Tag: performance review software

Guide to select the right Performance Review Software

Investing in performance review software is one of the best decisions your business could make, given how important these applications are for managing an increasingly decentralized work environment. This type of software streamlines work for managers and offers objective ways to measure employee productivity and improve overall management. There’s a huge variety of these performance tools though, and some are quite the investment, so it can be daunting to decide which one you should pick. Don’t worry, we’ll guide you through the entire process of choosing the right performance review software for you.

Step 1: Understand your needs

You need a clear perspective of what you need from performance review software in terms of HR, finance, and your specific business goals. 

1. Talk to HR

Since HR is responsible for evaluating employee performance and conducting hiring decisions, they will understand your company’s performance needs best. Your organization’s HR department can inform you of what specific features you need from performance evaluation software. They could easily identify how easily such software can be integrated into your company, and whether you should expect a steep learning curve from your employees when they start using it. 

Also Read: 9 Progressive HR Approaches from HR Professionals

2. Budget Constraints 

Professional performance review software is an investment, often a large one, so you need to set a budget range. After having a general idea of what range you can afford to invest in, you need to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of optional features, opting for only the ones you absolutely need. Ideally, you should set your investment range according to your perceived future requirements. If you expect your company to grow massively in the near future or suspect there’s a severe problem with existing performance management, it may be worth spending more. 

3. Organizational Goals

Performance management software is most effective when you already know what you want. It’s not strictly necessary to have a list of exactly everything you need, but it helps to at least have a general idea of what place the system has in your company. 

For instance, if you’re a software development company, you may want your employees to develop new applications quicker, but you also don’t want to compromise on quality. In such a case, you need performance management software that doesn’t just track time but also provides a checklist of project requirements to ensure new applications are developed quicker without loss in quality.

Also Read: 7 Reasons Why Goal Setting Is Important

4. Use a trial or demo version.

Sometimes the best way to see if something works is to just try it out and see what happens. Thankfully, many performance review software have trial and demo versions you can test for a short period of time to see if they fit your needs. Usually, you’ll be given access for a week, which is enough time to collect data and conduct analysis to see whether productivity has improved or not. 

Using trial software is also a good idea if you’re not sure of what additional features you want to have. While testing the demo or trial version of the performance review software, you’ll quickly discover additional things you need. For example, if you’re a real estate organization, you might find that one of the most valuable additional features you need from your performance review software is being able to calculate the time spent per unit by a vendor. 

5. Note the features you want 

Although every company’s needs are different, there are generally a few functions every company needs, like listing goals, recording data, and exporting information. And, depending on your organization, you may have specific requirements like providing in-app feedback to employees too. 

Basic features

  • Assignments

Effective performance review software has the capacity to assign team and individual goals for your employees, and it should be able to integrate them in a way that makes sense from an overall perspective. Objective and Key Results (OKR) can easily be used on performance review software. 

  • Data Recording

Performance appraisal software should allow you to collect performance-related data from employees such as the number of hours logged, the amount of time taken to complete a task, etc. This raw data should be easily accessible to managers. 

  • Export data

You should be able to export the data stored on the application to external sources for safety, analytical, or managerial reasons. There is no valid reason for not being able to do that. 

  • Basic statistics

At least some basic statistical functions should be present, like calculating averages. These statistics offer meaningful information for managers. 

Also Read: What Is A Performance Management System?

Advanced functions 

These requirements may or may not apply to your specific case, but generally, the larger and more complex an organization is, their needs will also be more complex. 

  • Goal adjustment and editability 

Depending on your industry, you may have very complex tasks that you assign to employees. In that case, you need a performance review system that allows managers to collect different types of data flexibly and edit task requirements if needed. 

  • Feedback mechanism 

Being able to give feedback directly through the employee performance management application is a desirable feature for large organizations. 

  • Real-Time Progress Updates 

This feature is especially desirable for companies with large numbers of remote workers. Being able to see everything that each employee is doing at a glance helps managers better understand their employee’s conditions. 

  • Visual Representation of Data 

Some performance software lets you construct basic visual diagrams, like pie charts, bar graphs, and histograms, of employee performance. These visual aids can be useful if you want to represent information intuitively. 

  • Compensation Integration 

Being able to dispense salaries from a performance application is a useful feature if your employees frequently work overtime, and you would like to track them easily. 

Step 2: Consider Technical Aspects 

Even if you find a performance review system that aligns with your goals perfectly, you still need to make sure it can be integrated into your existing work systems optimally.

1. Compatibility with existing systems

Larger organizations typically already have databases and systems to record employee performance. If you already have such a setup, make sure you can easily export the existing data to the new software. Also, make sure your current It setup will easily allow you to run the software. 

You could start assessing your needs by consulting your IT department about the best way to introduce the performance evaluation software to your organization. Most performance management applications, especially high-end ones, are designed to be compatible with most systems, but you should still check regardless. 

2. Employee adaptation

Transitioning to a new software might initially be difficult for your employees if they’re not technically literate. You might experience disruption caused by the adjustment period, that’s normal, but it should not be a prolonged problem. It should not take your organization more than a week to adjust to the new system. 

