A Guide to Singapore’s Workplace Wellbeing Champions Network

A physically and mentally well workforce is more productive than those torn between unrealistic deadlines and pressure. Workplace wellbeing initiatives aim to create such work cultures where employees thrive, grow, and are satisfied with their jobs. 

In fact, according to a 2020 Deloitte survey on workplace wellbeing, 80% of executives claimed that well-being was their top priority. Yet, the Human Capital Trends report stated that nearly 90% of employees feel their work life is getting worse. 

The data illustrates that despite the current efforts of Singaporean companies to invest in workplace wellbeing, their strategies are falling short. This disconnect is a contributing factor to the necessity of Singapore’s Workplace Wellbeing Champions Network, a government-backed initiative to help create a more positive work environment for Singapore employees. 

What is Workplace Wellbeing?

Workplace wellbeing refers to optimizing employees’ health, satisfaction, and overall fulfillment within a professional setting. It extends beyond the traditional notions of health and safety by incorporating elements of physical, mental, emotional, social, and professional dimensions. At its core, workplace wellbeing seeks to create an environment that not only protects employees from physical harm but helps them navigate stress, career dilemmas, and other work-related issues.

Some examples of workplace wellbeing initiatives are as follows: 

  • Allowing employees to work remotely or provide flexible working hours
  • Offering gym memberships, fitness classes, or wellness workshops
  • Providing access to counseling services and stress management workshops
  • Organizing team-building activities, social gatherings, and other group activities
  • Conducting regular one-on-one meetings between employees and managers 
  • Encouraging the use of vacation days and time off to prevent employee burnout 
  • Offering training programs, mentorship, and other opportunities for career advancement

Implementing a blend of these wellbeing initiatives is crucial, as physically and mentally well employees are likely to be more focused, energetic, and productive in their roles. Such a positive culture that prioritizes employee wellbeing also attracts top talent and reduces organization’s attrition rate. This is becoming increasingly important as 59% of employees would consider leaving their current role for a company offering better wellbeing benefits.

wellbeing champions

Role of a Workplace Wellbeing Champion

A workplace wellbeing champion is a trusted individual within your organization whom employees feel comfortable turning to when they need support. Instead of internalizing their concerns, these wellbeing champions bridge the communication gap between leaders and team members. With this, timely action can be taken, preventing a surge in employee turnover rates and serving as a value add and benefit to attract new talent. 

As Mr. Aslam Sardar, Chief Executive of the Institute for Human Resource Professionals, states, “When you have very good well-being programs, you are attractive to an employee and are more likely to attract talent, especially the younger generations.” 

According to WHO, creating a healthy workplace requires including initiatives in four crucial areas—the physical work environment, psychological environment, personal health resources, and enterprise involvement in the community. Based on that, here are some specific duties of workplace wellbeing champions: 

Provide resources and information: Create a centralized hub for employees to quickly get resources, articles, and information on various aspects of wellbeing, such as mental health support, fitness programs, and healthy eating.

Organizing wellness programs: Planning and implementing wellness challenges, such as step-count competitions, yoga sessions, or mindfulness programs to encourage physical activity and stress reduction. These programs reduce absenteeism by 14-19%, and 80% of employees claim to enjoy their work days when wellness programs are in place. 

Facilitate open discussions: Create a safe space for colleagues to discuss their concerns, challenges, or ideas about well-being openly. This can be done through regular meetings, informal gatherings, and offering mental health days at work.

Mental health advocacy: a 2019 Cigna wellbeing survey revealed that a staggering 92% of employed respondents in Singapore were stressed, and 44% of them believe that their existing workplace programs did not address mental health. A sentiment that has only intensified in a post pandemic world. Running awareness campaigns on mental health, providing resources on coping strategies, and reducing the stigma around mental health support have become crucial in supporting employees. 

Collaborate with relevant stakeholders: Collaborate with management, Human Resources, and other stakeholders to integrate well being into your overall organizational strategy. They may also collaborate with external partners, such as wellness experts or healthcare providers. 

Collecting feedback and suggestions: Asking for feedback via surveys is another crucial area in enhancing your wellbeing initiatives. You can use this information to tailor programs and meet employees’ specific needs, helping to identify specific pain points within your organization.

While the role is often voluntary, wellbeing champions should have the time to attend meetings, organize events, and stay informed about relevant wellness topics. 

Who can be a ‘Workplace Wellbeing Champion’?

Any employee within an organization who is passionate about promoting a positive work environment can become a workplace wellbeing champion. The role is typically voluntary, and individuals interested in their colleagues’ well-being often take on this responsibility. 

However, according to Gan Siow Huang, the Minister of State for Manpower, “wellbeing champions are typically management level employees, who can rally senior management to implement policies to support employees’ mental wellbeing.”

Some characteristics and qualifications that make people well-suited to be workplace wellbeing champions include: 

Passion for wellbeing: Wellbeing champions should genuinely care about the health and happiness of their colleagues. It isn’t just a title but a desire to walk people through their distressing times and lead them to better paths. 

Good communicator: Wellbeing champions must communicate information about wellness initiatives, resources, and events to their colleagues effectively. Sometimes, people who need these initiatives the most need a little convincing to become a part of it. That’s where strong verbal and written communication skills would help. 

Approachable and supportive: The wellbeing champion should be the first person colleagues turn to when they are in need of support. This ensures that seeking advice or discussing concerns isn’t difficult for those dealing with significant issues. 

Enthusiastic and positive: A positive attitude can be contagious. Wellbeing champions who approach their role with optimism can motivate others to prioritize their own wellbeing. At the same time, champions should empathize with the challenges for providing meaningful support and guidance. 

Respect for privacy: Wellbeing champions deal with sensitive information related to the health and wellbeing of their colleagues. They must prioritize privacy and maintain confidentiality to create a safe space. To ensure employees share the needed information, asking the right question becomes essential. Prepare a list of employee satisfaction survey questions that equally focus on job satisfaction, work environment, communication, work-life balance, and professional development. 

wellbeing champions

The Wellbeing Champions Network is Singapore’s largest network for workplace mental health and wellbeing, supported by the Tripartite Alliance Limited. They focus on three things— feeling well, functioning well, and connecting well, providing a 360-degree wellbeing experience.

  • Feeling well focuses on both physical and emotional wellbeing. It includes breathing techniques for better awareness, incorporating physical movements in the busy work schedule, focusing on emotional intelligence, and creating a sense of belongingness in the workplace community. 
  • Functioning well focuses on creating a sense of work fulfillment, which remains extremely important to bring the best out of employees. It includes boosting skills and opening the mind to new ideas and experiences to lead employees in the right direction 
  • Connecting well helps in strengthening the relationship with the community and the environment. It focuses on contributing to others in both small and large ways and adding value to life by building meaningful relationships. 

Comprising 50 founding members from renowned organizations, the Wellbeing Champions Network aims to create a safe space and culture of sharing without the fear of discrimination.  

The network was formed based on research showing that a significant number of employees fail to deal with work demands and pressures. These employees took a lot of medical leave and were prone to accidents much more than other employees. So, focusing on mental wellbeing became critical for both productivity and safety. 

So, as part of Singapore’s National Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023, employers are recommended to have wellbeing champions within their teams. However, the concept of workplace wellbeing is new. That’s where a community-based approach via the network could help, as you can learn from experiences and expert insights. 

The whole idea of Singapore’s Workplace Wellbeing Champions Network is to create a unified and collaborative space where every employee is heard, seen, and respected for their issues, big or small. 

How to Join the Workplace Wellbeing Champions Network?

Joining the workplace wellbeing champions network is free, and champions and other nominated employees can join the network with no fee. All you need to do is email Kaleidoscope Labs at hello@kaleidoscope.sg, the official vendor appointed by the Workplace Safety and Health Council

The Expansion of Tripartite Advisory on Mental Health

The subject of mental health has long been somewhat of a taboo in Singapore as Singaporean society believes in hard work and resilience. However, we observed a significant shift after COVID-19 with a growing emphasis shifted to the importance of mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. 

The Tripartite Advisory on Mental Health was then launched in 2020 to provide employers with knowledge and skills to better support their employees’ mental health and well-being. The initiative collaborates with the government, employers, and workers’ unions. 

In 2023, the Tripartite Advisory was expanded to include new measures such as the Workplace Wellbeing Champions Network. The network successfully connected individuals dedicated to promoting well-being practices in the workplace. 

The Advisory also included new measures to eliminate stigmas and implement a peer support system of trained staff to create a supportive and positive work environment. We also observed an increased focus on hiring individuals with mental health conditions to create a more inclusive workplace. 

Empowering Teams for Health and Wellbeing

The Workplace Wellbeing Champions Network has numerous benefits for your employees and organization. It’s important to emphasize the benefits, showcase their positive impact, and create a compelling narrative around the initiative to facilitate stakeholder and employee buy-in. 

To empower more employees to join the network, focus on conveying personal benefits such as enhanced leadership skills, increased job satisfaction, and the opportunity to positively impact workplace culture. You can also provide examples of successful wellness programs and initiatives within the organization or from other companies. 

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Remember that the key is to personalize your communication and tailor your approach to your organization’s unique characteristics and culture. 

How Omni Supports Singapore Businesses

Localized payroll

Manual payroll is made easier with tools like our payslip template Singapore. For companies at risk of common errors such as miscalculations, typos, and missed deadlines, automating your payroll with Omni offers a comprehensive payroll solution tailored to Singapore’s specific requirements. With features like support for SGD, automated tax calculations, and managed CPF contributions, Omni can help HR teams simplify their payroll processing and ensure compliance with ease. 

With automated payroll outsourcing services, digitized and secure payslip distribution and records keeping, and dedicated support teams to guide your team and ensure compliance, Omni’s payroll processing reduces common payroll errors as well as the administrative burden of your HR team and frees up valuable time to dedicate to more impactful business processes.

E Pass salaries and other regulatory changes are a common reality for Singapore businesses, technology can help manage the various documents and E Pass salary requirements needed to support your foreign talent. 

Omni allows your organization to securely and centrally manage employee information such as proof of qualifications and written consent necessary to obtain a Singapore E Pass. Our employee-portal makes it easy for employee’s to upload and update their information, centralizing critical information such as E Pass numbers, expiry dates, and renewal reminders, helping ensure your E Pass management meets the regulations set by the Singapore government.

Benefits administration

Omni’s time off management capabilities help managers and HR teams swiftly navigate employee leave management, promoting wellbeing and work-life balance. Omni’s platform allows you to approve leave applications on the go and keep track of who’s in and out of the office with at-a-glance scheduling. 

Our employee self-service portal empowers employees to submit their time off requests, which automatically routes to the appropriate manager thanks to customizable approval workflows. With automated calculations, employees and managers can easily view leave balances in real-time, and track how many vacation days they have left without having to go through HR. 

Our localized solutions and inter-connected system integrates your leave management efforts with payroll processing, facilitating automatic, accurate calculations and compliance with local regulations for various regions.

Paying your employees is one of the most important expenses your company incurs. However, it’s not always as straightforward as paying out a base salary. You need to consider the cost of recruitment, variable pay, deductions and fluctuations in market rate so your recruitment strategies can remain competitive.

This is where a detailed salary budget comes in. This strategic outline helps account for all the expenses associated with maintaining (and growing) your workforce. It’s an essential part of any organization’s roadmap, and needs to be carefully considered with present expenses and future opportunities balanced together.

Here’s everything you need to know about the cost of recruitment, tracking and implementing a salary budget, and what technology you can lean on to help the process.

Before we dive right into the guide, let’s get to know the basics of a salary budget. For HR professionals, a salary budget serves as the foundational financial plan outlining how much you expect to spend on employee compensation for a defined period (often aligning with the fiscal year). This budget outlines how your organization’s financial resources dedicated to the cost of recruitment, salaries, wages, bonuses, and other employee-related expenses will be spent.

Key components of a salary budget

Base salaries: These are the fixed amount of money allocated for roles at your organization, and represent the core of employee compensation.

Variable pay: This deals with bonuses, incentives, commissions, and any other form of performance-based pay that may vary based on individual or team achievements.

Benefits and perquisites: In addition to direct monetary compensation, a salary budget often includes provisions for employee benefits such as health insurance, retirement contributions, and other perks.

Payroll taxes: Tax-based deductions also need to be considered. These expenses related to employer-paid taxes are critical to consider when setting your overall salary budget.

Salary adjustments: You’ll need to account for periodic adjustments, whether they’re cost-of-living increases, merit-based raises, or adjustments to remain competitive in the job market.

A well-defined salary budget is one of the single-most important steps your HR department can take each year. Accounting for predictable costs while leaving room for cost of recruitment and flexibility will help you attract and retain talent, ensuring everyone is adequately compensated and employee satisfaction.

 

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As mentioned, one of the biggest expenses for an organization is paying the salaries of its employees. Ensuring fair compensation fosters an engaged and motivated workforce. Thus, establishing a salary budget is crucial. Delve deeper into the significance of a salary budget with the following reasons: 

Financial Control and Predictability

  • Financial stability: A salary budget provides a structured framework for allocating resources, helping establish stability in your organization’s financial landscape. It also allows for better control over spending related to employee compensation.
  • Budget predictability: Having a well-defined salary budget allows your organization to predict and plan for labor costs, which minimizes financial surprises and helps with financial forecasting.

