Odoo HRM: Core Features, Key Advantages, and Licensing for Australia

Odoo HRM is a modular suite of Odoo’s built-in human resource applications that brings employee data, recruitment, time tracking, performance, and payroll-related workflows into one connected ERP platform, replacing the fragmented HR tools many businesses still rely on.

In environments where data silos cause employees to lose up to 12 hours per week chasing information (VentureBeat, 2022), consolidating HR processes into a single system is no longer optional. Odoo HRM manages the full employee lifecycle within a unified data model, reducing manual handovers and operational friction.

This guide combines official Odoo documentation with practical ERP implementation experience for Australian organisations. It covers how Odoo HRM works in practice, its core modules, deployment and licensing options, integration across the business stack, and clear answers to the most common questions businesses ask when evaluating Odoo for HR.

What Is Odoo HRM (Human Resource Management)?

Odoo HRM refers to a modular HR solution within the Odoo ERP platform that supports employee administration, workforce operations, and people management. Rather than operating as a standalone HR application, Odoo HRM functions as part of an integrated system where HR data is directly connected to other Odoo applications.

Within the Odoo ecosystem, HRM modules work seamlessly with Accounting, Expenses, Projects, Sales, and Documents. This consolidates workforce data into a single source of truth, eliminating the need for fragmented HR software, spreadsheets, or manual methods.

Odoo HRM is ideal for SMEs and growing organisations looking to:

• Replace manual or fragmented HR tools with a single system.
• Implement scalable HR processes integrated with finance and operations.
• Standardise HR management within their existing Odoo ERP platform.

Key capabilities of Odoo HRM include:

• Recruitment and applicant tracking
• Employee records and contracts
• Time off, attendance, and timesheets
• Payroll and expenses management
• Performance appraisals and feedback
• Employee exit and offboarding processes

Together, these capabilities position Odoo HRM as a unified, ERP-based approach to managing the full employee lifecycle rather than a collection of isolated HR functions. The following sections detail each Odoo HRM module and its features, illustrating how the system functions across typical, day-to-day HR workflows.

Odoo HRM Modules and Features: 9 Core HR Applications and How They Work

Odoo HRM covers core human resource functions through a set of integrated applications that manage employee data, hiring, time tracking, performance, payroll-related processes, and workforce operations within a single system. Each feature operates as a dedicated module within Odoo, sharing data across HR and business workflows to support consistent, day-to-day employee management.

Core Odoo HRM modules include:

• Employees (Workforce) and Employee Self-Service
• Recruitment and Onboarding
• Time Off (Free) and Timesheets
• Appraisals (Review) and Performance Management
• Payroll and Expenses
• Referrals (Recommendations)
• Fleet (Transportation Equipments)

1. Employees and Employee Self-Service

The Odoo Employees module centralises employee profiles, job positions, contracts, departments, skills, and organisational structure, serving as the central hub for all workforce data in Odoo HRM.

Key capabilities include:

• Managing employee profiles, contracts, roles, and skills
• Structuring departments and organisational hierarchies
• Linking employee records to payroll, leave, performance, and expenses

Employee self-service is built into the module, allowing staff to manage personal information and submit requests independently while maintaining role-based access control.

2. Recruitment and Onboarding

The Odoo Recruitment module manages the entire hiring process, from job postings and applicant tracking to interview scheduling and hiring decisions within a single system.

Key capabilities include:

• Creating and publishing job positions
• Tracking candidates through configurable hiring stages
• Scheduling interviews and recording hiring decisions

Once a candidate is hired, recruitment data flows directly into the Employees module, enabling faster onboarding and eliminating duplicate data entry.

3. Time Off (Free/Leave Management)

The Odoo Time Off module manages employee leave requests, balances, approvals, and company calendars within a single system.

Key capabilities include:

• Configuring multiple leave types, such as annual leave, paid leave, and unpaid leave
• Managing leave requests and approval workflows
• Tracking leave balances and public holidays

While Fair Work calculations may require configuration or payroll localisation, Time Off provides a structured foundation for leave compliance and record-keeping.

4. Timesheets (Working Time Record)

The Odoo Timesheets module records time spent by employees on tasks, projects, or activities, supporting operational and financial tracking.

Key capabilities include:

• Logging time against tasks or projects
• Supporting workforce planning and utilisation tracking
• Feeding time data into payroll and project costing

Timesheets are especially valuable for Australian businesses needing audit-ready time records to support Fair Work obligations and client billing accuracy.

5. Appraisals and Performance Management

The Odoo Appraisals module structures performance reviews through defined cycles, goals, and feedback processes. Employees and managers participate in evaluations using the same platform, ensuring that performance discussions are documented and consistent.

