10 Best Performance Appraisal Software For Skill Growth In 2023

PerformYard is a cloud-based performance management system that helps businesses to identify top performers based on self-assessment metrics. 

Why I picked PerformYard: PerformYard allows employees to set their own goals and track their progress. The software makes it easy for team members to access and complete self-assessment forms, and it compiles the data into actionable progress reports. A user’s growth progress can be shared with co-workers, which is a great way for employees to motivate themselves and summarize their accomplishments for others. 

Managers and HR professionals who use PerformYard save time when running recurrent review cycles. The platform’s automation feature enables you to schedule recurring reviews ahead of time, and the solution’s notification system lets you know when you have to complete manual steps. 

PerformYard is a good HR solution for organizations that value employee growth. 

PerformYard Standout Features and Integrations

Features include goal management, continuous feedback, 360 degree reviews, one-on-one feedback, quarterly check-ins, and self-assessments. 

Integrations are available natively with multiple apps, including ADP, BambooHR, Gusto, Rippling, and Workday. 

Leapsome is an HR platform that helps organizations assess employee engagement and make data-driven decisions to increase employee retention. 

Why I picked Leapsome: Leapsome is a customizable HR system that helps you simplify your performance evaluation processes with templates. The solution enables you to create templates for all your needs, such as weekly 1:1s, daily huddles, quarterly performance analyses, and so on. You can choose your to-do items, set your priorities, sync the platform with your calendar and mailing software, and rely on its notifications to perform time-sensitive tasks. 

Leapsome’s surveys are well structured, encouraging users to rate their colleagues and share feedback. The survey structure helps raters to express their thoughts without losing time, so the evaluation process is not intrusive. 

Thanks to its user-friendly pulse surveys, Leapsome is a great app for HR teams that want to improve their company culture. 

Leapsome Standout Features and Integrations

Features include automation, new hire onboarding tools, a skill framework, 1:1s, team meetings, and public and private recognition. 

Integrations are available natively with dozens of solutions, including HiBob, Microsoft Active Directory, Rippling, Slack and Workday. 

Lattice is a performance appraisal solution that helps businesses schedule, run, and manage 1:1 feedback. 

Why I picked Lattice: Lattice is a lightweight performance management tool that integrates with dozens of solutions. The software enables your team members to provide feedback in real-time from wherever they work, and makes it easy for them to share a few words about a co-worker or manager. The solution also enables employees to request feedback, set goals, and take ownership of their performance development. 

Lattice enables HR professionals and managers to schedule and run pulse surveys, objectives and key results (OKR) reviews, and one-on-one interviews. The platform’s 1:1s are easy to manage by both team leaders and employees, and you can connect your other surveys and reviews to the 1:1 meeting agenda so they can serve as talking points or reminders. 

Thanks to its variety of helpful features, Lattice is a great HR software for businesses of all sizes. 

Lattice Standout Features and Integrations

Features include 360-degree feedback, one-on-one interviews, goal setting, public recognition, continuous feedback, and analytics. 

Integrations are available natively with hundreds of solutions, including BambooHR, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Okta, Slack, and Zenefits. 

ClearCompany is a configurable HR management system that helps companies identify top performers using their own evaluation processes and criteria. 

Why I picked ClearCompany: ClearCompany is a great performance management solution for organizations that want to build their own reviews and evaluations. Besides offering pre-built review templates, the software also gives you the ability to build assessments from scratch and create your own templates. 

ClearCompany enables you to build your own forms with different sections, questions, measurement scales, and multi-stage evaluation processes. You can add timed stages, approval breaks, and track your team’s evaluation progress. 

Thanks to the customizable assessments it helps you create, the system is a great option for organizations that have a highly-trained workforce and need specific evaluations. ClearCompany is best for companies based in the U.S. and Canada.

ClearCompany Standout Features and Integrations

Features include new hire reviews, performance reviews, competency and role-based reviews, 360-degree reviews, and time-based reviews. 

Integrations are available natively with dozens of tools, including AccuTrace, BambooHR, Checkr, Glassdoor, and Indeed. 

Paylocity is a cloud-based human capital management (HCM) platform that combines HR, payroll, talent management, benefits administration, employee experience, and workforce management functionalities into an all-in-one solution.

Why I picked Paylocity: The performance management features of this software are designed to encourage employees to take a more active role in their development and growth. Employee self-evaluation is facilitated through the platform and employees can track their progress with the journal feature, adding text or video to keep a record of their accomplishments and milestones.

Performance assessment templates give a clear outline of what's being evaluated and help managers spot opportunities for promotions and upskilling. Managers and employees can set performance goals together in the software, and come back to them regularly to maintain alignment. 360 feedback helps create a clearer, more well-rounded assessment of employee performance.

Paylocity Standout Features & Integrations

Features include 360 feedback, performance appraisal templates, employee journal, video and text notes, self-evaluations, goal setting and tracking, employee recognition, and peer recognition.

Integrations include Azure, Clover, Concur, Expensify, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle NetSuite, QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, Square, Xero, 24HourFlex, and 4MyBenefits. An API can also be used to configure additional integrations.

Ceridian Dayforce is a cloud-based human capital management (HCM) solution designed to unify multiple functionalities, including human resources (HR), workforce management, and talent management in one place.