Talent attraction and retention

  • Competitive compensation: A well-crafted salary budget guarantees that your organization remains competitive in the job market. It enables you to attract top-tier talent by offering salaries and benefits that meet industry standards, and appeal to high-value candidates.
  • Retention strategies: This involves allocating funds within your organization for salary adjustments, bonuses and benefits aimed at enhancing employee satisfaction and employee retention. Consequently, investing in such expenditures fosters organizational continuity, reduces turnover rates, and mitigates recruitment costs associated with talent replacement.

Performance alignment

  • Linking performance to compensation: A salary budget serves as the mechanism which links individual and team performance to compensation. This encourages employees to strive for excellence, knowing that their efforts are recognized and rewarded.
  • Merit-based adjustments: The budget allows for performance-based salary adjustments, acknowledging and incentivizing high-performing members of your team, contributing to a performance-driven company culture within your organization.

Strategic Workforce Planning

  • Resource allocation: Your organization can strategically allocate resources based on its business priorities. For example, a salary budget could include provisions for targeted hires or additional training to address specific skill gaps within your workforce.
  • Long-term planning: It also aids in long-term workforce planning by considering factors such as succession planning, skill development, and workforce expansion.

Cost Management and Compliance

  • Cost containment: By defining and managing your labor costs, a salary budget helps your organization manage its overall budget effectively and accurately. It also allows for adjustments in response to changing financial circumstances, such as a market downturn.
  • Compliance with regulations: Your salary budget helps maintain compliance with labor laws and regulations related to compensation (such as minimum wage or overtime pay) preventing any legal issues that could arise if there were salary disputes.

Organizational Transparency and Employee Morale

  • Transparency: A clear and communicated salary budget fosters transparency in the organization. Employees are aware of the criteria for salary adjustments and bonus allocations, promoting a sense of fairness.
  • Morale boost: Knowing that the organization has a structured approach to compensation increases employee engagement and morale. It establishes a sense of trust and fairness in the employer-employee relationship.

In short, a salary budget is essential for proficient financial management, talent strategy, and overall success, spanning short and long-term objectives. It ensures alignment of financial resources with strategic goals, accounts for the cost of recruitment, and cultivates a harmonious and prosperous work environment.

salary budget

Developing a comprehensive salary budget requires a careful and detail-oriented approach, particularly when approaching elements that directly impact your organization’s success and your employee well-being and financial security (like the cost of recruitment). Let’s take a closer look at the key aspects to focus on when crafting a salary budget.

Market research and industry standards

When approaching your salary budget creation, begin by taking a deep dive into market research in order to grasp the current industry standards and salary benchmarks. Look into compensation surveys, industry reports, cost of recruitment standards, and relevant market trends. This data should form your foundation for determining competitive and attractive salary ranges that resonate with the broader market.

Analyzing competitor salary structures and understanding the average compensation for similar roles in the industry will provide valuable insights, and give you a keener understanding of the cost of recruitment you can expect. This step also ensures that your organization remains competitive and will attract top talent.

Organizational Needs and Priorities

Aligning the salary budget with your organizational needs and priorities should be your top priority. Consider the strategic objectives and overarching goals of your company, and consider—if there are imminent plans for growth, allocate budget resources accordingly, making sure that the salary budget supports these strategic initiatives.

This step involves a careful consideration of your organization’s mission and vision, company values, and strategic plans. For example, if its focus is on innovation, the salary budget might need to account for attracting specialized talent in cutting-edge fields, which could potentially increase the overall cost of recruitment.

Benefits and Perks

Beyond basic salary figures, your overall compensation packages probably include perks and benefits. Delve into structuring a comprehensive benefits plan, including health insurance, retirement contributions, and additional perks. The aim with this step is to create an enticing package that goes beyond monetary considerations.

Consider the specific needs and preferences of your workforce. For example, younger demographics like Gen Z and Gen Alpha might place a higher value on professional development opportunities, while a more senior team member might prioritize retirement benefits.

Retention and Talent Acquisition

A strategic salary budget should address both talent retention and the cost of recruitment. Identify important positions for targeted retention efforts and allocate resources for competitive compensation packages. At the same time, set aside budgetary provisions for attracting new talent, especially if there are plans for expanding the workforce.

You’ll need to consider the turnover rates for key positions and understand the cost of losing valuable talent. A budget that recognizes and rewards loyalty while attracting new talents is essential for maintaining a dynamic and resilient team.

By taking a close look at aspects such as market research, organizational needs, benefits, and talent strategies, your organization can develop a salary budget that not only meets industry standards but also supports the attainment of its unique objectives and enhances workforce dynamics. 

Useful Tools for Preparing and Tracking Your Salary Budget

Considering the significance of a salary budget, it requires meticulous attention to detail. However, this complexity can be significantly simplified with the aid of tools and technologies accessible to HR professionals. Your team can utilize various software solutions to improve accuracy, efficiency and overall ease in managing your salary budget. Here are some useful tools for the task: 

HRIS (Human Resources Information System)

An HRIS is a fully integrated system that facilitates the management of employee data, including payroll and compensation information. It automates many different HR processes, helping you communicate seamlessly between different HR functions. HRIS tools provide a centralized platform for payroll, making budget preparation (like predicting the cost of recruitment) and tracking a much more simplified task.

Budgeting software

Dedicated budgeting software offers robust features specifically designed for financial planning and analysis. These tools often include tools for salary budgeting, allowing your team to allocate funds for the cost of recruitment, set salary structures, and monitor expenditures. Modern HR budgeting software can also provide forecasting capabilities for future budget cycles.

Microsoft Excel

While considered traditional, Microsoft Excel remains a versatile and extensively utilized tool for budgeting functions in many businesses. While not as specialized as dedicated HRIS or budgeting software, Microsoft Excel allows HR professionals to create detailed and customizable salary budget templates. It’s also particularly useful for small to medium-sized businesses that may not require an extensive software solution (or lack the budget for one).

Compensation benchmarking tools

Compensation benchmarking tools can help your organization compare its salary structure against industry standards and competitors. These tools provide valuable insights into the cost of recruitment for specific roles, enabling your team to make data-driven decisions when preparing your salary budget. Some tools also offer real-time updates on market trends, helping you stay ahead of the game and make changes to stay competitive.

Selecting the right combination of tools depends on the unique needs and scale of your organization. If you work for a larger enterprise, you might benefit from a comprehensive HRIS and budgeting software solutions. If you’re a smaller business, you may find Microsoft Excel and specialized compensation benchmarking tools to be cost-effective alternatives. Regardless of the size of your organization, integrating technology into the salary budgeting process maximizes precision, agility, and assists with strategic decision-making.

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salary budget

Affordable, functional, and suitable for modern growing businesses— Omni is the payroll provider that your business can rely on when creating your salary budget. Our comprehensive payroll solution is specifically crafted to meet the unique requirements of your business, regardless of your geographical location. 

With product features like local currency support, automated tax calculations, and instant payroll reports, HR teams can simplify their salary budgeting process while ensuring adherence to regulatory standards. What’s more, Omni provides clear and timely insights into your organization’s spending, helping you build and audit your salary budget backed by real data.

If you’re ready to take your salary budget implementation to the next level, book a demo with us today. We’ll walk you through the platform’s features and demonstrate how Omni can transform your processes, saving you time, reducing administrative burden, and enhancing overall efficiency for your team.

The 2024 HR Compliance Checklist: APAC Edition

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that “nearly three million workers die every year due to work-related accidents and diseases, an increase of more than 5 percent compared to 2015.” Out of those three million, 330,000 are due to work accidents. This statistic partly explains the numerous local, state, and international laws set all around the world, but in APAC specifically, to protect the health, safety, and equity of workers. 

While HR leaders must abide by these regulations in APAC at all times, frequent updates could make HR compliance a struggle. To make it easier, follow this comprehensive HR compliance checklist when setting your company guidelines to ensure compliance.

What is HR Compliance?

HR compliance is the adherence of your company to the relevant laws (including industry-specific ones) on a local, state, national, and international level. If your organization covers various geographical regions, there are more rules that you might have to account for.

To be compliant, your company policies must align with these regulations, including setup, enforcement, and ongoing alignment. This requirement plays into several HR roles, such as recruitment, working hours, and work environments.

Why is HR Compliance Important?

You may be curious about the significance of HR compliance for your business. The reason is simply: HR compliance can potentially save your company millions of dollars by preventing avoidable fines, penalties, settlements, and legal entanglements. 

These regulations are established to safeguard employees, with compliance encompassing equitable compensation, workplace safety measures, and the prohibition of employee discrimination. 

HR compliance

Although it may seem overwhelming, dissecting the difficulties that HR leaders encounter in their pursuit of compliance in APAC will empower you to approach them proactively and prepare for them. Some of the common challenges that APAC HR leaders may face include:

Keeping Up With Changing Regulations

Many HR professionals may lack assurance in staying abreast of the constantly evolving laws and regulations across the APAC region. 

For example, in Malaysia, significant amendments were implemented to the Employment Act 1955, as reported in the Asia-Pacific Employment Law Bulletin 2023, which took effect on January 1, 2023.

Meanwhile, in Australia, the recent reforms to labor and employment laws were initiated by the new federal labor Government in 2022. Additionally, China experienced alternations in its Covid policy after its reclassification from Class A to a Class B infectious disease. 

As such, it is to no surprise that keeping up with changing regulations could be burdensome and overwhelming for HR leaders.

Navigating Statutory Requirements

Ensuring statutory compliance entails adhering to employment-related laws established by local, state, or federal governments. These regulations cover a broad spectrum, ranging from minimum wage requirements to protocols for reporting incidents of money laundering. To ensure compliance, it is essential to set workplace policies that align with these legislations and enforce them consistently.

For example, in Thailand, when employers terminate employees without justifiable cause, they are obligated to provide compensation including salaries up to the last working day, severance pay, payment in lieu of notice, and compensation for accrued but unused annual leave. 

However, defining what constitutes “justifiable cause” varies across different jurisdictions, adding complexity to compliance efforts. For instance, subpar performance might not suffice as a valid cause for termination in some regions, necessitating careful consideration and adherence to the specific regulations applicable to your operating area.

Balancing Diverse Recruitment Strategies

To tap into the diverse talent pools across the APAC region, it is crucial to refine your hiring approach to accommodate various needs. This entails identifying the point where HR compliance aligns with the diverse cultural and business practices of each country, including local customs.

For instance, certain negotiation styles prevalent in the APAC region should be embraced while ensuring compliance with labor laws. This ensures that offers made are not below the minimum wage threshold.

Most Common APAC HR Compliance Issues

That being said, let’s delve into the prevalent HR compliance issues in the APAC region to help you steer clear of repeating these mistakes or rectify any that may have occurred.

Hiring Discrimination

It begins with your job advertisements! Many ads explicitly mention requirements related to a particular protected class, which is discriminatory. These include criteria such as:

  • Race
  • Sex
  • Color
  • Nationality
  • Religion
  • Disability
  • Age
  • Genetic information (like family medical histories).

Protected information should not influence the hiring process. It’s essential to utilize neutral language that neither specifies nor implies such preferences. Fortunately, there are online tools and readily available templates to assist with crafting inclusive job ads.

Wrongful Dismissals

Non-compliance in the form of terminating employees on unjustified grounds is an issue. Each country in the APAC region has regulations stipulating valid reasons for employment termination, including:

  • Serious misconduct
  • Neglect of duties
  • Breach of contract or policies
  • Diseases and injuries
  • Incompetence
  • Deliberate disobedience of lawful orders
  • Fraud against employers

In comparison, personal feuds, race, gender, and religion are invalid reasons to terminate employment.

For instance, terminating a worker in the middle of a conflict can come with the risk of wrongful termination lawsuits. Not to mention, it can hurt the remaining employees’ trust in their managers. Other examples include termination of contract during leave. In Indonesia, this is prohibited unless employees were absent due to sickness for more than 12 months

Maternity Discrimination

In an area rife with HR complexities, adherence to maternity guidelines is frequently compromised due to breaches or loopholes in maternity leave policy. A concerning phenomenon involves expectant mothers concealing their pregnancies at work out of fear of potential job loss. 

In an online panel discussion, it was emphasized that Indonesia lacks cash benefit schemes for maternity leave. This situation has also led some employers to exhibit reluctance in hiring female employees of childbearing age due to the full liability they bear for such benefits. 

Salaries Owed to Employees

Employees may experience delays in receiving their salaries, partial payments (resulting from unfair deductions), or even complete non-payment.


Lead India, a law firm, has pointed out that certain organizations exploit employees’ unfamiliarity with the extensive law safeguarding their rights in India. Despite the existence of numerous laws, some businesses may terminate contracts arbitrarily or even withhold salary payments, escaping accountability.

HR compliance

So, where should you start with HR compliance? Use this checklist as your roadmap, assisting you in maintaining a risk-free business and resilience against legal actions!

