Last Reviewed: November 19th, 2024

Best Performance Review Software Of 2024

What is Performance Review Software?

Performance review software streamlines the often-cumbersome process of employee evaluations. Imagine ditching paper forms and spreadsheets for a digital platform that simplifies feedback, goal setting, and performance tracking. These tools address the challenges of time-consuming paperwork, inconsistent evaluations, and difficulty in managing continuous feedback. Benefits include increased efficiency, improved communication between managers and employees, and a more structured approach to employee development. Key functionalities include performance rating scales, templates for feedback forms, and features to track progress towards goals. Emerging features focus on automation, with reminders and prompts to ensure timely feedback conversations and 360-degree feedback options. Performance review software is valuable for businesses of all sizes, but especially those with remote teams or large workforces. While some solutions might require training or lack customization options, the overall value proposition is strong. These tools empower businesses to create a culture of feedback and development, ultimately boosting employee performance and retention.

What Are The Key Benefits of Performance Review Software?

  • Increased Efficiency & Speed
  • Standardized & Consistent Reviews
  • Improved Feedback Management
  • Streamlined Goal Setting & Tracking
  • Centralized Performance Data
  • Reduced Paperwork & Administrative Burden
  • Automated Reminders & Deadlines
  • 360-Degree Feedback Options
  • Data-Driven Development Plans
  • Improved Employee Engagement
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Overall

Based on the latest available data collected by SelectHub for 46 solutions, we determined the following solutions are the best Performance Review Software overall:

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Why We Picked Reflektive

Reviews of Reflektive highlight its user-friendly interface, flexibility, and effectiveness in streamlining performance reviews and fostering a feedback-rich culture. One user enthusiastically described Reflektive as a "game-changer," praising its ability to simplify performance reviews and cultivate a more feedback-oriented environment. Another user lauded Reflektive as the most user-friendly performance management software they've encountered, emphasizing its ease of setup and use, along with its significant contribution to improving their performance management processes.

While Reflektive receives accolades for its strengths, users also point out areas for improvement. Some users note the absence of a feature for comparing performance across quarters without opening multiple tabs, as well as the lack of an autosave function. Additionally, occasional bugs in the Outlook app and minor issues with single sign-on have been reported. Despite these drawbacks, the overall sentiment toward Reflektive remains positive, with users consistently praising its ease of use, customizability, and ability to enhance performance management practices. The software's integration with Outlook, allowing users to give and receive feedback, prepare for check-ins, and update goals directly within their email client, is a standout feature that sets Reflektive apart from competitors like BetterUp.

Reflektive is well-suited for organizations of all sizes seeking to improve their performance management processes. Its user-friendly interface, flexibility, and effectiveness in facilitating feedback and goal setting make it a valuable tool for both small businesses and large enterprises. However, it's important to note that software capabilities and user experiences can evolve, so it's always a good idea to check for the latest information and reviews before making a decision.

Pros & Cons

  • User-Interface: The solution has a straightforward and streamlined user interface, according to 61% of users. It’s intuitive and facilitates easy navigation.
  • Goal Management: According to 85% of users who reviewed this pro, it has advanced goal management features to align user goals with the organizational goals.
  • Performance Management: About 80% of users who mentioned this pro said the solution has excellent performance management capabilities to facilitate employee engagement.
  • Better Collaboration and Feedback Management: Regarding this feature, approximately 100% of users said it encourages better collaboration with co-workers. It enables unbiased feedback delivery within the team.
  • Calibration Tools: Users have expressed a desire for more robust features to facilitate calibration meetings, specifically the ability to view and compare employee performance ratings side-by-side.
  • Goal Management: The platform's goal-setting functionality has been noted as an area for improvement, with users finding it somewhat cumbersome and lacking the flexibility needed for effective goal management.
  • Performance Review Process: Some users have found the performance review process to be rigid and lacking in customization options, making it difficult to tailor the system to their specific needs and preferences.

Key Features

  • Feedback Tools:  Facilitate a culture of continuous feedback. Write feedback in Outlook, Slack or Gmail and post it on the recognition wall for the whole team to read and use. Filter to see the information relevant to the users. View historical feedback and plug data directly into performance reviews. 
  • Goal Management: Set goals as public or private, view goal reports, use check-ins to pull up goals and talk about progress, recall real-time feedback for visibility and adjust goals as needed. 
  • Check-Ins: The check-in feature allows managers to construct questions for their employees to answer. It facilitates light conversations between managers and employees. 
  • Analytics and Reporting: Access data and visual reports by department, location and other sub-groups. Uncover biases, pinpoint achievements and view compensation information. 
  • Performance Reviews: Create performance reviews with anonymity settings and the option to customize question types. The system autosaves reviews and displays them in an intuitive format. It integrates with technologies such as BambooHR and Workday. 
  • 1:1 Meetings: Talk through Slack, email, Reflektive or mobile devices to set 1:1 agendas. Track conversations by date, follow-up on past items, use the system’s conversation starters and mark topics as discussed. Users can tie 1:1s back to goals and feedback. 
  • Employee Engagement: The employee engagement module provides anonymous surveys for employees to submit feedback on your organization. Gain access to HR insights with year-round surveys and polls. 
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Why We Picked Betterworks

Betterworks receives praise for its user-friendly interface and intuitive goal-setting features. Users appreciate the platform's ability to align individual goals with broader company objectives, fostering a sense of purpose and direction. The software's feedback tools facilitate continuous performance conversations, promoting employee development and engagement. However, some users note that the mobile app's functionality is limited compared to the desktop version. Additionally, while Betterworks integrates with various HR systems, some users desire more extensive integration options.

Betterworks distinguishes itself through its emphasis on continuous performance management and employee engagement. The platform's features encourage regular feedback, goal setting, and progress tracking, creating a culture of ongoing development and improvement. This focus on employee-centric performance management sets Betterworks apart from traditional performance review systems that often rely on annual or bi-annual evaluations. Consequently, Betterworks is well-suited for organizations seeking to cultivate a culture of feedback, growth, and employee engagement. The platform's flexibility and customization options make it adaptable to various company sizes and industries, particularly those with a modern approach to performance management.

Pros & Cons

  • Goal Alignment: Aligns individual goals with broader company objectives, fostering a sense of purpose and direction among employees.
  • Continuous Feedback: Enables regular feedback exchanges between managers and employees, promoting ongoing development and improvement.
  • Performance Calibration: Facilitates objective performance assessments by mitigating bias through calibration sessions.
  • Development Plans: Supports the creation of personalized development plans to help employees enhance their skills and knowledge.
  • Calibration Issues: Some users have expressed concerns about potential biases during the calibration process, where managers discuss and adjust employee performance ratings to ensure fairness and consistency. Ensuring objectivity and mitigating bias in calibration sessions is crucial for maintaining trust and fairness in the performance management system.
  • Goal Management Challenges: Users have mentioned that setting and aligning goals within Betterworks can be cumbersome, particularly when dealing with intricate organizational structures or complex goal hierarchies. Streamlining the goal-setting process and providing clear guidance on goal alignment can enhance the user experience and promote effective goal management.
  • Limited Customization: Betterworks offers a range of features and functionalities, but some users have noted limitations in customizing the platform to meet their specific needs and preferences. Providing greater flexibility and customization options would empower organizations to tailor the platform to their unique performance management processes and requirements.