This is why trial periods are crucial. During the trial period of a performance review application, take note of how quickly your employees adjust to the new system. If they take too long, it’s evidence that the specific application isn’t right for you. 

Also Read: 8 Steps To Effective Employee Surveys

3. UI – UX or Interface design

A good performance management application should be easy to use with a friendly, clear, and intuitive user interface (UI). Ideally, your staff should experience minimal confusion while using the application. A good UI will ensure the software performs optimally. 

Conversely, a bad UI will lead to disruptions. Employees may find it difficult to use and will make mistakes, skewing the accuracy of the data recorded. Bad UI also indicates the company that developed the software lacks professionalism. 

4. Hosting 

It’s important to pay attention to whether your performance evaluation software can be hosted locally or on the cloud. Ideally, a performance management application should be hosted on a cloud-dedicated server to maximize safety. This type of infrastructure tends to be the most stable, and you should try to get applications that only run on the cloud. 

Step 3: Consider long-term viability 

Performance management software is a long-term investment, so you should make sure the application you choose benefits you long-term.

1. Customer Support 

Inevitably, you will run into problems with any performance management software you use. When these problems arise, you want to ensure the company you’ve hired has a good customer support system. It will help you quickly diagnose your issues and provide effective support. It would be a good idea to check the customer support reviews of different performance review applications. Steer clear of applications with generally bad customer support reviews since it indicates a lack of professionalism. 

2. Scalability and flexibility

Your organization’s needs will change over time as it grows, expands, and encounters new challenges. The performance review software should, ideally, be able to adapt to the changing needs. Your requirements with 100 employees will vastly differ from those with 10. So make sure that any software you choose to invest in has the potential to be scaled up to the changing needs. The best options will allow you to change nearly everything about the application long-term.

3. Longevity 

Compatibility with new systems is an important requirement. Ideally, the software you invest in today should be fully compatible with various systems for the next 5 to 10 years at least. You should consult with your application provider about how long they intend to offer IT support, including how frequently they intend to release updates. The best performance systems will have guaranteed long-term support for their systems and a dedicated team.

Conclusion

Employee performance management software is a great investment, but like any other purchase, you have to make sure you do it right. You need to choose the software that fulfills your specific requirements best, is the easiest to use, has the most number of desired features, and fits in your budget. 

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Top 10 Performance Management Software In 2024

“The Global Human Capital Trends report by Deloitte highlighted that 49% of executives found their Performance Management Process to be ineffective and required a complete overhaul.”  The statistics highlight the importance of using the right performance management software to derive effective results. In the last two years, organizations have remodeled their business processes to contain the impact of the pandemic and thereby boost the productivity of their employees working remotely and from the office.

However, regarding performance management, the achievement is not significant. A survey conducted by Kronos found that 95% of HR leaders feel that employee burnout is sabotaging their workforce retention. The problem calls for robust performance evaluation software that uses crucial parameters in managing and monitoring the workforce. 

This article will help you understand the intricacies of performance management systems and will explore the various features of top 10 performance management software. We will unpack the following in the below sections:

What is a Performance Management Software?

Performance management is a tool used by organizations globally to increase employee productivity and help them become successful in their job roles. The process encompasses continuous communication between a manager and employees for the mutual achievement of organizational goals. 

Changing business needs and the latest technological developments have given rise to new-age performance management software that helps in holistic workforce management. The traditional practice of annual performance review is now transitioning into continuous process management. The latest developments in performance management involve setting clear objectives and goals, task assignments, frequent check-ins, providing feedback at regular intervals, and analyzing the results. Through this, managers and leaders can track the performance of their employees and provide them feedback in real time to help them perform better at their jobs. 

Performance management helps organizations in utilizing the complete potential of their employees and provides effective measures to increase employee engagement, collaboration, and retention. Through the analytics feature offered by the tools, executives can look into the intricacies of performance management and create an actionable plan for performance improvement. 

Importance of Performance Management Software

The primary aim of business performance management is to align leaders, managers, team members, and resources to meet the strategic goals of the business. By providing metrics to measure the performance and productivity of the system, leaders can gauge the early signs of a potential threat and create way-outs to get business on track. 

Continuous Performance Management (also known as Agile Performance Management) helps in creating a productive and skilled workforce by analyzing the performance gaps and offering solutions to increase productivity through training and mentoring. Performance management tool is becoming increasingly important for organizations to be successful in the current business environment. By adopting performance management measures, leaders can understand the factors that are working well for the business and seek better results through proper implementation. 

Employee performance management software can be highly beneficial to organizations. The following points highlight its importance in the workplace.

Also Read: How continuous performance management can help improve productivity?

Boost Employee Engagement and Productivity

(Globally, 85% of employees are disengaged or not actively engaged at work, resulting in massive loss of business and revenue- A report by Gallup). Employee engagement and productivity are directly linked to the success of an organization. Engaged employees are involved actively in their work and can create strong bonds with their colleagues. By utilizing continuous performance management, organizations can create an environment of trust, support, and encouragement. Strategic implementation of a performance management solution helps in aligning the individual goals with the organizational goals.

Employee Reskilling and Upskilling

A LinkedIn 2021 workplace learning report shows that 94% of employees would have stayed longer at their last organization, had the company invested in their learning and development. The report also highlighted that the interest and zeal to learn is highest among the younger workers belonging to Gen Z. 