Recruitment and Hiring

In terms of recruitment, consider the model provided by Australia’s Fair Work Act. It incorporates completing employment contracts, providing necessary training, and conducting HR compliance procedures. The main pillars of this act are:

  • Workforce rights (such as making complaints, claiming benefits, working hours, unfair dismissal, and minimum employment standards)
  • Discrimination
  • Industrial activities (meaning that employees can be a member of an industrial association)
  • Pressure to negotiate individual arrangements

Employee Records and Documentation

In Malaysia, onboarding involves completing employment contracts and maintaining HR compliance with the Employment Act. You should also refer to both the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 and the Companies Act 2016.

For the duration of employment and for seven years after, businesses are required to keep personal information and the employment contract. The duration differs across record types, such as leave records and payment details, so be sure to check relevant legislations that apply to your business to ensure compliance.

Wages and Benefits

When it comes to wages and benefits, the National Employment Standards (NES) sets the guidelines that Australian businesses must adhere to. It details the bare minimum terms and conditions of what you must provide to all employees in the national workplace relations system. The standards the NES governs are:

  • Flexible working arrangements
  • Offers and requests to convert from casual to permanent employment
  • Maximum weekly hours
  • Requests for flexible working
  • Annual leave
  • Parental leave and related entitlements
  • Personal/carer’s leave, compassionate leave, domestic violence, and family leave
  • Long service leave
  • Community service leave
  • Public holidays
  • Notice of termination and redundancy pay
  • Superannuation contributions
  • Fair Work Information Statement and Casual Employment Information Statement

Maternity and Paternity Leave

In Singapore, employees are eligible for a maternity leave of 16 weeks, with 8 weeks of Government-paid leave, in the case of:

  • The child being a Singapore citizen
  • Working under you for at least three continuous months before the birth (if the mother is employed).
  • Giving you at least a week’s notice before the maternity leave and informing you as soon as possible of her delivery.

In the Philippines, employees get 105 days of maternity leave, fully paid, if they notify you of their pregnancies and the probable dates of childbirth. They can also extend the maternity leave by 30 days without pay.

Social Security Contributions

If you’re in Singapore, you should ensure that the mandatory contributions of employees reach the Central Provident Fund (CPF), a program that supports citizens with housing, healthcare, and retirement aid. Plus, you should ensure the contributions are the right amounts depending on employees’ ages and positions.

In Malaysia, you should comply with the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) conditions, a retirement savings fund. Contribution is mandatory for employees whose contract details are not covered by the First Schedule, Section 2, EPF Act 1991.

As for China, the social security system comprises five insurance types and a mandatory housing fund. You must make timely, monthly payments on behalf of your employees.

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Workplace Safety

If you’re operating in Australia, you must comply with Work Health and Safety (WHS), also called Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S), to keep your workplace safe and avoid putting employees at risk.

These laws regulate the machinery and structures, their usages, handling, and storage, health monitoring, facility maintenance, and the resources needed for safety.

Termination and Offboarding

The Labor Standards Act (LSA) sets the working conditions standards necessary for your employees’ livelihood in South Korea, including termination and offboarding policies. We’re talking about justifiable grounds for contract termination, 30-day notice periods, and rules for mass termination.

Moving to Singapore, you can refer to the Employment Act. It obliges you to give the leave notice determined in the contract or pay in lieu. If unspecified, you can refer to the act to learn how long the duration needs to be, which can vary from one day to four weeks. Also, the legislation prohibits discrimination on employment termination.

Australia’s offboarding process involves ensuring HR compliance with Fair Work requirements, like the reason for dismissal and notice period. Employees must receive one to four weeks notice from you (depending on their tenure) and no notice is needed in cases of summary dismissals.

Data Protection and Privacy

Data protection codes are designed to prevent data breaches against the personal information of employees (like medical records). Some regulations that need to be accounted for when setting up your HR compliance include China’s Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) or Malaysia’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) for lawful and fair data processing.

Regular Compliance Audits

To ensure HR compliance, you should set a solid data governance plan that stores data for up to six years. This way, when your HR data is subjected to internal or external compliance audits, all the relevant information will be there, ensuring maximum compliance for your business.

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Guidelines for Better HR Compliance

While adhering to HR regulations is crucial for avoiding legal issues, it is even more fulfilling to prioritize compliance for the well-being of your employees. Make it your goal to enhance their working conditions, leading to increased job satisfaction and employee engagement.

Adding purpose into tasks that may seem mundane or bureaucratic motivates you to strive for excellence, achieving better HR compliance in the process. We understand that this might seem like additional effort, but a reliable HR software solution takes on the bulk of the workload, allowing you to focus on advancing your mission. 

With Omni, you gain access to data-driven insights that empower informed decision-making, as well as seamless integrations that effortlessly connect with your existing employee favored systems, making your entire engagement process more efficient and modern.

Omni scales alongside your team so you can customize and leverage the system to meet your business exactly where you are—as well as where you’re going. 

With a full suite of modules to support every aspect of your business, Omni’s platform offers an intuitive and fully customizable platform that integrates with your team’s favorite tools for a seamless and timely adoption.

If you’d like to learn more about how Omni’s all-in-one HR software automates the entire end-to-end employee lifecycle, saving People leaders from administrative tasks and increasing organizational innovation, 

In 2022, the average employee attrition rate across Asia Pacific was 13%, compared to 13.7% in 2021. Globally, attrition rates have followed this same trend of slight decreases, according to a Statista survey. Low employee turnover is key to a healthy company. But experts suggest aiming for less than 10% attrition to maintain a stable and productive workforce. This sweet spot minimizes disruptions and talent shortages, keeping your team running smoothly.

Achieving this ideal range of attrition is attainable with the right tools and strategies. Here, we’ll review how to calculate attrition rate of employees, as well as strategies for decreasing attrition. Decreasing attrition can help minimize hiring costs, identify areas of improvement in your workforce planning, and improve your organizational culture.

What is attrition rate?

Before we learn how to calculate attrition rate of employees, let’s explore what exactly companies mean when they talk about attrition rate. In simple terms, attrition rate is a metric for the number of employees or clients that you lose over time and don’t replace, and is a percentage of the total workforce or customer base.

In this article, we’re looking at the attrition rate for employees, known as the churn rate. This rate is a metric for the permanent decrease of staff numbers in an organization. 

Whereas the turnover rate refers to the overall loss of employees, the attrition rate refers to the loss of employees that you don’t make up for with new hires over time.

Why are attrition rates important?

attrition rate

As an HR leader, understanding how to calculate attrition rate of employees and knowing how many employees leave your company is an important metric to help understand your employee experience, company culture, and the overall health of your organization.

This rate can help you estimate the effectiveness of your retention efforts, how loss of staff impacts organizational dynamics, and the number of vacant or removed positions. This way, you can identify development opportunities.

High attrition rates can signal a serious issue and a need for systematic changes, such as leadership changes, company culture rebrands, or adjustments to your people strategy.

Not to mention, the recruitment process and backfilling costs that come with losing employees are expensive and time consuming, making understanding and tackling attrition an essential part of HR.

Aside from how to calculate attrition rate of employees, distinguishing the four main types of attrition is helpful in understanding the motivations behind employee attrition, proving HR teams the insights to tackle attrition head on.

  • Voluntary: Voluntary attrition is when an employee willingly decides to leave the company, this can be due to personal reasons such as moving or health concerns, retirement purposes, or problems within the company such as poor leadership or dissatisfaction with company culture.
  • Involuntary: Involuntary attrition is when an employee leaves the company involuntarily, often by termination or layoffs. This could happen for various reasons, including organizational restructures, performance issues, or economic reasons such as a loss of company funding.
  • Internal: Internal attrition doesn’t necessarily mean an employee has left the company, but has moved departments or divisions, vacating their previous role. 
  • Demographic-Related Attrition: If a specific group of a certain age, ethnicity, gender, or demographic leaves suddenly and unexpectedly, that’s a demographic-related attrition. This type of attrition is a major red-flag, as it indicates there’s a form of discrimination within the company, or a broader company culture that is non-inclusive or welcoming.

Common Causes of Attrition

Now that you know the types of employee attrition, it’s equally important to understand the root causes of attrition before you learn how to calculate attrition rate of employees. Understanding the common causes of attrition equip you with the information needed to address the systemic or one-off issues within your organization, helping to reduce your attrition rate.

  • Personal reasons: There are countless personal reasons an employee may choose to leave their role. Ranging from life circumstances such as marriage, care-taking, health challenges, or pursuing a career change. Personal reasons are often outside of an organization’s control, and are less concerning than other causes of attrition. However, HR teams should observe and monitor for patterns. For example, if employees are leaving your organization after becoming parents, it could be an indicator that your policies and benefits are not supportive of working parents, and warrant an evaluation.
  • Job dissatisfaction: Job dissatisfaction is another common reason for attrition. Employees may find their jobs unfulfilling due to negative environments, low compensation, lack of growth opportunities, misalignment with the company’s goals and their own professional goals.
  • Promotions: One of the more positive reasons for attrition, if an employee is promoted to a new role, this would be considered attrition.
  • Retirement: Another typically non-concerning cause of attrition is retirement, also called natural attrition.
  • Poor performance or misconduct: A company might let go of an employee for disruptive or poor performance, which is a functional form of attrition.
  • Economic conditions: Economic conditions (like recessions) might force you to reduce your workforce, freeze salaries, or pause recruitment and hiring efforts.
  • Industry shifts: Changes in the business landscape can alter staffing requirements, such as the replacement of certain positions with automation tools.

Calculating Your Team’s Attrition Rate

Learning how to calculate attrition rate of employees is more straightforward than you may think, and understanding how employee data is determined can help you better understand the contributing factors and how these numbers can affect your organization. Let’s take a look at how you can approach calculating your company’s attrition rate.

  1. Determine the time-period you’d like to calculate for, this can be done by quarter, month, year etc.
  2. Add the number of employees you started the period with to the number of employees you ended the period with.
  3. Divide the sum by two to get the average number of employees for that period.
  4. Now divide the number of employees who left the company (you’ll calculate this by subtracting the number of employees at the end of the period from the number of employees at the beginning of the period) by the average number of employees that you calculated in step 3.
  5. Multiply the number by 100 to get the rate as a percentage.

Let’s say you want to calculate attrition rate for the year 2023. If you started the year with 300 employees and ended it with 288 employees, here’s how to calculate attrition rate of employees in that case:

  • 300 + 288 = 588
  • 588/2 = 294 (the average number of employees for 2023)
  • (300 – 288)/294 = 12/294 ≈ 0.04
  • 0.04 x 100 = 4%
  • Your attrition rate for 2023 was 4%

Tools and Strategies to Improve Retention

attrition rate

High rates of attrition are opportunities to review your organization, People strategy, and performance management processes to find areas of improvement for your company. As retention is one of the leading indicators of a positive organization, it’s understandably an important initiative for HR teams.

Let’s take a look at some of the tools your team can use to help decrease attrition rate and thus improve employee retention.

A Human Resources Information system (HRIS) can be a powerful tool in improving retention, boosting productivity, and cultivating a strong company culture. 

Automated workflows and employee feedback systems help HR teams to stay on top of initiatives like employee training and development, acknowledging engagement opportunities such as work anniversaries through automated reminders, conducting consistent and smooth onboarding and performance review cycles, and equipping HR teams with real-time data on employee performance and engagement.

HRIS can help determine employee performance gaps, identify trends, and calculate attrition rates, so HR teams can react swiftly and effectively to get ahead of issues that may increase attrition rates.

Not to mention, HRIS are often equipped with employee self-service tools, allowing employees to manage their time and benefits, which has been shown to improve engagement and boost employee satisfaction.

Employee Feedback Tools

Employee feedback is something organizations should prioritize regardless of attrition, however in the cases where you learn how to calculate attrition rate of employees and find that it’s concerningly low, employee feedback is one of the best ways to figure out where you’re going wrong.

Feedback tools are a great way to give employees a platform (often anonymous) to voice their concerns, opinions, and experiences in a constructive and strategic way. This gives HR and CEOs a direct eye into what is and isn’t working within their organization, and can help identify pain points or potential issues before they grow.

Asking for feedback shows employees that you care about their happiness and growth, which boosts morale, improves employee satisfaction, helps you identify issues before they escalate, ultimately increasing employee retention rates. Of course, these tools only work if you take action based on the feedback you receive.

Employee Recognition Platforms

Employee recognition is an effective way to keep employees motivated and engaged, helping reduce attrition rates. In fact, a survey found 65% of employees said recognition would incentivize them to work harder. 

Employee recognition platforms are great tools to facilitate recognition programs, streamlining efforts and providing a platform to easily celebrate the wins of your team. These platforms help you recognize employee successes and milestones, such as outstanding performances, birthdays, and anniversaries.

Such platforms make that possible via reward points, gift cards, virtual clapping, digital badges, appreciation messages, and recognition certificates. Ultimately, they support employee recognition and, sometimes, peer recognition, which strengthens the culture and improves retention.