Key capabilities include:

• Conducting employee self-assessments
• Managing manager reviews and feedback
• Tracking goals and performance progress

Performance data remains linked to employee profiles, supporting long-term talent management rather than isolated evaluations.

6. Payroll Management

The Odoo Payroll module supports salary calculations using employee, contract, and attendance data, forming the foundation for payroll processing.

Key capabilities include:

• Calculating salaries based on contracts and worked time
• Using HR data as payroll inputs
• Integrating payroll data with accounting workflows

In Australia, payroll compliance typically requires localisation or integration with Australian-compliant payroll engines to meet Fair Work, ATO, and superannuation requirements. Odoo Payroll provides the structural layer, while compliance depends on configuration and local extensions.

7. Expenses Management

The Odoo Expenses module allows employees to submit and track expense claims directly within Odoo.

Key capabilities include:

• Submitting expense claims digitally
• Managing approvals and reimbursements
• Linking employee expenses to accounting records

This supports clearer expense governance and audit trails, which are essential for Australian tax and compliance reporting.

8. Referrals and Employer Branding

The Odoo Referrals module enables employee-driven recruitment by allowing staff to recommend candidates for open positions. This keeps referral activity structured, measurable, and connected to recruitment outcomes.

Key capabilities include:

• Submitting and tracking employee referrals
• Monitoring referral progress and rewards
• Centralising referral activity alongside hiring workflows

By formalising internal advocacy, the module also supports employer branding through employee engagement in recruitment.

9. Fleet Management

The Odoo Fleet module manages company vehicles, contracts, and usage while linking operational responsibilities and costs to employee records. Although not a core HR function, it supports workforce administration by connecting assets to people.

Key capabilities include:

• Managing vehicle assignments and contracts
• Tracking usage, costs, and maintenance
• Linking fleet data to employee records

This module demonstrates how Odoo HRM can extend beyond traditional HR processes to include workforce-related operational assets.

Odoo HRM Module Comparison (Core Features)

These integrated modules demonstrate Odoo HRM’s unified approach to HR, covering essential functions, such as employee data, hiring, time, performance, and costs within a single ERP. This foundation is key to understanding Odoo HRM’s benefits in integration, scalability, and operational impact.

Key Advantages of Odoo HRM for Business Operations

Odoo HRM offers practical advantages through native Odoo integration, modular deployment, and configurable workflows with real-time visibility, allowing HR, finance, and operations to run on a single data model.

• Seamless ERP integration: Odoo HRM integrates natively with other Odoo applications such as Odoo Accounting, Projects, and Expenses, allowing HR data to flow automatically into financial and operational processes. Payroll inputs, timesheets, and workforce costs remain synchronised across departments, reducing manual reconciliation and improving data consistency.
• Modular scalability: Odoo HRM is designed to scale as organisational needs evolve. Businesses can start with essential modules such as Employees and Time Off, then add Recruitment, Appraisals, or Payroll as workforce complexity increases, without replacing the underlying system.
• Customisation and configuration: Odoo HRM supports configuration at both workflow and data levels, enabling organisations to adapt approval processes, fields, and reporting structures to suit internal policies or regional requirements. 
• Workforce reporting and analytics: HR data in Odoo HRM is available for real-time reporting, providing visibility into workforce trends, attendance, performance, and cost-related metrics. These insights support informed decision-making and ongoing workforce planning.

These advantages explain why Odoo HRM is often adopted as part of a broader ERP strategy, leading organisations to evaluate its editions, deployment options, and licensing model to determine the best fit for their operational requirements.

Odoo HRM Editions, Deployment Options, and Licensing Model

Odoo HRM is available in Community and Enterprise editions, supports cloud and on-premise deployment, and uses a user-based licensing model for Enterprise users. Organisations can choose the edition, deployment, and licensing that best fit their HR needs, technical resources, and governance requirements.

Community vs Enterprise Editions

Odoo HRM offers two editions with key differences in features, usability, and support:

• Community Edition provides core HR functionality for basic workforce management.
• Enterprise Edition includes advanced features, such as performance reviews and employee recommendations. Enterprise Edition also offers mobile access, usability enhancements, and official long-term support.

You can find the official, detailed comparison of Human Resources features in Odoo Community and Enterprise in the Odoo official documentation.

Deployment Options: Odoo Online, Odoo.sh, and On-premise

Odoo HRM can be deployed using different hosting models, depending on hosting preferences and customisation requirements:

• Odoo Online: A cloud-hosted SaaS option where Odoo hosts and maintains the system, offering standard features with minimal technical overhead.
• Odoo.sh: A cloud platform designed for organisations requiring custom development, integrations, or staging environments while still benefiting from managed infrastructure.
• On-premise: A self-hosted deployment option that provides full control over infrastructure, data, and security, often preferred where regulatory or internal IT policies apply. 