Providing mentoring and coaching to employees not only helps them perform better at their jobs but also motivates them to take up more responsibilities. By reskilling and upskilling employees, organizations can attract new talent and train existing employees to take up managerial positions. Employee development is at the heart of business performance management solutions, and organizations can reap numerous benefits by using them effectively.

Also Read: How to build a successful upskilling and reskilling program?

Improves Workplace Communication and Collaboration

A report by McKinsey highlights the importance of communication in the workplace. It states that improved communication can increase the productivity of interacting employees by 20-25%. Another report by CMSWIRE states that 85% of employees use more than one device for communication. The statistics outline the importance of clear and efficient workplace communication. The major difference between a performing and a non-performing team is efficient communication. By improving communication in the workplace, organizations can improve employee efficiency and mitigate critical risks that lead to the failure of the organization.

Features of Top Performance Management Software

While selecting the best performance management software for the organization, it is imperative to look for some desirable features in the tool. The crux of implementing a system is to ensure performance improvisation throughout the organization and automate several manual tasks to avoid critical human errors. 

Looking for the right performance management tool can be a lengthy process if the desired objectives and goals of the performance management system are not clearly defined. Conducting surveys and interviews within the firm can shed some light on the objectives. Once the objectives are enumerated, HR managers should relate them to the below features and zero in on the tool that will meet organizational requirements. Check out the below features while selecting the best performance management platform.

Continuous Feedback Mechanism

The mechanism calls for a continuous, open, and cyclical feedback exchange between the manager and employees. It helps in finding the performance gaps of an employee and starting an improvisation plan. Through this process, managers can ensure project deliveries are not hampered and employees are getting continuous feedback on their work.

360 Degree Feedback

Also known as multi-rater feedback, it involves taking anonymous employee feedback from the colleagues he/she has a working relationship with. Managers, peers, direct reports, and subordinates all submit their feedback through a specialized mechanism. 360-degree feedback provides insight into the behavior, attitude, and work relationships of employees. The unbiased nature and subjectivity of 360-degree feedback make it more acceptable to employees.

Also Read: How to effectively review employee performance?

Automated and Intuitive

A performance management solution should be user-friendly and easy to understand. The system should help in automating tasks that require regular check-ins and error-free delivery. By sending automated reminders, it can help reduce the turnaround time and delays in submissions. Business performance management software offers customizable surveys and dashboards that aid in the easy collection and visualization of employee feedback.

People Analytics

Also referred to as talent analytics or HR analytics, it is a data-driven method to study people, processes, challenges, and opportunities in the workplace. The talent insights collected through the rigorous process aid in making smarter decisions, succession planning, and improving the capabilities of the workforce. Many organizations are heavily focused on people analytics to make HR business strategy decisions like recruitment and selection, learning and development, project management, and KPI creation and setting.

Also Read: Why companies should invest in people analytics?

Social Performance Management

Social connection and engagement go a long way in today’s virtual business environment. In the last 2 years of the pandemic, employees working remotely have faced a lot of disconnect from their teams and organization, leading to proximity bias and reduced productivity. Social performance management, or SPM, is a part of the software that provides a solution to stay connected within the organization by letting employees share ideas, opinions, and thoughts with everyone in the organization. Employees can ask for real-time feedback from their colleagues or managers. 

Employee Reward and Recognition

(As per a survey conducted by Achievers, more than half of 1,700 respondents are actively looking out for new jobs, citing lack of recognition in the workplace). Employee reward and recognition is one key parameter that organizations need to look for in retaining potential employees. A well-implemented reward system helps in boosting employee productivity and makes them feel valued in the workplace. Through gamification, performance management software encourages employees to reward each other for their contributions and outstanding performance.

Also Read: How to set OKRs for success?

Setting SMART Goals

A report published by Gallup highlights that over 50% of employees are not clear about what is expected from them at the workplace. Introduced in 1981 by George T Doran, SMART refers to Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals that help organizations in measuring employee performance through a defined metric.

Goal setting is one of the most critical and time-consuming processes in an organization. Yet, it has many advantages, such as providing clear expectations to the employees, reduced turnaround time, and higher productivity & engagement. It helps in quantifying the performance of employees and offers insights to managers for plugging in performance gaps. A performance management solution aids in setting SMART goals that help in measuring employee performance in real-time.

Learning Management System

Learning is at the core of a performance management tool. It helps in assessing the current skills of an employee and charts out a defined path to develop and grow in the organization. Employees can use the module for self-assessment and set goals for themselves to hone their skills. Managers can assign certain learning modules to their employees to help them learn new skills.

Most of the employees are concerned about their skill development and career progression, so having a learning module in the system makes them feel cared for. 

Also Read: Top 5 reasons to have a learning management system at workplace

Customization, Security, and Integration

An important aspect of performance review software is its integration with other HR technologies and tools. As organizations these days use multiple tools for employee management, it is a fundamental requirement for software to seamlessly integrate with these tools for a better employee experience.

The various modules available in the system can also be customized as per the business needs and provide data security as per the business standards.