Learning and Development

Learning and development (L&D) is a process to help your employees improve their skills and provide them with opportunities for professional growth, and is an important initiative to keep employees engaged and happy in their roles. These growth-oriented programs create a value-based company culture, which helps promote loyal and committed employees. 

L&D tools can gamify and streamline development initiatives, with various tools and tactics to keep employees engaged. By automating your growth program, you can track course completion and engagement, helping you ensure employees are getting the most out of the program.

Flexible Work Arrangements

Another way to decrease your attrition rates is by providing flexible work arrangements,  a trend with growing popularity among employees due to the work-life balance they enable.

Flexible work arrangements can range from fully remote to hybrid work models, and can even exist in in-person environments that have flexible hours or time-off policies. Flexible work attracts high-performing employees, increases retention rates, inclusivity, diversity, and productivity, and can minimize overhead costs, making it a win-win for employees and their employers.

Employee Onboarding

Once you learn how to calculate attrition rate of employees, the results may surprise you. Lack of employee engagement can begin as soon as the onboarding process. As the first impression for new hires, onboarding is a crucial moment in the employee lifecycle, contributing to engagement and determining the success of employees.

Consistent, comprehensive onboarding programs help set employees up for success, immediately aligning them with the goals of your organization, setting expectations for performance, communicating benefits and feedback channels, and laying the foundation for a positive and productive work environment.

Whether in-person or remote onboarding, your program can have a significant impact on your attrition rate, and can be a great place to start when determining strategies to improve your retention.

HR software can help streamline onboarding efforts, giving your new hires an enhanced employee experience, and ensuring consistent, timely, and effective onboarding.

HR Analytics

HR analytics measure the successes and failures of how well your company is performing when it comes to its employees. Analytics is a broad term, and can measure just about anything from the demographics of your workforce to engagement rates, performance gaps, goal completions, and ROI of your employees.

Accordingly, HR analytics tools can help you with how to calculate attrition rate of employees. To increase retention, you can dig into HR analytics software to generate the data that helps you determine factors such as employee engagement, morale, and performance. These are all useful indicators for determining attrition rate, forecasting potential pain points that can contribute to attrition, and identifying where you are excelling in your People management.

How Omni Helps Modern Companies Lower Their Attrition Rate 

attrition rate

Keeping your finger on the pulse of your workforce helps mitigate attrition rate risks such as dips in employee engagement or performance skill gaps. Omni centralized and tracks a wide range of employee data, from attendance records to attrition rate, automatically within our platform. Real-time graphs and easily exported reports simplifies employee analytics and cuts down on calculation times and errors, arming you with the data you need to understand the trends within your organization. 

Employee attrition rate can be easily accessed for monthly, quarterly, annually, or any custom range of dates within minutes, making it easier for HR leaders and CEOs to keep track of their churn rate and address pain points at the first sign of trouble, helping to reduce your attrition rate and improve employee retention.

Automated performance management tools

Omni’s performance management tools bring consistency, organization, and accountability to your organization without the need for disjointed systems or spreadsheets. Set and track employee goals, set up automated reminders and monitor progress of performance review cycles, collect anonymous feedback from peers and managers, and create learning and development tracks all within one, centralized platform. 

Omni simplifies the performance management process, reducing the time it takes to manage employee performance and boosting engagement to help manage attrition rate. 

Customized employee experience

Customization that allows you to meet the unique needs of your business, Omni is built to personalize your employee’s experience with deepened engagement and promote a strong organizational culture.

Here’s a look into just a few of the ways Omni helps personalize your HR functions for maximum engagement:

  • Automated calendar reminders so you never miss a birthday, work anniversary, or holiday. Calendars can be personalized and localized to your team’s location, helping you keep your finger on the pulse of local happenings to capitalize on opportunities to engage your employees. 
  • Bespoke onboarding programs mean HR can build out unique and tailored experiences for your employees. Think templates for remote onboarding, exec onboarding, and hybrid onboarding at your fingertips to easily provide a personalized experience to new hires in a matter of minutes. Automated fields make it easy to input personalized touches such as names and position titles for large batches of employees without the hassle of manual entry.
  • Employee self-service tools mean your employees are empowered to access and manage their benefits (a key driver of engagement) without the intervention of HR. Automated leave allowance calculations, time-off request workflows, profile management and more help put your employees in the driver’s seat.

There’s a lot that goes into payroll processes, and they’re all highly scrutinized. From leadership looking for accuracy, to employees wanting to understand deductions and regulatory bodies examining your compliance, there is a lot of pressure to ensure your payroll processing runs smoothly.

This is especially the case during tax season, where accurate reports need to be submitted on time, and all deductions calculated precisely. Read on to know what you need in order to streamline your payroll processes and ease your stress this tax season.

Payroll Processes Explained

When it comes to payroll management, multiple processes play essential roles for making sure employees are paid appropriately and tax obligations are met. From calculating wages and deductions to managing benefits and taxes, these processes are the backbone of payroll administration. 

During tax season, the complexity intensifies as accurate reporting and compliance become necessary, and it’s all-hands-on-deck to ensure timeliness and accuracy. Here’s what the most common payroll processes look like:

Wage calculation: The fundamental process involves determining employees’ wages based on factors like hourly rates, salaries, or commission structures. This calculation needs to be accurate to reflect the actual work hours, rates, and any extra pay earned by employees.

Deductions management: Payroll administrators must sift through a large number of deductions, including taxes, insurance premiums, retirement contributions, and other considerations. Accuracy is also incredibly important here so as to comply with regulations and meet employee expectations.

Benefits administration: Managing employee benefits like health insurance, retirement plans, and other perks are some of the highest profile aspects of managing payroll. During tax season, making sure these benefits are accurately reported is essential for compliance.

Time and attendance tracking: Accurate recording of employees’ work hours and attendance is another important part of payroll management. During tax season, precise timekeeping ensures that wages and taxes are calculated correctly.

Tax withholding: This process involves deducting the specific amount of income tax from employees’ paychecks. Keeping compliant with tax laws and reflecting any changes in tax regulations during the latest tax season is important, so staying up to date on regulatory shifts is a must.

Record keeping: Maintaining detailed records of all payroll transactions is absolutely necessary in the event of audits and to remain compliant. At tax time, having well-organized records makes the process more efficient and less error-prone.

Understanding and optimizing these processes are necessary for all HR professionals managing payroll (especially during tax season) when precision and efficiency become extra important.

Internal Manual Payroll Processing vs Payroll Service Provider

When it comes to managing payroll, your organization will need to make an important decision—whether to handle it internally through manual processes or enlist the services of a payroll service provider? Let’s take a look at the characteristics of each so you can make an informed decision.

Pros of internal manual payroll processing

Control and customization: Handling payroll internally provides a high level of control over processes. You can customize calculations, deductions, and processes according to your specific needs, and tailor them quickly when things change.

Cost control: In some cases, especially for small businesses, internal payroll processing might be more cost-effective, avoiding the fees associated with outsourcing.

Direct oversight: Internal processing allows for direct oversight of your payroll activities, reducing the risk of miscommunication.

Cons of internal manual payroll processing

Time-Consuming: Manual processing is inherently time-consuming. From calculating wages to managing deductions, the workload can become overwhelming, especially as your workforce grows.

Error-Prone: The manual nature of the process increases the likelihood of errors, whether in data entry, tax calculations, or compliance issues. This is especially true for smaller organizations who may not have invested in automated HR software and processes.

Resource Intensive: It demands a dedicated team or individual to manage payroll tasks, diverting resources from your other core business activities.

Pros of a payroll service provider

Efficiency: Payroll service providers can harness automation for quick and efficient processing. This can be especially beneficial during tax season when time is of the essence.

Expertise: Providers often have a team of experts well-versed in tax regulations and payroll compliance, reducing the risk of errors. If your team doesn’t employ a dedicated expert, outsourcing to specialists might be the right way to go.

Time-saving: Outsourcing payroll frees up valuable time for your organization to focus on core operations rather than getting bogged down by administrative tasks.

Cons of a payroll service provider

Cost: While outsourcing can save time, it comes at a cost. You will need to weigh the expense against the benefits.

Less control: Businesses that outsource payroll processes relinquish some control over them, which might be a concern for those who prefer hands-on management.

Dependence: Relying on an external provider introduces a level of dependence, and any issues on their end could potentially affect your business.

Ultimately, the choice between internal manual payroll processing and a payroll service provider depends on factors such as the size of your business, budget considerations, and the need for control and customization. Each approach has its merits, and you should align your choice with your specific requirements and priorities.

Choosing the Best Service Provider for Your Payroll Processes

Selecting the right payroll service provider is a major decision for businesses seeking efficiency, accuracy, and compliance in their payroll processes. Here are key considerations to consider when choosing the best service provider for your payroll needs:

1.Reputation and Experience

  • Research: Explore reviews, testimonials, and case studies to gauge the provider’s reputation. Make sure to check with a variety of sources, and consider both positive and negative reviews (if there are any) to paint an accurate picture
  • Experience: Consider providers with a proven track record and experience in handling payroll for businesses similar in size and industry. If a company similar to yours has me with success, it’s a good indicator your organization will too.

2. Compliance Expertise

  • Regulatory knowledge: Ensure the provider you’re looking at has a deep understanding of local and federal tax regulations and stays updated on changes. It’s a good idea to consider outsourcing to a locally based payroll management service.
  • Compliance track record: Check their compliance track record to mitigate risks associated with regulatory penalties. If they have a clean track record that’s a good sign they’re accurate with their record keeping.

3. Technology and Integration

  • User-friendly platforms: Assess the user-friendliness of their platforms, ensuring that your team can easily navigate and manage payroll-related tasks. Consider the time and cost of having to train your team just to use the platforms provided by the outsourced payroll manager.
  • Integration capabilities: Confirm that the provider’s systems can seamlessly integrate with your existing HRIS or accounting software.

4. Scalability

  • Growth support: Choose a provider capable of accommodating your business’s growth trajectory. Make sure that they can scale their services to keep up with the evolving needs of your workforce.

5. Data Security

  • Security protocols: Prioritize providers with robust security measures to safeguard sensitive payroll information. Check with them about their experience dealing with security threats and what their plan of action was.
  • Compliance with standards: Check to ensure their compliance with industry standards and regulations related to data protection. Any issues staying compliant is a big red flag.

6. Service Customization

  • Tailored Solutions: Look for providers offering customizable solutions to meet your unique payroll requirements. A one-size-fits-all solution won’t work for most organizations.
  • Flexibility: Ensure the provider you’re considering can adapt to changes in your payroll structure and policies.

7. Cost Structure

  • Transparent pricing: Seek providers with transparent and straightforward pricing structures. Be wary of hidden fees that can impact the overall cost and reduce any cost-savings you might be counting on by outsourcing your payroll processes.
  • Value for money: Balance cost considerations with the value and features offered by the provider.

8. Trial Periods and Demos

  • Trial options: If available, take advantage of trial periods to assess the functionality and compatibility of the provider’s systems. This try-before-you-buy approach can be done across a few service providers, and lets you get a feel for the options that work for you and your team.
  • Live demos: Request live demonstrations to get a firsthand look at the features and usability of their platforms.

By carefully evaluating these factors, your organization can make an informed decision when choosing a payroll service provider, so that they align with your specific needs and help lead to a stress-free tax season.

Read next:

Steps of Payroll Processing

payroll processes

Collect employee tax information

Gather relevant tax forms to ensure accurate withholding of all relevant taxes. Regularly collect and update employee information, including changes in dependents, marital status, or other tax-related details.

Create a record management process

Establish a secure system for storing sensitive payroll information, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations. You’ll also need to implement policies for keeping and accessing payroll records to meet legal requirements and facilitate any audit that might happen.

Determine pay schedule

Define a clear pay schedule, whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, and communicate it to your employees. You should maintain consistency in the pay schedule to provide predictability for your employees and streamline the payroll processing workflow.

Track time and attendance

Use time-tracking systems to accurately record hours worked by your employees. This should be accompanied by clear attendance policies to manage employee attendance effectively, and minimize confusion.

Calculate deductions

Deduct employee contributions for health insurance, if applicable. Then, calculate and deduct contributions for retirement plans or other contributions (like to a housing subsidy).

Pay employees

You’ll need to choose a secure and convenient payment method, including direct deposit or printed checks. No matter what you choose, make sure it’s compliant with wage and hour laws, including minimum wage requirements.

Submit payroll tax payments and filings

Remit payroll taxes to the relevant tax authorities accurately and on time. Submit required payroll tax filings, and make sure you meet the deadlines to do so.

Streamlining Payroll Processes with HRIS 

If payroll processing seems daunting don’t worry—HRIS software has made record keeping and administration hassle-free and accurate. Here are some of the benefits you can expect:

Automated calculations

  • Accuracy: HRIS automates complex payroll calculations, reducing the risk of errors associated with manual calculations.
  • Efficiency: Accelerate the payroll process by automating routine calculations, including wages, deductions, and bonuses.

Tax deduction management

  • Accurate withholding: HRIS ensures precise tax withholding based on the latest tax regulations, minimizing compliance risks and human errors.

