A company in the UK has created 360 degree feedback for the workplace. This online service helps employees to get feedback about their performance from a third party. It avoids those awkward "Can I see you in my office?" moments all together. It also can be used to help employees discuss problems they may feel uncomfortable addressing with their bosses. The site also allows customers, colleagues and peers to review and assess an employee's attitude and work ethic.

Having just one person in charge of someone's professional life does seem kind of silly. I know I've had bosses that I haven't gotten along with, and the first thing I would do would be to tell friends and colleagues what had happened and ask if they agreed with my decision. It's amazing how honest people with be with you when that's what you specifically say you're looking for. The feedback I got wasn't all hugs and puppies, but I used it constructively.

I think that having a Web site that helps employees to hear more about their performance will be a powerful motivator. Constructive criticism is much easier to handle if you don't have to look the person in the eye while they're delivering it, you know?


Selecting and recruiting the right people for your business is important but what really matters is how well people perform once they are in the job and whether they become a positive asset to your business.
“Getting the right person to work for you is only the start of the story.” Says Richard Oppenheimer, Director of Appraisal360. “It’s easy to select someone who ticks all the right boxes on paper, but what really matters is how they interact with other members of staff, customers and suppliers once they are in the job.”
These so called soft skills are often overlooked by employers who focus hard on qualifications and CV’s. And although these hard factors are important, research shows that actual success is far more dependent on people’s Emotional Intelligence than anything else.
“Emotional Intelligence at work is all about how people conduct themselves and work together.” says Richard, “We look at aspects such as self motivation, how people manage their emotions, how they relate to other people, self awareness and their ability to coach and support others.”
Of course, the only real way to assess these things objectively is to ask other people – and that’s where the problems start. “Sometimes it can be difficult to get objective feedback for whatever reason, and so the employee doesn’t really have anywhere to start from.” Which is why Appraisal360 have introduced a new online tool which uses 360 degree feedback.
“The advantage of the Appraisal360 system,” says Richard, “is that it allows us to gather feedback confidentially from colleagues, associates, customers or indeed anyone who knows that person well.” The employee then gets a detailed report which forms a cornerstone of their training and development plan.
“We’ve found that using a 360 degree feedback system like Appraisal360 often makes a dramatic difference to the way teams of people work together. It can be immensely liberating for the individual to have an accurate appraisal of how other people perceive them – and they often gain a lot of confidence because they find that people see in them qualities that they hadn’t realised.”
Most of us can think of someone who doesn’t seem to be aware of the impact that they have on other people – but the difficulty is always finding a way of fixing the problem in an objective way that leads to a positive outcome. People are more likely to accept the messages they get from 360 degree feedback than they are from one to one discussions with the boss, which they can see as one sided or uninformed. “It’s very difficult to hide from something if everybody is saying the same thing.” says Richard Oppenheimer, Director of Appraisal360. “We generally gather feedback from six other people as well as the person themselves to compile our reports. And because it’s all done online by an outside company people can be confident that they can be honest in what they say and it won’t be taken personally.”
Some employers decide to roll out 360 degree feedback right across their workforce – with dramatic effects in many cases. Things tend to run much more smoothly when there is an open supportive culture where you work and many employers now routinely include regular 360 degree feedback as part of their staff training, development and appraisal programme.
“Most major companies have been using 360 degree feedback for some time now,” says Richard, “and now you can too. The service that we offer together with Appraisal360 is quick, easy and cost effective. And it’s designed for employers who really want to see their people succeed and grow.”




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