Talent Management Software

Top 10 Performance Management Systems in 2023

Successful implementation of software can cause a ripple effect in the organization. It helps in aligning the workforce towards the business goals and makes employee engagement and collaboration easier. As many organizations are paving their way to digitizing and modernizing their performance systems, the below list of employee performance management software will be helpful to them in selecting the right tool that matches their organizational needs and objectives. 

Engagedly

Engagedly is a people enablement platform that offers a range of features for workforce management. It is a scalable platform that is available to organizations of all sizes. The automated tool works on the E3 module- engage, enable, and execute, to help HR managers create a continuous feedback mechanism to enhance employee engagement, collaboration, and productivity. The platform is user-friendly and meets the needs of the modern organization by allowing managers to assign goals and tasks to their team members and provide feedback through frequent check-ins. It is loaded with multiple features to find performance gaps and offers a learning path to the employees to nurture and train them for higher responsibilities. 

Solutions offered by Engagedly:

  • Performance reviews and competency assessments
  • OKR alignment and tracking
  • Ongoing check-ins and project reviews
  • Leadership assessment and succession planning
  • New employee onboarding
  • Drive cultural alignment
  • Measure and improve employee engagement
  • Training and development of employees
  • OKR consulting and certification

Performance Management Tool

15Five

15Five is a tech-powered platform that offers employee engagement, continuous performance management, and manager effectiveness. The solution combines software, education, and community to build effective managers and improve employee performance.

Solutions offered by 15Five:

  • Increasing Engagement
  • Improving Manager Effectiveness
  • Remote Team Development
  • Aligning Company Success
  • People Development

Tiny Pulse

Tiny Pulse is an employee engagement tool that assists organizations in developing an engaging, connected, and performance-driven team. The tool makes use of intelligent insights to create surveys and gather continuous and transparent employee feedback.

Solutions offered by Tiny Pulse:

  • Employee surveys and pulsing
  • Recognition and rewards
  • Annual surveys
  • Performance and coaching
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion
Also Read: Performance management in a hybrid work culture

Leapsome

This software provides a continuous cycle of performance management and personalized learning through features like OKR management, performance reviews, employee engagement surveys, feedback, and praise. It helps in aligning the workforce towards organizational goals.

Solutions offered by leapsome:

  • Goals and OKR management
  • 1:1 and team meetings
  • Personalized learning and development
  • Engagement surveys with real-time insights
  • Development framework for employee growth

Reflektive

Reflektive is a comprehensive performance evaluation software that assists in business growth through continuous improvement. The tool helps increase productivity through constructive employee engagement and driving growth through high-performance-driven teams.

Solutions offered by Reflektive:

  • Real-time Feedback
  • Easy and quick employee recognition
  • Multiple user tagging
  • Performance and talent calibration
  • Increase and measure employee engagement through surveys
Also Read: Seven reasons why goal setting is important

PerformYard

PerformYard is a scalable performance management platform that provides intelligent insights about the workforce through data-driven features.It helps in executing performance reviews, frequent check-ins, real-time feedback, and inputs from throughout the organization.

Solutions offered by performyard:

  • Managing qualitative, quantitative, individual, and team OKRs
  • Supports upward, downward, lateral, and external reviews
  • Continuous feedback management
  • HRIS and new employee onboarding workflows
Also Read: How to build performance management metric strategy?

Betterworks

Betterworks helps enterprises scale up their performance by providing intuitive and directional insights. This performance management tool helps create a vision with the right set of goals, reviews, and continuous feedback from the employees. Managers can use features like reviews and check-ins, goal management, and continuous feedback for performance enhancement.

Solutions offered by Betterworks:

  • Deploy and track progress
  • Individual progress tracking
  • Dashboards for clear visualization
  • Gathering intelligent performance insights
  • 1:1 feedback mechanism

Lattice

Lattice provides engaging features for enterprises and supports employee growth and development. The software uses intelligent methodologies to combine performance management, employee engagement, and employee development into one holistic solution.

Solutions offered by lattice:

  • OKR and goal management
  • Continuous performance tracking through 1:1 reviews, feedback, and praise
  • Actionable people insights
  • Continuous employee development through growth plans
Also Read: How to set OKRs for healthcare professionals?

7Geese/Paycor

It is a human capital management tool that offers a range of services, like HR & payroll management, talent management, workforce management, and employee experience. It helps in building an engaging and collaborative culture to enhance the organizational performance.

Solutions offered by 7Geese/Paycor

  • 1:1 and feedback tools
  • Automated workflows to eliminate repetitive tasks
  • Customizable dashboard for coaching sessions
  • OKRs and goal management
Also Read: Steps to creating a performance based culture in your organization

ClearCompany

ClearCompany offers a platform that combines recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and workforce planning into one ambit. It offers a range of solutions that help organizations develop and nurture talent for higher performance. 

Solutions offered by ClearCompany:

  • Workforce planning and analytics
  • Application tracking
  • Employee onboarding
  • Employee engagement tools and surveys
  • Performance management system

Concluding Words

Performance management software are the key to building a skilled, motivated, engaged, and performance driven workforce. In the highly competitive and rapidly changing business environment, the success of an organization lies in how well it is managing the employees. By shifting from traditional tools to the modern tech-loaded systems, organizations can bring a real impact on their business. We hope the information shared in this article will help you in selecting the best performance evaluation software.

