Performance Reviews Are Being Missed. Could Technology Help Managers Stay on Track?

New research has highlighted a significant gap in workplace performance management, with more than a third of employees not having performance reviews.

According to research by Reward Gateway | Edenred, more than a third (34%) of UK employees say their line manager does not regularly review their progression, missing out on regular feedback and development conversations that help them perform at their best. This finding raises an important question for employers. If managers are expected to take ownership of performance reviews, do they have the right support, systems and processes to make those conversations happen consistently?

Performance management should be continuous

Performance management has moved well beyond the traditional annual appraisal. Today’s most successful organisations encourage regular one-to-one conversations that help employees stay focused, motivated and aligned with business priorities.

Effective discussions should cover:

• Progress against agreed objectives
• Constructive feedback and coaching
• Learning and development opportunities
• Career aspirations
• Wellbeing and workload
• Recognition of achievements
• Future priorities and next steps

When these conversations happen regularly, employees have greater clarity about expectations, receive support when they need it and are more likely to remain engaged with their work.

Why are performance reviews slipping?

It’s unlikely that managers are deliberately avoiding performance conversations. Instead, many are balancing increasing responsibilities alongside their day-to-day operational role.

Today’s managers are often expected to:

• Support employee wellbeing
• Develop and coach their teams
• Manage workloads and priorities
• Lead hybrid or remote employees
• Communicate business updates
• Handle complex employee relations matters
• Drive performance and engagement

With so many competing priorities, it’s easy for performance reviews to become delayed or forgotten altogether, particularly where organisations rely on manual reminders or spreadsheets to track review dates.

Making performance management easier with HR software

One of the biggest challenges isn’t understanding the importance of performance reviews, it’s ensuring they happen consistently.

Using HR software can remove much of the administrative burden by helping managers stay organised and accountable throughout the performance management process.

With oneHR, organisations can:

• Set automated reminders for managers when one-to-one meetings, probation reviews or performance discussions are due.
• Create actions and workflows to ensure each stage of the review process is completed on time.
• Record performance objectives and development goals in one central location.
• Upload meeting notes, appraisal documents and performance review forms directly to an employee’s profile, creating a complete history of discussions and agreed actions.
• Request employees to electronically sign completed review documents, providing a clear audit trail of when conversations took place and confirming that outcomes have been acknowledged.
• Give both managers and employees visibility of previous reviews, objectives and agreed development plans, making future conversations more meaningful and easier to prepare for.

Rather than chasing paperwork or trying to remember when reviews are due, managers can focus on having valuable conversations with their teams.

Performance management often creates a significant administrative burden for HR teams and managers alike. oneHR simplifies the entire process by automating reminders, standardising review workflows and keeping all documentation securely stored in one place. This helps organisations deliver a consistent appraisal process, keep employees focused on their objectives and drive performance across the business

Book a demo to see how oneHR can help your managers to take ownership of their team’s performance reviews.

Call: 0330 107 1037

Email: contact@onehrsoftware.com