Key Features

  • Goals Alignment: Foster individual goal alignment with organization objectives and key results (OKRs) or the FAST goal methodology and quarterly progress reviews. It allows users to quickly view the most pertinent information and interact with goal progress on the activity stream. Integrations to Slack and other applications allow users to bring goal management into their workflow. 
  • Conversations, Feedback and Recognition: Automate goal alignment conversations, regular goal check-ins and career development conversations. Templates for each type of conversation are provided for managers and can be customized by department, job level and business objectives. Conversations can consist of free text and quantitative sources. Peer feedback may be requested or scheduled at any time.  
  • Calibration: Manage talent calibration and succession planning with an intuitive drag-and-drop box UI. Users can filter by department, level, job type, gender and more to provide up-to-date information concerning employee performance and development. 
  • Engagement: Betterworks acquired Hyphen, an employee voice and engagement platform, which has expanded system capabilities to provide automated surveys and polls. They can be configured to reach specific teams or the entire organization; time or event-based launch triggers allow you to customize frequency. The system enables users to create custom action plans based on real-time survey results. Polls help to identify emerging trends and create action plans quickly. 
  • Insights and Analytics: The system allows users to gather talent insights into engagement, career development and manager effectiveness. The input integrates with your HRIS to encourage a smooth flow of processes. 
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Why We Picked Performance Pro

Is Performance Pro a real performance "pro"? Performance Pro is a customizable and automated performance management platform that helps businesses manage talent. It offers features like performance reviews, compensation management, and succession planning. Users praise its user-friendliness and customizability, particularly the ability to tailor content libraries with competencies and tools for meaningful feedback and goal setting. This empowers employees to take ownership of their professional development and aligns goals with strategic objectives, boosting performance and achievement across the organization.

However, some users have pointed out limitations. They desire more robust reporting functionalities and integrations with other HR systems. Despite these drawbacks, Performance Pro stands out for its focus on driving employee development and aligning individual goals with organizational objectives. This makes it ideal for businesses prioritizing talent development and performance improvement. Its customizable features cater to various organizational needs and sizes, making it a versatile solution for businesses seeking to streamline performance management processes and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Pros & Cons

  • Streamlined Goal Setting: Performance Pro simplifies the process of setting goals and aligning them with organizational objectives, making it easier for managers and employees to track progress and measure success.
  • Enhanced Performance Reviews: The platform offers tools for conducting more effective performance reviews, including customizable templates, 360-degree feedback, and performance analytics, enabling managers to provide more meaningful feedback and development opportunities.
  • Improved Employee Engagement: Performance Pro fosters a culture of continuous feedback and development, which can lead to increased employee engagement and motivation.
  • Data-Driven Insights: The platform provides valuable data and insights into employee performance, allowing organizations to make more informed decisions about talent management.
  • Difficult to Use: Users have reported that the platform is not intuitive and requires extensive training to use effectively. This can lead to frustration and wasted time for HR staff and employees.
  • Limited Functionality: Some users have expressed disappointment with the limited functionality of Performance Pro, particularly in areas such as compensation management and succession planning. This can make it difficult for organizations to fully leverage the platform for their talent management needs.
  • Poor Customer Support: Several users have cited poor customer support as a major drawback of Performance Pro. They have reported long wait times, unhelpful responses, and a lack of follow-up from the support team.

Key Features

  • Performance Management:  
    • Pay For Performance: Grant monetary rewards as employees reach their goals using tools such as merit budget allocation, competitive salary data and automated merit increase modeling. 
    • Automation: Create multiple workflows to orchestrate evaluations, employee development and check-ins, customize definitions for ratings, competency and weightings and use single sign-on capabilities. 
    • Goal Management: Set workplace performance goals and track progress by receiving updates. Store and view goals in the goal library and repository. 
    • Feedback: Provide timely evaluations in between annual reviews using real-time feedback tools and 360 views. Keep up to date with reviews by receiving check-in reminders and notifications. 
  • Compensation Management:  
    • Market Data: Attract top talent with credible salary data, salary grades and ranges and a step-by-step job evaluation process. 
    • Equal Pay: Capitalize on external market data, professional compensation consultants and internal salary range benchmarking to identify equal pay for equal work. Use market adjustments to structure compensation based on internal and external market factors. 
    • Merit Pay Modeling: Produce and compare merit paying models based on performances based on company budgets, allocations to managers and automated merit and bonus approvals. 
    • Pay For Performance: Classify top performers and potential flight risks using in-depth analytical tools. Create discretionary merit plans and plans that recognize head contributors. 
    • Automation: Automate job evaluation and benchmarking, merit scenario planning and annual salary updates to reduce the need for manual compensation processes. 
  • Learning Management:  
    • Career Development Plan: Develop employee skills along suitable learning paths based on current and future positions. Tailor training with specific courses and use knowledge retention tools to test and apply what employees have learned. 
    • Learning Program: Kickstart new hires into the business with customizable vision, mission and organizational culture lessons and learning paths to develop fundamental skills on products and services. Use assignment and tracking tools for required and role-based classes. 
    • Learning Content: Choose from over 1,000 courses from a library and select them based on skill areas such as HR, IT, sales and more. Personalize learning with the integrated course authoring system. 
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Why We Picked PerformYard

Stepping into the realm of performance management software, PerformYard emerges as a compelling contender, capturing the attention of users with its user-friendly interface and adaptable framework. Reviews highlight its intuitive design, making it accessible even for those with limited technical expertise. This ease of use is a significant advantage, as it allows teams to quickly adopt and utilize the software without a steep learning curve.

PerformYard's flexibility further distinguishes it from competitors. The software's ability to conform to the unique requirements of diverse organizations empowers users to tailor it to their specific workflows and performance evaluation processes. This adaptability ensures that PerformYard seamlessly integrates into existing systems, rather than forcing organizations to conform to rigid software structures. Additionally, PerformYard offers a comprehensive suite of features encompassing goal setting, performance reviews, and compensation management, providing a holistic solution for performance management needs. Users particularly appreciate the goal-setting functionality, which facilitates clear communication and alignment between employees and managers.

While PerformYard receives widespread acclaim, some users note that certain reporting functions could be more intuitive. However, these minor drawbacks are overshadowed by the software's overall strengths. PerformYard is an ideal choice for organizations seeking a user-friendly, adaptable, and feature-rich performance management solution. Its intuitive design, flexibility, and comprehensive features make it suitable for businesses of all sizes and across various industries.