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How to Conduct Performance Reviews for Managers?

A top-down performance review is the norm in most organizations. Employees sit anxiously as their managers rate and rank them based on their performance during the current year. The problem is, the report is only coming from the managers to their employees and not the other way around.

Study by Gallup shows managers contribute significantly (up to 70%) to how engaged an employee is at their jobs. Another showed that 71% of managers agree that employee engagement is an important factor that affects an organization’s success. So, when direct managers influence employees’ performance, why aren’t there more bottom-top performance reviews for managers?

Also read: What Is A Performance Management System?

Although this article may not directly answer this question, we will discuss the importance of a performance reviews for managers, the points to note when conducting one, and what to evaluate when carrying one out.

What is a Performance Review?

Before we drive into the article, we will quickly define performance review. A performance review is an assessment that aims to identify strengths and weaknesses, grade the work done in the past year, and give constructive feedback to improve the person under review. The goal of a performance review is to make sure the receiver can improve.

The aim is to develop the person to contribute better to the organization’s mission. According to a Gallup study, disengaged employees cost U.S. businesses up to $550 billion in lost productivity each year. Moreover, actively disengaged employees are nearly twice as likely to leave their job within a year.

Importance of Conducting Performance Reviews for Managers

A line manager is also an employee. The crucial difference is that they are to watch over other employees. This means they are not exempt from being reviewed either. That’s why here we show why performance reviews for management are crucial.

  • Strengthen Employee Engagement

A study by Cio showed that when employee engagement is low, it leads to people leaving their jobs, and for others, it means not giving their 100% in the office. Many employees would love to give their managers feedback to improve their work relationships, but most companies do not have that built-in into their system. A performance review for managers signals to the employee that the company cares about their voice – and wants to hear from the employees about their management. It’s a great way to boost employee engagement. 

Also read: Goal Setting Software Guide For CIOs

  • Helps to Identify Leadership Problems

Most managers in leadership positions got there because they showed consistently outstanding results or, for a select few, a reward for their loyalty. Most managers aren’t born leaders. They learn this trait while working and grow into that position with time and training. Employees carrying out a performance appraisal can help pinpoint areas of weakness their managers can work on, and other aspects that may require training.

  • Improves Work Environment

The worst kind of workplace to be at is the toxic type. And to develop a productive working space. There is a need to clear the air of tensions among workers, side comments, and unsatisfactory conditions in the office. One way of doing this is by conducting a performance appraisal. Employees who have received feedback during their performance review can also “rate” their manager. 

It’s a great way to exchange feedback and is also a good conversation starter. It allows employees and managers to be more honest with themselves. And they can work together towards improving their working condition. If management sees no improvement from the team, they can step in and handle the case themselves.

Points to Note When Conducting Reviews for Managers

While it is significant to look at a team’s review from both sides (employees and managers), it is also vital to know how best to carry out a manager’s performance review in the workplace. Unlike an employee’s review, where a manager rates a subordinate, in a manager’s review subordinates review the manager. 

This dynamic can lead to a power play by the manager, like intimidations and threats that affect the result. To avoid this, here are some steps you can take when conducting a manager’s appraisal review.

  • Make the Review Process Confidential

The most important aspect of the process is to maintain confidentiality. This confidentiality means that all the reviews should be anonymous to everyone, including the HR personnel, who is likely to be in charge of the process. Doing this gives the staff members the confidence to express themselves freely without worrying about any backlash from the manager.

  • Ask Specific Questions But Allow for Clarification

The questions should be specific. They can come in different formats, including the Likert scale questions format, Yes or no format, and open-ended formats. The Likert scale asks a question and gives you a range of options to pick an answer. 

For example: How knowledgeable is your manager about their job? Instead of two extremes, like a yes or no going for “Strongly Disagree,” “Disagree,” “Unsure,” “Agree,” and “Strongly Agree” give you a broader range of options to choose from.

Yes or No question formats are straight to the point. The questions demand that the employees give a yes or no answer. Open-ended questions need the employees to go into details. It provides room to explain the problem and suggest potential solutions for them.

Most performance reviews are a mix of two of these formats and styles. Management will need to encourage employees to answer the questions to the best of their ability to get fair reviews of the manager.

  • Take Prompt Action

It should not be all talk. Acting on the problem as fast as possible is as essential as conducting the performance review itself. This act tells the employees that you take them and the appraisal seriously. If the problems are not as pressing, management can take their time but should realize that the longer they take, the more those minor issues fester and disrupt the employees working under such managers.

  • Monitor the Process

The last point to note when conducting a manager’s performance review is to monitor the changes you have implemented. Carrying out surveys with employees, stopping by for inspections, and monitoring the performance of the manager and their team is a vital step. It ensures that the solution is long term and gives management something to compare for the next review.

What to Evaluate When Conducting the Review?

When evaluating employees’ performance, there are skills the manager assesses. They assess their work ethics, problem-solving skills, collaboration, and decision-making. In the same way, employees will need to review their manager’s skill set. We will briefly discuss them.