Licensing model

• Enterprise edition: Odoo follows a user-based licensing model for Enterprise editions, where licensed users gain access to all activated applications, including HR modules.
• Community edition: Community editions do not require license fees but may involve costs related to hosting, development, or support, depending on deployment choices

For official pricing information of Odoo HRM, please visit the dedicated Odoo pricing page.

These editions, deployment options, and licensing structures define how Odoo HRM is implemented and scaled across organisations. Following this, we will explore how Odoo HRM connects with the broader business ecosystem, unifying HR, accounting, project, and document management workflows.

How Odoo HRM Integrates with Your Full Business Stack

Odoo HRM integrates natively with core Odoo applications and external systems, allowing HR data to flow directly into finance, operations, and productivity workflows. This integration ensures that people-related information is consistently reflected across the wider ERP and supporting tools.

1. Odoo-Native Integrations (First-Party HR Workflows)

Odoo HRM is built on a shared ERP data model, allowing HR processes to integrate seamlessly with other Odoo applications:

Employees → Accounting → Payroll & Reporting

Employee contracts, attendance, and expense data flow into accounting workflows, supporting accurate payroll processing and employee cost reporting through analytic accounts.

Employees → Projects → Timesheets

Employee assignments and working hours link directly to projects and timesheets, enabling resource planning, project costing, and utilisation tracking without manual reconciliation.

Employees → Expenses → Accounting

Expense claims submitted by employees are validated against HR records and automatically reflected in accounting, maintaining traceability between workforce activity and financial outcomes.

Employees → Documents → Compliance & Records

Contracts, policies, certifications, and HR documents are stored centrally and linked to employee profiles, supporting controlled access, versioning, and audit readiness.

Together, these native workflows ensure HR data remains consistent across people, finance, and operations throughout the employee lifecycle.

2. Third-Party Integrations (Common External Tools)

Odoo HRM can also integrate with widely used external systems, allowing organisations to retain existing tools while centralising HR data within Odoo.

Outlook / Google Workspace

Synchronise calendars, schedule interviews, and manage HR communications while linking activity back to employee or recruitment records.

Xero / MYOB

For organisations not using Odoo Accounting, payroll and HR-related financial data can synchronise with external accounting platforms while HR operations remain managed in Odoo.

Microsoft Teams

Enable HR notifications, approvals, and updates to surface within collaboration tools, supporting faster response times and internal communication.

SharePoint / Google Drive

Connect external document repositories while maintaining Odoo as the operational system of record for employee data and HR workflows.

Power BI and other BI tools

Easily export human resource data to conduct more in-depth financial or operational analysis.

These integrations allow Odoo HRM to adapt to existing business stacks while improving data integrity, operational continuity, and workforce visibility.

By embedding HR processes into both ERP-native and external systems, Odoo HRM enables human resources to operate as an integrated business function. The following section addresses common questions for Australian businesses evaluating Odoo HRM, including scope, suitability, and practical considerations.

Odoo HRM for Australian Businesses – FAQs

What HR features are included in Odoo HRM?

Odoo HRM covers core HR functions, including employee records, recruitment, onboarding, leave management, attendance, timesheets, appraisals, expenses, payroll support, referrals, and selected workforce operations such as fleet management.

Is HRM a real module or part of Odoo ERP?

HRM is not a single standalone module in Odoo. Instead, it refers to a suite of dedicated HR applications, such as Employees, Recruitment, Time Off, Attendances, Timesheets, Appraisals, Expenses, Referrals, and Fleet, that operate together within Odoo.

Is Odoo HRM suitable for small businesses?

Yes, Odoo HRM is suitable for small businesses because it is modular and can be deployed gradually. Small teams often start with Employees and Time Off, then add Recruitment, Appraisals, or Payroll as their workforce and compliance needs grow.

What is the difference between Odoo HRM and standalone HR software?

Odoo HRM operates as part of a full ERP system, meaning HR data connects directly with accounting, projects, and operations. Standalone HR software typically focuses only on HR tasks and requires integrations or manual work to share data with other business systems.

See Odoo HRM in Action

Odoo HRM is a strong fit for organisations seeking to replace fragmented HR tools with a single, integrated system that connects people data, time management, performance, and workforce costs. When paired with other Odoo modules, such as Payroll, Accounting, and Projects, Odoo HRM strengthens compliance, reporting, and operational consistency without extra reconciliation work.

If you’re exploring whether Odoo HRM fits your operations, you can request a personalised Odoo demo to see how the platform supports real-world HR workflows and scalable ERP-based workforce management. As an experienced Odoo and ERP implementation partner, Havi Technology is dedicated to ensuring your Odoo HRM solution is implemented for long-term operational consistency and sustained growth.