Pros & Cons

  • Usability: The solution is easy to use, according to 100% of users. It’s easy to navigate with icons and a concise dashboard.
  • Customer Support: According to 100% of users who reviewed this pro, the customer support team is responsive and knowledgeable. The team provides excellent training and guidance to the users.
  • Performance Management: About 100% of users who mentioned this pro said it has excellent performance management capabilities. The ability to provide timely reviews and feedback about employee performance is outstanding.
  • Goal Management: Regarding this feature, approximately 84% of users said that creating, tracking and managing goals is straightforward. Users can produce measurable and consistent goals for the employees that can be customized and updated at any time according to the business needs.
  • Calibration: Users have expressed frustration with the calibration tools, finding them to be cumbersome and lacking the desired level of intuitiveness for effectively managing performance reviews.
  • Integrations: The platform's integration capabilities with other HR and business systems have been a point of contention for some users, as they may require additional configuration or customization to achieve seamless data flow.
  • Reporting: Users have noted limitations in the reporting functionality, particularly in generating customized reports or accessing granular data for in-depth performance analysis.

Key Features

  • Performance Reviews: Allows users to customize performance reviews with a variety of question types to choose from. Set a cadence for review cycles and enable email reminders. A live progress dashboard provides an overview so that users can track review progress and check on participation levels. Performance reviews may incorporate 360s, input from people across the organization, as well as external input.  
  • Goal Management: Break down goals based on their owner, expectation, timeline and contributions with the visual goal cascade feature. These classifications help with assigning responsibilities and breaking the goal into separate, actionable steps. Individual goals have a repository for updates, feedback and collaboration. Users can link goals to reviews. 
  • Continuous Feedback: Provide recognition for employees on the activity stream, provide 1:1 feedback that can be shared with employees’ managers and follow-up with them throughout their time at the organization. Users can inform managers about employee performance with a full track record of their team that can be filtered by date, contributor and type. Users can write private performance notes. 
  • Reporting: Automatically generate reports and visualizations for goals and review data. Reporting also includes review cycle dashboards, a stacked bar chart, performance values nine-box grid, segmented reports, performance trends and custom form reports. 
  • General HR: Access a couple of general HR features such as onboarding workflows, document storage, company directory, enterprise security, activity logs and employee data. 
  • Automation: Leverage automation for email reminders, single sign-on implementation, E-Signature capabilities and more. All employee data is automatically collected, encrypted and stored within the system. Managers can distribute reviews with one click as well as export them to PDF. 
  • Integrations: ntegrates with ADP, BambooHR, Slack, G Suite, Office 365, Okta and OneLogin. These integrations provide synchronicity of business processes, mitigating the need to log into several applications every morning. 
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Key Features

  • Performance Analysis: Employees can provide managers with a perspective of their performance review through self-assessment. Managers can access employee information in a centralized location to improve the quality of performance feedback. 
  • 360-Degree Feedback: Access valuable insights about management, teams and employee performance with both peer and external feedback. Summary reports for all types of feedback also available. 
  • Check-Ins: Adjust check-in cycles and access reports for check-ins to analyze the quality of check-ins. 
  • Recognition: Appreciate high-performing employees and share recognition on the organization dashboard. Access an employees’ recognition for the entire year on their performance review. 
  • Goals: Manage OKRs and monitor individual, team, department and organizational goals with activity logs and integrated check-ins. 
  • Reporting: Analyze performance reports for employees, teams and managers to recognize and reward high-performing employees, which helps improve employee engagement. Track at-risk or near completion goals as well. 
  • Surveys: Track employee engagement and analyze workplace satisfaction to increase retention with surveys and filtered reports. 
  • Content Library: Build and track learning processes while gaining efficiency with reminders and reporting. 
  • Integrations: Integrate seamlessly using API and SFTP with platforms like ADP, Kronos, BambooHR and more. 
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Why We Picked Rippling

Navigating the realm of human resources software can feel like venturing into a labyrinth, but Rippling appears to be a guiding light for many businesses. Users frequently highlight its user-friendly interface, making it accessible even for those with limited experience in HR software. Affordability is another key factor that resonates with users, especially when compared to the often hefty price tags of similar solutions. The comprehensive suite of features offered by Rippling further solidifies its appeal, encompassing everything from payroll and benefits administration to talent management and time tracking. This all-in-one approach eliminates the need for multiple, disparate systems, streamlining HR processes and reducing administrative burdens.

Rippling distinguishes itself through its seamless integrations with third-party applications, such as Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Office 365. This interconnectedness fosters a more cohesive and efficient work environment, allowing data to flow effortlessly between different platforms. Additionally, Rippling's automation capabilities empower businesses to automate repetitive tasks, such as onboarding new employees or processing payroll, freeing up valuable time and resources. The platform's robust reporting and analytics tools provide valuable insights into workforce trends and performance, enabling data-driven decision-making.

Considering its strengths and weaknesses, Rippling emerges as an ideal solution for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a comprehensive, yet affordable and user-friendly HR platform. Its scalability ensures that it can grow alongside a business, adapting to evolving needs and complexities. While larger enterprises with more intricate HR requirements might require a more customizable solution, Rippling's core functionalities and ease of use make it a compelling choice for businesses looking to optimize their HR operations and enhance overall efficiency.

Pros & Cons

  • Global Payroll and Benefits: Rippling streamlines international payroll and benefits administration, eliminating the need for disparate systems and manual processes.
  • Automated Onboarding and Offboarding: New hires can be onboarded efficiently with automated workflows that handle paperwork, equipment provisioning, and systems access. Similarly, offboarding processes are streamlined, ensuring smooth transitions and compliance.
  • Customizable Workflows: Rippling allows HR teams to create custom workflows tailored to their specific needs, automating tasks such as approvals, data collection, and notifications.
  • Integrations: Rippling integrates seamlessly with various HR and business applications, including payroll, benefits, time and attendance, and applicant tracking systems, creating a unified HR ecosystem.
  • Steep Learning Curve: The platform's complexity can be overwhelming for new users, especially those unfamiliar with HR software. Navigating the interface and understanding its features may require significant time investment and training.
  • Customer Support Challenges: Some users have reported difficulties reaching customer support or experiencing slow response times, leading to frustration when seeking assistance with technical issues or general inquiries.
  • Integrations and Customization Limitations: While Rippling offers various integrations, it may not seamlessly connect with all existing HR systems or third-party tools used by businesses, potentially requiring additional configuration or workarounds.

