A successful enterprise will always bank on a good business intelligence tool that helps them to compete well in their industry. Despite having a well skilled team of professionals, having a BI tool gives you an upper hand in the market.

This can help you to easily derive insights from data, help you understand the changing trends and assist you in making smarter decisions. Tactical and strategic decisions at the right time can in fact help a business to make a hit in impressive time frames.

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Are you looking for a good business intelligence tool for your venture? Here is a list of the top BI tools available in the market that is used by successful companies.

1. SAP Business Intelligence

The right combination of predictive analytics and real-time business intelligence used by SAP helps your business to get timely insights.

Read Also: 51 Online Collaboration Tools to Enhance Team Productivity

The right combination of predictive analytics and real-time business intelligence used by SAP helps your business to get timely insights.

Business Intelligence
  • Features machine learning and advanced analytics solutions
  • Data visualisation & analytics applications is the key
  • Provides timely reporting and analysis
  • This one platform for all functionalities even offers office integration and mobile analytics

2. Clear Analytics

This is a clear and accurate business insights system that is designed to fulfill diverse business needs. Large and complex data from reliable sources can be extracted easily to present as professional reports.

Business Intelligence Tools
  • Offers predictive analysis
  • Features Key Performance Indicators and graphical data presentation
  • Enables to create strategic planning

3. MicroStrategy

This is a comprehensive data analytics tool that features high speed dash boarding that helps your business to monitor trend and identify new opportunities.

  • Easy to use and maintain
  • Allows connection to one or various sources despite spreadsheet or cloud-based data
  • Easy access from desktop or mobile
  • Self-service analytics and real time report design improves productivity

4. BOARD

This is an effective business management intelligence tool which is designed with features for corporate performance management in addition to business intelligence.

Business Intelligence Tools
  • A single platform allows you to plan, predict, analyse and stimulate
  • Enables to build customized planning and analytical applications
  • Effectively drive digital transformation across the business

5. Zoho Analytics

This is a highly configurable and easily extensible data analytics platform that comes with a scalable interface making it suitable for small and large companies.

Business Intelligence Tools
  • Data can be synced and imported to system easily
  • It comes with built-in collaboration tools and open API Capabilities
  • Features robust visualizations

6. Sisense

Its extensive set of features and scalable architecture to fit any business size makes it unique among its competitors. The interface of the system is simple for beginners but powerful for professionals.

  • Visualizes and analyses both big and disparate datasets
  • Helps to build interactive dashboards
  • Use filtering and calculations to identify critical metrics

7. AnswerDock

This is a cloud-hosted analytics platform that comes with data mining algorithms and features natural language processing and artificial intelligence to suit businesses of all sizes.

Business Intelligence Tools
  • Secure unified database allows better data governance
  • Comes with extensive customization options and fast data search
  • Features convenient data preparation and real-time computations

8. Jaspersoft

This is a flexible and cost effective open source BI tool that empowers business enthusiasts to make better decisions.

  • Features highly interactive web-based reports, analysis and dashboards
  • Offers data visualization, reporting, and data integration
  • Key performance indicators and problem indicators enables smart decision making

9. Hotjar

This is a comprehensive analysis and feedback tool that comes with excellent features to visualize user behaviour and analyze user insights.

Business Intelligence Tools
  • Features behaviour logic, heat maps, cross-device surveys, one-on-one testing and visitor recordings
  • Comes with robust feedback features and multi-language support
  • It is built for mobility and features simplified research and testing

10. SAS Business Intelligence

It is one of the top business intelligence tools and a well-integrated one-stop platform that features advanced predictive analytics.

SAS Business Intelligence
  • Features excellent data integration, scalability and multiple query languages
  • Offers customization through a rich set of APIs
  • Comes with advanced analytics tools, performance management and MDM

11. QlikView

This is an easy to use and robust business intelligence tool that automatically generates custom dashboards and personalized reports.

  • Massive data is explored using associative data indexing
  • Hidden trends and patterns are easily discovered to enable sound business actions
  • Supports multiple file types and data sources

12. Yellowfin BI

This is a single integrated solution designed for companies that run different industries to enhance their business decisions.

  • Dashboards can be accessed from company intranet, web page, wiki, or mobile device
  • Easy to access and monitor features enables faster and smarter collective decision-making.
  • Interactive reports and data-rich presentations make insights effective

13. BIRT

This is a comprehensive open source business intelligence and reporting tool which assures user autonomy and self-sufficiency.

