The 6 Best Performance Evaluation Systems
Employee performance evaluation can be a hassle, especially if you aren’t familiar with specialized software. We’ve handpicked the top 10 performance evaluation systems that will help you streamline performance management in your company and increase employee productivity. Ready to unlock your employees’ strengths and close their skill gaps? Let’s dive in!
What Is Employee Performance Evaluation Software?
Employee performance evaluation software is a digital tool that helps organizations track and analyze employee productivity in the workplace, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and provide constructive feedback.
This software enables companies to make critical decisions related to human capital management, including compensation, promotions, and career development, and align their workforce with business goals. They provide objective insight into employee performance and productivity.
The 6 Key Features of Employee Evaluation Systems
An employee evaluation system can be a standalone solution or a part of complete HR software. The ultimate set of features can vary, so depending on your needs, you might look for the following:
| Feature | Overview |
| Ongoing real-time feedback | Real-time feedback can help employees improve their performance on an ongoing basis, not just during annual reviews. This feature can be implemented through built-in employee recognition tools. |
| 1:1 reviews | These are regular meetings between employees and their managers where they can discuss expectations and progress, provide feedback, and set new development goals. |
| 360-degree feedback appraisal | This feature provides a comprehensive view of an employee’s performance. It includes employee self-assessment and helps gather anonymous feedback on employee performance from their inner circle, including fellow peers, subordinates, and managers. |
| Personal development plans | These tools often enable managers to create comprehensive employee development plans based on evaluation results. Development plans provide employees with clear career paths and outline specific goals and objectives to improve their performance over time. |
| Employee training programs | Advanced solutions go beyond assessing employee performance by enabling organizations to deliver and track training programs to address skills gaps and support ongoing development. |
| Goal planning and alignment | This feature allows managers to set clear, measurable goals for employees and ensure that they are aligned with the organization’s overall objectives. |
The 6 Best Employee Performance Evaluation Systems to Consider in 2023
The table below provides a quick overview of the top employee performance evaluation tools available on the market today. Read on to find out what benefits they can offer.
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free trial | Demo |
| 1. iSpring Learn | Medium companies and large enterprises that want to assess employee performance and develop their employees into top performers on a single platform | $3.14/user per month for 300 users | 30 days + live personalized demo |
| 2. Pando | IT companies looking not only for an assessment tool but also the software to create structured and transparent job levels, visualize employees’ career trajectories, and provide real-time feedback | Upon request | Live demo only |
| 3. Primalogik | SMBs that are looking for a fully customizable solution to conduct daily or scheduled employee performance appraisals and measure employee engagement | $159 per month for 10 users | 30 days + live demo |
| 4. WorkStory | SMBs that use Slack or MS Teams for day-to-day communication, and are looking for light and easy-to-use solutions to assess employee performance and engagement | $9/user per month | 30 days + live demo |
| 5. Engagedly | Medium-sized companies and large enterprises looking for a single platform that will enable people and strategy alignment | $5,000 per year | Live demo only |
| 6. Peoplebox | Remote teams in large enterprises that use Slack for daily communication and are looking for a single tool to manage employee performance, track goals, and measure employee engagement | $15/user per month | 14 days + live demo |
1. iSpring Learn
iSpring Learn is a cloud-based learning management system with robust features for conducting employee performance reviews and managing professional development.
The platform includes a 360-degree assessment module with flexible scoring settings. You can use a pre-made competency model or build a custom one. Then, you can create a rating scale of 1 to 5 or 10 points on which respondents will rate their colleagues’ competencies. The system compiles an employee’s self-assessment with anonymous feedback from their peers and provides you with easy-to-read visual reports.
After the evaluation, you can launch personal development programs directly on the platform. With iSpring Learn, you can assign individual courses or combine them together into comprehensive learning tracks. This approach helps managers deliver personalized training programs to individual employees, teams, or specific job roles and address multiple skill gaps within a single development path.
Key features:
- 1:1 reviews. You can schedule one-to-one meetings in the built-in calendar and conduct them in Zoom, which is integrated with iSpring Learn.
- In-depth analytics. The platform provides you with detailed reports at every level, so you can get a bird’s-eye view of the entire organization’s competencies or focus on a particular employee’s skills to determine if they match up with their job requirements.
- Automation. iSpring Learn automates all routine tasks related to 360-degree assessment – from sending out survey assignments and notifications to generating final reports. It also streamlines employee training: assigns and reassigns courses after a certain period of time, and sends out reminders about deadlines and invitations to upcoming events.
