Performance Management Software | Netchex

Request a Quote

Request a Quote

Performance Reviews

Create customizable evaluations with variable point scales.

Assign & Track Reviews

View and approve all tasks, set assignment and due dates—with just a few clicks.

Actionable Data

Analyze results. Compare data over time and between teams and departments.

 

NetPerform

Performance reviews are an essential tool for developing employees, building better teams, and growing your business. If not done correctly, the process can be inconsistent, ineffective, and time-consuming—leaving you with a lot of data, but little insight. 

Improve your employee evaluation process with NetPerform, Netchex’s comprehensive performance management system. 

Netchex Performance Management System
Netchex Performance Management System

More Options & Greater Flexibility

Conduct highly customizable peer, manager, and self-evaluations of employees 

  • Craft your own questions and responses 
  • Create evaluations using customizable point scales 
  • Greater flexibility with unlimited questions, answers, and comment fields

Manage The Entire Process

Assign and track evaluations to an individual, department, or company-wide

  • View all tasks—upcoming, open, pending approval, overdue, and completed
  • Set assignment dates based on preferred criteria, such as anniversaries
  • Allow admins to easily review and approve all tasks
Netchex Performance Management System
Netchex Performance Management System

Dashboard Overview

Get the most out of your company’s results and data with an easy-to-use and customizable dashboard.

  • Compare scores between individuals and teams 
  • Gain insight into performance and growth with comparisons over time 
  • Review and download data for easier analysis

Performance Management 101

Performance reviews are a long-standing staple of businesses everywhere. Dating as far back as the 1920s, employee reviews grew to become a valued and widespread business practice by the post-war 1950s. 

In the decades since, performance reviews have expanded to encompass more than just basic evaluations of employees. These were added in an effort to create a more thorough appraisal of employees on all levels. 
Now included are primary and secondary skills like:

These were added in an effort to create a more thorough appraisal of employees on all levels. 

Performance reviews—when done right—are a highly useful way for employers to: 

  • Assess employees 
  • Uncover strengths and weaknesses 
  • Identify workflow issues 
  • Implement positive change 

Furthermore, performance reviews have potential to motivate your best employees and improve the weaker ones. They are also a useful way for managers to check-in and connect with their employees on a direct, one-to-one level. 

As these reviews evolved into a universal and crucial tool for measuring performance company-wide, a process was needed to plan, deliver, and analyze. From this, the concept known as performance management began to take shape. 

I. What is Performance Management? 

Performance Management is the con­tin­ual process of assessing and improv­ing performance between a supervisor and an employee. Through ongoing evaluation and communication, performance management elevates every interaction with an employee into a more valuable learning opportunity.   

Guided by communication and data, both indi­vid­ual and team goals are discussed and mutually set by both parties. These goals and the plans set forth to achieve them should align with the overall strate­gic goals of the organ­i­za­tion.  

The performance management process includes: 

  1. Defining expectations
  2. Setting objectives 
  3. Identifying goals  
  4. Review­ing and assess­ing progress 
  5. Providing positive and constructive feedback 
  6. Devel­op­ing the knowl­edge, skills, and abil­i­ties of employees  

The main takeaway here is that per­for­mance man­age­ment is a con­tin­u­ous process—not a once-a-year activ­i­ty. Performance management is a whole work system that begins on an employee’s first day and only ends after an employee leaves your company. It provides the backbone of your interaction with an employee and demands continual communication throughout the year.  

II. What are the Benefits of Performance Management?  

Implementing performance management software has innumerable benefits to your company and your employees. These include things like:

Developing employee talent 

By monitoring employees’ abilities, companies can cultivate an agile environment working towards a common goal with the ability to shift priorities.

Identifying training needs 

Whether improving skill sets or increasing industry knowledge, performance management can help identify shortcomings or future training requirements.

Aligning individual, department, and company goals

Personal goals must align with overarching team and company goals. Regular check-ins are crucial and provide an opportunity to: 

  • Discuss progress
  • Provide support
  • Ensure success

Improving communication

Timely and constructive communication amongst all employees enables greater cooperation and productivity throughout the company.

Improving motivation and morale 

Performance reviews should always include positive feedback, including celebrating success and recognizing achievements. Confident and fulfilled people make happier employees.

Improving employee engagement and retention 

Employee engagement is key to boosting productivity, developing satisfied employees, and maximizing ROI. Engaged employees are more invested and have longer tenures.

Making sustainable change 

Performance management is an ongoing process. Employees need to develop and results take time to show. A small sustainable change is better than an employee floundering and quitting.

III. The Problem with Performance Management—And How to Fix It 

As the criteria for employee reviews becomes more encompassing, the process to manage it all needed to evolve along with it. Unfortunately, the performance management process has failed to grow at the same rate over the years. 

Recently, an unexpected trend has emerged revealing performance reviews have fallen to the wayside by companies large and small. And truthfully, it is easy to see why this is happening. 

The employee performance review process can be susceptible to breakdown due to: 

  • Inaccurate data 
  • Unprepared management 
  • Time-consuming process 
  • Lack of transparency 
  • Infrequent use
  • Inability to enact change 

So, how can you fix the way your company conducts performance reviews? 