Key Features

  • Onboarding and Offboarding: Onboard employees across departments from anywhere in the world with a single click, setting up payroll, benefits, devices, and apps like Slack and Microsoft 365 within 90 seconds, according to the vendor. When employees are offboarded, the system automatically disables departing employees’ devices. 
  • Payroll: Users need not worry about deductions, paid time off or promotions — the payroll feature is synced with all employee data and HR systems. New hires are set up in payroll and pro-rated automatically. Tools like payrun comparison allow users to compare the current pay run against a previous one, so they can see how variables like promotions and PTO affect employee pay stubs. The module’s global payroll feature expands HR, IT and financial services abroad.
  • Benefits Administration: The system streamlines all a company’s benefits offerings in one place, from healthcare to 401(k)s. Users can choose from preexisting benefits or shop for new benefits, receiving recommendations on the best options. They can also talk with a licensed Rippling advisor or invite their own broker. New hires are automatically invited to review benefit plans and enroll online. 
  • Workflow Management: Automates changes in the chain of approval, empowering managers to define and execute changes quickly and easily. Managers can and make changes, like giving someone a raise, without giving up control.
  • Time Tracking: Managers can set a PTO policy that meets the team's requirements. They can then review and approve vacation requests with a click. Logged hours and paid time off are synced with payroll. 
  • ATS: Rippling Recruiting offers a comprehensive toolset, from candidate assessments and in-platform scheduling to feedback forms and customizable email templates. One-click hiring workflows make it easier to manage onboarding. It also integrates with Rippling Headcount Planning and Compensation Band.
  • Rippling Headcount Planning and Compensation Bands: Achieve visibility and alignment for HR, finance and hiring managers with a single source of data and better access controls.
    • Stakeholders can view actual and projected headcount, and automation saves time during the approval process.
    • Compensation reporting helps track pay trends and prevent over or underpaying. Workflows provide alerts when compa-ratios change and automate the process of enforcing compensation policies.
  • ACA and Cobra Administration: Ensures compliance by automatically delivering ACA notices, and it collects and submits employees’ COBRA payments. It also offers FSA, HSA and commuter benefits on one, pre-tax debit card. 
  • IT and Operations Management: Users can automatically buy, configure, secure and manage company devices — both Apple and Android — with an IT system connected to a single employee record. Administrators gain total visibility into every device across the company. They can remotely track employees’ security status and app usage, make changes, and re-assign devices to new employees. They can also install apps on work computers according to attributes like role and location. 
  • Security: Facilitates app management, controls employee access with single sign-on (SSO), and ensures data security with multi-factor authentication and device encryption features. Managers can disable computers during offboarding, encrypt employees’ hard drives, enable multi-factor authentication, push OS and security updates, and lock and wipe lost or stolen devices. 
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Why We Picked Performly Talent

Reviews for Performly Talent over the past year reveal a user base that generally praises its ease of use and its effectiveness in fostering a culture of continuous feedback. Many users, particularly in fast-growing startups and SMBs, appreciate how Performly Talent streamlines the performance management process with features like automated reminders and goal tracking. This allows managers to ditch annual review dread and instead have more frequent, focused conversations with employees, which reviewers note leads to higher morale and engagement. Performly Talent's user-friendly interface is also a hit, with many comparing it favorably to competitors that can feel clunky and complex.

However, some reviewers highlight limitations that may be dealbreakers for certain companies. Performly Talent's customization options are somewhat limited, which can be frustrating for organizations with unique workflows or complex review processes. For instance, a company with a multi-layered review structure requiring input from various stakeholders might find Performly Talent inflexible. Additionally, while Performly Talent offers a mobile app, some users report it lacks the full functionality of the desktop version. This can be a pain point for employees or managers who prefer on-the-go access to performance management tools. Finally, Performly Talent seems to cater best to small and medium-sized businesses. Large enterprises with massive workforces may find its features and reporting capabilities inadequate for handling a high volume of employee data.

In conclusion, Performly Talent shines for startups, SMBs, and any organization seeking a user-friendly and affordable performance management solution. Its focus on continuous feedback and streamlined workflows fosters a more engaged workforce. However, companies with highly customized review processes or very large employee populations might be better suited for a more scalable and feature-rich enterprise solution.

Pros & Cons

  • Streamlines Performance Management: Performly Talent automates tasks like scheduling reviews and collecting feedback, freeing up valuable time for managers and employees. This allows for more frequent check-ins and focused development conversations, leading to a more engaged workforce.
  • Boosts Employee Engagement: Performly Talent facilitates a culture of continuous feedback through features like goal setting and recognition tools. Employees appreciate regular recognition and the ability to track their progress, resulting in higher morale and motivation.
  • Improves Data-Driven Decision Making: Performly Talent tracks performance metrics and generates reports that provide insights into strengths, weaknesses, and development areas. This data can be used to tailor training programs, adjust resource allocation, and make informed choices to benefit both employees and the company.
  • Limited Customization: While user-friendly, Performly Talent's customization options can feel restrictive. This may limit its effectiveness for organizations with unique workflows or complex performance review processes. Imagine a company with a multi-step review process requiring manager and peer approvals. Performly Talent might lack the flexibility to accommodate this specific structure.
  • Focus on SMB Needs: Performly Talent excels for small and medium-sized businesses. However, larger enterprises with extensive workforces may find its features insufficient to manage a high volume of employees. Think of a multinational corporation with thousands of employees spread across the globe. Performly Talent's reporting and data capabilities might struggle to handle such a large scale effectively.
  • Limited Mobile Functionality: While there is a mobile app, some users report it lacks full feature parity compared to the desktop version. This can be frustrating for employees or managers who prefer to access performance management tools on the go. Imagine a manager who wants to provide quick feedback during a client visit but finds the mobile app limited in functionality.

Key Features

  • Goal Setting & Tracking: Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals for individuals and teams. Track progress visually and receive automated reminders to ensure everyone stays on target. Imagine a marketing team setting a goal to increase website traffic by 20% in Q2 – Performly Talent can help them track their progress week-over-week and identify any adjustments needed.
  • 360-Degree Feedback: Gather feedback from managers, peers, subordinates, and even clients to get a holistic view of an employee's performance. This multi-source feedback approach provides a well-rounded perspective and fosters a culture of development.
  • Performance Reviews: Facilitate efficient performance reviews with customizable templates and automated workflows. Managers can easily document achievements, provide feedback, and set development goals – all within the Performly Talent platform.
  • Feedback Management: Encourage a continuous feedback loop by allowing employees to request and receive feedback anytime. This fosters a growth mindset and helps employees understand their strengths and weaknesses on an ongoing basis.
  • Development Plans: Create personalized development plans based on individual performance reviews and feedback. These plans can include specific training courses, mentorship opportunities, or stretch assignments to help employees reach their full potential.
  • Reporting & Analytics: Generate comprehensive reports that provide insights into individual and team performance. These reports can be used to identify trends, track progress towards goals, and make data-driven decisions about talent development.
  • Recognition & Rewards: Recognize and reward employee achievements to boost morale and keep them engaged. Performly Talent allows for public or private recognition, as well as integration with reward programs.
  • Mobile App: Access key Performly Talent features on the go with the mobile app. Employees can review their goals, provide feedback, and stay up-to-date on their performance anytime, anywhere.
  • Integrations: Integrate Performly Talent with your existing HRIS (Human Resource Information System) and other business tools to streamline workflows and centralize employee data.
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Why We Picked SuccessFactors

SuccessFactors provides full integration with all HR modules and can connect to other SAP solutions, such as finance to materials. With extensive customization, integration and analytics, it can be of great use for planning, developing and implementing HR strategies.

According to our analysts, SAP SuccessFactors scores a 79, leading in applicant tracking and recruiting, document management, and succession management.

It includes AI-assisted screening, LinkedIn applicant prospecting, automated tax documents, succession planning, offline course access and employee lifecycle tracking, helping HR cover core tasks today and plan for the future.

It’s gotten praise for its strong support team, which is responsive and customer-focused, although users sometimes experience delays in resolving issues. The platform excels as a comprehensive HR solution, integrating various functions into a single system that streamlines processes and reduces costs.