Real-time tax update

  • Dynamic Compliance: Stay compliant with changing tax laws through real-time updates integrated into the HRIS.
  • Adaptability: Swiftly adjust tax calculations to align with updates to tax codes or regulations.

Electronic submissions and reporting

  • Effortless reporting: Generate and submit electronic payroll reports seamlessly, reducing paperwork and manual effort.
  • Regulatory compliance: Stay compliant with tax authorities by using HRIS for accurate and timely submissions.

Integration with accounting software

  • Financial precision: Integrate HRIS with accounting software to synchronize payroll data, keeping your financial records up-to-date.
  • Simplified bookkeeping: Enhance overall financial management by eliminating manual data entry between HR and accounting systems.

Employee self-service for tax information

  • Access and transparency: Empower your employees to access their tax information, including pay stubs and tax forms, through employee self-service portals.
  • Reduced employee questions: Minimize HR queries by providing your employees with direct access to their tax-related documents.

Centralized data management

  • Unified platform: Centralize all payroll-related data in one platform, promoting consistency and reducing data discrepancies.
  • Efficient retrieval: Simplify data retrieval in case of audits or inquiries by having a centralized repository.

Compliance tracking

  • Audit trail: Maintain a comprehensive audit trail within the HRIS, making compliance tracking easy and ensuring accountability.
  • Documentation: Automatically document compliance-related activities to meet regulatory requirements.

Optimize Tax-Ready Payroll Operations with Omni

payroll processes

Leveraging HRIS for payroll processes not only enhances efficiency but also mitigates compliance risks, ultimately fostering a streamlined and error-free payroll experience.

Omni’s all-in-one HR solution helps streamline payroll processes and free of manual error to reduce the administrative burden on HR. With secure and centralized employee records, HR teams can easily store, update, and communicate employee information across departments and with employees. 

Omni makes it easier than ever to calculate accurate employee payments and tax calculations through automation that saves time and reduces errors. And with automated payroll information synchronization, end of month processing becomes a streamlined and seamless effort.

Book a demo with our team, or try out Omni for a free 14-day trial to learn how our HR solution can help you remain compliant and reduce your administrative workload for all of your payroll processes.

How to Write a Performance Review in a Remote Work Environment

Performance management is a crucial part of employee development but it can be a delicate and daunting process. Performance reviews help managers identify employee strengths and weaknesses while providing feedback on progress and areas for improvement. Hence, knowing how to write a performance review is extremely important. By turning it into a formula based on objective criteria, you can make the entire process much more transparent and approachable for employees and achieve successful outcomes.

While traditional performance reviews tend to be difficult to begin with, being in a remote environment can cause further confusion and miscommunication. It may be likely that casual 1-on-1 check-ins are less frequent due to location restrictions and time zone differences, resulting in reduced real-time feedback given to remote employees. 

Aside from that, managers are also struggling to adapt to the new way of working, as a recent survey found that only one in six managers have updated their performance review strategy to account for remote and hybrid work models. In this article, we will be exploring how to write a performance review for remote employees that maximizes the value of this traditional piece of formal feedback.

The Importance of Remote Work Feedback

In the era of remote work, where physical distances separate entire teams, providing actionable feedback becomes more important than ever. Remote work feedback helps guide your employees and teams toward success by encouraging a culture of continuous improvement

Unlike in traditional office settings, where casual interactions might offer immediate insights into performance, remote work demands a more deliberate approach. Knowing how to evaluate remote employees effectively without the day-to-day exchanges means you will likely need to rely on more formal feedback. Knowing how to write a performance review equips managers and employees with the tools they need to shape performance and provide guidance to improve the outcomes of their teams

The Remote Challenges of How to Write a Performance Review

Remote work, while offering unprecedented flexibility, introduces distinct challenges that impact the performance review process. Understanding the ins-and-outs of these issues is necessary for creating a feedback culture tailored to the realities of virtual work.

how to write a performance review

Communication barriers: In remote settings, reliance on digital communication tools can sometimes create barriers. Misinterpretation of written messages and the absence of non-verbal cues can lead to communication challenges, affecting the clarity and nuance of feedback. This is a key part of knowing how to write a performance review for remote employees—you will need to consider all angles the written feedback could be interpreted and try to be as clear and objective as possible.

Learn More:

Fostering a positive remote feedback culture: Building a positive feedback culture is important in all work settings, even more so for remote work environments. Managers need to actively encourage open communication, acknowledging achievements, and creating an atmosphere where constructive feedback is seen as an opportunity for growth rather than criticism.

Balancing objectivity and empathy: Striking the right balance between objectivity and empathy is crucial, especially when handling tough conversations at work. While objective metrics are essential for performance evaluation, recognizing the unique challenges individuals might face in a remote setup is equally important. This balance ensures fairness and understanding in the assessment process.

Lack of visibility: One of the primary challenges of how to write a performance review for remote employees is the limited visibility into employees’ daily work. You will need to devise strategies to gain insights into your team’s activities without resorting to micromanagement, ensuring a fair and accurate evaluation. Clear objectives and key results (OKRs) and regular virtual check-ins go a long way, but ultimately an element of trust will always be necessary. 

Low engagement: Remote work can sometimes lead to lower engagement levels, making it challenging to encourage proactive goal setting and development discussions. Overcoming this requires intentional efforts to keep employees motivated, aligned with organizational goals, and being invested in their professional development. One aspect of how to write a performance review for remote employees is framing feedback in a way that drives employee interest and gives them opportunities and skill sets to grow in their career—all of which are key drivers of engagement.

Preparing for Remote Performance Reviews

Part of knowing how to write a performance review is understanding that the groundwork starts well before you begin your evaluation. Clear goals, consistent feedback, and smaller evaluations should be an ongoing strategy to assess your remote workforce.

For Managers

Set clear goals: Clarity is key in a remote work environment where team members often work independently rather than in an office setting. Ensure that the business objectives are clearly communicated to the team, and they are aware of what the business is working towards and hoping to achieve.

Additional tools:

Flexibility and adaptability: For remote performance assessments, managers must embody flexibility and adaptability. Recognizing the unique challenges that remote work presents, you need to be open to alternative work arrangements and adjust expectations based on individual circumstances. This approach fosters a supportive environment, contributing to improved performance and job satisfaction among remote team members.

Consistent communication and feedback: Managers should prioritize consistent communication and feedback to ensure a dynamic and ongoing connection with their remote teams. Regular check-ins, progress updates, and feedback sessions create a continuous feedback loop and solve many of the challenges of how to write a performance review. Consistent communication not only avoids surprises during formal reviews but also enables real-time adjustments and improvements, promoting a culture of continuous growth.

For Employees

Proactive communication: Employees play a pivotal role in the success of remote performance assessments. Being proactive in communicating challenges, suggesting solutions, and actively participating in goal-setting discussions is crucial. This proactive approach demonstrates engagement and a commitment to success, allowing employees to take an active role in shaping their performance evaluations. Having a clear understanding of the wins and areas of improvement bring a lot of clarity when questions of how to write a performance review come up.

Adaptability to changing circumstances: In a remote work setup, adaptability is a key trait for employees. Being open to changing circumstances, whether it is in work processes, goals, or communication methods, showcases resilience. It also indicates a readiness to embrace new ways of working, contributing to personal and professional development.

Commit to honest self-evaluation: Employees are encouraged to perform a self-evaluation prior to the performance review. This allows employees to reflect on their achievements, challenges faced, and areas of improvement. This proactive approach allows your employees to offer personal insights into their performances, which makes the performance review for remote employees an open and collaborative process.

Tips on How to Write a Performance Review for Remote Employees

how to write a performance review

Once you have laid the groundwork, it is time to explore how to write a performance review. Here are some tips for managers and employees to make the process as easy and effective as possible:

For Managers

Apply objective metrics: Set objective, ambitious yet attainable and clear key performance indicators for evaluations. Remote work often requires high focus on deliverables and outcomes. Using quantifiable measures reduces ambiguity and subjectivity, fostering fair evaluations. These objective metrics simplify the ambiguity that can come with questions of how to write a performance review.

Recognize adaptability: Acknowledge and appreciate adaptability. Remote work demands a certain level of flexibility and the ability to navigate changing circumstances. Recognizing employees who demonstrate adaptability contributes to a positive and motivating review.

Build feedback and development plans: Offer constructive feedback and discuss development plans. Performance reviews are not just about evaluating past performance but also about setting the stage for future growth. Discussing strengths, areas for improvement, and outline plans for skill development is a major part of how to write a performance review.

Learn more:

For Employees

Align your goals: When considering how to write a performance review, ensure your goals align and ladder up to higher-level organizational goals. Clearly articulate how your individual contributions have furthered the company’s objectives. This connection between individual efforts and overarching goals demonstrates that your contribution is done with the intent of having a broader benefit.

Be open with your communication: Maintain open lines of communication with your manager. Discuss expectations, seek clarification when needed, and actively participate in goal-setting discussions. Proactive communication ensures that both parties are on the same page.

Consider your professional development: Express a commitment to professional development. Discuss aspirations, career goals, and areas for skill enhancement. A forward-looking approach signals a proactive stance towards personal and professional growth.

How to Run Performance Reviews Remotely

Now that we have explored how to write a performance review for remote employees, let us take a look at delivering that feedback. Effective remote evaluations require thoughtful planning and the right approach. Here is what you need to know about evaluating remote employees:

1. The right place, at the right time

Select a reliable and secure video conferencing platform for the meeting. Ensure that both you and your employee are comfortable with the technology used (relevant apps installed, updated, etc.) to minimize disruptions, which could make the process feel less natural and difficult.

Once you have the platform sorted out, choose a meeting time that suits both schedules, and be sure to allocate sufficient time for the performance review. Remote reviews might require more in-depth discussions, and rushing through the process can hinder its effectiveness, so make sure that both you and your employee have ample bandwidth for the performance review.

2. Set the stage before the review starts

Before the actual meeting, managers should communicate clearly on how the remote review will be carried out. This includes providing the agenda, topics to be covered, and any preparation needed prior from your employee. By doing so, employees have the chance to gather the necessary materials and it also takes away any element of surprise that could impact the review process negatively.  

You should also encourage or request employees to submit self-evaluations and other relevant documentation before the review. This allows both parties to be well-prepared and ensures a comprehensive and effective discussion.

3. Clear communication is key

Engage in two-way communication—make the review a dialogue rather than a monologue and encourage employees to share their perspectives, concerns, and aspirations. This creates a collaborative environment, and develops mutual understanding and greatly compliments the process of how to write a performance review.

While doing this, acknowledge achievements and discuss challenges openly. Recognizing accomplishments boosts morale, while addressing challenges constructively contributes to continuous improvement. Remember to constantly check on any potential internal biases as you perform these reviews to ensure each team member is receiving fair and objective feedback.

During this discussion, set goals for the upcoming period with your team in a collaborative manner. Discuss career goals, skill development, and how these align with the company’s objective, and clearly outline expectations and metrics for success.

4. Consider the next steps

After the evaluation is complete, outline relevant follow-up actions and timelines. This includes any additional support needed, training opportunities, or adjustments to responsibilities. A clear plan post-review is essential to ensure follow-through on feedback. 

Omni Tip:
Document the key points discussed during the review. This documentation can serve as a reference for future evaluations and clears up many questions that arise around how to write a performance review. Documentation also serves as a great tool in tracking progress against goals.

Tools for Effective Remote Performance Management

Knowing how to write a performance review in a remote setting requires the right tools to facilitate communication, collaboration, and evaluation. Here are some essential tools that you can consider for remote performance management:

Project management platforms

Examples: Asana, Trello, Jira

Use project management tools to set goals, track progress, and ensure alignment with overall business objectives. These platforms enhance transparency and accountability.

Communication and collaboration tools

Examples: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom

Seamless communication is the most important element for remote teams. Use messaging, video conferencing, and collaboration tools to facilitate regular interaction and maintain a sense of connection.

Performance tracking software

Examples: 15Five, Lattice, Small Improvements

Dedicated performance tracking tools allow for continuous feedback, goal setting, and progress monitoring. They facilitate regular check-ins and enable employees to track their achievements.

Employee recognition platforms

Examples: Bonusly, Kazoo, Achievers

Recognizing and rewarding remote employees is crucial for maintaining engagement and morale. Employee recognition platforms provide a structured way to acknowledge achievements, fostering a positive remote work culture.

Feedback and survey tools

Examples: SurveyMonkey, Culture Amp, Officevibe

Collecting feedback from your employees on their work experience, challenges, and suggestions is important to improve and offer support. These tools help in understanding your remote workforce’s sentiments.

Learning and development platforms

Examples: LinkedIn Learning, Udemy for Business, Coursera for Business

Remote performance management should include opportunities for skill development. Learning platforms offer a variety of courses to support professional growth.

HRIS (Human Resources Information System)

Example: Omni

An HRIS streamlines HR processes, including performance management. It centralizes employee data, simplifies administrative tasks, and provides insights for strategic decision-making. All-in-one solutions like Omni combine many of the features from performance management tools and learning platforms to simplify the performance review process. With integration across your favorite tools like Google calendar and Lattice’s performance management platform, Omni makes it easy to schedule, track, and send reminders to bring ease to your review process.

