Ever wondered how top companies streamline their employee evaluation processes? The secret lies in online performance management software. Whether you’re a small business or a large organisation, going online can make all the difference.
Are you tired of spending hours upon hours sifting through stacks of performance reviews and struggling to keep track of employee progress? Well, fret no more! Online software is here to revolutionise the way you handle performance evaluations. With its extensive collection of tools, templates, and streamlined solutions, this software will make the process of managing employee performance a breeze.
Gone are the days of flipping through endless lists and trying to decipher complex formulas. From customisable templates to pre-built models, this software has everything you need to create comprehensive performance reports in a matter of minutes. So why waste valuable time and energy on tedious paperwork when you can automate the entire process with just a few simple steps? Stay tuned as we explore the many advantages of online performance management software and how it can transform your HR department for the better.
But first, let’s make sure we are on the same page.
Understanding the Essence of Performance Management
Performance management is an ongoing journey where we set personal and team objectives that align with the broader goals of the organisation. We lay out plans to reach these goals, regularly check our progress, and fine-tune our approach. Along the way, we also focus on enhancing the knowledge, abilities, and skills of everyone involved. If you really want to go into detail, then perhaps Michael Armstrong says it best in his Handbook of Performance Management: An Evidence-Based Guide to Delivering High Performance.
When thinking of employee performance management, then annual performance appraisals probably first spring to mind. But, performance management is much more than this. Performance appraisals are just one part of the overall process. Ideally, your performance management process should be continuous and include things like personal development plans, feedback and SMART objectives. You might also include competency reviews, behaviours and performance against your organisational values. Performance management can also include talent management and succession planning.
To manage the collection of this data, the use of software is an enormous help. In the early days, many companies moved away from paper to take advantage of electronic formats such as Word or Excel. However, dedicated performance management software proved a lot more useful than these generic software and we’ll now take a look at why.
The Advantages of Online Performance Management Software
First, let me explain what I mean by online performance management software. We’re talking about accessing the software via a web browser. All a user needs is a browser and an Internet connection. And there’s our first advantage – no special apps to install, everyone already has a browser.
Here is a list of the main advantages of moving your performance management process online.
Centralised Data Store
All your organisation and employee data is held centrally. So, rather than sitting all over the place in documents on people’s disk drives and email inboxes, you always have the latest data available to you in one place. This makes it always available for reporting and analytics.
Always Available When Needed
The problem with emailing documents around is that you have to wait for one person to finish what they need to do. Then mail you the result before you can make a start. When your process is online, you don’t have to ever worry about that. All of your data is always available to you whenever you need it.
Easy to Use
Paper is a pain. Futhermore, static electronic forms aren’t much better. However when you go online, not only is the user interface specifically designed for the job, but also it can dynamically guide the user through the process based on what has been done and what is yet to be done.
Automates Performance Management Process Flow
If you’re tired of chasing people to get the reviews completed, then well, go online and let the performance management software do it for you. Moreover, the software can personalise chases because it knows exactly what each individual needs to do. Relying on blanket chasing manually is not only time-consuming, but also you could end up chasing people who have already done what they need to.
Saves Everyone Time doing Performance Management
Performance management software often has time-saving tools built in. For example, helping managers to create objectives or suggesting development opportunities. Then there’s the scalability: paper or emailing Excel documents ‘simple’ becomes unmanageable fast.
Performance Management Reporting and Analytics
With all the data being consistent, and centrally stored, you can do amazing things with it. It goes way beyond tracking progress or tracking performance. With an online platform, you now have a Data-Driven Decision Making capability. People love charts – you’ll have access to loads of those.
And then there’s the ability to feed other processes in your organisation with the data collected. Think talent management, Learning and Development planning, success planning, pay and awards..
Improved Collaboration
Features that promote teamwork between different teams and departments, fostering a more unified work environment. This is particularly true if the software supports cascading objectives.
Accessibility and Flexibility
Access performance data from anywhere and anytime, be it at the office, at home, or on the move.
Privacy and Security
Having Excel or Word documents fly around in email is not secure. Remember, employee performance management information will include personal data. It needs to be properly controlled for GDPR and UK-DPA compliance. Not to mention user trust.
Consistency
With a centralised approach, you can make your process consistent. Configure your process centrally, and the whole organisation will automatically follow it.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it’s clear that online performance management software is the way to go. The straightforward and streamlined steps, along with the use of templates and tools, make the process simple and efficient.
By moving to online performance management, you can ensure compliance with regulations such as GDPR and UK-DPA. This is crucial for protecting personal data and maintaining user trust. No more worrying about Excel or Word documents flying around in insecure emails.
With a centralised approach, you can also achieve consistency in your performance management process. Configure what you need centrally, and the whole organisation automatically picks it up. This eliminates any confusion or discrepancies that may arise from manual processes.
If you are interested to read about what features to look out for in your online performance management software, then look no further than our Top Performance Management Software Features article. We also have an article for a step-by-step guide to choosing your next performance management software.
So, why wait? Read how to choose online performance management software and embrace its advantages.
Click here to learn more and start your journey towards efficient and effective performance management with PerformanceHub.