  • Analyze billions of records in seconds
  • No coding required and offers easy to use visuals
  • No complex data modelling is needed

14. Dundas BI

This is an amazing enterprise-ready BI platform that enables you to create and view reports, interactive dashboards and scorecards.

Read Also: 15 Tools for Improving Employee Productivity

  • Features Ad hoc reporting tools and smart drag and drop tools
  • Offers predictive and advanced data analytics
  • Data can be visualized as maps
  • Customizable data visualizations and easy integration of data sources

15. Style Intelligence

This is a powerful data intelligence platform that is designed for flexible and fast transformation from disparate sources.

Business Intelligence Tools
  • Streamlined apps can be created for data consumption and updating
  • Paginated reports are generated with embedded business logic
  • Provides secure and customized levels of data exploration

16. TIBCO Spotfire

This is a self-service business intelligence tool that enables easy and effective collaboration with the digital team.

  • Features amazing data visualisation and executive dashboards
  • Users are enabled to define their own KPIs
  • Allows easy integration with CRMs, ERPs, Excel and Access

17. Birst

This is an awesome web-based networked BI and analytics tool that collects insights from different teams and enables to make informed decisions.

  • Definitions and key metrics can be maintained using unified semantic layer
  • Rapidly refine enterprise data and creates corporate wide metrics
  • Promotes individual agility and transparently governed working

18. Systum

This is a great intelligence tool that enables enterprises to consolidate and streamline processes across diverse B2C and B2B channels.

Business Intelligence Tools
  • Comes with built-in CRM and amazing sales features
  • Features a B2B portal and Inventory Management
  • Boosts productivity and efficiency in no time

19. Netlink

This is a top edge advanced analytics and cloud-based tool that offers exceptional data visualizations to help make smarter decisions.

  • Features quick visualization and customization of dashboards across multiple mobile devices
  • Offers agility and unlimited scalability
  • Insights invisible in operational reports are mined and delivered

20. Microsoft Power BI

This web-based business analytics tool is great for diverse business platforms that offer data visualization at its best.

Business Intelligence Tools
  • Changing trends can be identified in real time
  • Brand new connectors enhances your level in campaigns
  • Apps can be easily integrated and delivers reports and real-time dashboards

21. ClicData

This flexible business intelligence dashboard solution that enables end users to build reports and dashboards are designed for small and medium businesses.

This flexible business intelligence dashboard solution that enables end users to build reports and dashboards are designed for small and medium businesses.

  • Insights, data, metrics, and reports can be shared among individuals and groups
  • Progress and performance of projects are reported on a regular basis
  • Features extensive data manipulation and Live Alerts on dashboards

22. Looker

This is another great BI tool that features easy integration with SQL database or warehouse to suit start ups, mid size and enterprise grade ventures.

  • Comes with ease-of-use features and handy visualisations
  • Offers reliable support and powerful collaboration features
  • Data and reports can be easily shared and integrated

23. Clootrack

This is a comprehensive data analytics platform that makes the best use of artificial intelligence to help businesses of all types to effectively analyze the client perception.

Business Intelligence Tools
  • Features real-time data collection and offers easy to comprehend reports and analyses
  • Enables to easily keep up with emerging customer trends
  • Improve products and services with valuable timely insights

24. ReportPlus

This is an effective analytics solution that focuses exclusively on data visualization and it’s amazing features help even technologically challenged individuals to make successful business.

  • Comes with easy-to-use interface that help get insights faster
  • Features on-the-go accessibility and real-time data connection
  • Large data sets can be processed quickly and encryption secures your database

25. Oracle BI

This is a comprehensive robust enterprise portfolio of applications and technology for business intelligence that features almost all BI capabilities.

  • Features proactive intelligence, dashboards, alerts and ad hoc
  • Large data volumes from even non-Oracle sources can be easily analyzed
  • Comes with integrated array of query, reporting and analysis

26. WebFOCUS

This is an effective BI and Analytics platform that enables every team of your organization to make more confident and smarter business decisions.

  • Analytic apps and tools can be easily accessed from any mobile device or browser
  • Enterprises are enabled to use data more strategically
  • It is comprehensive, scalable, and proven
  • Assures efficient security, administration and governance

27. icCube

This is one of the best available SaaS end to end BI platforms that integrates seamlessly with any application.