Pricing
iSpring Learn has two types of subscriptions: Start and Business. A performance appraisal module is included in the Business plan. The cost depends on the number of users and starts at $3.14/user per month for 300 users.
A free 30-day trial is available.
Best for
iSpring Learn is the best choice for medium companies and large enterprises that want to assess employee performance and develop their workforce into top performers on a single platform.
iSpring Learn LMS
Automate corporate training and improve employee performance.
2. Pando
Pando is a career progression and people development platform designed to help companies retain and develop their top talent and make career advancement and promotion processes accountable and transparent.
The tool offers a new paradigm for goal setting and helps managers align employee goals with their skill development objectives. Managers can track employees’ progress toward career goals, and identify their strengths and areas for improvement through a 360-degree feedback assessment.
With Pando, employers can create visual career paths for their employees with clear expectations for each level. The platform provides a library of function-specific competencies, which will be particularly useful for IT companies as they are based on the qualification levels of software engineers (junior, middle, and senior).
Key features:
- Continuous feedback. The tool facilitates frequent feedback rather than annual reviews. It provides real-time and scheduled feedback options, allowing employees to give and receive feedback on an ongoing basis.
- Integrations. Pando is a young startup but it aims to create an HR ecosystem and now offers over 20 integrations, including HRIS and payroll systems.
- Refreshing UI. Customers highlight a highly intuitive interface that is up-to-date, simple, and enjoyable.
Pricing
Pando’s cost varies depending on the size of the organization and its specific needs. Pricing details aren’t publicly available, so you’ll need to contact the vendor to get a quote.
Best for
Pando is a great solution primarily for IT companies looking not only for an assessment tool, but also software to create structured and transparent job levels, visualize employees’ career trajectories, and provide real-time feedback.
3. Primalogik
Primalogik is a performance management platform designed to help SMBs conduct customizable employee reviews and align their performance with OKRs.
You can create employee self-assessments, conduct regular 1:1 check-ins, or launch a comprehensive 360-degree feedback appraisal that’s tailored to your company’s specific needs. The platform allows you to choose from pre-designed questions or create your own questionnaires with multiple-choice and open-ended questions. You can also select the desired level of anonymity and apply a rating scale of 3 to 10 points.
Primalogik also includes an integrated OKR system that’s perfectly aligned with the evaluation process. Managers can include goals in the review form, track their current status, and monitor completion percentages. This provides a clear overview of employee performance and helps managers determine if employees are meeting performance expectations.
Key features:
- Instant feedback. Employees can give and receive real-time feedback and clearly understand what they’re doing well, without having to wait for the next review.
- Comprehensive reporting. You can monitor the status of launched surveys and identify patterns in employee engagement based on location, team, or job role. The system can also track key performance metrics from one survey cycle to the next and show you employee progress over time.
- Opinion surveys. In addition to performance reviews, the platform allows HR managers to conduct regular and anonymous employee engagement surveys.
Pricing
Primalogik’s pricing is based on the number of users. For example, its fully functional version is available for $499 per month or $4,990 per year for up to 100 users.
A free 30-day trial is available.
Best for
Primalogik is the perfect tool for SMBs that are looking for a fully customizable solution to conduct daily or scheduled employee performance appraisals and measure employee engagement.
4. WorkStory
WorkStory positions itself as the performance review software that’s the easiest to use. It allows managers to collect ongoing feedback on employee performance right in the communication tools you’re already using, such as Slack, MS Teams, or any email provider.
With WorkStory, you can conduct any type of evaluation, including 360-degree feedback assessments, and top-down, bottom-up, or cross-functional reviews. The platform can also suggest the best time to conduct an evaluation, based on an employee’s performance.
This solution is also useful for HR teams. With WorkStory, they can create and send out pulse surveys in a matter of minutes.
Key features:
- Real-time insights. Managers always know how well teams are performing thanks to up-to-date visual dashboards. Plus, employees have real-time access to performance metrics so they can see their progress without manager intervention.
- Custom survey categories. You can create individualized surveys to measure what is important for a specific role or particular employee.
- Add-on. There’s no need to add another platform to your toolbox, as it can work perfectly within communication applications.
Pricing
WorkStory has a Business subscription that costs $9/user per month. Custom plans provide the same set of features but are designed for large teams.
A free 30-day trial is available.
Best for
WorkStory is a good choice for SMBs that use Slack or MS Teams for day-to-day communication and are looking for a light and easy-to-use employee performance evaluation tool with features for conducting employee engagement surveys.
