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features & benefits

Features Benefits
Built on the latest Microsoft ASP.NET platform. Dramatically improves system performance, capacity, scalability, security and reliability compared to other programming software.
Operates on Corporate Intranets or over the Internet as a hosted Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application.


 Provides access from anywhere in the world via your PC Web Browser; even from your home PC or laptop (24/7/365 access; 99.99% guaranteed uptime).

The SaaS model means that there is no need for you to have or maintain any servers, or to download/install any software, whilst having the latest version of the software immediately available as it gets updated (a continuous process).

However, some larger organisations may prefer to have Performance Advantage installed on their own Intranet servers.
Secured by 128 bit SSL Encryption Secures data communication over the web. Data sent via an SSL connection is protected by encryption, a mechanism that prevents eavesdropping and tampering with any transmitted data.
Handles from only 20 to many thousands of employees, covering all staff and managerial levels, at multiple worldwide locations. Being fully scalable, there is no limit as to the number of employees an organisation may have on the system - now or in the future.
Competitively priced, especially considering its diverse and unique functionalities. Many appraisal system vendors will not sell their system to organisations having below a certain minimum number of employees (typically 200 to 300 minimum). Or otherwise their pricing is so prohibitive that it puts it out of reach of most smaller organisations.

Not so with Performance Advantage. Our pricing model makes it affordable for companies with as few as 20 employees.
Performance Advantage accommodates the following Performance Cycle alternatives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 12-monthly performance appraisals, as well as employee anniversary-based.
 You are not limited to any system-prescribed performance management cycle (e.g. annual only). You can also change this cycle at any time as necessary, or have different categories of staff on different cycles.
Ad-Hoc Appraisals. Apart from "regular" employee performance appraisals, you can also administer any kind of ad-hoc appraisal on the system, such as for Probation, Promotions, Succession, and Performance Improvement.
Accommodates any kind of Performance Measure such as Goals, Objectives, Key Performance Indicators, Competencies, and Values Many online appraisal systems limit the Performance Measures to Competencies only. With Appraisal Smart there are no restrictions as to the kind of Performance Measures you wish to use - you can even use a mixture.
Performance Measures can be weighted according to their relative importance and priority. The Performance Measures of a specific position cannot all be equally important. With Performance Advantage you can prescribe their individual importance weightings in relation to each other. This indicates to employees where they should spend their biggest effort and energy.
Handy calculators are provided to aid many different KPI performance-level calculations. These facilitate the easy calculation of sub-scales in pre-agreed Rating Scales, which would otherwise be very cumbersome to work out.
Organisations can create a centralized Appraisal Template Database (for all job/role titles in the organisation). This facilitates the easy creation of Performance Agreements with position-specific Goals, Objectives, KPIs, Competencies, and/or Values. Templates get downloaded for individual employees at the click of a button, and then customised by managers (if necessary) to provide for local circumstances and individual employee role requirements. They can also be locked to prevent editing by managers once downloaded.

This unique functionality of Performance Advantage ensures the standardisation of performance requirements for the same Job Category/Title throughout the organisation, prevents the reinvention of the wheel wherever a position is duplicated, saves eons of time, and ensures a fairer performance management dispensation.
Numerous Generic Competencies are available in a central system library to select from and download into Appraisal Templates and Performance Agreements. The concept of Competencies can be daunting for many organisations. Performance Advantage has numerous Generic Competencies available for those clients not having their own.

Larger organisations frequently have their own Competency Frameworks. These can be imported into the Performance Advantage Competency Library.
Several standard Rating Keys are available, but client organisations can also add their own. The system even accommodates different Rating Keys in one appraisal form, to cater for different types of Performance Measures. Facilitates easy rating of Actual Performance against Agreed Performance Measures and Standards/Targets. The system also allows flexible use of Rating Keys to suit different kinds of measures.

Any number of System Administrators can be appointed. System Administrators are typically Human Resources staff, but can also be any other selected individual/s such as PA's or administrative personnel. No special skills are required to manage the system, and detailed help files and tutorials are available by mouse-click.

 Larger organisations should typically appoint a primary Corporate System Administrator, and a Divisional System Administrator for each division (or region/branch/location). This way the burden of monitoring appraisals and updating user records does not fall on one person only, but gets shared logically as dictated by the organisation structure or its geographical spread - even internationally.

Divisional System Administrators are only allowed to see and manage the employee and appraisal records of those units, branches, regions, or locations that were assigned to them in the system.
Automatically calculates an overall Performance Percentage for each employee (this feature can be disabled)


 Performance Percentages can be used as a basis for performance-based compensation, in a fair and transparent way.