  • Supervisory Skills

Supervisory skills monitor the manager’s ability to organize, direct, and oversee his team. This skill will rate his ability to explain the details of a job, correct it with accurate instructions and guide their team to achieve their goals. Staff members can share their experiences of when the manager showed supervisory skills. Management can also ask staff members to share an incident when they didn’t show these.

  • Communication Skills

Communication skills are an essential skill to have in the workplace. The team members will appraise the supervisor on how well they can make their point. The staff members will review the supervisor on their ability to give clear and concise instructions.

How often do they engage in providing constructive feedback? Do they go over to re-explain a task if not clearly understood by a team member? These are also some other questions that management will ask under this skill set.

Team members will need to give examples of the manager’s communication skills. Communication can also cover communicating outside the workplace.

  • Emotional Intelligence 

In modern times, emotional intelligence has become a crucial part of management. It determines how well managers can handle conflict and embraces emotional vulnerability. The conflict may be internal, meaning a team member is battling out-of-work issues. Or external, which is between two or more team members. 

How good are they at encouraging, motivating during tough times, and connecting with their team? Can the person control themselves when angry? How does the person relate and interact with other members of the team?

Staff members will review their performance based on how their manager treats them.

  • Strategic Planning Skills

The reason companies appoint or promote most people into a managerial role is because of their strategic planning skills. They will assess the manager based on their ability to plan, if the manager had the foresight of noting the organizational goal while planning for the team, and how well they adapt when unforeseen circumstances render the initial plan useless. Strategic planning will mean the manager is knowledgeable and flexible enough to make calls that benefit the team and, by extension, the company.

Also Read: How To Build A Successful Upskilling And Reskilling Program

Conclusion

Performance reviews for managers are as important as performance review for employees. It gives them a better understanding and insights into how they work and helps them improve.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you conduct performance reviews for managers? Request for a live demo.

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Guide to select the right Performance Review Software

Investing in performance review software is one of the best decisions your business could make, given how important these applications are for managing an increasingly decentralized work environment. This type of software streamlines work for managers and offers objective ways to measure employee productivity and improve overall management. There’s a huge variety of these performance tools though, and some are quite the investment, so it can be daunting to decide which one you should pick. Don’t worry, we’ll guide you through the entire process of choosing the right performance review software for you.

Step 1: Understand your needs

You need a clear perspective of what you need from a performance review software in terms of HR, finance, and your specific business goals. 

1. Talk to HR

Since HR is responsible for evaluating employee performance and conducting hiring decisions, they will understand your company’s performance needs best. Your organization’s HR department can inform you on what specific features you need from performance evaluation software. They could easily identify how easily such software can be integrated into your company, and whether you should expect a steep learning curve from your employees when they start using it. 

Also Read: 9 Progressive HR Approaches from HR Professionals

2. Budget Constraints 

Professional performance review software is an investment, often a large one, so you need to set a budget range. After having a general idea of what range you can afford to invest in, you need to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of optional features, opting for only the ones you absolutely need. Ideally, you should set your investment range according to your perceived future requirements. If you expect your company to grow massively in the near future or suspect there’s a severe problem with existing performance management, it may be worth spending more. 

3. Organizational Goals

Performance management software is most effective when you already know what you want. It’s not strictly necessary to have a list of exactly everything you need, but it helps to at least have a general idea of what place the system has in your company. 

For instance, if you’re a software development company, you may want your employees to develop new applications quicker, but you also don’t want to compromise on quality. In such a case, you need performance management software that doesn’t just track time but also provides a checklist of project requirements to ensure new applications are developed quicker without loss in quality.

Also Read: 7 Reasons Why Goal Setting Is Important

4. Use a trial or demo version.

Sometimes the best way to see if something works is to just try it out and see what happens. Thankfully, many performance review softwares have trial and demo versions you can test for a short period of time to see if they fit your needs. Usually, you’ll be given access for a week, which is enough time to collect data and conduct analysis to see whether productivity has improved or not. 

Using trial software is also a good idea if you’re not sure of what additional features you want to have. While testing the demo or trial version of the performance review software, you’ll quickly discover additional things you need. For example, if you’re a real estate organization, you might find that one of the most valuable additional features you need from your performance review software is being able to calculate the time spent per unit by a vendor. 

5. Note the features you want 

Although every company’s needs are different, there are generally a few functions every company needs, like listing goals, recording data, and exporting information. And, depending on your organization, you may have specific requirements like providing in-app feedback to employees too. 

Basic features

  • Assignments

Effective performance review software has the capacity to assign team and individual goals for your employees, and it should be able to integrate them in a way that makes sense from an overall perspective. Objective and Key Results (OKR) can easily be used on performance review software. 

  • Data Recording

Performance appraisal software should allow you to collect performance-related data from employees such as the number of hours logged, the amount of time taken to complete a task, etc. This raw data should be easily accessible for managers. 

  • Export data

You should be able to export the data stored on the application to external sources for safety, analytical, or managerial reasons. There is no valid reason for not being able to do that. 

  • Basic statistics

At least some basic statistical functions should be present, like calculating averages. These statistics offer meaningful information for managers. 

Also Read: What Is A Performance Management System?

Advanced functions 

These requirements may or may not apply to your specific case, but generally the larger and more complex an organization is, their needs will also be more complex. 

