The Snapshot

Founded: 2012
Health Insurers: Aetna, UHC, and Kaiser
Great for: start-ups, younger entrepreneurs, small-to-midsize firms, tech-savvy teams

Justworks stands out among other PEOs for having a website and approach that feels familiar to anyone who's used Zendesk, Mailchimp, or other leading business software. The company's overall presentation, aesthetic, and brand are refreshingly up-to-date in an industry where some major provider's sites don't seem to have been updated since HTML5 was released — and the impressive modernity isn't skin deep.

A relative newcomer to the PEO field, Justworks reimagined how clients interact with a PEO from the ground up. The result is a simple experience and, while more hands-on than other providers, quite intuitive.

We evaluated JustWorks from the perspective of a modern, tech-savvy company. Our thoughts are that there are perhaps better PEOs for the needs of larger, more established (or "old-fashioned")  firms who, while not having as sexy a website or interface, can better accommodate large employee groups.

Offering

Justworks’ primary offering is its HR software suite, although it does offer solid insurance and worker's comp packages that are competitive with other companies. The company's mantra is that HR can be drastically simplified through software and manageable by one person, usually the owner. If you can fill that role with powerful software, Justworks is for you.

In our review of Justworks, we assumed the needs of someone not looking for a PEO solution to hand off to the HR department to simplify their work. If you're looking to do away with the burdens of HR completely, then a PEO may not be the best solution.

Justworks also offers you the ability to pay your contractors and 1099 staff.

Service

Justworks customer service is quick to help with any questions submitted via their messaging tool and quite knowledgeable regarding the issues that would concern a smaller or less-established company. Users accustomed to quick and efficient customer service through companies like Zendesk will be glad to see that modern approach replicated here.

Justworks software allows a business owner to take on some of the HR burdens in a highly efficient way. Unfortunately, that means that their customer service is less dedicated to doing the work for you and more helping you do it, but this will come as no surprise. And in helping you learn more about the software, they're quite efficient.

Pricing

Justworks offers flat, transparent administration fees that are per employee per month. Their administration fees are based solely on your headcount and can be purchased monthly or annually.

Conclusion

Justworks offers a first-rate PEO experience and is undoubtedly one of the most high-tech ones. It's always wise to do due diligence, though, and unfortunately, few other PEOs present information as clearly as they do.

The best way to know you're getting the best deal possible — and save hours spent filling out forms — is to work with a professional PEO broker like Dinsmore/Steele.

We fill the role of knowledgeable partner in one of the business's most confusing fields, knowing the difference between when you're getting good rates and when someone is padding their profit margins at your expense. Get your quote from Justworks now.