Employee Feedback…There’s an App for that!
By Sara Bauer
One of the biggest concerns raised by employees is probably not what you may think. It is not about the long hours they work, their pay, or issues with co-workers, rather it is about lack of communication and feedback from management!
Many employees say they do not know how their performance is perceived. When your employees are spending valuable time worrying about their performance, and feeling uncertain about their standing within the organization, this takes away from their productivity and effectiveness. Employees who receive constructive and consistent feedback feel valued and are more likely to be engaged, motivated and focused on their tasks and how they can continue to positively contribute to the team. Up to 21% more effective in fact!
Although feedback is not a replacement for formal performance appraisals, if delivered regularly and in a timely and constructive manner, feedback can open lines of communication, and boost your team’s morale.
Managers may have the best of intentions to provide feedback to employees, however, heavy workloads, pressing deadlines, and management of remote employees often cause feedback discussions to fall by the wayside. When the manager finally does get face time with the employee, they may be both onto the next task and feedback never gets delivered.
What if you could instantly provide feedback to your employees, provide updates on projects or give your team a pat on the back with the touch of a button? Now you can, as THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT! Actually, there are many apps!
With the incredible advancements we are seeing in technology, there are now several apps available that allow managers to deliver immediate feedback to their staff. These apps also allow for peer recognition, which is vital for projects and collaboration. Programs can be tailored to the culture of your organization; some allow you to send an emoticon, and a virtual high five, while others allow for more formal feedback.
While there are many interesting innovations in this area, here are a few samples of what you can find.
Apps such as Bonfyre allow managers and team members to send recognition and award badges to employees and peers, which helps promote a positive work culture.
Many recognition apps allow you to link feedback to a badge and rewards program that provides for awards ranging from a gift card to their favourite coffee house, to a monetary bonus!
For larger organizations, programs such as Trakstar, Success Factors and Halogen offer apps that tie into their overall HR and Performance Management Systems, tracking feedback as part of an employee’s annual performance appraisal. It also allows managers and teams to set and track goals and objectives, provide updates and amendments and even populate important messages that can be cascaded out across a team, or the entire company! They also offer 360 degree feedback, succession planning, detailed analytics and reporting. All at your fingertips!
Providing feedback to your employees on a regular basis does not have to be time consuming, or one more dreaded “to do”. Any of these amazing apps can do the work for you. Show your team you value them, give them a ‘tap on the back’, and watch your team and your bottom line grow.