  • Goal adjustment and editability 

Depending on your industry, you may have very complex tasks that you assign to employees. In that case, you need a performance review system that allows managers to collect different types of data flexibly and edit task requirements if needed. 

  • Feedback mechanism 

Being able to give feedback directly through the employee performance management application is a desirable feature for large organizations. 

  • Real-Time Progress Updates 

This feature is especially desirable for companies with large numbers of remote workers. Being able to see everything that each employee is doing at a glance helps managers better understand their employee’s conditions. 

  • Visual Representation of Data 

Some performance software lets you construct basic visual diagrams, like piecharts, bar graphs and histograms, of employee performance. These visual aids can be useful if you want to represent information intuitively. 

  • Compensation Integration 

Being able to dispense salaries from a performance application is a useful feature if your employees frequently work overtime, and you would like to track them easily. 

Step 2: Consider Technical Aspects 

Even if you find a performance review system that aligns with your goals perfectly, you still need to make sure it can be integrated into your existing work systems optimally.

1. Compatibility with existing systems

Larger organizations typically already have databases and systems to record employee performance. If you already have such a setup, make sure you can easily export the existing data to the new software. Also, make sure your current It setup will easily allow you to run the software. 

You could start assessing your needs by consulting your IT department about the best way to introduce the performance evaluation software to your organization. Most performance management applications, especially high-end ones, are designed to be compatible with most systems, but you should still check regardless. 

2. Employee adaptation

Transitioning to a new software might initially be difficult for your employees if they’re not technically literate. You might experience disruption caused by the adjustment period, that’s normal, but it should not be a prolonged problem. It should not take your organization more than a week to adjust to the new system. 

This is why trial periods are crucial. During the trial period of a performance review application, take note of how quickly your employees adjust to the new system. If they take too long, it’s evidence that the specific application isn’t right for you. 

Also Read: 8 Steps To Effective Employee Surveys

3. UI – UX or Interface design

A good performance management application should be easy to use with a friendly, clear, and intuitive user interface (UI). Ideally, your staff should experience minimal confusion while using the application. A good UI will ensure the software performs optimally. 

Conversely, a bad UI will lead to disruptions. Employees may find it difficult to use and will make mistakes, skewing the accuracy of the data recorded. Bad UI also indicates the company that developed the software lacks professionalism. 

4. Hosting 

It’s important to pay attention to whether your performance evaluation software can be hosted locally or on the cloud. Ideally, a performance management application should be hosted on a cloud-dedicated server to maximize safety. This type of infrastructure tends to be the most stable, and you should try to get applications that only run on the cloud. 

Step 3: Consider long-term viability 

Performance management software is a long-term investment, so you should make sure the application you choose benefits you long-term.

1. Customer Support 

Inevitably, you will run into problems with any performance management software you use. When these problems arise, you want to make sure the company you’ve hired has a good customer support system. It will help you quickly diagnose your issues and provide effective support. It would be a good idea to check the customer support reviews of different performance review applications. Steer clear of applications with generally bad customer support reviews since it indicates a lack of professionalism. 

2. Scalability and flexibility

Your organization’s needs will change over time as it grows, expands, and encounters new challenges. The performance review software should, ideally, be able to adapt to the changing needs. Your requirements with 100 employees will be vastly different than they are with 10. So make sure that any software you choose to invest in has the potential to be scaled up to the changing needs. The best options will allow you to change nearly everything about the application long-term.

3. Longevity 

Compatibility with new systems is an important requirement. Ideally, the software you invest in today should be fully compatible with various systems for the next 5 to 10 years at least. You should consult with your application’s provider over how long they intend to offer IT support, including how frequently they intend to release updates. The best performance systems will have guaranteed long-term support for their systems and a dedicated team.

Conclusion

An employee performance management software is a great investment, but like any other purchase, you have to make sure you do it right. You need to choose the software that fulfils your specific requirements best, is the easiest to use, has the most number of desired features, and fits in your budget. 

Want to know about Engagedly’s performance review software? Request a demo from our experts!

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Performance Management Software: Two Mistakes To Avoid

There are many different kinds of performance management software out there in the market. But choosing the right kind of performance review software takes a lot of effort since there are quite a few things to consider before selecting software and we are faced with a sea of choices.

Continue reading “Performance Management Software: Two Mistakes To Avoid”

4 Ways Your Performance Review Is Destroying Teamwork!

Employee performance review is one of the most popular practices for evaluating employee performance. We have written various articles on our blog that talk about the importance of employee performance reviews and can help you get familiar with the process.

With performance reviews, everything seems to be advantageous to the organization; but there is a less commonly discussed aspect of performance reviews that tells a different story. What if your performance review is destroying your team?

Continue reading “4 Ways Your Performance Review Is Destroying Teamwork!”

6 Must-Haves For An Employee Performance Review Software!

Employee performance evaluation is one of the most important aspects of the workplace. Many organizations have discarded their traditional paper-based performance reviews for a digital solution; employee performance review software and they are right in doing so!

A performance review software can help you keep track of employee performance more accurately. You can clearly communicate your performance expectations with your employees and stay connected with everyone.

