How Microbyte left paper-based reviews behind

General Manager Anna Fletcher is based at Microbyte Peterborough office. She has been with the company for more than 10 years and is responsible for all things concerning HR.

<h2 class="hide">Improving from a slow and outdated process</h2>

[fs-toc-omit]The issue

Reviews were conducted on paper. Word documents were printed and passed between employee and line manager. Employees would write their comments first, then give the form to their line manager who would add their thoughts before they sat down for a review. The process was quite slow and hard to keep track of and there was no central place to store comments or to ensure all action points were followed up.

[fs-toc-omit]Why change was needed

The business began to grow – with more employees it was impossible to continue with the paper-based approach. Senior leaders felt they needed to be more organised and proactive to ensure employee development was at the heart of the organisation’s culture, to increase the pain, information was being lost or overlooked, which was potentially hampering employee development.

<h2 class="hide">A solution that fits with employees workloads</h2>

[fs-toc-omit]Why Appraisd?

As Anna has many responsibilities besides HR, a superior level of customer support was essential. Microbyte wanted something easy to configure and simple for employees to understand. Being able to take a more continuous approach and allowing employees to easily access and update their own progress was a key requirement.

[fs-toc-omit]Rolling out Appraisd

They began by testing with one or two employees to ensure the set-up was correct and worked the way that Microbyte wanted. Once they were happy, each employee was introduced to Appraisd individually. Appraisd materials explained everything that employees needed to know and ensured it was quickly adopted by employees.

Rolling out and embedding employee development roadmaps has been a priority for Microbyte over the last few years. Appraisd has given us the firm foundations to build these upon and without it the rest of our plans would not be possible.<div  class="author">Anna Fletcher, General Manager at Microbyte</div>

<h2 class="hide">Key benefits of using Appraisd</h2>

[fs-toc-omit]The benefits

• The introduction of Appraisd has underpinned a much wider focus on employee development, which has been a significant and positive transformation for Microbyte.
• Each department now has its own road map plotting its progression at Microbyte, which has only been made possible by capturing reviews in one, central location.
• Every employee is clear about their review cycle, with a much better understanding of how they are expected to develop their skills and experience.
• Reviews have been incorporated into the probation process, ensuring that new employees are clear about their objectives and development path from the moment they join the organisation.
• Through Appraisd, Microbyte has been able to successfully adapt the process to suit the unique demands of each department.
• Ongoing progress updates have now become the main focus, rather than the formal reviews, meaning employees are always looking forward and their development has become a part of their working day.

[fs-toc-omit]What do you like most about Appraisd?

The personal notes are brilliant. It’s amazing what a difference such a simple function makes. It is so easy to quickly record a thought or action and ensures nothing is lost or overlooked. With this feature, you’ve nailed it!<div  class="author">Anna Fletcher, General Manager at Microbyte</div>