  • Comes with ability to graphically design widgets from scratch
  • Easily connect and combine any custom data source
  • Comes with on-the-fly-authentication and authorization

Read Also: Top 26 Apps For Internal Employee Communication in 2019

Several versions of such tools are offered now that can fit businesses of any size and shapes. There will also be a guidance team provided by most of such companies offering these tools that help you make the right choice of tool depending on your business size and requirements.

Gaining insights of the customer behaviour and the overall growth of the business is the key of using BI tools. Most of these tools are easily accessible and flexible to use and its wise usage can in fact give you impressive turn over in short time.   

What is Human Capital Management

Human Capital Management (HCM) is managing employees of an organization. This enables the increase in the productivity of the employees.

The whole process of Acquiring, Training, Managing, and Retaining employees for any organization is called Human Capital Management.

Read Also: What Are the Recent Trends in Human Resource Management?

The job of a Human Capital Management is not as simple as the explanation we just gave you. The Human Capital Management is also responsible for the HR helpdesks, employee self- service portals, manager self-service portals and intranet portals.

Some of the significant job descriptions comprise of various supports including, but not limited to:

  • Recruitment
  • Onboarding
  • Workforce management
  • Competency management
  • Performance management
  • Compensation strategy
  • Time and expense planning
  • Learning and Development
  • Contingent workforce management
  • Organization visualization
  • Reporting and analytics
  • Workflow

Tips to have a successful Human Capital Management team

Now that we know what falls under the bracket of Human Capital Management let’s learn how to do it well. When handling numerous employees, it could be challenging to ensure employee satisfaction on every level.

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It is constantly seen that employees feel that organizations are only concerned about turn over and not the employees. While this may not be true, it is crucial for the employees to realize this.

Here are some tips that we believe will help you in ensuring that you’re doing it right:

1. Communications from the Leadership team

We, as employees, often think that managers often just sit in their cabin all day and impose suggestions on us. Well, as hard as this might be to take in, it is not the case.

At least for most of the time. However, it is essential that managers discuss with employees before making decisions so that employees do not feel suggestions are imposed on them.

Employees will have immensely valuable feedbacks about the organizations that may turn out to be effective.

This may never reach the management if there is no platform for the employees to express their ideas.

2. Employee engagement

It is important for the employee to have an adequate amount of work on a day to day basis. Too much or too little work will definitely mess up with their workflow.

Human Capital Management also includes ensuring they have an adequate amount of work to enable a seamless workflow.

3. Appreciation

Everyone feels the need to be appreciated for their efforts. This is something the Human Capital Management has to ensure attention is paid to. It is important for the managers to appreciate their employees on their work so that they continue to work hard.

4. Learning

We covered this before. It is important to make sure that employees have all the required information for them to work on their projects. Training is the way to go to ensure this is in place.

There are In-House, and Outsourced training programmes organizations can enrol their employees in. This will let them work as an individual with minimum dependency.

Experienced employees can also be enabled to train the newbies. This also works as an appreciation for the experienced employee. See? There’s more than one way to get things done.

Oh! Don’t design training just for the sake of it. That’s no use to anybody. In turn, that will bite you back in more way than you can think of. Training is conducted to benefit both employee and employees.

5. Growth

This is a no brainer. Any employee, irrespective of them being tenured or not, it is important for them to grow within the organization.

Growth

Read Also: 15 Tips For HR Managers To Create A Sustainable Company Culture

Constant growth helps improve knowledge. Upskilling oneself is important; one of the easiest ways of doing so is through constant growth in the field.

This will also ensure that employees do not find the work monotonous.

6. Hiring

You shouldn’t be too quick to tag someone as a bad employee. Believe us; there is no such thing as a good or a bad employee. It’s always the right candidate for the position. It is the job of Human Capital Management to ensure that the right employee is chosen for the right position.

Hiring

You cannot have a substandard hiring process and blame the employee for not performing.

7. Employees leave their managers, not the company

This is a famous one. We are sure that many of you’ll have heard this somewhere through your corporate career. This is most definitely true too.Now, this is crunch time for Human Capital Management. Training a newbie is one thing, training a manager on their skills, that’s a whole other ball game. But well, that has to be done.

Skip level meetings are also a great way to understand how employees feel about their managers.

There’s another way to look at this. If a manager quits, there is a good chance that at least a couple of employees that worked under him will quit. The same logic applies here; only, the Human Capital Management may need to look at the higher management on this.