While performance reviews remain a crucial tool, it is actually the method and management of the review process that is often outdated, lacking, and in need of serious overhaul.  

Using HR software specifically designed for the task of performance management makes the process significantly easier and more productive. With the right technology in place, employee reviews can prove worthwhile once again with improved collaboration, efficiency, and job satisfaction among your employees.   

Don’t abandon the performance management process. Your company’s performance reviews can be re-built for a modern, diverse, and more integrated workforce—and prove far more beneficial than ever before.

IV. How to Improve Your Performance Management Process

Conduct reviews more than once a year

The old way of doing things had employee reviews occurring once a year—typically around the end of the year. But today’s workforce demands more feedback. Formal assessments should occur at least twice a year, if not quarterly. Additionally, weekly one-on-ones should focus on:

  • Developing teams
  • Checking key performance metrics
  • Maintaining open communication
Netchex Performance Management

Give employees advance notice and invite their input

When you have the right system in place, the review process should be open, transparent, and anticipated. Instead of letting managers do all the talking, engage in a more collaborative conversation with employee input, including opportunities for staff to rate their own performance.

Be honest and as transparent as possible

If weekly one-on-ones have included productivity checks and addressed any issues, the semi-annual review should rarely include surprises. When employees have failed to meet or risen above expectations, those events must be included in reviews. Employees who are more sure of their current standing will be more confident and satisfied in their jobs. 

Standardize the process and scoring

Performance management software allows companies to develop custom evaluations that track the metrics that are most relevant for your company. When employees are rated with the same metrics as other employees with every review, it is easier to identify and address issues while measuring improvements over time.

Emphasize strengths and successes

Reviews shouldn’t focus exclusively on the negative. Performance reviews should also be the opportunity to celebrate success and recognize employee achievements. Positive feedback acknowledges hard or exceptional work. Focusing on shortfalls, employees become discouraged and less invested in the role and the company.

Netchex Performance Management

Set professional development goals

Most employees are motivated to learn new skills and improve their job performance. Rather than continually striving for improved scores, it is helpful to ask employees what they want to explore. There may be special projects and other opportunities for each employee to focus on their preferred skills.

Netchex Performance Management

Invest in performance management software

When using a performance management system:

  • Company and individual goals have a better chance of succeeding
  • Improvement and learning plans can be implemented more effectively
  • The entire process can be managed more comprehensively and efficiently
Netchex Performance Management

V. How to Collect and Utilize the Right Employee Review Data 

Before you can begin to leverage performance reviews, you’ll need to find a system for collecting the data most relevant for your company. But what data should you be collecting?

Quantitative workload 

Most employees have a role that can be measured in a standardized way. When employees are assessed with quantitative reviews instead of subjective summaries, it’s easier to compare performance over time and identify employees with greater untapped potential. 

Quality of work 

Existing QA scores can be sorted for individuals and built into your process. There will likely be additional metrics that accurately reflect the quality of an employee’s work (such as client feedback). Make sure all available numbers are integrated into the review process.   

Peer feedback 

Peer reviews are great for identifying which employees collaborate well with others. While keeping things as objective as possible, these metrics still reflect an employee’s ability to work as part of the team. 

Time management 

Performance reviews are an opportunity to address issues that you don’t typically tackle on a daily basis. These often include things like:

  • Arrival times
  • Breaks
  • Overtime

A performance management system with an integrated time and attendance tracking solution will do the heavy lifting collecting this data. 

Netchex Performance Management

Properly use performance review data 

Your data must include both individual contributions and organizational processes. With the right data, performance reviews can be used to improve nearly every aspect of the employee experience. Without the proper metrics, the review process can feel arbitrary and subjective, but meaningful data provides a framework for real objectives. 

When team managers can position themselves to help employees achieve goals, then an otherwise adversarial review process can be more collaborative and beneficial for all. Accurate data collection makes it possible for reliable analytics to guide the business toward improving efficiency and achieving future goals. 

VI. How to Conduct a Performance Review?

Performance reviews can be stressful and daunting not only for employees, but also managers. For those conducting the review, there are numerous actions that must occur before, during, and after the review to ensure a positive experience and overall effectiveness. 

Here’s a brief overview of how to plan, conduct, and follow-up a successful employee review (the full version can be downloaded here):

Before the review

Prior to conducting an employee review, managers must complete several tasks in order to properly set up the meeting, including: 

  • Collect and review applicable performance data
  • Solicit feedback from co-workers, other managers, and customers/clients
  • Send and review employee self-assessment
  • Develop an action plan based on current performance and proposed development

During the review

Likewise, during the actual review, managers have a lot to do to ensure a successful meeting takes place, including:

  • Create a private, comfortable environment
  • Maintain meeting agenda and flow
  • Discuss performance and improvement/development
  • Encourage employee’s active participation in the meeting
  • Set a timeframe for formal follow-up

After the review

  • Follow up with performance feedback regularly 
  • Use development/improvement plan as a guide during weekly one-on-one meetings 
  • Forward appropriate documentation to HR
 

Performance Management FAQ

Do you want to get more for your business with Payroll, Benefits, & HR made easy?

Ready for a live demo? Fill out our contact form or
call (877) 729-2661 to speak with Netchex sales and discover how our payroll software can help you.

Contact Sales