Virtual whiteboards and collaboration apps

Examples: Miro, MURAL, Microsoft Whiteboard

Encourage creativity and collaboration in remote teams using virtual whiteboards. These tools are excellent for brainstorming sessions, ideation, and collaborative planning.

Leveraging Technology for Remote Performance Assessments

Conducting performance reviews in a remote work setting does not have to be daunting, knowing how to write a performance review arms you and your team with the knowledge to create impactful learning opportunities that drive business outcomes. By employing a well-structured framework and effective review strategies, performance reviews can evolve into a powerful tool, empowering remote employees to achieve their full potential and contribute to both personal and professional growth. 

Omni’s customizable performance review feature allows managers to design performance review templates to apply to various employee performance assessments, track employee submissions, and derive critical insights to drive business decisions all in one centralized platform. Pre-set performance review templates further guide teams on how to write a performance review.

Our automated system helps managers schedule reviews, track submissions, and send reminders to ensure a complete review cycle without the administrative burden.

For more resources to on how to write a performance review,

Join the 83% of Omni customers who have unlocked new, actionable insights after using our performance management module, and start your 14-day free trial today

HRIS ROI Calculator: Does Investing in HRIS Pay Off?

In the business context, Return on Investment (ROI) is arguably one of the more important metrics. Think about it—for any organization to maintain their success, the money spent needs to at least be returned (and for most organizations, a profit on top). ROI might be relatively easy to track in certain departments (like Sales), but this becomes a bit trickier when it comes to Human Resources, particularly with technology investments.

Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) are platforms that automate, streamline, and centralize many HR administrative and performance management tasks. While they often require a substantial upfront investment, many HR professionals are discovering immense value in their HRIS, resulting in a favorable HRIS ROI

Here’s what you need to consider as you look to invest in HR Software and demonstrate its value:

What is Return on Investment (ROI)?

ROI is one of the most crucial metrics for businesses to track, acting as a yardstick that measures the profitability of investments made by the business. For Human Resources  and HR software, understanding ROI is particularly important, as your organization looks to optimize its workforce management and efficiency. 

Defining ROI: Unpacking the basics

At its core, ROI is a straightforward concept. It refers to the ratio of the net gain from an investment relative to its cost. Expressed as a percentage, ROI helps organizations evaluate the success of a particular venture, project or expenditure. Simply put, the higher the ROI, the more profitable the investment.

How ROI Applies to Human Resources

For HR purposes, investing in HRIS is an intelligent move for organizations looking to take their HR practices to the next level. Implementing HRIS not only modernizes outdated processes but can contribute significantly to overall cost savings and productivity gains. Whether it’s automating routine tasks or providing data-driven insights, HRIS can be a major boost to efficiency and accuracy.

Learn more:

Why Measure HRIS ROI?

HRIS ROI

The decision to adopt an HRIS goes beyond a quick tech upgrade; it represents a strategic decision requiring meticulous consideration of metrics like HRIS ROI to confirm that the investment aligns with the organization’s objectives. 

Measuring HRIS ROI allows your business to pinpoint the actual impact on productivity, time savings, and cost reductions. It could be streamlining recruitment processes or automating employee onboarding, but HRIS has real, measurable outcomes that contribute to your bottom line.

2. Aligning HR strategy with organizational goals

Measuring HRIS ROI ensures that HR initiatives align with broader organizational goals. Whether the focus is on talent acquisition, retention, or workforce analytics, a clear understanding of ROI ensures that your HR efforts contribute to the overall success of the business. Even if you know your investments are paying off, tracking and documenting them will help both optimize them further, and demonstrate your contributions to decision-makers.

3. Justifying investments and building business cases

The nature of business means investments need to be justified. Measuring HRIS ROI equips HR professionals with the tools to build compelling business cases. If you are seeking budget approval or advocating for technology adoption, a solid ROI analysis will show the value of your investment in HRIS.

4. Continuous improvement

HRIS is not a singular solution; rather, it is a dynamic system that evolves alongside the organization’s growth. Measuring HRIS ROI establishes a feedback loop for continuous improvement. By analyzing the impact of HRIS over time, your organization can identify areas for improvement or adjustments, ensuring that the system continually adds value and adapts to your organization’s changing business needs.

5. Enhancing decision-making with data-driven insights

HRIS is a treasure trove of data, and measuring ROI realizes the power of this information. By analyzing the data generated by the system, organizations gain valuable insights into employee performance, employee engagement, and overall workforce trends. Informed decision-making becomes a reality when HR professionals can leverage these data-driven insights to drive organizational strategies and engagement.

6. Demonstrating HR’s strategic impact

Assessing HRIS ROI transforms the role of HR, shifting it from the stereotype of handling basic administrative functions to becoming a valuable strategic partner in your organization’s success. It showcases HR’s ability to make data-driven decisions, contribute to cost savings, and drive efficiency. Highlighting the strategic influence of HRIS to position your HR team as a crucial partner in achieving your organization’s goals.

What to Include When Calculating HRIS ROI?

Calculating your HRIS ROI requires taking a closer look at the many different factors that define each HRIS, and how they impact your organization specifically. 

Implementation costs

Begin by accounting for the initial costs associated with implementing HRIS. This includes software licensing fees, customization expenses, and costs related to data migration and integration with your existing systems. A clear and accurate view of the implementation costs provides a baseline for understanding the investment required upfront. If the cost is high, the return is going to need to be even higher to justify it.

Training and change management

Think about the expenses related to training your workforce on the new HRIS and implementing change management programs. A well-trained team ensures that everyone is making the most out of the system, maximizing its potential benefits (and return). Training costs, sometimes overlooked, play a pivotal role in achieving a smooth transition and realizing long-term value.

Maintenance and support

Factor in ongoing maintenance and support costs for the HRIS. This includes fees for software updates, technical support, and any necessary troubleshooting. A reliable support infrastructure is important for ensuring that your HRIS runs smoothly and consistently, avoiding potential disruptions on your daily HR operations.

Improved accuracy and compliance

Consider the favorable impacts of HRIS on data accuracy and compliance. Reduced errors in payroll processing, enhanced data security, and keeping up with regulatory requirements collectively contribute to minimizing the overall risk of errors. Similarly, when measuring HRIS ROI, it is important to account for the avoidance of fines and penalties associated with compliance resulting from the adoption of HRIS.

Recruitment and onboarding efficiency

When projecting your HRIS ROI, account for your efficiency gains in recruitment and onboarding processes augmented by your HRIS. Factors such as reduced time-to-hire, improved candidate experience, and streamlined employee onboarding workflows lead to cost savings and allow your organization to scale faster.

Future proofing your investment

Last but not least, assess the scalability of your HRIS. A system that can grow with your organization minimizes the need for costly upgrades or replacements in the future. Scalability contributes to long-term HRIS ROI by ensuring that your HRIS still offers value, even as your organization needs evolve.

HR Metrics to Assess ROI

HRIS ROI

When evaluating HRIS ROI, specific HR metrics need to be considered to provide a nuanced understanding of the system’s impact on your organization:

Employee Productivity Metrics

  • Time saved on administrative tasks: Measure the reduction in time spent on routine HR tasks, such as payroll processing, benefits administration, and time tracking. A decrease in manual workload directly contributes to improved employee productivity.
  • Employee engagement and performance: Use surveys and performance metrics to gauge changes in employee engagement and performance. A well-implemented HRIS should correlate with higher engagement levels and improved individual and team performance.

Recruitment and Retention Metrics

  • Time-to-hire: Evaluate how quickly your organization is able to fill open positions. A drop in time-to-hire shows efficiency is improving in the recruitment process, in turn reducing the cost of the process.
  • Turnover rates: Look for changes in your employee turnover rates. A successful HRIS implementation should positively impact retention by improving employee satisfaction and engagement.
  • Quality of hire: Assess the quality of new hires by tracking their performance and contributions, especially in the months after they’ve joined your team. A rise in quality and fit of hires should indicate your HRIS is allowing for better candidate sourcing.

Cost Reduction Metrics

  • Reduction in administrative costs: Calculate the reduction in costs associated with manual HR processes. This includes savings on paper, printing, and other administrative expenses that are reduced by automation.
  • Compliance-related savings: Assess the financial impact of improved compliance through reduced errors and streamlined processes. Avoiding fines and penalties contributes directly to HRIS ROI.
  • Training and onboarding costs: Compare pre and post-HRIS implementation training and onboarding costs. A successful HRIS should lead to efficiencies in these processes, resulting in reduced training expenses over time.

Improving ROI with HRIS Data

Unlocking the full potential of your HRIS ROI goes beyond implementation—it’s about leveraging HRIS data over time to enhance decision-making, foster continuous improvement, and engage in proactive problem-solving. Here’s how you can optimize your HRIS investment by harnessing the power of data:

Data-Driven Decision Making

  • Workforce analytics: Use your HRIS data to gain accurate insights into workforce trends, performance metrics, and talent acquisition. Data-driven decision-making empowers your HR team to align their strategies with organizational goals, meaning your initiatives are optimized to impact your organization’s bottom line.
  • Predictive analytics: Leverage predictive analytics within your HRIS to forecast future workforce needs, identify potential talent gaps, and proactively address issues before they impact your organization. This strategic approach minimizes reactionary measures, unnecessary change and contributes to long-term ROI.
  • Performance metrics: Assess employee performance using data gathered from the HRIS. Identify high-performing employees and teams, recognize areas for improvement, and align training and development programs with your organizations needs.

Continuous Improvement

  • Regular data audits: Conduct regular audits of HRIS data to ensure accuracy and relevance as it relates to the high-level goals of your organization. Continuous improvement relies on reliable data. Identify and fix any tracking errors promptly to make sure you’re getting the most from your HRIS.
  • Benchmarking against key metrics: Set benchmarks based on defined HR metrics and regularly compare actual performance against these benchmarks. This enables you to identify areas for improvement, measure progress over time, and ensure that the HRIS ROI continues to be tracked.

Proactive Problem Solving

  • Identifying trends and patterns: Use HRIS data to identify trends and patterns within your workforce. You can proactively address issues related to employee satisfaction, engagement, and performance before they become a problem.
  • Employee feedback analysis: Leverage HRIS tools that collect and analyze employee feedback. Identify common concerns, feelings, and areas of improvement. Proactively addressing your employee concerns contributes to a positive workplace culture and can impact retention rates, a major factor to consider when measuring HRIS ROI.
  • Scenario planning: HRIS data is important for scenario planning. Anticipate changes in workforce dynamics, such as shifts in demographics or skill requirements, and update your strategy accordingly. Proactive scenario planning helps your organization to stay ahead of industry trends and adapt to evolving challenges.

Maximize Your HRIS ROI with Omni’s All-in-One HR Tool

By embracing technologies such as applicant tracking systems, HRIS, and employee management HR tools, HR professionals can enhance their processes, improve outcomes, and create a competitive advantage for their organizations, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and employee experience within their organizations.

Modern HR automation tools like Omni free HR teams from administrative cycles by automating the entire end-to-end employee lifecycle—from recruitment and onboarding to employee engagement and payroll—allowing HR to redirect their time to strategic work that drives business growth.

With Omni, you gain access to data-driven insights that empower informed decision-making, as well as seamless integrations that effortlessly connect with your existing employee favored systems, making your entire engagement process more efficient and modern.

Omni scales alongside your team so you can customize and leverage the system to meet your business exactly where you are—as well as where you’re going. 

If you’d like to learn more about how Omni’s all-in-one HR software automates the entire end-to-end employee lifecycle, saving People leaders from administrative tasks and increasing organizational innovation, book a demo with our team!

Top 6 HRIS Philippines for 2024

Recognizing the need for streamlined and efficient HR processes, many businesses in the Philippines are embracing HR tools to leverage technology that helps modernize their businesses. These tools incorporate technology, automation, and data-driven decision-making strategies to keep HR teams on top of growing workplace trends. The integration of HRIS Philippines plays a vital role in modernizing the Filipino workforce.

But which HRIS Philippines is the best option for your organization? Here, we take a look at the top HRIS Philippines HR teams are utilizing to guide you in your search.

What is HRIS?

HRIS stands for Human Resources Information System, and is often referred to as HRIS, HRIS software, or HRIS system.

An HRIS system makes it easier for you to manage your HR processes and data. It’s a software that companies use as a central source of information for all of their employee management needs. Functions of an HRIS system include:

  • Managing employee time off and attendance
  • Benefits administration (such as insurance)
  • Performance reviews
  • Onboarding functions
  • Payroll
  • Employee self-service
  • Documents and e-signatures

HRIS Philippines, like all HRIS, manages all of your end-to-end Human Resources functions, such as the collection and storing of employee data including names, addresses, salaries, work permits, and benefits information. 

This information system then helps carry out the many functions of HR, including recruitment, onboarding, applicant tracking, employee time and attendance, learning and development, performance reviews, analytics, and reporting.

Learn more:

HRIS Philippines: Why Filipino Companies are Leveraging HR Technology

HRIS Philippines

HRIS Philippines is a growing trend, helping companies both large and small, improve their operations and reduce the amount of time spent on administrative tasks. There are many advantages to the HRIS Philippines organizations are leveraging. Let’s take a look at why HR teams are leveraging HRIS in 2024.