Also Read: Employee Engagement Tips To Avoid Burnout

There’s a wide range of performance review software available online for you to choose from. Depending on your organization’s requirements, you can select the software that best suits you. But don’t forget to go through this list of must-haves for performance review software before you choose one!

Customizable Review Templates

Performance review templates make the performance evaluation process more organized and help you follow a specific standard for evaluating each team. There is performance review software that has sample review templates for different departments in an organization. The problem here is that these sample templates are not usually customizable.

Having a customizable review template allows you to change the contents of the review template based on changing work practices and industry trends. So, customizable review templates in performance review software are a must-have!

Ease Of Use

In every article so far, we have mentioned that software should be easy to use and understand; we stand by that maxim in this article too. The performance review process should be easy to understand and implement in an organization.

There are many performance review software out there, which have many features but are very confusing. Software should follow a process to execute a specific action. A performance review software should have a concrete procedure to carry out performance evaluation, without affecting other activities in an organization. It should be simple and understandable and shouldn’t take employees hours just to get familiar with the software. So a simple user interface and a clear procedure are must-haves!

Also Read: You Received Negative Performance Review, What Next?

Continuity Of Performance Evaluation

Performance evaluation is not a ‘one-time in a year’ activity. It is important to continue it at regular intervals throughout the year. Choose a performance review software that supports performance evaluation anytime throughout the year.

This helps you keep track of employee performance efficiently and perceive their personal development.

Performance Review Competencies

When you evaluate the performance of an employee, it is important to list out the performance review competencies.

Example:

Competency: Analytical Thinking

Representative Behaviors:

  • Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determining its significance; collecting data; using tools such as flow charts, Pareto charts, fish diagrams, etc. to disclose meaningful patterns in the data; making inferences about the meaning of the data; and using logic and intuition to arrive at conclusions or decisions.
  • Approaches a complex task or problem by breaking it down into its component parts and considering each part in detail.
  • Carefully weighs the priority of things to be done.

In some software, there are competencies that are already listed for you to choose from and some software allow you to create performance review competencies yourself. Having an option to choose/ create competencies gives you an opportunity to add more to a performance review.

Associated With Goals And Objectives

When evaluating the performance of an employee, you need all the details of their performance over a particular period of time to keep the review accurate. Not many software give this option but associating individual/organizational goals and objectives with their performance review can help improve the quality of the review.

Choose a performance review software that allows you to associate employee goals and their progress with the review for reference.

Also Read: Smart On-Boarding Practices That Go A Long Way

Self-Evaluation

Sometimes it is very important to assess yourself accurately. Self-evaluation gives you a chance to improve yourself and contribute to organizational productivity. You cannot do it without having a proper system to measure your performance.

A performance review software must allow you to assess yourself accurately by allowing you to create your individual goals, check in to them, and use these as references to measure your own performance.

If you want to know how Engagedly can help you with performance reviews, request for a demo!

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6 Ways Performance Review Software Can Help You Revamp Performance Management

To quote a tried and test proverb, old is gold. But not when it comes to HR practices. HR practices need to reflect the world and times we live in, and our current work environment as well.

Continue reading “6 Ways Performance Review Software Can Help You Revamp Performance Management”

What Should I Look For In My Performance Management Software?

Traditional performance review methods are deeply flawed. And if you recognize that, more power to you. However, before you blindly pick out performance management software on the basis of the fact that anything is better than traditional performance review methods, here are few things you need to think about.

Continue reading “What Should I Look For In My Performance Management Software?”

Is There A Right Time For Performance Reviews?

Most organizations hold performance reviews annually. But with the growing disenchantment with annual performance reviews, quite a few organizations are exploring other avenues and the concept of more frequent performance reviews.

Continue reading “Is There A Right Time For Performance Reviews?”

What Kind Of Questions Should Your Performance Review Contain?

Performance reviews are vital for any individual who wants to develop their career. Employers find it crucial because it allows them to know where their employees stand in the big picture and helps them understand the areas where the employees need to work on.

Continue reading “What Kind Of Questions Should Your Performance Review Contain?”

Mistakes To Avoid When Using Performance Review Software

There are much different performance review software out there in the market. Choosing performance review software takes quite a lot of effort as there are a few key points you need to consider before you decide upon a certain software.

Continue reading “Mistakes To Avoid When Using Performance Review Software”

4 Ways Performance Review Software Can Help Improve Performance Reviews

Did you ever think that one day there would be software through which you could carry out a performance review?I’m not sure many people, me included, ever thought that one day there would exist software applications that can carry out performance reviews, ensure continuous feedback, foster employee engagement and communication etc.

Continue reading “4 Ways Performance Review Software Can Help Improve Performance Reviews”

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Examples of Performance Review Wording

Filling out a form about an employee’s performance is fairly easy, but when it comes to providing additional comments, this is the step where many managers stumble.

Continue reading “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Examples of Performance Review Wording”

Thank Us Later – 4 Reasons To Start Thinking About Performance Reviews

Employee performance review is a huge responsibility. You have to keep track not only of employee performance throughout the year but also the areas where employees require improvement.

Most employers avoid these reviews because of their elaborate nature. Many employers debate that performance management should be trashed. But are they that useless?

Continue reading “Thank Us Later – 4 Reasons To Start Thinking About Performance Reviews”