While there's a learning curve for most, the majority found it worth the work to centralize all things HR, especially with its AI capabilities. Recent updates have improved the UI design, though some users indicate growing pains with release-related glitches and complex integrations.

SAP SuccessFactors pricing starts at $10 per user per month with a free trial.

SuccessFactors makes recruitment easier with tools for job postings, tracking candidates, evaluating resumes and managing interviews. Its AI-assisted screening matches candidates to job requirements more efficiently.

The onboarding module speeds up the process for new hires by automating paperwork, setting up training and ensuring a smoother transition into the company. Overall, SuccessFactors helps identify and nurture internal talent for future leadership roles, creating a smooth succession plan and minimizing the impact of turnover.

Pros & Cons

  • Support Quality: The support team is highly regarded for its responsiveness and customer service. It’s praised for being helpful and treating customers well, although there can be occasional wait times for resolution.
  • One-Stop-Shop for HR: Most users appreciate the system's ability to integrate various HR functions into a single platform, which can streamline processes and reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO).
  • Goal Setting Flexibility: The learning module is seen as robust and flexible, making it easy to set and manage goals. Users can select from a library of goals or add their own, which facilitates effective goal setting and tracking.
  • Recruitment Management: According to most users, the recruitment module eases the entire process, including job postings, candidate selection, resume evaluation, interview scheduling and offer management. The applicant tracking and AI-assisted screening features were noted for improving time to hire.
  • Getting Started: Many find SAP SuccessFactors complex, especially for new users. The system is described as intricate and sophisticated, leading to a steep initial learning curve.
  • Reporting Woes: Users find the reporting options pretty restricted, with not much room to customize dashboards and reports. This lack of flexibility makes it tough to tailor reports to fit specific needs.
  • User Experience and Interface: The user interface (UI) has received mixed feedback. Some users feel it's outdated and clunky, with hiccups like confusing time-off calculations and cumbersome goal-setting processes.
  • Updates: While the support team is effective at troubleshooting integration issues, some users have experienced release-related breakdowns. On the flip side, other users noted recent updates have improved the UI, making it easier to navigate with new icons and better drill-downs.

Key Features

  • Joule: Use a virtual assistant to guide employees through the feedback process with easy-to-follow steps and prompts. Joule lets employees update their info right away (like location and working hours) without bouncing around multiple screens. It also streamlines promotion requests by guiding managers through the process and setting effective dates.
  • Automatic Tax Document Generation: Generate essential tax documents automatically, reducing administrative workload and ensuring compliance with tax regulations.
  • Payroll: Simplify payroll with automated pay calculations while ensuring compliance with both local and international rules to function globally. Plus, the self-service option lets employees easily access their information.
  • Time and Attendance Management: Automate time-consuming tasks like calculating hours worked and managing absences to make scheduling more efficient.
  • Recruiting and Onboarding: Create profiles, apply for jobs and track applications through a career portal. Employees can share openings and earn rewards for referrals. Recruiters can manage interviews based on candidate availability and location and provide a personalized onboarding experience.
  • Learning and Development: Use the earning management system (LMS) for all your learning needs, from succession planning to career development. It handles assessments, offline courses, training schedules, and tracking employee progress and course completion.
  • Performance and Compensation: Track employee performance to find top talent while providing feedback to help your team set and achieve goals. Reward employees with compensation programs and keep your numbers in line with budget modeling.
  • Workforce Planning: Modeling and analysis features provide insight into financials and scenario-based outcomes. Allocate resources effectively with budget planning, anticipate staffing requirements with workforce forecasting and reduce schedule conflicts with alerts.
  • Personalized Recommendations: The benefits plan recommendation tool offers a personalized ranking of benefits plans, providing employees with tailored recommendations to better meet their specific needs.
  • HR Analytics: Understand your company's data with insights on performance, turnover, diversity and more. Benchmark against peers and analyze HR data in detail. Use dashboards and reports to identify issues and spot trends.
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Why We Picked Oracle HCM Cloud

According to our data, Oracle HCM Cloud leads in succession management, reporting, applicant tracking, and recruiting and payroll management.

Oracle HCM Cloud is tailored to meet diverse human capital management needs across various industries for businesses of all sizes. Users commonly appreciate its seamless integration capabilities and user-friendly mobile access. The platform's robust management features ensure reliable maintenance and security for data privacy.

However, initial setup can be challenging, requiring a learning curve for new users. Feedback from users highlights areas such as referral tracking, interview feedback workflows and job offer processes that lack customization options.

Additionally, some users have noted limitations in the reporting functionality, suggesting room for improvement in data analysis capabilities.

Oracle HCM Cloud operates on a pricing model starting from $4 per employee per month, making it accessible for varying business sizes. It offers a free trial for prospective users to explore before committing.

Training resources include live online sessions, videos and webinars. It also has comprehensive support options such as email, phone, chat, FAQs, forums, a help desk, knowledge base and a ticketing system. 24/7 live support ensures assistance is available whenever needed.

Industries commonly leveraging Oracle HCM Cloud include technology, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail sectors, benefiting from its scalable solutions and tailored industry-specific functionalities.

Oracle HCM is well-regarded for its user-friendly interface, effective integration of HR functions, and strong customer support. It provides significant benefits in streamlining HR processes and enhancing data reliability.

In contrast, it struggles with customization, mobile application robustness and user communication. The quarterly release cycle can also be a hurdle for some organizations, though it typically becomes more manageable over time.

Organizations with robust in-house IT capabilities are particularly well-positioned to deploy and manage Oracle HCM Cloud effectively, maximizing its potential benefits for their HR management needs.

Pros & Cons

  • Usability: Oracle HCM is praised for its intuitive and visually appealing user interface, which makes it easy for beginners to learn and navigate. The system’s workflows streamline processes, enhancing productivity and minimizing non-value-added work.
  • Functionality and Integration: The tool excels in integrating various HR functions into a single platform, offering good connectivity and the ability to define and execute global templates. This integration supports enhanced analytics, real-time reporting and a unified HR experience across different countries.
  • Customer Support: The sales and technical teams are noted for their people-oriented approach and strong support. Oracle HCM has improved its customer engagement model and actively works to understand and respond to customer feedback.
  • Flexibility and Adaptability: The product's extensible configuration allows it to adapt to an organization’s specific needs, making it easier to tailor the application.
  • Customization Limits: While the system is generally flexible, it has limitations in areas such as user rights management and the ability to introduce new ideas to Oracle Development. There’s room for improvement in how user rights and areas of responsibility are managed.
  • Communication Inconsistency: There is a noted inconsistency in user communication within the app. For example, email notifications and other communication features vary in sophistication, affecting the overall customer experience.
  • Quarterly Releases: The frequency of updates (four times a year) is viewed as too frequent by some users, creating challenges in managing and implementing these updates effectively. While initially challenging, users generally adapt over time.