It also enables HR and Line to rank employees and compare their performance, especially those from the same job category. Star performers can thus be easily identified for appropriate reward and other kinds of recognition, while poor performers can be identified for appropriate training/coaching, or other suitable interventions to improve their performance.
Scans all entries by Appraisors with a Language-Sensitivity Filter/Checker. The Corporate System Administrator enters inappropriate, non-compliant, and other insensitive words and phrases into a system filter to disallow their use by Appraisors.

Appraisors (line managers) and Appraisees (all levels) can log (typed text) performance record notes onto the system at any time. (This feature can be optionally disabled by the Corporate System Administrator.)

 This is the solution to significantly reduce the potential for differences of opinion as to what has actually happened over a performance period.

By entering performance record notes of actual performance incidents (highlights. general, or lowlights) in this way, both parties do not have to rely on their memories that much as to what the Appraisee has achieved over the performance period.
Powerful Multirater Functionality.

 

NOTE: The Multirater Module is different to the Smart360 Module/System.

Up to five other managers, supervisors and team leaders an employee has worked with during a performance period can be invited to provide online feedback to the employee. The results are output as averaged ratings, and graphical and narrative reports (while individual rater feedback can also be viewed).
Email reminders are sent automatically to inform line managers of pending and overdue appraisals.

System Administrators can also send bulk emails to all or selected units/sub-units to give relevant appraisal instructions instantly, at any time.
 Ensures that line and staff are prompted/notified as needed to continue progressing with the appraisal process.
Unique 'Appraisal Manager' page. Allows easy monitoring of the status of appraisals, according to the assigned Administrator and Appraisor roles.
Appraisals include a Performance Optimisation Plan (which includes earmarked training and development) for each employee. No appraisal should end without a discussion and written Action Plan as to how Line Managers can assist their direct reports in performing their jobs better, and how the latter can improve their own performance - plus any training and development they could benefit from.

This is probably the most important part of a performance appraisal: namely how to use lessons learnt over the previous performance period to improve performance in the next. This philosophy and practice will lead to a truly continuously improving and 'Learning Organisation'.

The Performance Optimisation Plan can then be used as crucial input into the Learning and Development discussion, to agree what Learning Activities the employee can benefit from, and to add that into their Personal Development Plan (PDP).

For more details on our Learning and Development module, click here
'Bulk-Create Appraisals' functionality Create Appraisals (Performance Agreements) for ALL employees in your organisation, each with their own unique positional Performance Measures, WITH ONE MOUSE CLICK.

This amazing functionality gives full control to the Corporate System Administrator to ensure that all employees have the correct Appraisal for their relevant Job Titles.
There are three system interfaces: System Administrator (Corporate and Divisional), Appraisor, and Appraisee, each with specified system access privileges. Users log in with their own User ID's and Passwords to ensure sufficient security and privacy. Each type of user only sees what are relevant to them and what they are allowed according to their set system access settings.
Detailed records of all previous appraisals are stored in a click-accessible archiving system (lifetime archiving, i.e. records get never deleted). Provides instant access to previous appraisals, which is also useful in tracking an employee's performance progress over time.

It is legally crucial to have a documentary audit trail of someone's performance over time. Without this it will be difficult to dismiss employees based on persistent poor performance.

Indispensable in defending your organisation against litigious ex-employees.
Job/Role Description Functionality Create all your Job/Role Descriptions within Performance Advantage, and give online access to it so managers can view those of their direct and indirect reports, and staff members can view their own (by mere mouse-click).

As you update/edit your Job Descriptions centrally, everybody has instant access to the latest versions.

Job Descriptions can be linked to Appraisal Templates to ensure perfect alignment between them.
A range of advanced tabular and graphical reports (by filtering any combination of Job Title, Appraisor, Appraisee, Unit, Location and Performance Measure).
 Facilitates the ranking of employees based on ratings per measure, or their overall performance percentages.

Graphical presentation of ratings and performance percentages simplified staff performance comparisons.

Appraisal Smart also allows you to identify the poorest performers in any performance measure (e.g. the Competency "Leadership", or the KPI "Sales") so that such people can be targeted for needs-based training, development and coaching interventions.

Rich content includes detailed User Guides, Tutorials and Help Files to get users (all staff members) up to speed with Performance Management and Appraisals in no time at all.

 No need for special 'classroom' training, providing that users spend some productive time and effort learning the system through the user-friendly User Guides, Tutorials and Help Files provided. Add to this our free email, online and telephone support as per the Client License Agreement.
Linkage/interfacing with any HRIS/HRMS or Payroll System is possible, i.e. employee data can be automatically imported from existing Personnel/HR Information Systems (additional setup fee applies). Alternatively, the system’s Excel/CSV Bulk User Importing Utility can be used. Fast upload (and maintenance/updating) of employee data.