Time and cost savings

HRIS Philippines helps save significant time and reduce costs associated with the various manual tasks performed every day by HR and leadership. Studies have shown HR automation can decrease administrative costs by 30% for HR professionals and 49% for employers.

Routine HR workflows, such as data entry, employee onboarding, leave management, and payroll processing, are streamlined and automated, freeing up HR teams to focus on more strategic and value-added activities that drive productivity and profitability for your organization.

Increased efficiency and accuracy

HRIS Philippines enhances efficiency and accuracy. Manual data entry and paper-based systems are prone to errors and can be incredibly time-consuming. HR technology eliminates these issues by automating data collection, storage, and retrieval, ensuring data integrity and reducing the likelihood of errors. Additionally, the automated HR workflows HRIS Philippines offer enable faster and more streamlined processes, reducing bottlenecks and improving overall efficiency.

Improved employee experience

HRIS Philippines enhances the employee experience by providing self-service options and reducing administrative burdens. Employees can access HR systems to update personal information, view pay stubs, request leave, and access other HR workflows without relying on HR teams or managers to facilitate these simple yet time-consuming tasks. This empowers employees and gives them greater control over their HR-related activities, leading to increased satisfaction and employee engagement.

Enhanced compliance and data security

Many HR workflows involve sensitive employee information such as payroll and visa information, and compliance with data protection regulations is crucial. HRIS Philippines systems often incorporate built-in security measures, ensuring that employee data remains secure and confidential. HRIS Philippines can also help organizations stay compliant with local labor laws, regulatory requirements, and internal policies by enforcing consistent processes and providing audit trails for HR workflows.

Data-driven decision making

HRIS Philippines generates a wealth of data that can be leveraged for strategic decision making. Automated systems provide comprehensive reports and analytics on various HR metrics, including employee performance, turnover rates, training needs, and workforce demographics. These insights enable HR teams and organizational leaders to make data-driven decisions, identify trends, and develop effective HR strategies that align with your organization’s goals.

Scalability

As your organization grows and evolves, your HR needs also expand. HRIS Philippines provides scalability by accommodating increased employee numbers, organizational structures, and geographic locations without significant additional resources. Automated HR systems can handle a larger volume of employee data, manage complex workflows, and scale up to support the needs of your growing organization. This ensures that your HR workflows can adapt to changes and effectively support your organization’s expansion, without requiring a proportional

increase in HR staff or resources.

Top HRIS Philippines Companies are Using in 2024

HRIS Philippines

Omni HR

Omni HR is an all-in-one HRIS platform that frees HR teams from administrative cycles by automating the entire end-to-end employee lifecycle—from recruitment and onboarding to employee engagement and payroll—allowing you to redirect your time to strategic work that drives business growth.

Basic Features:

  • Employee records – Secure, centralized, and fully-customizable employee records management to capture all the unique needs of your organization. From visa status to compensation information, Omni automatically notifies you of important deadlines to keep you organized and compliant.
  • Time off – Automated leave allowance calculation, at-a-glance scheduling, Pre-routed approval sequences, digital payroll calculations and localized calendars to ensure you never miss a holiday.
  • Onboarding – Customized templates, onboarding workflows, and task sequences with automated task tracking to ensure a consistent onboarding process. Document processing allows digital, real-time signatures for employment contracts and employee handbooks to build culture. Integrations with your team’s favorite tools ensures swift account set-ups so your new hires can be productive from day one.
  • Document management – Send and collect documents from employees, follow up with system reminders, and store completed documents directly in employee profiles. Develop a customized document database for easy retrieval and organizational transparency.
  • Electronic signatures – Send and receive offer letters on-the-go with support for multiple signatures and secure document storage.
  • Reporting – Access real-time analytics that drive informed decisions that shape business outcomes.
  • Workflow automation – Automate administrative tasks in a matter of seconds, saving time, reducing errors, and improving efficiency within your organization.
  • Employee self-service – Empower employees to access their benefits, manage their profiles, and communicate with their managers without the intervention of HR, minimizing the disruption to daily work.

Sprout Solutions

Sprout Solutions offers automation from timekeeping to payroll, enabling companies to manage HR processes as well as data management and analytics.

Basic Features:

  • Leave management
  • Attendance management
  • Employee management
  • Dashboard
  • People analytics

peopleHum

With its people-centric approach, peopleHum’s platform minimizes the concerns of its users and customers to better prepare their company for the future of work.

Basic features:

  • Recruitment
  • Performance modules
  • Leave management
  • Communications

PayrollHero

PayrollHero is a time, attendance, scheduling, HRIS and leave management platform that uses facial recognition to increase employee accountability.

Basic features:

  • Time tracking
  • Leave management
  • Attendance management
  • Employee management
  • Dashboard

GreatDayHR

GreatDay HR is a cloud-based HRIS that provides an automated solution that helps manage the employee lifecycle.

Basic Features:

  • Time tracking
  • Payroll management
  • Recruitment management
  • Employee database
  • Task management

HReasily

HReasily provides solutions with products that enable companies to improve productivity by streamlining HR work processes.

Basic Features:

  • Employee self service 
  • Payroll management
  • Mobile support
  • Payslip
  • Salary adjustment

Why Omni is the Top Choice for HRIS Philippines 

Omni’s modern HRIS frees Philippine’s HR teams from administrative cycles by automating the entire end-to-end employee lifecycle—from recruitment and onboarding to employee engagement and payroll—allowing HR to redirect their time to strategic work that drives business growth.

With Omni, you gain access to data-driven insights that empower informed decision-making, as well as seamless integrations that effortlessly connect with your existing employee favored systems, making your entire engagement process more efficient and modern.

Omni’s solutions are built by regional teams in Asia for modern teams in Asia. With localized support in the Philippines timezone, your team can access the support they need at the time they need from a team that understands the nuances of Filipino culture and business at a localized price that won’t break the bank.

Omni scales alongside your team so you can customize and leverage the system to meet your business exactly where you are—as well as where you’re going. With a full suite of modules to support every aspect of your business, Omni’s platform offers an intuitive and fully customizable platform that integrates with your team’s favorite tools for a seamless and timely adoption.

Book a free demo today and see why Omni is one of the best HRIS Philippines solutions! 

HR Calendar 2024 for 365 Days of Engagement

As the new year rolls in, HR professionals are gearing up for another round of initiatives and celebrations that build stronger bonds, boost team morale and ramp up on employee engagement. Whether it’s Employee Appreciation Day or National Pet Day, there’s a monthly excuse for a coffee break chat or calls for celebration!

To keep things breezy for you and your HR team, we’ve put together a comprehensive HR Calendar 2024. It’s got all the important holidays, special events, and the nitty-gritty details on annual payroll and tax compliance that you should keep tabs on. That’s not all, we’ve compiled a full list of employee engagement ideas throughout the year to keep the spirits and energy high all through the year. Let’s dive right in!

January

First up on our HR Calendar 2024, January is the perfect time to set the pace for the new year. Start the year strong with your team by reaffirming your company’s vision and values. Engage in a company-wide vision board activity and spruce up the office with a little spring cleaning action for a clean slate on Clean Off Your Desk Day (8 January 2024)! Cap it all off by delighting your team with some delicious fresh bagels on Bagel Day (15 January 2024).

Omni Tip: January frequently sees new hires coming on board, and providing a positive onboarding experience is key to boosting employee engagement and retention. Explore our complete employee onboarding checklist or new hire training plan template to ensure a smooth onboarding journey for your new team members.

Key dates and holidays

  • New Year’s Day – 1 January 2024
  • Data Privacy Day – 28 January 2024

Employee Engagement Ideas

  • Clean Off Your Desk Day – 8 January 2024
  • Bagel Day – 15 January 2024

February 

Chinese New Year is just around the corner! Decorating the workplace with festive decorations not only adds a touch of celebration but also makes employees feel appreciated, lifting their spirits. Additionally, consider spreading some love on Valentine’s Day by stocking up the pantry with chocolates for a sweet treat. Finally, mark Random Acts of Kindness Day (17 February 2024) by encouraging employees to nominate someone who demonstrated a random act of kindness during the week. Let’s keep the positive vibes flowing all year round! 

Key dates and holidays

  • Chinese New Year – 10 -12 February 2024
  • Valentine’s Day – 14 February 2024
  • National Day of Brunei Darussalam – 23 February 2024
  • Leap Day – 29 February 2024

Employee Engagement Ideas

  • Random Acts of Kindness Day – 17 February 2024 

March

As we wrap up the first quarter, March not only provides an excellent opportunity to evaluate your processes and initiatives but also serves as an ideal time to celebrate small wins on Employee Appreciation Day (1 March 2024). Acknowledging these wins is a powerful way to increase employee morale and engagement!

Omni Tip: This month is also a strategic period to prepare for the upcoming mid-year performance review. Omni’s total performance review kit is the perfect resource to kickstart the process and elevate your team’s performance to new heights!

Furthermore, March is recognized as Women’s History Month! Consider these significant days and events in mind when planning your HR Calendar 2024. 

Key Dates and Holidays

  • International Women’s Day – 8 March 2024
  • Good Friday – 29 March 2024
  • Performance Review Preparation

Employee Engagement Ideas

  • Women’s History Month
  • Employee Appreciation Day – 1 March 2024 

Compliance, Tax & Payroll Information

  • Philippines: Deadline for companies to file annual income tax returns – 31 March 2024

April

Entering April in our HR Calendar 2024, we joyously usher in Hari Raya celebrations! Infuse the workplace with festive spirit by adding appropriate decorations. Additionally, observe Earth Day by inspiring eco-friendly practices among your team, fostering a culture of sustainability and environmental awareness. 

Celebrate National Pet Day (11 April 2024) by encouraging employees to share adorable pictures of their pets. If circumstances allow, consider allowing pets in the office for the day to create a lively and pet-friendly atmosphere! 

Key Dates and Holidays

  • April Fool’s Day 1 April 2024
  • Hari Raya Aidilfitri – 10 April 2024
  • National Pet Day – 11 April 2024
  • Songkran Festival 13-15 April 2024
  • Administrative Professionals’ Day – 18 April 2024
  • Earth Day – 22 April 2024

Employee Engagement Ideas

  • National Volunteer Month
  • April Fool’s Day – 1 April 2024
  • National Pet Day – 11 April 2024

Compliance, Tax & Payroll Information

  • Hong Kong: Deadline for individuals to file salaries tax returns – 15 April 2024
  • Philippines: Deadline for individuals to file income tax returns – 15 April 2024
  • Malaysia: Paper filing deadline for individual income tax returns – 30 April 2024

May

It’s important to establish a supportive environment for your team to voice their thoughts, express concerns, and seek camaraderie within the workplace. Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month by encouraging peer-to-peer shout outs, introducing mental health days, setting up zen spaces in the office, and conducting informative mental health workshops. 

Key Dates and Holidays

  • Labor Day – 1 May 2024
  • Mother’s Day – 12 May 2024
  • National Bike to Work Day – 17 May 2024
  • Wesak Day – 22 May 2024 

Employee Engagement Ideas

  • Mental Health Awareness Month
  • World Password Day – 2 May 2024
  • Star Wars Day – 4 May 2024

Compliance, Tax & Payroll Information

  • Malaysia: E-filing deadline for individual income tax returns – 15 May 2024

June

Hooray, we’re halfway there in our HR Calendar 2024! Brighten your team’s day by indulging in sweet treats on National Donut Day (7 June 2024)! 

Omni Tip: As you gear up for mid-year performance reviews, rest assured with our ultimate performance review template and a collection of 200 performance review phrases for managers. Gain a well-rounded understanding of what constitutes a comprehensive performance review and find inspiration for crafting the best performance review questions and answers. 

Key Dates and Holidays

  • Dragon Boat Festival – 10 June 2024
  • Philippines’ Independence Day – 12 June 2024
  • Father’s Day – 16 June 2024
  • Hari Raya Haji – 16 June 2024
  • Mid-Year Performance Reviews

Employee Engagement Ideas

  • Leave the Office Early Day – 2 June 2024
  • National Donut Day – 7 June 2024

Compliance, Tax & Payroll Information

  • Hong Kong: Deadline for companies to file profits tax return – 15 June 2024
  • Malaysia: Deadline for companies to file paper annual audited accounts and tax return – 30 June 2024

July

Embrace July with a delightful and popular concept – honoring the deliciousness of chocolate on World Chocolate Day (7 July 2024)! Take this moment to encourage your team to unwind and rejuvenate for the second half of the year with a dedicated Self-Care Day (24 July 2024). 

Key Dates and Holidays

  • Parents’ Day – 28 July 2024

Employee Engagement Ideas

  • World Chocolate Day – 7 July 2024
  • International Self-Care Day – 24 July 2024
  • National Intern Day – 25 July 2024

Compliance, Tax & Payroll Information

  • Malaysia: E-filing deadline for companies to submit annual audited accounts and tax return – 15 July 2024

August

Books have a way of bringing people together. Switch things up from the usual happy hour and snacks by encouraging your team to exchange their favorite books in celebration of Book Lovers Day (9 August 2024). Consider organizing a book club, providing colleagues with an opportunity to connect through their shared love for reading. 

