloud is offering Workmates to organizations to use for free. Nothing in life is free, right!? Well, the hope is you’ll love using this collaboration app and then also fall in love with the integration within HRCloud. So, free, with a hope.

Workmates is designed for internal employee communication and collaboration. Email is dead, but messaging apps like Workmates are being used in increasing numbers by organizations of all sizes.

What I like about Workmates:

– Workmates also acts as a real-time organization directory. All contact information of each employee is available for all of your employees through the app.

– The poll feature is fun to use. You can instantly send out polls to your co-workers asking for feedback on anything from where should we go to lunch, to what do you think of my new web design.

– The Workmates app will also show you who’s in the office, remote, on vacation, etc. So, as you see messages across the Facebook-type timeline, you’ll also know where the people are in case you need to see someone in person.

– Within Workmates you can also give micro-feedback, recognition and even grant a bonus to your coworkers as recognition. Plus, a metrics dashboard allows the HR admin users to see the “Kudos” leaderboard on recognition and trending topics your employees are discussing.

Of course, if your an HRCloud user, you get even more functionality and information. If you already use Slack or a similar app, that stream can be integrated into Workmates, which seems a bit redundant except if you’re using the recognition piece of Workmates.

Here’s my take. I think HRCloud is a really solid and well-designed core HRIS. Workmates puts it a level above others selling core HRIS in the same market. Workmates by itself is good, especially given that it’s free to use. If you’re already using an internal employee communication app, this probably doesn’t interest you. If you don’t have one but you’re interested, this is a no-brainer to try.

T3 – Talent Tech Tuesday – is a weekly series here at The Project to educate and inform everyone who stops by on a daily/weekly basis on some great recruiting and sourcing technologies that are on the market.  None of the companies who I highlight are paying me for this promotion.  There are so many really cool things going on in the tech space and I wanted to educate myself and share what I find.  If you want to be on T3 – just send me a note – timsackett@comcast.net