Technology improves performance management and the best organizations design an “employee success system”-- that’s uniquely suited to its people. From goal setting to continuous feedback, success data to annual reviews, no two processes look exactly the same from one company to the next.
But there is one common denominator for organizations with highly successful people — great tech.
HR technology is one of the most innovative categories of tech today. To be honest, it has to be. That’s because the way we work has fundamentally changed. And now, there’s a growing emphasis on the employee experience as organizations adapt to a new world of work, requiring greater attention to mental health, flexibility when and where people work, and more.
You can read about those key workplace shifts in our latest report. But for now, let’s dive into what an employee success system is, and how technology can take it to the next level.
What is an employee success system?
An employee success system, the modern approach to performance management, is the strategic process your organization uses to support employee goals, growth, and productivity.
This includes the means by which your company identifies, measures, and empowers the workplace success of each employee, team, and unit in alignment with your organization’s overall goals and objectives.
Why is an employee success system important?
Employee success software enables a best-in-class employee experience. That’s because it creates transparency around individual goals and organizational goals. Plus, it also tracks real-time feedback, and compiles employee data to drive better downstream decisions around compensation and more.
The result? Better individual empowerment, higher employee engagement, and a strong employer brand that attracts the best talent out there.
Five ways technology improves your employee success process
Here are five distinct advantages to a technology-enabled employee success strategy that you can’t replicate with old-school performance management processes.
1. Grants access to real-time information
In today’s always-on workforce, time is always of the essence. Access to real-time data in an Employee Experience Platform helps managers and leaders react quickly. That’s whether they need to respond to negative feedback proactively, onboard new employees effectively, or reward them as they reach important goals. Technology helps you make the most of frequent one-on-one Sync-Ups and quarterly goal-alignment Check-Ins.
2. Easily identifies employee success trends and anomalies
As an HR professional, a data-driven process allows you to shine a spotlight on the areas of employee success you need to see most. Instead of spending time tracking down trends and outliers, you’re better able to address complex problems. Which means you’ve got the insights you need to drive employee success.
3. Develops more complete employee success profiles
Technology is also the best way to build team alignment. When it comes to succeeding, being on the same page is critical. Manual performance review processes can leave way too much to chance. So, seeing progress toward goals and employee Sync-Up and Check-In feedback data all in one place provides 100% transparency for empowering employees to succeed year-round.
Bonus: See how to use goals to align and connect your remote workers.
4. Gives an accurate measurement of usage
Just like anything else, a good employee success process only works when it’s actually used. Old-school performance processes make it impossible to track key metrics, like which individuals and teams are setting and tracking goals. (Or giving and receiving feedback or committing to an evaluation and coaching process.)
Employee success technology gives human resource leaders a snapshot of usage. This allows you to determine which processes need to be tweaked or when a training or refresher course is necessary.
5. Creates audit trail access
Finally, technology automatically creates digital records of employee success conversations. This protects an organization in the event that a person feels they were unfairly assessed and chooses to take legal action. Having this information on hand can save HR and other business leaders from a very expensive headache down the road.
Take your employee success to the next level
Figuring out the best way to empower employee success in your organization is important. So remember to let technology do the heavy lifting for you so you can focus on what matters most — your people.
It’s a new age for the employee experience. The movement we’ve seen toward a more human mode of work has only accelerated in the COVID-19 work era. So increasingly, companies are looking for simple solutions that embrace the whole employee.
