Will AI Kill the Performance Review?

At corporate jobs, performance reviews are an annual rite of passage and are often key to getting raises and promotions. They’ve also been a source of dread for many managers, as they involved lots of paperwork and time. A UK-based company, WorkCompass, thinks they have a solution that will go beyond improving performance reviews and replace them all together. The Silicone Review agrees, naming WorkCompass one of their 50 Smartest Companies of 2016.

According to The Silicone Review, WorkCompass uses machine learning, natural language processing (NLP) and game mechanics to provide a constantly updated picture of an employee’s performance and goals. It grades the quality of their goals and makes suggestions based on analytics on how they can be improved. These insights make performance management and review an ongoing process rather than something touched upon once a year and quickly forgotten.

NLP is leveraged to create scheduled check-in points for users to update their progress, and machine learning tools learn the user’s behavior to predict and recommend goals.

A database of goals is analyzed and displayed in what the company calls a strategy execution dashboard. It’s designed to help managers make better decisions for their team and to quickly determine if an employee needs coaching. Performance check-in scripts are generated automatically based on employee progress updates.

The suggestions are delivered to users using game mechanics to provide a clear understanding of where they need to improve and the current quality of their goals. The company said the software, available via a web-based portal, has enabled customers to increase employee productivity by an average 11.4 percent.