5. Engagedly
Engagedly is a three-pillar talent management platform that helps companies execute employee performance evaluation, enable their development, and measure engagement.
At the heart of its performance module is an AI technology that helps deliver accurate and objective real-time feedback. It follows the SBI approach: after selecting the type of feedback, the AI asks employees to describe the particular situation, their colleague’s behavior, and the impact it had. It then automatically highlights areas for improvement and provides constructive feedback, allowing employees to simply review and share the paragraph. This approach helps to avoid biased attitudes and situations where feedback can be misinterpreted.
Engagedly also provides a 360-degree feedback appraisal, and an advanced OKR platform.
Key features:
- Mentoring platform. Engagedly helps to develop employees into future leaders. It uses an algorithm to match your employees with mentors in your organization and help them grow.
- Employee engagement module. It includes expert-developed engagement surveys and employee recognition tools.
- Training delivery. Engagedly has its own LMS that allows you to assign courses to employees from partner platforms such as Traliant, LinkedIn Learning, and OpenSesame.
Pricing
Engagedly offers three subscription types: Practitioner, Leader, and Champion. They all include the same modules, but the available functions are a bit different. An annual subscription starts at $5,000. For pricing details, you’ll need to contact the vendor.
Best for
Engagedly is a great option for medium-sized companies and large enterprises that are looking for a single platform that will enable people and strategy alignment.
6. Peoplebox
Peoplebox is a holistic platform that integrates OKRs and KPIs with performance management.
The platform is perfect for 1:1 meetings. It integrates with your calendar and provides shared and private spaces where you can collaborate on the meeting agenda or take notes during a conversation. Peoplebox’s AI assistant monitors employee performance and OKRs, suggesting relevant discussion points that can help employees improve their productivity.
Performance review cycles, including a 360-degree appraisal, are built entirely in Slack: all reviewers receive notifications, select partners, and leave their feedback. Managers then receive detailed reports that can be downloaded as PDFs.
With Peoplebox, HR managers can launch employee engagement surveys using pre-built templates via a chatbot directly in Slack or MS Teams, and conduct anonymous 1:1 conversations.
Key features:
- Goals and OKR tracking. You can create annual or quarterly strategies, set cross-functional goals, and track real-time progress on teams or individual projects.
- Integrations. Peoplebox has over 50 integrations with communication apps, project management tools, data sources, and HRIS systems.
- Remote employee engagement. Peoplebox offers a CoffeeConnect tool that selects two colleagues based on their interests and invites them to take a break together. Slack’s chatbot initiates a dialogue, helping colleagues move beyond small talk and have memorable conversations.
Pricing
Peoplebox offers three types of subscription: Professional, Premium, and Enterprise. Professional includes OKR functions only and costs $7/user per month. Premium plan with employee performance management features costs $15/user per month. The Enterprise plan comes with custom integrations. Cost details are available upon request.
A free 14-day trial is available.
Best for
Peoplebox is perfect for remote teams in large enterprises that use Slack for daily communication and are looking for a single tool to manage employee performance, track goals, and measure employee engagement.
FAQ on Performance Evaluation Systems
1. Can employee evaluation tools be integrated with other HR tools?
Yes, many performance evaluation software vendors offer integrations with other HR tools such as applicant tracking systems, learning management systems, and payroll software. This can help streamline HR processes and provide a more holistic view of employee performance and development.
2. What is the difference between a performance management system and performance assessment software?
While some performance evaluation software may be part of a larger performance management system, they are not interchangeable terms.
Performance assessment software is a specific type of tool that helps automate and streamline the performance review process, but may not include all the features of a performance management system.
Performance management systems are a broader category of tools that encompass all the processes and practices an organization uses to manage employee performance. This can include goal setting, performance reviews, feedback and coaching, and employee development and growth.
3. How to choose the best employee performance evaluation system?
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. There are several factors to consider when choosing an employee performance review system, including your organization’s goals and size, the software functionality you need, its customization capabilities, ease of use, and more. Some solutions offer only 360-degree feedback software, while others offer a comprehensive suite of assessment tools.
Before investing in employee performance software, read reviews, compare different options, request demos, and sign up for free trials. These can help you make an informed decision.
To Sum Up
We hope our list of the most outstanding employee performance evaluation platforms will make your choice easier. If you know of a perfect solution that we haven’t mentioned, feel free to comment in the section below!
And if you’re looking for comprehensive software that will help you not only evaluate employee performance but also close their knowledge and skill gaps, iSpring Learn is an ideal solution to rely on. Sign up for a live personalized demo and see our platform in action!
