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SAP HCM pros and cons

Vendor: SAP
3.9 out of 5
Badge Leader

Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

SAP HCM effectively integrates different modules like personnel administration, work management, payroll, and time management.
Customers can create custom infotypes and manage employee data from hiring to retirement.
The platform excels in payroll and time management, offering smooth processing and comprehensive HR reports.
Technical support provided by SAP for HCM is highly rated for being responsive and helpful.
SAP HCM is highly scalable, allowing for efficient management of large numbers of employees across multiple geographies.

CONS

System usability is challenging with SAP HCM requiring extensive user training and lacking intuitiveness.
Custom development on the personnel administration side of SAP HCM is very difficult.
Updating patches on SAP HCM takes a long time, making the process cumbersome.
The integration capabilities of SAP HCM are limited and it struggles with integrating third-party applications.
The cost of SAP HCM is high compared to competitors like Oracle and Microsoft Dynamics.
 

SAP HCM Pros review quotes

AA
Dec 23, 2019
HCM is a very important module that each organization should want to use. It will help any organization to calculate and control the cost of their human resources.
Kumar-Saurav - PeerSpot reviewer
May 14, 2024
The compliance management functionality is quite good.
reviewer1194150 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 24, 2019
The most valuable feature, in my view, is the level of exceptions or error messages that come back when something goes wrong.
Learn what your peers think about SAP HCM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
867,497 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1039926 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 1, 2024
Payroll is always the central area the tool focuses on. It needs to ensure things are flowing, employees are paid on time, and there are no issues related to location, pay, or hiring. SAP HCM helps observe all the work, from hiring to paying paychecks every month. It's a system that depends on the data you input. You don't want to work with bad data and expect miracles. If the data isn't clean, it's more work.
BP
May 15, 2023
I think HCM was the most stable for me...It is a very scalable product.
Vasu Narasimha - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 25, 2023
It's very suitable for large, multi-geography companies but also very suitable for medium companies with multi-geography operations.
SG
Jul 27, 2023
We have features such as ABKRS based on the client's requirement, tariff and TMSTA, and so on.
SM
Jun 10, 2024
The payroll operations I’ve managed within this and other organizations involve substantial numbers, demonstrating that SAP HCM stable product. As for talent management, we’ve utilized consulting services and supplemented them with various in-house developments. Moreover, we are exploring innovative AI, including chatbots and AI-driven use cases.
VD
Aug 27, 2025
The OpenShift user interface is user-friendly, making it easier for anyone to perform tasks compared to Kubernetes, and we have operators that help us rectify issues easily and identify which APIs or Pods are experiencing problems.
reviewer1338723 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 27, 2023
It is a scalable solution. There are three administrators maintaining the solution: an HR person, a payroll person, and one backup.
 

SAP HCM Cons review quotes

AA
Dec 23, 2019
SAP now does the most innovation for the cloud solution and less innovation for the on-premises client.
Kumar-Saurav - PeerSpot reviewer
May 14, 2024
The limitation of HCM compared to new-era human capital management solutions is the cost.
reviewer1194150 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 24, 2019
It takes a long time to apply an update patch to the system.
Learn what your peers think about SAP HCM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
867,497 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1039926 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 1, 2024
What can be improved in SAP HCM depends on the industry it serves. The system's navigation could be simplified for users. The flow and integration between parts, like core HR, payroll, and recruiting, must be communicated properly. Users should focus on how doing things correctly from the start will improve things in the long run rather than feeling overwhelmed by tasks.
BP
May 15, 2023
Managing changes in applications can be challenging since it complicates testing and unit testing, resulting in longer testing phases. This time-consuming process often leaves little room for actual work.
Vasu Narasimha - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 25, 2023
A better user interface and greater AI integration are crucial.
SG
Jul 27, 2023
There are already success factors for the cloud solution which cannot be integrated into S/4 HANA.
SM
Jun 10, 2024
In my experience, SAP HCM and similar products are very good, but the focus now should be on providing features to encourage employee adoption. For example, accessing pay slips is a task that naturally drives adoption. However, AI tools that can prompt employees at the right time through the right application are needed for actions such as conducting surveys or gathering performance feedback.
VD
Aug 27, 2025
Scalability can be challenging from a cost perspective. If a company has the budget, they opt for the enterprise level.
reviewer1338723 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 27, 2023
The breadth of functionality offered by SAP HCM comes at a cost.