Reflektive takes aim at boring, labor-intensive performance reviews

Retaining young talent demands more than offering “craft beer Fridays” and free passes to the local multiplex. Engaging talented employees also requires feedback and performance reviews to demonstrate their role in the company and where their jobs can lead in the years to come.

To help with this task, companies such as Blue Origin, Comcast, Dollar Shave Club and Healthgrades are using a performance management and employee feedback tool from human capital software provider Reflektive to create a constant and open dialogue with workers.

The cloud-based, real-time performance management platform — also called Reflektive — moves beyond the traditional annual performance review that many managers, supervisors and HR executives view as a time-consuming chore, says Megan Kusanovich, employee success manager of the San Francisco–based company.

While perks are nice for boosting morale and making work fun, employees crave feedback, she says.

“Over time employees are interested in how they can grow their career, and we offer them a chance to discuss their performance with a continuous feedback and dialogue,” she says. “This enables clarity and offers transparency for their goals and how they align with their day-to-day work.”

The Reflektive tool integrates with Microsoft Outlook, Gmail and Slack.

Although Reflektive supports mobile use, clients primarily use it over workstations and work computers. Pricing is based on the size of the company, on a per employee basis, the company says.

Reflektive allows managers to offer feedback via e-mail in a text box that can be sent to the employee or team members when recognizing the efforts for a group is warranted. HR can be CCed into these messages per the managers’ request, and a report of the conversation can be tracked for reports in the event of a termination of litigation.

Employees can request feedback to see how they are performing during projects or in their overall job. The requests are sent directly to a manager or supervisor who can then respond. Managers also can request feedback for a specific employee from other managers or team members.

“It prompts managers for real-time feedback and gives employees insight to their strengths and what value they are adding to the company, so they feel appreciated,” Kusanovich says. “This goes a longer way than some perk that is offered in the office.”

For performance reviews, managers can choose from a traditional review with manager and employee assessments, a 360-review that includes an employees’ coworkers, and a check-in that includes “a lightweight conversation to help managers and employees align performance and progress,” according to Reflektive.

The company claims to have more than 450 employer clients, including AAR, Instacart, Wavemaker Global and Protective Life.

The solution has been primarily used by smaller to medium-sized companies but is being scaled up for larger enterprises, Kusanovich says.