They call them painless performance appraisals. Using technology to help the employee appraisal process seems like one of the biggest no-brainer's a modern business manager could ponder.

Employee performance appraisals are essential to evaluate the productivity, development and overall motivation of an employee. Formal appraisals are normally conducted annually, with reviews on a quarterly or six-monthly basis.

emPerform, a leading supplier of talent management software for businesses, has stepped in to offer employees the key answers they'll need to research when facing their annual or quarterly appraisals.

They offer these quick tips for assisting employees on the best areas to focus on:

• Approach your employee appraisal answers from an objective point of view. Do not over-score yourself, as this is likely to lead to a conflict with your manager’s results, as they will know how you have performed over the year. This in itself will put you in an uncomfortable position!
• Analyse and report on how your achievements during the course of the appraisal year have contributed towards the overall goals and objectives of the business. This will also help show that you understand your role and the ongoing aims of the organisation.
• List your major achievements for the year; don’t just think about the previous few months. Consider the whole year.

A spokesman for emPerform:

"Employee appraisals can be daunting for many employees, even when they are confident they have performed well in their assessment period. We advise employees to really focus on areas of objectivity and to be careful not to overscore themselves but to be honest and direct about their achievements."

Are you using technology to evaluate the performance of your key employees?