Performance management

Performance Reviews that Run Themselves

Set goals, compare performance, and never miss a deadline. Reminders and alerts ensure managers and staff complete check-ins on time, and AI-powered analytics help you interpret the results.

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Interactive Reviews

Give teams the tools to work together on appraisals and performance reviews, with space for two-way feedback between managers and staff, making performance reviews a living, breathing exercise that engages teams and helps individuals understand how they’re doing.

360-Degree Feedback

Request feedback from peers, colleagues and teammates, to build a fuller picture of performance. This popular performance review method gives teams a more accurate idea of individual skills, behaviours and competencies, from the perspective of those who know them best.

Custom Processes

Design your own performance reviews, choosing which steps to add, which people need to be involved, and how often things need to happen. Design screens, add custom fields, and specify what needs to happen at each stage to ensure performance is managed the way you like it.

What's inside

Explore your new performance management system

Here's what's included with the modern Sense HR performance management software

Pre-Built Templates

Select a pre-built review template, such as probation, mid-year, project or 360.

Goals & Objectives

Set SMART goals, link them to company objectives, and track them over time.

Shared Agendas

Set agendas between managers and staff, with action items and follow-ups.

Probation Reviews

Auto-schedule at custom intervals, such as 30 days, 90 days, and 12 months.

360-Degree Feedback

Collect input from every angle, including peers, managers and direct reports.

Kudos & Recognition

Send thanks, rewards and recognition tied to important company values.

Mobile-First

Complete performance reviews anywhere, with the Sense HR mobile app.

Reminders & Nudges

No more chasing two weeks after a deadline – auto-remind managers or staff.

Draft With AI

Ask AMI to draft responses, set actions or summarise feedback from your notes.

Review templates

Explore and Customise a Range of Pre-Built Performance Review Templates

  • Annual Review

    The traditional full appraisal, with goals, ratings and action plans.

  • Probation Review

    Pass, fail or extend probation by conducting a 30 or 90-day probation review.

  • Mid-Year Check-In

    A light check-in or re-alignment of annual goals, with no formal ratings.

  • Project Review

    Capture learnings from a specific project, tied to individual performance.

  • 360-Degree Review

    Fully anonymised and AI-aggregated feedback from peers or team members.

  • Continuous 1:1s

    Check-in more often with shared agendas, action plans and value-focused goals.

Improve performance

Help each person achieve their highest potential

  • Automate EverythingLet your performance reviews run like clockwork, with no need to check on dates and deadlines, and no need to chase managers or staff for their input. Just decide what should happen when, and watch it all unfold – including custom steps like automatic periodic reports to senior management.
  • Deeper AI InsightsUnderstand the picture of performance across your entire organisation, without drilling down into each specific comment or review. Your HR assistant AMI can give you performance summaries for individuals, and help you identify trends, spot gaps, and seize opportunities.
  • Compare Top PerformersEncourage good behaviour and recognise your best people, with leader boards and charts that compare performance across your teams. See at a glance who deserves a reward, who is ready for their next step, and who needs a little extra support to reach their goals.

Discover performance management for yourself

Book a free demo or start your free trial to discover modern performance management with Sense HR.

Common questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Performance Management

Can we customise the review templates to match our culture?

All review templates are fully customisable, and you can add your own questions, rating scales, and sections. We actually encourage you to base these around your companies culture and values, because it is how you will measure performance in relation to the things most important to you. You can use different templates for different roles, departments, or cycles. And if you’d prefer not to build from scratch, you can select a pre-built template and go from there.

Won’t managers just ignore this?

Sense HR is designed for managers who hate doing reviews. We’ve made it mobile-first, with simple flows and auto-reminders to ensure deadlines aren’t missed. If you like, you can also let managers use AI to draft summaries from their notes. Customer data shows that 85% of performance reviews are completed within 14 days of their due date.

Can we use it to do performance-based pay reviews?

Yes, you can link performance outcomes to pay review cycles! What’s more, you can even let managers add salary recommendations, then connect these to approval workflows that get pushed to payroll if the right people sign them off.

How does AMI help with reviews?

Your AI assistant AMI can draft review responses from your meeting notes or your 1:1 history. AMI can also anonymise and summarise 360 feedback, to give you themes for each individual, and to suggest development actions based on performance gaps. The manager remains responsible for the content of the final review – but AMI can take a lot of the heavy lifting out of the equation.

What is performance management software?

Performance management software is a digital system that helps organisations plan, track, and review employee performance. As a performance management tool, it combines features like goal tracking software, staff performance evaluation, and continuous feedback to make managing people easier, more consistent, and more transparent.

Can I set team-specific goals?

Yes. Good employee performance management software allows both individual and team-level goal setting. With goal tracking software built in, managers can monitor progress for their teams while employees clearly see how their contributions link to wider company objectives.

What is meant by performance management?

Performance management is the ongoing process of guiding, supporting, and assessing employees so their work aligns with organisational goals. With the help of employee performance management software, it becomes a continuous cycle of goal-setting, feedback, staff performance evaluation, and recognition - as opposed to simple once-a-year reviews.

What are the 5 elements of performance management?

The five classic elements are:

  • Planning - setting clear goals and expectations using goal tracking software.
  • Monitoring - keeping up with employee performance tracking on an ongoing basis.
  • Developing - supporting growth through training and employee development.
  • Reviewing - carrying out fair and structured performance appraisals.
  • Rewarding - recognising and celebrating staff achievements.

However, it’s worth noting that there are many approaches to good performance management, and following these five classic elements is not the only correct approach.

What are the 5 C’s of performance management?

The 5 C’s are: Clarity (everyone knows what’s expected), Capacity (having the resources to perform), Capability (having the right skills), Commitment (employees are motivated), and Community (a sense of belonging and teamwork). These elements are reinforced by software to manage employee performance, which ensures consistency across the organisation.

What are the 3 P’s of performance management?

There are two common ways people describe the 3 P’s:

  • People, Process, Performance - focusing on employees, how work gets done, and results.
  • Planning, Progress, Performance - focusing on goal-setting, employee performance tracking, and measuring outcomes.

As with the 5 elements of performance management, and indeed the 5 C’s of performance management, the 3 P’s are just an acronym to help you remember some of the important fundamentals. There are many ways to conduct good performance management reviews, and different ways to engage and motivate your team members.

How to choose the best performance management software?

The right choice depends on your company’s size, culture, and goals. When evaluating software to manage employee performance, keep an eye on:

  • Core features: Goal tracking software, performance appraisals, and continuous feedback should be included.
  • Ease of use: If the performance management tool is too complicated, people won’t use it.
  • Customisation: Make sure you can tailor performance review software to your processes.
  • Analytics and reporting: Strong reporting helps you spot trends in staff performance evaluation.
  • Integrations: It should connect smoothly with your existing HR and productivity tools.
  • Scalability and cost: Choose a solution that fits your budget but can also grow with your business.
  • Employee experience: The best employee performance management software makes reviews and development conversations constructive, supportive, and motivating.

In short: the best software to manage employee performance should be easy to adopt, flexible enough to fit how your company works, and powerful enough to support both current and future performance management needs.