Key Features

  • Global Human Resources: The software streamlines global, local, and industry-specific needs, driving efficiency across cultures and countries. It offers work-life solutions, an HR help desk, a workforce directory, strategic planning, modeling, predictions, and payroll and benefits management.
  • Employee Information: Employees can manage their personal information, benefit enrollments, absences and leaves, as well as view reimbursement slips and total compensation.
  • Worker Lifecycle: This feature supports end-to-end employee management — hiring, management and termination — keeping applicable legislation and global practices in view.
  • Rule-Driven Processing: The suite helps manage unions, collective labor, worker agreements and policies while staying compliant.
  • Talent Management: The talent management cloud empowers talent lifecycle stages so employers can hire the right people, nurture growth and employee development, manage succession, and more.
  • AI Apps: Artificial intelligence and data-driven functionalities improve the candidate pool quality, increase employee engagement, decrease time to hire and optimize organizational processes.
  • Advanced HCM Controls: This function helps control exception workflows, automate analysis to comply with privacy regulations like GDPR and prevent payroll errors.
  • Workforce Management: Workforce management solutions help talent managers build an agile workforce through effortless time and labor tracking, time calculation, cost control, and managed compliance risks.
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Why We Picked NEOGOV

Recent user reviews from the past year suggest that while not flawless, NEOGOV generally hits the mark. Customers rave about its user-friendly interface, making complex HR tasks like onboarding and performance management a breeze. One user, a Human Resources Assistant Director with over two years of experience using the software, praised NEOGOV for its intuitive design, stating that it streamlined their HR processes and eliminated the need for multiple platforms. This ease of use is a key differentiator for NEOGOV, as many competing products are often bogged down by clunky interfaces and convoluted workflows.

However, some users have voiced concerns about NEOGOV's customer support, citing inconsistent experiences and occasional delays in response times. Additionally, a few users have reported the need to find workarounds within the payroll module to ensure accurate information, which can be a pain point for organizations that rely on seamless payroll processing. Despite these hiccups, NEOGOV's strengths in user experience, comprehensive features, and focus on the public sector make it a solid choice for government HR departments looking to streamline their operations and improve efficiency.

Think of it like this: NEOGOV is like a well-organized filing cabinet that makes finding the right document a breeze, but occasionally, you might need to call a helpful colleague to locate a misplaced file. Overall, NEOGOV is best suited for government agencies and public sector organizations seeking a user-friendly and feature-rich HR solution tailored to their specific needs, particularly those who prioritize ease of use and streamlined workflows over lightning-fast customer support.

Pros & Cons

  • User-Friendly Interface: NEOGOV is recognized for its intuitive design, making it easy for HR professionals to navigate and perform tasks efficiently.
  • Streamlined HR Processes: The software centralizes and automates various HR functions, such as recruiting, onboarding, and performance management, reducing manual effort and improving overall efficiency.
  • Comprehensive Features: NEOGOV offers a wide range of features, including applicant tracking, payroll, time and attendance, and benefits administration, catering to the diverse needs of government HR departments.
  • Robust Analytics and Reporting: The software provides insightful data and reporting capabilities, enabling HR professionals to make data-driven decisions and track key metrics.
  • Public Sector Expertise: NEOGOV is specifically designed for the public sector, ensuring compliance with industry regulations and addressing the unique requirements of government organizations.
  • Customer Support Challenges: Some users have reported inconsistent experiences with the responsiveness and effectiveness of NEOGOV's customer support team.
  • Payroll Accuracy Issues: A subset of users have found it necessary to implement workarounds within the payroll module to ensure accurate calculation of wages and deductions.

Key Features

  • Candidate Scoring: Screens candidates automatically. After screening, testing and interview, it produces weighted scores based on customizable criteria to show hiring managers which applicants are the strongest. 
  • ATS Reporting: Offers over 90 reports, ranging from standard and advanced to ad-hoc. Dashboards provide real-time data to stay on top of metrics like job health. Also analyzes recruitment timelines. 
  • Background Checks: Integrates with vendors such as AssureHire, CIC Credit, Verified First, Alliance 2020, Checkr and others to run a variety of background checks. Includes EEOC and FCRA requirements to support compliant hiring. 
  • Integration With GovernmentJobs.com: Connect with the most-used job board for the public sector, gaining access to nearly 40 million candidate profiles. Integration with Insight helps manage the hiring pipeline from one location to easily manage job listings and let applicants self-schedule interviews. 
  • E-Forms: Build workflows with processes that can be started manually or automatically. Provides notifications and reminders. Employees can follow the status of their forms via the self-service portal. 
  • Document Management: Stores all forms created during each employee’s time with the company, making records accessible from a central, online location. 
  • Self-Service Portal: Allows employees to view pay stubs, request PTO and edit personal information. Actions requiring manager approval automatically trigger the approval process. 
  • Continuous Feedback: Includes: 
    •  Continuous communication, whether for goal-tracking, feedback or any other need. 
    •  Scheduled check-ins and tools like journal entries that make it easy to review performance and rate employees. 
    •  Performance improvement plans, which can be documented at every step. 
  • Sector-Specific Learning Courses: Offers a catalog of off-the-shelf courses specific to the public sector, including Human Capital, Health and Safety, Public Works, and Law Enforcement. 
  • Learning Management: Offers: 
    •  Several course options: build-your-own courses, over 400 premade courses from the library and third-party content thanks to SCORM compatibility. 
    •  A mobile-friendly interface, certifications and course grouping for organization. 
    •  Tools to monitor course completion and learner progress. 
    •  Reports for compliance purposes. 
  • Core HR: Provides an employee database for data management, along with benefits administration. Seamlessly connects with the payroll and time and attendance solutions. 
  • Payroll: Supports common requirements such as overtime, 9/80 time rules, retropays, meal penalty and future dating. Supports compliance with laws that impact payroll. Can be integrated with accounting software or any general ledger used at a company. 
  • Time and Attendance: Structure shifts and schedules based on business needs. Mobile time entry tools and time clocks connect with digital timesheets to easily record clock-in and clock-out data, eliminating manual errors to ensure accurate payroll. 

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All Performance Review Software (46 found)

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SuccessFactors

by SAP, Inc.
SuccessFactors
SuccessFactors HR by SAP is a comprehensive human capital management (HCM) solution designed for businesses of all sizes across various industries.This cloud-based software is ideal for organizations looking to streamline basic HR functions while also driving strategic initiatives and planning. Users appreciate its advanced features for recruitment management, onboarding, time off tracking, time off planning, and goal structure flexibility, which enhance employee engagement and streamline HR processes.In contrast, some users find the overall user interface to be outdated and clunky on certain pages. Additionally, the software’s extensive capabilities can make it complex to learn and require a time investment to fully understand and leverage its sophisticated features.Regardless of your industry, finding and hiring the right talent quickly is a major challenge. SuccessFactors HR tackles this with advanced recruitment tools that streamline the hiring process, from job requisition to candidate selection.SuccessFactors ranks in our list of the top five overall HR products and the top ten for applicant tracking, benefits management, compensation management, document management, onboarding, self service, learning management, performance management and more.It uses AI and machine learning to enhance candidate matching and speed up recruitment, making it easier to find and onboard top talent.Flexible goal structures and comprehensive onboarding solutions boost employee engagement and retention. These features help set clear performance objectives, track progress, and create a more engaging onboarding experience, contributing to a positive workplace culture and better retention.SuccessFactors HR simplifies time off management with its accessible tracking and planning features, allowing employees to easily request and manage leave.Benefits scenario modeling is available with workarounds, compared to some competitors like UKG Pro and Oracle HCM Cloud that don’t currently support it. As a leader in document management, it earns our highest score for tax document automatic generation, access controls and document sharing.SuccessFactors HR pricing varies based on organization size, the specific modules required and the level of customization needed. SAP typically provides customized pricing based on the organization's needs and the scale of implementation.For an accurate quote, businesses should contact SAP or an authorized SAP partner to discuss their specific requirements and receive a tailored pricing proposal.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 or less
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Oracle HCM Cloud