8. Teamwork

Let’s say you get through hiring and training with flying colours. Ensuring that each team member gels well with the others is as important as these. It is the responsibility of Human Capital Management to ensure that the best of each employee is brought out.

teamwork

Contrary to popular belief, having a diverse workspace will help employees learnabout different cultures and become friends with each other.

Human Capital Management needs to assist managers in ensuring that all employees are happy with the team, and issues do not get in between the productivity of the programme.

9. Transparency

You reap what you sow. Have you ensured that all processes are transparent and easily accessible to employees? That shows that you trust them. They trust you when you trust them.

Human Capital Management has to work in great lengths to ensure that all employees feel trusted. This will make the employees work well for the organization voluntarily. Well, what more can you ask for?

10. Objectives

It is important for all employees to be aware of the Vision (No, we are not taking Marvel here). The Vision of the organization, the individual project they are working in.

It is important for all employees to understand the purpose of their work. Unclear Vision will only produce poor results.

11. Fun times

Employees spend most of their time in the offices. It is important for them to have some fun times in the office. Fun activities, games, movie nights, team dinners, team outings are just some of the ways to improve your employee’s happy quotient.

These fun activities work as great stress busters for the employees. A happy employee makes the company happy.

Human Capital Management must allot production time in such a way that there is time for employees to indulge in these fun activities.

12. Technology

Employees can only be productive if their tools are up-to-date. Trying to cut down on the technology is definitely not the way to go if productiveness is what you have in mind.

Having outdated or substantial technology and tools will only move things along slower and frustrate the employees. Human Capital Management needs to have a policy in place to replace any and all outdated technologies.

13. Employee profiles

Having an employee profile comes with more benefits than you assume. Employee profiles are a great wayto ease the hiring process.

New hires, re-joining, transfers from a different office is all a lot easier if the employee profile is in place. We knew that already. However, it also helps Human Capital Management togather employee performance.

 Information such as employee performance reviews, disciplinary actions, customer feedbacks will all be accessible from one single space.

No data will be lost from an individual since it’s all stored in central storage.

14. Tracking

Having a ton of policies and procedures in place is not the end of the subject for Human Capital Management. It is important to ensure that these procedures are followed.

Human Capital Management needs to invest time to evaluate if all the actions implemented are actually followed by all employees.

Read Also: How WiFi Attendance Makes HR Manager’s Job Simple

It is important for this evaluation to take place constantly. All the time and effort will wash down the drain should there be a lapse.

Conclusion

Conclusively, it is important for Human Capital Management to realize that their job profile does not merely end at hiring the right candidate for the right profile, allotting vacation days or performance appraisal to employees.

Growth and development of the organization through the employees is their major task. A happy employee makes the company happy is the idea that should always drive Human Capital Management. Only this will bring real success to the organization.

What is Talent Management?

Contrary to popular belief, Talent management does not mean hiring the right candidate for the position. If only things were that simple. That’s the job of the Human Resource team.

Read Also: 15 Employer Interview Techniques To Find The Best Employees 2019

Talent management does a lot more than just hire a candidate for the required position. Their process includes:

 

1. Planning

Planning is the initial step in the process of Talent management. It includes:

  • Identifying the requirement of a candidate for a given position. This is called Human Capital Requirement.
  • Understand and create a job description for the role that needs to be filled.
  • Share the developed job description to the Human Resource for recruitment and propose a working workforce model for the recruitment process.

 

2. Attracting

Planning and deciding the source of hiring falls under attracting. This includes:

  • Identifying both Internal and External hiring sources.
  • Posting the job listing on various job portals
  • Social media presence is immense these days, and it is vital to use this for the hiring process too. Job listings need to be posted on various social networking sites for better reach.
  • Employee referrals are one of the best ways of bringing people into the organization.
Attendance manager app

 

3. Selecting

Selecting is one of the most crucial steps in the process. This includes:

  • Setting up tests and interviews.
  • Analyse candidates to find out the best candidate for the project.
  • Selecting the candidate into the organization.

 

4. Developing

Developing is the process where the chosen candidate is prepared for joining the organization. This process includes:

  • Conducting an onboarding programme.
  • Enhancing the candidate’s skills to match the job profile.
  • Training programmes for employees to upskill themselves.

