What’s a key feature in any performance appraisal system?

What’s a key feature in any performance appraisal system?

If there was one activity that carried out consistently well within your business would drive engagement, productivity and turn around underperformance, would you be interested in embedding it? Well, there is and here’s how this performance appraisal system feature can help…

When researching performance appraisal systems it is easy to focus purely on the appraisal functionality and how closely it matches your paper-based version. However, you could be missing a trick, as an effective performance appraisal system can help to increase individual and company performance. We’ve always thought this was the best approach and academic research into what really drives employee engagement and productivity would support this view:

“In fact, researchers cannot emphasise enough the importance of going beyond the formal (annual/twice yearly appraisals) and giving ongoing feedback to employees throughout the year.”

(De Nisi & Pritchard 2006)  

View our Research Paper on the topic 

So, it seems that regular feedback throughout the year is key to delivering high performance. One of the best ways of achieving this is by embedding a culture of one-to-ones in your business. To find out more about the different types of feedback and how they impact performance read our E-Book – Feedback – The Game Changer for Performance Management.

These one to one meetings are the foundation of your high-performance culture but the importance of them can be overlooked. Whether you call them one-to-one’s or ‘catch-ups’, they should take place at least monthly but often slip.

One to one meetings are key for:

• Delivering high performance

• Turning around underperformance

• Engaging and retaining talent

Because one-to-ones should be integral to your performance management cycle, surely it is just as important to consider them as a key feature when researching a new performance appraisal system?

The problem is they are all too frequently overlooked or used as a tactical action-driven catch up rather than a more holistic meeting that involves coaching and re-connection between organisational goals and personal objectives. The most effective people managers within an organisation will usually be carrying out regular one-to-one meetings.

Depending on the circumstances and staff requirements, the agenda could be driven by either party and be nurturing or challenging. Either way, one-to-ones are about performance and should be an integral part of your performance management cycle.

So let’s reflect on the title of this blog – what’s a key feature in any performance appraisal system? Or should we say performance management system to emphasise the fact that this is about more than just appraisal?

It is, without doubt, the one-to-one functionality – well, we would say this as we built this into our Actus Performance Management Software from the start! Nevertheless, to deliver high performance, one-to-one’s are integral. This is why we fully incorporate them into our software.

How can performance appraisal software support one-to-ones?

Now clearly, you can and should encourage embedding quality one-to-one’s within your business at any time. However, with the support of appraisal software, you can make this message overt and monitor take up. You can also protect your business as performance conversations are recorded, protecting you from litigation. To encourage a culture of one-to-one’s, why not take a look at our Performance Appraisal System?

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