by Oracle America
Oracle HCM Cloud
Oracle HCM Cloud, also known as Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM, is a full-featured set of tools designed to help with modern HR and talent management. With a user sentiment of 83% and a product score of 84, it earns recognition as one of our top five HR products. It’s also featured as number one on our leaderboard for applicant tracking and platform capabilities.It combines advanced analytics and various modules to meet your diverse HR needs, whether you're operating on a smaller scale or at a global organization.HCM Analytics within Oracle Cloud shines a light on key workforce insights, helping even entry-level HR professionals make informed decisions about diversity, employee retention and talent acquisition.Modules like workforce management, talent profiles, diversity and inclusion, and performance management are pre-built for quick deployment and usage so your team can hit the ground running without having to customize everything from scratch.The human resources component offers core functionalities, including benefits administration, workforce directory and predictive workforce modeling. It ensures compliance with local regulations while enhancing operational efficiency through features like HR help desk support, advanced HCM controls using AI and a digital assistant for streamlined processes.Talent management capabilities encompass recruiting, onboarding, performance tracking, career development and succession planning.Users appreciate 24/7 support via chat and phone, managing the entire employee lifecycle in one place, and a design that's simple and easy to navigate. On the flip side, some users had a hard time customizing the system and found implementation tricky.Pricing starts at $4 per employee per month, and you can request a free trial.Overall, when it comes to accurately monitoring and assessing employee performance, ensuring the secure handling and storage of employees and managing the recruitment process, Oracle HCM Cloud is good to have in your corner.It also lands in our top ten for several major categories, such as benefits management, compensation management, employee onboarding, employee self service and learning management, just to name a few.It fully supports certifications and G Suite and Office 365 integrations. With additional modules, it allows AI-based dashboard views, which leading competitors UKG Pro, Paycor and SuccessFactors don't currently support.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
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Buyer's Guide

Performance Review Software Is All About Collecting Accurate and Objective Feedback To Improve Employee Performance

Performance Review Software BG Intro

Conducting performance reviews is an uphill battle, especially when you’re stuck dealing with mountains of paperwork and endless spreadsheets. But all hope isn’t lost! Enter performance review software, the ultimate solution to your HR woes. With this software, you can bid adieu to frustrating paperwork and say hello to effective performance management.

Executive Summary

  • Performance review systems help design, launch and run tailored performance evaluations based on unique goals, competencies and targets.
  • Goal setting, performance tracking and talent evaluation tools process and display complex performance data to assist informed decision-making.
  • Asking key questions to vendors helps uncover the pros and cons of using their solutions before committing to purchase.
What This Guide Covers:

What Is Performance Review Software?

Performance review software is a performance management tool that allows HR teams and project managers to evaluate employees' competencies and performance in a given review cycle. The system offers tools to run agile project reviews, create growth roadmaps and measure employee data.

Primary Benefits

Performance reviews lay the basis for promotional and appraisal decisions. So, your calculations must be fair and accurate every time. Performance review systems help you run review cycles tuned to the specifics of your workforce, making the process hassle-free for everyone involved.

Performance Review Software Benefits

Increase Internal Efficiency

According to a recent study by Betterworks, 90% of HR professionals agreed that a continuous performance management approach is the way forward. Setting realistic goals and tracking real-time changes lets you focus on what’s important.

Performance review tools ease the administrative burden by streamlining every review cycle stage. The system replaces endless spreadsheets with meaningful analytics to prevent vital details from falling through the cracks. Automation makes the entire process less time-consuming for everyone involved.

Improve Workforce Engagement

A recent report by Clear Review found that addressing burnout and disengagement is a top priority for 84% of HR directors. According to the same report, over half (51%) of the respondents would be willing to switch to a different company if it supports them better with stress management.

Your workforce notices when you take steps to ensure their long-term growth. Performance review systems help make the review process less daunting by offering constructive feedback that inspires your teams. The systems arm you with objective evaluations and insights, so you can ensure that appraisal decisions and feedback dialogues are always accurate and bias-free.

Make Data-driven Decisions

Performance review systems measure complex performance data without sacrificing quality, fairness and accuracy. In other words, you can leverage internal data to locate weaknesses lie, identify productivity trends and analyze patterns.

Performance review tools also identify the root causes of larger issues. For example, tracking turnover rates and productivity levels over time can indicate how well your organization functions.

Analyze and correlate how employee performance, engagement, and satisfaction impact long-term performance. Use objective data to assist with promotional decisions, measure bonuses and send rewards.

Key Features & Functionality

Employee recognition tools come in all shapes and sizes. Certain functions are common despite different depths and ranges of feature sets and services.

Review Cycle Management

Create employee, leadership and project-based performance reviews based on specific goals and timelines. Customize evaluations, questionnaires and anonymity settings for reviews like self-evaluative, peer-to-peer, 360-degree and manager reviews.

Assign managers to track progress and reuse cycle templates periodically by setting them to recur.

Goals Management

Set individualistic, team and organizational goals and benchmarks with built-in goals and OKRs frameworks. Setting realistic and measurable goals that align with company values and project requirements.

Create employee development paths personalized for different job roles, departments and teams. Access manager dashboards to view real-time goal completion rates and adjust targets for agile projects.

Workflow Automation

Set automatic rules and rely on process customizations to streamline reviews. Calibrate the process from scratch or use adjustable templates to design and launch performance reviews.

360-degree Feedback

Collect authentic employee performance data based on authentic and bias-free feedback. Identify and include key people involved and influenced by specific employees in the review process to develop comprehensive bias-free reviews.

Including different perspectives assists in developing an accurate and objective picture of employees’ work styles, strengths, weaknesses and habits.

Rating Scales and Scorecards

Let the system automatically analyze reviews and measure qualitative feedback using technical parameters. Create custom rating scales to measure competencies, skills and performance and auto-generate scorecards to display quantifiable results.

Coaching and Check-in

Schedule frequent check-ins during and after review to foster employee-manager collaboration while determining the next steps. Organize meetings to discuss performance, set benchmarks, adjust goals and acknowledge accomplishments during meetings.

Create recurring meetings at periodic touchpoints throughout the review cycle to adopt a continuous performance management approach.

Employee Forms

Create and deploy employee surveys at different organizational levels to collect feedback and track goal alignment. Incorporate role-based skills, KPIs, goals and questions to ensure responses assist with promotional and appraisal decisions.

Integrations

Connect the platform with existing performance management software and other HR tools to create a personalized software ecosystem.

