Kennedys has chosen performance management company Clear Review to support its transition from traditional annual appraisals to a culture of continuous performance development.

“Light bulb moment”

The firm ran a series of employee feedback sessions, with their 2,000 plus staff saying the existing annual appraisal system clearly needed updating. Feedback suggested staff were wanted more regular input into their career development, and annual appraisals were not seen as providing valuable performance development opportunities. Caroline Wilson, HR director at Kennedys, says her team struggled to find the right fit until meeting with Clear Review, “It was a light bulb moment. We had a clearly defined view on what we wanted and needed for some time but, until we met with Clear Review, there hadn’t been the right alignment in terms of our objectives and what could be offered.”

“Nail on the head”

Ms Wilson explained, “Clear Review enables companies like ours to move on from the annual appraisal. The real value though has been in how it helps to embed and grow a performance-led culture, where meaningful performance conversations and frequent employee feedback are the norm. That really hit the nail on the head for us. Since launching in March, over 850 pieces of peer to peer feedback has been recorded.” Other key factors included the company’s user-friendly platform and real-time dashboard – elements which offer supervisors quick and easy access to valuable performance data. This resonated with Kennedys’ HR team for its ability to identify high performers, as well as employees who need extra support. The long-term productivity gains that the platform presents was a primary factor in securing the Kennedys-Clear Review partnership.