 

5. Retaining

Retaining an existing employee is vital for the existence of any organization. A lot of money and time is invested in creating the hiring process and ensuring that the candidate is trained to match the programme requirements.

Talent management needs to create plans to ensure that they do not lose an employee after all the investments on them. This is done by:

  • Internal Job Postings and Promotions.
  • Regular increment in the compensation.
  • Availability of opportunities to grow within the organization.
  • Ensuring employees are a part of the decision-making process.
  • Helping them learn new skills.
  • Rewards and Recognition.

 

6. Transitioning

Transitioning aims at the overall transformation of all employees so that they work towards the organizational vision.

Talent management needs to ensure that the upskilling of employees need to be done in such a way. This can be attained by:

  • Having retirement benefits for the employees
  • Conducting exit interviews
  • Continual internal progressions

Having said this, Talent management should not resort to micro-managing a process or an employee. This is definitely not the way to go about monitoring.

Talent management should function as an overlooking entity who is accessible to all employees for suggestions and criticism.

Tips to an effective Talent management

Now that we know that Talent management is and how they function, allow us to share a few tips and tricks to help you do it better.

 

1. Expectations from employees

  • It is important for all employees to understand what is expected of them.There is no way an employee can possibly work towards a goal when they have no clue what the goal is. it is the Talent management’s duty to ensure that the deadlines, expected the outcome of the programme, required skills, etc., are made clear to the employee.
  • It is also important to explain the organization’s vision to the employee. Only when the employees collectively work towards the vision will the organization be able to achieve it.
  • A lot of this can be covered by successfully creating an appropriate job description for the profile. This will help in having set guidelines to hire the right candidate for the programme.
  • Once the employee is hired, these can be reinstated through the onboarding programme.

 

2. Performance Management System

  • It is vital to have a foolproof performance management system in any organization irrespective of the employee count.
  • Talent management has to ensure the development and strict following of such a system.
  • We are not just speaking of yearly performance reviews. Employees need to receive constant feedback on their performance. Feedback and Criticism should not come as a surprise to the employees during the annual performance reviews.
  • How the feedback is shared is just as important as what feedback is shared or how many feedbacks are shared. Room for discussion should always be given during feedback sessions. Only this will ensure that there is nothing left to be interpreted by the employee.

Read Also: Performance Appraisal – All You Need To Know

 

3. Analytics

  • Is important for Talent management to analyse all employee data for all employees in the organization. Doing this is the only way of understanding where the organization stands at present and if the vision is anywhere near being achieved.
  • Analysing data of such quantity needs appropriate tools and software. It is important for any organization to spend some quality amount on cutting edge tools and software for Talent management to perform its analytics. This is not a place you want to cut down on your costs if you do not want your organization to be left behind in this corporate race.
  • This will also help the Talent management in decision making and implementing new processes as per requirements.

 

4. Training and Development programme

  • We cannot stress enough on how important it is to have a solid training and development plan in any organisation. Talent management needs to ensure that training plans are developed for the individual programme depending on the skill set needed for the project.
  • Creating a really good training plan does not serve the purpose if employees do not get to attend them. Talent management needs to ensure that rostering is done in such a way that time is allotted for employees to participate in training.
  • More importantly, it crucial to ensure that all training and feedbacks are documented. No matter how small the training is, there has to be a record it being conducted. A lot of time and effort goes into creating a training plan and delivering it successfully. It is essential for it to be recorded and monitored.

 

5. Plan for attrition

  • No matter what you do, attrition is inevitable in any organization. Talent management needs to have an attrition plan for all levels of employees to ensure that immediate hiring process can be initiated when you lose an employee.
  • Also, the higher the level of the employee that is quitting, all the more important it is fill in the position quickly.
  • It is always wise to have an employee with potential identified from the lower levels to move up the hierarchy. This works as a promotion to the employee, and it’s also easier to hire and train entry-level employees than the management level employee.

 

6. Hiring the right candidate for the profile

  • Talent management needs to have a tight-knit process in place that will ensure that the right candidate is hired for the right position.
  • Having the corporate strategy aligned with the talent strategy is vital to ensure that all employees work towards to the singular vision.

 

7. Know your competitors

  • It is important to know about your competitors. That’s the first place your employees go when they quit from your organization.
  • Where your organizations stand in terms of technology, pricing, remuneration and other things that may make your employees want to move to one of your competitors.