Need some recommendations? Explore our curated list of the best books for HR professionals!

Key Dates and Holidays

  • Singapore’s National Day – 9 August 2024
  • Indonesia’s National Day – 17 August 2024
  • Malaysia’ National Day – 31 August 2024

Employee Engagement Ideas

  • International Cat Day – 8 August 2024
  • Book Lovers Day – 9 August 2024
  • National Financial Awareness Day – 14 August 2024
  • National Dog Day – 28 August 2024

September

September promises a blend of cultural richness and professional appreciation, making it a vibrant and significant month for both personal and career milestones. Consider organizing a festive gathering during Mid-Autumn Festival (17 September 2024), encouraging colleagues to share their favorite mooncake flavors, or even hosting a lantern-making competition to infuse the workplace with the spirit of this cultural celebration. 

Key Dates and Holidays

  • National Day of Vietnam – 2 September 2024
  • National Heroes Day – 16 September 2024 
  • Mid-Autumn Festival – 17 September 2024

Employee Engagement Ideas

  • National Working Parents Day – 16 September 2024
  • IT Professionals Day – 17 September 2024
  • HR Professional Day – 26 September 2024 

October

As the final quarter of our HR Calendar 2024 rolls around, this is a great time to assess team dynamics and be vigilant for signs of employee burnout, ensuring a supportive work environment. Mark World Mental Health Day (10 October 2024) by fostering discussions on mental well-being, organizing workshops, and providing resources to bolster the mental health of your team. 

This month also brings the joyous celebration of Deepavali. Embrace the cultural diversity within your workplace by decorating the workspace with vibrant decor, creating an inclusive atmosphere that enhances employee engagement and fosters a sense of belonging. 

Key Dates and Holidays

  • World Mental Health Day – 10 October 2024
  • Deepavali – 31 October 2024
  • Halloween – 31 October 2024

Employee Engagement Ideas

  • Diversity and Inclusion Awareness Month
  • World Mental Health Day – 10 October 2024
  • Halloween – 31 October 2024

November

In November, seize the opportunity to foster gratitude and kindness during National Gratitude Month. Set up gratitude walls around the workplace, providing spaces for employees to share their appreciations openly. Alternatively, host luncheons to bring the team together, allowing them to share a meal and express gratitude towards one another. 

Professionally, November also signifies National Career Development Month. Embrace this occasion by arranging skill-building workshops, engaging in career or networking events, and facilitating impactful 1-on-1 career development conversations. It’s also the perfect time for year-end reviews and goal setting, allowing for reflection on personal milestones and strategic planning for the new year. 

Key Dates and Holidays

  • World Kindness Day – 13 November 2024
  • Year-End Review and Goal Setting

Employee Engagement Ideas

  • National Gratitude Month
  • National Career Development Month

Compliance, Tax & Payroll Information

  • Singapore: Deadline for individuals to file income tax returns – 15 November 2024
  • Singapore: Deadline for companies to file annual audited accounts and tax returns – 30 November 2024

December

You’ve made it til the end of our HR calendar 2024! December is the time to sit back, unwind and reflect on the year’s accomplishments, and celebrate milestones. Plan fun activities for your team to discuss the highlights of the year, and consider hosting a festive Secret Santa gift exchange to get your team in the festive spirit! 

Key Dates and Holidays

  • Christmas Eve – 24 December 2024
  • Christmas Celebration – 25 December 2024
  • Year-End Break and Holidays
  • New Year’s Eve – 31 December 2024

Employee Engagement Ideas

  • Holiday Celebrations

Planning Your HR Calendar 2024

HR Calendar 2024

That’s a wrap on our comprehensive HR Calendar 2024! Bookmark this calendar to plan your key events and holidays. If you would like the printable version with an added bonus of employee engagement ideas applicable throughout the year, and reap the engagement benefits that come from these occasions, 

Omni’s intuitive, all-in-one HRIS helps HR teams and managers keep track of key dates, engagement opportunities, and manage employee schedules easily with automated reminders and at-a-glance scheduling. Omni’s platform allows you to create bespoke calendars for your employees around the globe, with pre-loaded holidays and cultural happenings based on your employee’s location, and automated alerts so you never miss a holiday, work anniversary, or opportunity to engage with your team or prepare for your next important HR initiative. 

With a full suite of modules to support every aspect of your business, Omni’s platform offers an intuitive and fully customizable platform that integrates with your team’s favorite tools for a seamless and timely adoption. If you’d like to learn more about how Omni’s all-in-one HR software automates the entire end-to-end employee lifecycle, book a demo with our team today and explore the features tailored to enhance your HR experience in 2024!

Traditional performance reviews are undergoing a shift, mirroring the broader cultural changes brought about by the transition to a remote workforce and hybrid arrangements. As we enter into a new year and fresh performance management, companies are grappling with the challenge of facilitating fair assessments that go beyond the traditional annual or semi-annual model and looking for performance review tips to help them navigate these changes.

The People Collective (TPC), a Slack community of HR leaders across Southeast Asia and beyond, recently hosted a conversation in Singapore where HR experts and industry leaders discussed performance review tips and strategies for reshaping how we approach reviews to suit the contemporary work environment. Here are some of the actionable insights and top performance review tips for conducting effective, fair, and growth-oriented performance reviews:

Performance Review Tips From HR Leaders

performance review tips

Straight from the horse’s mouth, these seven performance review tips recommended by seasoned HR professionals can be applied to any size team to help maximize impact.

Separate performance reviews from compensation discussions

More often than not, employees view performance reviews as an opportunity to reevaluate their compensation, assuming the two are intrinsically linked. Yet HR leaders agree on performance review tips that state conflating the two can have detrimental effects on performance, as it often overshadows or distracts from the true purpose of assessments: to identify opportunities for growth and develop clear goals and KPIs for continuous improvement.

Performance reviews should be solely focused on assessing growth, skills, and contributions from employees. While compensation is linked to their ability to perform, unless your team operates on performance based pay, the conversation of salary or bonuses should be distinct from performance review discussions—instead raises and bonuses should be based on inflation and exceptional performance, and addressed at a separate time.

Tl;dr performance review tips:
Emphasize to both managers and employees the importance of separating performance assessments from discussions about salary or compensation. Make it clear that performance reviews are about assessing growth, skills, and contributions, and compensation discussions should be held separately.

“Performance reviews need a rebranding. Increments and bonuses are different from helping someone assess where they are [in their performance] and how they can reach their full potential in the next time period. That might take them a quarter or six to 12 months and should have nothing to do with compensation. Rewards are linked to contributing unique value to an organization, not for tenure or performing the basic functions of a role.”

Sara Fisher, Group Head of People & Culture at MoneySmart 

Rebrand performance management

Performance reviews can stir up a lot of anxieties for employees. Whether that’s due to a lack of clarity around assessment criteria, imposter syndrome, or not knowing how to write a performance review, one of the performance review tips that can be helpful is to reposition the function of reviews as tools to help employees rather than measure their worth.

Consider rebranding the experience of a performance review to focus more on growth, potential, and continuous improvement. This helps in changing the mindset around performance reviews and emphasizes the positive aspects of development.

Tl;dr performance review tips:
Shift the way you talk about and prepare for performance reviews to focus towards growth, potential, and continuous improvement. This change in terminology aims to reshape the mindset around performance reviews, emphasizing positive aspects of professional development that empower employees.

Focus on continuous feedback throughout the year

Performance reviews should not be the first time an employee is hearing feedback from their managers, just as nothing an employee hears in their review should come as a surprise. Promote regular 1-on-1 check-ins between managers and employees to discuss goals, progress, and any challenges. 

Encourage managers to provide continuous feedback throughout the year rather than saving it for an annual review. This helps in capturing a more comprehensive picture of an employee’s performance and creates opportunities for improvement at the first signs of performance challenges. 

Tl;dr performance review tips:
Encourage a culture of ongoing feedback where managers provide constructive input regularly, creating a more comprehensive understanding of an employee's performance, rather than saving feedback for an annual review.

“Managers aren’t meant to be solely assessing performance at the end of the year. They should be compiling the [employee’s] status throughout the year. So if they’re managing people effectively, which requires that we train our managers properly, then they will understand what our expectation is, and employees will receive more impactful and well-rounded feedback.”

Sara Fisher

Train your managers

It’s a common misconception that HR is solely responsible for the performance review process. However, managers are the ones held accountable for conducting performance assessments for their teams. But work reviews aren’t necessarily intuitive, so performance review tips suggest HR must train managers to effectively conduct performance reviews. Ensure they understand the purpose, process, and how to provide constructive feedback. This includes teaching them how to identify areas of improvement and acknowledge achievements, as well as encouraging a culture of continuous feedback and regular check-ins with their direct reports.

Tl;dr performance review tips:
Implement training programs for managers to equip them with the skills needed to conduct effective performance reviews. Ensure they comprehend the purpose, process, and how to deliver constructive feedback that fosters growth.

performance review tips

Diversify your feedback

Performance is multi-faceted, and the feedback received should reflect that. Among the performance review tips discussed, HR leaders recommend instead of solely relying on employee or manager feedback, source input from multiple lenses to ensure a well rounded assessment and reduced performance appraisal biases

Peer feedback

Incorporate peer feedback into the performance review process. Allow managers to request feedback from colleagues who have worked closely with the employee. This provides a 360-degree view of the individual’s performance.

“Managers should request feedback from anybody that their direct report has worked with, and then collate that as a holistic output to understand the person fully.”

Projjal Ghatak, CEO of Onloop

Behavior-based feedback

Coach managers to focus on providing (and seeking) feedback based on observable behaviors rather than personal opinions. This helps in making the assessment more objective and tied to specific actions and results.

Here are some performance review tips and best practices for ensuring feedback is based on observable behaviors versus personal opinions:

Be specific and concrete: 

Instead of saying: “You’re not a team player,” say: “During the last project, you worked independently without collaborating with team members, leading to delays in project completion.”

Focus on actions and results:

Instead of saying: “You’re not proactive,” say: “In the last month, you didn’t initiate any new projects or suggest improvements. As a result, our team missed out on potential opportunities for growth.”

Use quantifiable metrics:

Instead of saying: “You’re not meeting deadlines,” say: “On three separate occasions, you submitted project deliverables a day after the agreed-upon deadline.”

“We must rely on behaviors to get to a fair understanding. Always think about feedback in the form of behaviors and what skills exist, not what this person said about that person because that is also very based on personality.”

Projjal Ghatak

Project-level feedback

Consider collecting feedback at a project level to gain insights into specific collaborations and achievements. Performance review tips suggest managers identify the cross-functional teams employees are working on to understand the impact of the employee’s contributions to different aspects of the organization. When feedback is offered at the project level, it helps ladder up to the full view of their performance.

Tl;dr performance review tips:
Integrate peer feedback into performance reviews by encouraging managers to seek input from collaborating colleagues for a holistic view. Emphasize feedback based on observable behaviors and outcomes to ensure objectivity, and consider project-level feedback for insights into an employee's contributions across different organizational areas.

Educate on expectations

Managing expectations is a crucial part of HR’s functions. Provide education to both managers and employees about the expectations surrounding the performance review process. Clarify the criteria for evaluation and how it contributes to individual growth within the organization, and be clear about the desired outcomes of the exercise. This includes meeting deadlines, garnering employee buy-in, and decoupling performance reviews from compensation discussions.

Tl;dr performance review tips:
Provide educational resources for both managers and employees about the expectations surrounding the performance review process. Clearly communicate the criteria for evaluation and how it contributes to individual growth within the organization.

“Having a robust goal setting exercise for every review cycle is quite important because it’s very powerful in terms of employee buy-in. If an employee knows how they’re contributing to their entire organization or their organization’s goal, that vision or connection alone is a superpower.”

Yao Lim, CEO & Founder of Easy Consulting

Routinely document

When it comes time for an annual review, it can be challenging to reflect on 12 months of performance. Doing so without clear systems can result in recency bias or ill-informed assessments. 

Encourage managers to maintain documentation of employee achievements, areas for improvement, and notable contributions throughout the year instead. These performance review tips can be implemented through keeping a simple note document, written list, or folder that’s updated weekly throughout the year. Having this documentation will allow reviewers a database of information that serves as a reference during the performance review process.

Tl;dr performance review tips:
Encourage managers to maintain documentation of employee achievements, areas for improvement, and notable contributions throughout the year through a note or word document that’s updated weekly and referred to during the performance review process.

“I think our responsibility is to bring out the best in every person. And you’re not going to bring out the best in every person unless you have a periodic understanding of what that person entails and what they do.”

Sara Fisher

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These performance review tips help HR leaders and managers aim to create a more constructive, transparent, and ongoing performance management process within any organization. They highlight the importance of fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional development to help your team thrive.

These performance review tips are just some of the insights shared during the community event hosted by The People Collective. If you haven’t already, join the dynamic community of HR leaders for more actionable insights and HR resources.

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