Employee appraisal software

What is Employee Performance Appraisal Software?

Employee appraisal software is a digital tool that simplifies the process of managing and evaluating performance. It enables organisations to conduct structured reviews, set clear goals, and provide regular meaningful feedback, ensuring a seamless and efficient approach to performance management. Often referred to as performance management software, or performance management systems the concept is the same and the software is designed to facilitate an effective employee performance review process this can be bi annual formal performance appraisals or continuous feedback performance evaluations.

By automating and organising the employee performance appraisal process, this software reduces administrative burdens, enhances transparency, and promotes continuous improvement within the workforce.

Performance management software key features should include:

• Performance Tracking: Monitor employee performance and track progress against employee objectives sometimes referred to as goals or performance metrics.
• Objective Setting: Align individual goals with organisational objectives for better clarity and focus.
• Feedback Management: Facilitate timely feedback or continuous feedback between managers and employees, through effective one to ones, or regular employee appraisals or performance reviews. The option to provide peer to peer feedback or 360 degree feedback forms part of any continuous feedback tool.
• Tracks employee development: Set professional development, track employee performance aligned to specific development and growth plans. By setting performance improvement plans linked to development both the employee and manager have a clear view on what is expected.
• Reporting and Analytics: At an HR level the ability to generate insights into performance trends to support data-driven decision-making, combined with real time dashboard and performance reports enables an organisation to manage the performance review process across the business.

Why Use Performance Management Software?

Managing the performance management process and employees appraisals efficiently while ensuring fairness and transparency is crucial. Performance management software offers a streamlined and effective solution that benefits both organisations and employees.

Employees are seeking an efficient solution to managing their performance evaluations, which gives the clear employee goals, will engage employees and enable them to review simply their performance data and review forms. If the employee appraisals are transparent and fair then this will keep employees engaged in the process.

Any system should be underpinned with automated reminders, on screen prompts or nudges that enable employees and line managers to action items in a timely manner.

The employee performance software solution should support regular feedback. This should be an ongoing process, not just left to the end of year employee performance review. However to improve employee engagement the system should provide objective feedback in a timely manner and provide the option to collect feedback or provide peer feedback.

People will take onboard their objectives when they understand their role in organisational objectives or the team’s performance, employee performance software should provide instant and simple onscreen visibility. Experience has shown us when individual objectives are in sync with company priorities, it promotes a unified approach to success.

For HR and managers, performance management software, should provide real time employee data in just a few clicks. With actionable insights and performance reports it enables HR professionals to make informed decisions, identify trends, and improve processes. This in turns means more effective use of time through dedicated HR Software.

For organisations navigating the complexities of effective performance management, adopting performance management software like Actus is a smart investment to drive continuous improvement and ensure compliance with best practices.

Things to consider before implementing performance review software

If your employee evaluation process today consists of starting the year with annual objectives, that are then reviewed at the end of the year during one to one performance appraisals.

Consideration should be given to the approach and how to implement continuous performance management. Typically with this approach employees often feel disconnected to their objectives until the end of year review process, if at this stage the manager raises any concerns that haven’t been addressed previously this can impact the employees morale and manager feedback should always be given at the point of addressing an issue or recognition for a job well done. This enables the employee the opportunity to adjust behaviour or undertake development.

Often this approach can leave employees feeling disconnected to the overall company strategy and goals, regular feedback and sharing company objectives helps managers align employee goals with the company goals.

Conclusion: It’s time for Performance Appraisals to Change

The world of work has changed — and our approach to performance appraisals needs to change with it. Outdated, once-a-year appraisals no longer reflect how people work, learn, or grow. They fail to meet the needs of individuals, managers, and organisations alike. They are also missed opportunity when it comes to talent management and retention or employee engagement.

Purpose built systems like Actus represent a new generation of performance management software — one that’s continuous, transparent, aligned, and strategically valuable. They free up time, improve the quality of conversations, and can turn performance management into a lever for business success.

So, if your performance appraisal process is still stuck in the past, it might be time to rethink it — and invest in a solution like Actus performance management software that is designed for the future.

Actus employee performance management software is designed to transform the way organisations manage performance. It provides a structured and user-friendly platform for conducting appraisals, setting clear objectives, and delivering meaningful feedback.

Actus has a range of performance management review templates, and with a wealth of experience of implementing performance management software can support the change management process that

Hopefully this article has given you a good idea of which performance management software features are essential and which differentiate the basic platforms from the more sophisticated purpose built systems like Actus. If you would like to take a look at how Actus can help you to streamline and modernise your performance review process, please do get in touch here:

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More useful resources

Subscribe to the Actus YouTube channel for educational HR videos, including  a 40 second explainer video about ‘How Actus Performance Management Software reporting works?’.

Read more blogs by Lucinda Carney see here.

Listen to ‘The HR Uprising Podcast’ hosted by Lucinda Carney, which has a variety of informative topics in business and HR. Visit the HR Uprising website or download wherever you get your podcasts from (YouTube, Spotify, Apple etc). Listen to episode 206 ‘Rethinking Appraisals’

HR Uprising Podcast episodes on Performance Management

For monthly updates on all things Actus Software and the HR Uprising Podcast… Follow our monthly newsletter ‘Actus Uprising’ on LinkedIn. omes with implementing a new performance appraisal software solution.