 

8. Diversity – understand and respect it

  • All employees are different from one another. They way they take feedback and implement it will vary,and Talent management has to ensure that managers are trained to implement feedback appropriately and expect resistance.

 

9. Strengths of employee

  • It is impossible for Talent management to analyse all employees and understand their strengths and skills. Talent management needs to enable team managers for this task.
  • Having management and a corrective system is also important for Talent management to track the process.

 

10. Branding

  • Talent management needs to build a strong company brand which will attract employee inflow into the organization.
  • Talent management needs to concentrate on social media and other platforms to ensure that the branding reach is global.

 

11. Planning

  • Having information and ideas to implement alone would not be sufficient. It is essential to plan the implementation of these ideas.
  • Talent management needs to take each project into consideration before implementingnew tasks. Work schedule, requirement, and many other details are to be taken into consideration before implementing any change.
  • These are different for different projects. It is hence important for Talent management to plan accordingly in advance.

Talent management is an integral part of any organization. Not just managing employees and their appraisals, Talent management forecasts, plans and implements systems to ensure the best output is brought out of all employees.

Read Also: How To Give Positive Feedback To Employees

Talent management is planted into each team of the organization to ensure that the plans implemented are followed and tracked.

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What is performance appraisal?

A performance appraisal is the regular review of an employee’s performance in the organization.

Most companies conduct a yearly appraisal programme due to which the appraisal programme is also called as an annual appraisal; apart from the other terms such as performance review, employee appraisal, etc.,

Read Also: 12 Tips to Motivate Your Staff With Non-Financial Incentives

There are few companies that conduct the performance appraisal on a half-yearly basis too.

Organizations use performance appraisal programme to analyse an employee’s performance throughout the current cycle.

Apart from feedback, they also discuss the renewed pay structure for the year, an extension of the agreement, termination of the employees are also topics of discussion during the performance appraisal.

Attendance manager app

Promotions and internal job postings are other matters that are looked into during the performance appraisal. This is the time most managers look at moving the right employee for the right job.

Employees usually improve their skills throughout the year in hopes of a promotion or moving to a different project they have eyes on. Performance appraisal is the time employees discuss their future plans with their managers at length.

What happens during a performance appraisal?

We looked at what a performance appraisal is. Let us understand what purpose a performance appraisal serves to the employer and the employee and what happens during a performance cycle.

The most basic purpose of a performance appraisal is for the organization to analyse an employee’s worth and contributions they made to the organization. Various factors such as attendance, efficiency, attitude, quality of work, amount of work, etc.,

Collecting and analysing this information is easier said than done. Numbers are easy to access. There are different teams within the organization that will keep track of an employee’s performance that can be accountable through data.

Absenteeism, quality and quantity of the work completed throughout the appraisal cycle, etc., are some of the measurable data by the Human Resource or project manager.

However, criteria such as attitude, willingness to work, etc., comes into the picture. It is, however, the project manager’s job to analyse an employee’s behaviour on the production floor to get an idea about these parameters.

Performance appraisal cannot only be about the numbers. Numbers and behaviour go hand in hand. Only then will the employee be the right choice for the organization.

There are various methods through which employers evaluate the performance of an employee. All evaluation methods fall into two categories:

1. Traditional methods

Traditional methods emphasise on the assessment of the employee’s personality traits such as Initiative, Dependability, Creativity, Integrity, Intelligence, etc.

Types of traditional methods include:

  • Ranking Method
  • Checklist
  • Forced Choice
  • Forced Distribution
  • Critical Incidents
  • Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scale
  • Field Review
  • Performance Tests and Observations
  • Confidential Reports
  • Assay Method
  • Cost Accounting Method
  • Comparative Evaluation Approaches

2. Modern methods

Modern methods emphasise on the evaluation of the work results shown by the employee.

Types of modern methods include:

  • Management by Objectives
  • Psychological Appraisals
  • Assessment Centres
  • 360-Degree Feedback
  • 720-Degree Feedback

Irrespective of the methodology used to evaluate performance appraisal, there are mandatory components that are a part of the performance appraisal. They are:

1. Define expectations

At the beginning of a performance cycle, it is essential for the reporting manager to sit with the employee and prepare a criteria chart.

This will explain what is expected off the employee for the complete performance cycle.

Doing this will ensure that the employee and manager are on terms with the expectations set, and there are no discrepancies during the performance appraisal discussion.