Access shared resources, employee databases and performance reports without leaving the system.

Performance Review Software Categories

Software Comparison Strategy

Performance review systems come in all shapes and sizes. Selecting the top solution requires a guided approach based on your unique business needs.

Follow these steps for a guided software selection process:

  1. Assemble your team. Adopt an all-hands-on-deck approach by including key decision-makers in the process. Identify who will use the system extensively and involve them in conversations to discover hidden challenges.
  2. Evaluate internal processes. Locate weaknesses in your performance review process and overall performance management strategy, and evaluate how software can remedy these issues. Define the goals you want to achieve after software implementation.
  3. Prioritize your requirements. Identity essential features you’ll need in an ideal system. Create a requirements list based on your unique specifications. Instead of starting from scratch, rely on our requirements template to rank and prioritize the features your company needs the most.
  4. Check reviews and recommendations: Check online reviews, tap into online forums and ask colleagues about the tools they use to conduct performance reviews. Look for vendors with a proven track record of delivering performance review solutions in your industry.
  5. Compare and shortlist vendors: Lastly, glean your findings and compare different alternatives. The best software must cater to your unique talent requirements, industry needs and overall human capital management goals. Prioritize vendors with experience in your industry and workforce type.

Many performance management solutions provide built-in 360-degree performance review tools. If you already have a system, consult your vendor about their services.

Our software requirements and features checklist is a good starting point if you want to learn more about essential software capabilities.

Still confused? We’re here to help! Our article on the lean selection methodology details nine essential steps for evaluating software.

Cost & Pricing Considerations

Once you know what to look for in an ideal system, it’s time to determine how well those software requirements align with your budget. Following are the common expenses you’ll incur when you purchase a system:

  • Initial setup or installation fees
  • Ongoing subscription costs for cloud-based systems
  • Upgrades and maintenance costs

Most vendors provide subscription-based plans that require you to pay monthly or annually that depend on the following factors:

  • Features Sets: The range of features impacts the price. Vendors typically charge more for comprehensive and advanced features like AI-based people analytics and automation tools.
  • Number of Users: More people using the system means higher costs. A large workforce requires deeper employee databases and more admin users, which generally results in a higher price tag.
  • Customized Plans: Expect a higher fee if you opt for personalized plans based on your company’s unique needs.
  • Integration Options: The level of system extensibility also affects pricing. Connecting the system with existing talent management tools, payroll systems and human resource information software also impacts the pricing.
  • Support and Training: Customer support services also influence pricing. Most vendors provide basic support like documents, training videos and online resources. In-depth assistance like assigned client managers, in-person training, 24/7 support and expedited complaint resolution for premium users come with higher costs.

The Most Popular Performance Review Software

Searching for an ideal system can be confusing, especially with so many vendors in the market. To point you in the right direction, here are our top picks of performance review systems:

Lattice

Lattice is a scalable cloud-based performance management platform that automates review cycles. The system offers adjustable tools to create and run customized annual, quarterly and project-based reviews with recurring check-ins. The consolidated dashboard lets HR managers design and launch personalized reviews and use the notes and tags features to streamline communication.

The people analytics tool provides actionable talent insights required to make informed decisions. The system is ideal for all business types and sizes.

Lattice

Lattice dashboard lets you complete review forms, view individual goals and access resources in one place. Source

15Five

15Five is a cloud-based performance management system that leverages engagement surveys, guided check-ins and deep analytics to track performance, productivity and progress. Its review cycle management tools let you assign review admins, determine visibility settings and add OKRs to review cycles. The platform offers four review categories: self, peer, manager and upward.

Create recurring review cycles by saving configurations and automation rules. Competency assessments, multi-level performance reviews and digital feedback requests foster accountability and autonomy. Reporting dashboards, real-time goals tracking and virtual high-fives make this platform ideal for managing remote teams.

15Five

15Five lets you design collaborative reviews with customizable peer review forms. Source

Betterworks

Betterworks is a performance management system offering cloud-based performance review solutions. The system leverages automation and customizations to streamline review cycles and ease administrative responsibilities, so your team can spend more time making impactful decisions. Set performance benchmarks for different job roles and chooses from a range of pre-built form templates to create specific review cycles.

Design and launch annual, quarterly, monthly and on-demand evaluations and gather accurate employee performance data that assist informed talent management decisions.

Betterworks

Betterworks analytics dashboard displays holistic and individual performance insights. Source

 

 

Questions To Ask

Ask yourself these guiding questions to understand your company’s requirements better:

  • What KPIs do we measure during performance reviews?
  • Who will use the platform extensively? What are their needs?
  • What is our budget?
  • How will the new software integrate with our existing IT infrastructure and software?
  • What training and support are required for seamless software implementation and adoption?

Performance Review Software Key Questions

Asking potential vendors the following questions helps uncover the pros and cons of using their solutions:

  • What are the key differentiators of this platform, and how do they align with our organization's needs?
  • How is the performance review stored, secured and backed up?
  • Can the system integrate with existing HR tools like performance management, talent management and payroll software?
  • What kind of training and support is available?
  • Are there any customer success stories associated with this vendor?

Next Steps

Performance review software might be the missing piece to your HR tech stack. The right system must address your unique talent requirements, empower your HR team to do what they do best and integrate with existing software seamlessly. To get started, use this guide as a resource to make an informed decision.

If you need further help, check out our comparison report for more information on the top performance review leaders. Good luck!

Product Comparisons

Additional Resources

About The Contributors

The following expert team members are responsible for creating, reviewing, and fact checking the accuracy of this content.

Technical Content Writer
Saniya was a Technical Content Writer at SelectHub. With an MBA in Marketing, she found her calling in the world of digital marketing and technical content writing. Her work spanned HR-centric systems like talent management, recruitment and performance management to robust software like ERP and manufacturing systems. When the day winds down, she enjoys taking long walks with her dog or indulging in her artistic side by swapping her keyboard for a pencil. She finds solace in watching the sunset over the beach and appreciates the little things in life.
Technical Research By Aayushi Kishor Sharma
Senior Analyst
Aayushi Kishor Sharma has been part of SelectHub since 2021, working on categories like HR, EHR and Marketing, for which she also earned an MBA. A self-described "social butterfly," she loves meeting people, exploring and trying new things.
Technical Review By Jaisri Narasimman
Principal Analyst
A graduate of NTU Singapore, Jaisri Narasimman honed her data mining and curation skills during her post-graduate education, focusing on developing strategies to help businesses make the most of their data. In her role at SelectHub, her research spans categories like HR, CRM and EHR.
Edited By Joe Evans
Content Editor
Joe Evans is an Editor and Senior Market Analyst at SelectHub. A seasoned professional wordsmith, he has a bachelor's degree in journalism and electronic media and a decade of professional expertise in crafting top-tier digital content for niche online brands. He leads his small yet formidable team in producing helpful, compelling content in vital categories like HR, payroll, talent management, performance management, marketing automation home health, MES. When not editing and writing, he enjoys sports, quality time with family and dogs, and remains constantly in pursuit of something new and interesting to read or listen to.