Why I picked Ceridian Dayforce: In addition to payroll and benefits tools, you can also find talent management features to support ongoing employee development and performance appraisal in the software. Employees can set goals in the system that align with team, cross-functional, and organizational objectives. Performance reviews can be completed by employees, their peers, and their manager for a holistic perspective, and personalized development plans can be built collaboratively by employees and managers.

What's unique about the software is its learning and development tools. Online learning, webinars, and training can be facilitated through the platform to develop key skill sets and maintain regulations. Employees can also engage in peer-to-peer coaching and development, adding content and exchanging information with one another for learning purposes. All of these features contribute to a culture of growth, encouraging improved performance and ongoing development among staff.

Ceridian Dayforce Standout Features & Integrations

Features include self-evaluations, peer evaluations, and manager evaluations; cascading goals; customized development plans; online learning, webinars, and in-person learning tools; peer-to-peer knowledge exchange; and dedicated learning channels.

Integrations include Beekeeper, Brainier, Databasics, DocuSign, Emburse, Equifax, First Advantage, Oracle NetSuite, Salary.com, Talent Plus, Truework, and Verified First.

Cornerstone OnDemand is an all-in-one platform dedicated to employee growth and development.

Why I picked Cornerstone OnDemand: This software enables you to design and develop a performance management process that's customized to your organization. It allows you to automate the basic review process and integrate it with your company or team goals and competency assessments. Employees and managers can build development plans that align growth goals with the company trajectory, and the software facilitates feedback and check-ins on progress.

A unique feature the software offers is its skills graph. The tool is designed to help leaders spot employee potential and uncover skills gaps within their workforce through 180-degree and 360-degree feedback, self-evaluations, and custom-built competency models. It helps managers notice future potential leaders and opportunities for lateral and upward mobility at the organization. This helps employees see a future with your company, thereby reducing turnover and attrition.

Cornerstone OnDemand Standout Features & Integrations

Features include company-wide goal alignment, performance reviews and competency assessments, skills mapping, compensation management, observation checklists, feedback exchange, check-ins, job descriptions, employee engagement surveys, and individual development plans.

Integrations are not currently listed by the company.

Engagedly is a cloud-based performance appraisal software that helps HR professionals oversee employee performance, growth, and progress in real time. Users can track talent information, provide ongoing feedback, identify areas of skill development, and create organizational goals. It allows managers to design development plans and career paths for employees to continue to grow, learn, and succeed within the organization.

The software offers a real-time feedback mechanism that enables businesses to file, access, and view performance feedback data from managers and employees. The software provides a clear analysis of an employee's strengths and weaknesses based on performance overviews, which helps them map their individual development goals. The feature allows employees to identify lacking skills, enhancing their growth potential and increasing productivity. Engagedly also provides personalized learning paths to help employees develop skills and close competency gaps.

Engagedly allows businesses to view insights from various perspectives—direct managers, customers, peers, and direct staff. This feature ensures the feedback process gets a more thorough outlook and enables businesses to identify hidden talent or skills that may lead to promotion opportunities. The software lets companies generate individual goals for each employee based on their skill gaps and track progress regularly with updated reports. Tracking progress helps compare employee performance against business goals leading to performance improvement.

The platform provides a framework for managers to conduct employee performance reviews quickly and efficiently and offers customizable templates and automated workflows to streamline the review process. Its recognition and rewards feature allows managers and peers to publicly recognize an employee's excellent work, boosting employee morale and motivation to perform even better.

Workday is a complete HCM solution that enables managers to appraise the performance of their employees and guide them toward the next step in their careers. 

Why I picked Workday: Workday is an HR software that includes a comprehensive employee performance appraisal tool. Their system acts as a central database for all your employee data, allowing you to keep accurate records of performance reports, annual reviews, and ad-hoc feedback. 

Workday stands out as a performance appraisal software thanks to its ability to create career development paths for your team members. Their system uses machine learning to analyze an individual’s survey answers, skills, and goals, and guide their development experiences.  

Workday is a good performance appraisal tool for organizations that value internal hiring and upward mobility. 

Workday Standout Features and Integrations

Features include career development tools, talent reviews, job interest assessments, a talent marketplace, goal management, a talent pipeline, and internal mobility tools. 

Integrations are available natively with hundreds of apps, including ADP, Docusign, LinkedIn Microsoft Teams, Okta, Recruiter, and Salesforce. 

Namely is a cloud-based all-in-one HR platform for medium-sized businesses of 25 to 1,000 employees. It has talent management, benefits and payroll, and analytics tools for HR leaders.

Why I picked Namely: Performance management and appraisals are just one piece of the larger pie this software offers SMBs. HR professionals can manage employee hiring and onboarding, payroll and benefits, and time tracking and scheduling through the platform. It also provides compliance features to manage an employee handbook and any mandated employee trainings.

As for managing talent, the software has goal-setting, employee recognition, and feedback exchange tools. Performance evaluation forms can be configured in the system, allowing users to track employee progress over time. Company-wide goals can be connected to team and individual employee goals, creating a bigger picture for everyone to work towards.

Namely Standout Features & Integrations

Features include company news feed, public and private recognition and feedback, e-signature, time tracking, payroll and benefits management, compliance, hiring and onboarding, and analytics and reporting tools.

Integrations include Bonusly, Culture Amp, Equifax, Greenhouse, Lattice, Lever, LinkedIn Talent Hub, NetSuite, Slack, Small Improvements, Workable, Worktango, and 15Five. Zapier can also be connected to configure additional integrations.