2. Measure and evaluate

Now that we know what a manager expects from the employee, it is the manager’s task to periodically measure the employee’s performance on the basis of the criteria set.

Once there is actual data, it is easier for the manager to evaluate the employee’s progress.

3. Provide feedback

Provide feedback based on the evaluation made throughout the year. Positive and Negative items need to be discussed at length during these sessions.

Read Also: 13 Ways To Motivate Your Team Members for Better Performance

It is necessary for managers to provide constant feedback throughout the year so that the employee has a chance to make amends to their working method.

The feedback will hit as a surprise to the employee if it comes to them only once a year.

It is necessary for managers to provide constant feedback throughout the year so that the employee has a chance to make amends to their working method.

The feedback will hit as a surprise to the employee if it comes to them only once a year.

4. Record performance

No companies do manual performance appraisal now. Those were the cavemen times. All appraisal proceedings are done in a strategic, automated method.

Once the feedback session is successfully completed, managers need to record the employee performance on the internal portal to complete the automated performance appraisal procedure.

Once the 4th step is completed, the process returns to the next performance appraisal cycle by initiating the 1st step again, and then flow continues.

Advantages of a Performance Appraisal

Allow us to take you through some of the significant benefits of having a systematic and fair performance appraisal procedure in place.

1. Having a systematic performance appraisal procedure in place helps the manager to evaluate the employee’s performance throughout the year. This will clearly show the strengths and weakness of the employee and their areas of interests.

2. Gathering employee information will also help managers in understanding the progression possibilities of the employee.The Right employee for the right job can be identified through this process.

3. Managers can also create training plans for the employees to help them enhance the skills they lack.

4. By sharing feedback based on the data gathered, managers will enable employees to understand their strengths and shortcomings. Manager’s constructive criticism will encourage employees to work harder to improve their performance.

5. Employees with potential are promoted or moved to a programme that best suits their profile. This works as an excellent motivator for the employees and will boostthem towards maintaining their current performance, if not improve it.

6. The appraisal is also where managers analyse if the training programmes and feedbacks shared with the employee have been put to effect. It shows if the employee has actually improved post training or feedback or let them fly in the air.

7. There are also chances that the training and feedback programmes are not as effective as they need to be. Managers and initiate changes in the training programmes and feedback style to make them more acceptable by employees.

8. Appraisal creates healthy competition among employees and this will, in turn, work as a motivator for the employees.

9. Managers are also known to use appraisal programmes to understand employee’s mental health and personal grievances. Manager can act on the grievances and make possible changes to accommodate the employee’s well-being.

10. The records maintained for performance appraisal will also show the managers which employee has had a steady or improving performance rate and which employee has a continuously deteriorating performance rate. This will help managers in preparing an appropriate further course of action for all employees.

11. Performance appraisal data will also work to provide insight into the hiring process of the organization. Managers understand if the existing hiring process is capable of recruiting candidates with the skill set the programme requires and make amends to the process if needed.

Things that could lead to a negative impact on performance review discussion

1. Nobody likes it when someone shouts at them when something goes wrong. So, when managers share feedback, it is crucial for them to keep this in mind. Feedback should be shared in the form of constructive criticism; only then will employees want to work on the inputs shared.

2. There are chances of employees losing their jobs after an appraisal review meeting. If an employee shows no improvement or shows no intent to work on the feedback shared, the organization has the authority to terminate the employee. Employees could also be transferred to a different programme or demoted too.

3. Managers need to ensure that the numbers recorded in the employee’s performance data are accurate. Employees will find out if the numbers are forged or not recorded appropriately, and this would lead to major legal consequences to the manager and the organization.

4. The criteria set for an employee’s performance appraisal need to be relevant to their work profile. It is not possible for employees to work towards criteria that areirrelevant or not useful. This will lead to employee dissatisfaction and escalations.

5. Managers need to ensure that weightage is equally distributed among the vital factors. Giving more weightage to factors that are not crucial to the programme does not make any sense.

6. There is no scientific method to gauge factors such as Attitude, Willingness to learn, Initiative taken, etc. Managers find it difficult to provide justification to employees about the reason they provided the scoring.

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7. There are instances where the managers are not adequately qualified to evaluate the employees and their capabilities. This leads to them making mistakes in the evaluation process. Such mistakes could gravely affect the successful growth of the employee.

So, here is a brief introduction to Performance Appraisal. Hope you have received a clear perspective of what it is.