January 28th, 2025 Release Notes

Sprint Release Notes: Empower Your Team with Enhanced Tools and Customization Options

We’re excited to announce a set of new and enhanced features designed to improve the user experience and empower your team. These updates include personalized branding options, better visibility into evaluation metrics, and streamlined workflows that give you more control and flexibility. From custom logo uploads to advanced approval processes, each feature has been developed with your team’s productivity and efficiency in mind. Read on to explore the details of these latest improvements!

Updates for all Users

Document Vault

We’re excited to announce the launch of the Document Vault, designed to improve document management and visibility across your organization. With this new feature, HR Admins, Managers, Content Managers, and Employees can upload and manage documents directly from employee profiles or the Document Vault interface.

Key Highlights:

• Centralized Document Management: Easily upload and store documents like past evaluations, training materials, or important HR documents. Supported file types: .doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx, .pdf, .txt, .rtf, .csv, .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm, .gif, .png, .jpg, .jpeg
• Role-Based Visibility: Control who can view and access documents with visibility settings tailored to user roles.
• Organized by Tabs: The Document Vault interface includes tabs for "Personal," "Team," and "Organization" (depending on the user role) for easy navigation.
• Upload Options for All Users: Employees can upload personal documents, while HR Admins and Managers can upload documents for individuals or teams with flexible visibility options.
• Employee Profile Integration: View and manage documents directly from individual employee profiles for a streamlined experience.

This feature is available now under the Document Vault section in the left menu for all users.

Extended Manager Score Visibility for Enhanced Team Insights

Feature Details:
Managers can now view scores for evaluations across their entire reporting line, including indirect reports, even when scores are hidden from employees. This enhancement provides managers with the visibility they need to assess performance metrics comprehensively and make informed decisions about their extended team.

Streamlined Evaluation Unlock for Managers

Feature Details:
Managers now have the ability to unlock evaluations directly from the "Mark as Reviewed" page, streamlining the process of making adjustments without navigating to deeply nested options. This feature allows managers to select specific user types (employee, manager, or peers) for unlocking.

• Unlocking resets any prior approvals, ensuring the integrity of the review process.
• Email notifications inform affected users when an evaluation is unlocked for edits, ensuring transparency and actionability.

This enhancement empowers managers to efficiently manage evaluations while maintaining alignment with approval workflows.

Warn Users Before Submitting Evaluation with Unsubmitted Goals

Feature Details:
We’ve introduced a safeguard to ensure goals aren’t accidentally left incomplete when submitting evaluations.

• New Warning Message:
  • When users (employees or managers) attempt to submit an evaluation with text entered in the "Name," "Goal Description," "Due Date," or any metric fields but haven’t clicked the "Submit Goal" button, a warning will appear.
  • The warning message reads:
    "Are you sure you want to submit? You have goals created that haven’t been saved yet."
• Streamlined Acknowledgment Options:
  • Users can select "Cancel" to go back and finalize their goals or "Submit" to proceed without submitting the incomplete goals.

This enhancement ensures evaluations are submitted with all intended goals fully completed, improving tracking and reducing confusion.

Display Employee Last Login Information

Feature Details:
We’re adding visibility into employee engagement with the system by showing their last login date. This information will be displayed on individual profiles and included in the People Export for HR Admins, Managers, and Content Managers.

• Where It’s Displayed:
  • Employee Profile: The "Last Logged In" value will appear under the employee’s name.
  • People Export: A new column, "Last Logged In," will be included in the export file.
• Possible Values:
  • "Not Invited" if the employee has not been invited to the system.
  • "Never" if the employee was invited but has never logged in.
  • [mm/dd/yyyy] for the last login date if the employee has logged in before.
  • "Unknown" if there’s an issue retrieving the data.

This feature will enable HR users to monitor platform engagement and follow up with employees who may need assistance or reminders to log

Separate Due Dates for Employee vs Manager vs Peer Feedback Requests

Feature Overview:
This feature will enable HR admins to set separate due dates and availability dates for employees, managers, and peers within evaluation schedules. This allows for more accurate coordination of feedback requests, tailored to each participant's responsibilities and timelines.

Workflow:

• Display Separate Due Dates and Availability Dates:
  HR admins will see separate fields for setting due dates and availability dates for employees, managers, and peers when creating an evaluation schedule. These fields will allow setting dates relative to specific events, such as the hire date, anniversary date, or evaluation schedule date.
• Sync Due Dates Button:
  HR admins will have the option to sync the manager's and peer's due dates with the employee’s due date by clicking the "Sync Due Dates" button. This feature ensures consistency unless the employee's due dates are not set, in which case the button will be disabled.
• Editing Schedule Restrictions:
  When editing an existing evaluation schedule, the due date fields for employees, managers, and peers will be locked and non-editable. Only the availability offset fields will remain editable.

This feature improves scheduling flexibility and precision in the evaluation process, enhancing the user experience for HR admins managing evaluations.

Multi-Level Approval Process

Feature Overview:
This feature introduces a multi-level approval flow for evaluations, allowing HR users to create a structured approval process where multiple levels of approvers review and approve evaluations before they are finalized. It enhances oversight and ensures that all evaluations undergo thorough vetting by designated personnel.

Workflow:

• Configurable Approval Levels:
  HR users will be able to dynamically add or remove approval levels in the evaluation schedule. They can assign specific approvers to each level, with the restriction that the first approval level cannot be removed. If a middle level is removed, the next level will be reassigned accordingly.
• Approvers Assignment Flexibility:
  HR users can choose between assigning individual approvers or selecting a pool of HR Admins (where only one HR Admin will approve). They can assign up to 4 people per level, except for HR Admin approval levels, where there is no maximum limit if there are more than 4 HR admins.
• Adding Additional Approval Levels:
  When HR users click to add more approval levels, they will be prompted with a confirmation message. If they confirm, the new level will be added; otherwise, no changes will occur.
• Exclusion of Duplicate Approvers:
  The system will prevent the same person from being assigned to multiple levels, except for HR admins who can be part of multiple levels.
• Sequential Notification System:
  Once all feedback is submitted, only the first-level approvers will receive notifications. Subsequent approvers will only be notified once the previous level has approved.
• Approval Integrity Maintenance:
  If an approver declines the evaluation, all subsequent approvals will be reset, and the process will need to be restarted for re-approval.
• Approval Reset on Decline:
  If an evaluation is declined and its status is set back to "in-progress," notifications will be sent to all involved parties, and the approval process will restart once changes are made.
• Manual Addition of Approvers:
  HR users will be able to manually add or remove approvers at any level, except for HR Admin approval levels, where additional approvers cannot be added. The system will also indicate if an approval level is for HR Admins.
• Only Display Card on Approvers Dashboard When It's Their Turn:
  The evaluation card will only appear on an approver's dashboard when it's their turn to approve. They will not see it if they are not part of the active level in the approval flow.

This multi-level approval process enhances the evaluation system by improving the oversight and ensuring that evaluations are reviewed thoroughly by relevant stakeholders before finalization.

Allow for Scoring Labels on Section Scores, in addition to Overall Scores

Feature Overview:
This feature expands the current scoring system by allowing HR Admins and Managers to display scoring labels on both the overall evaluation score and individual section scores. This flexibility enables organizations to categorize employee performance using descriptive labels rather than numeric scores, providing a more customized feedback experience.

Workflow:

• Display Options for Scoring Labels During Evaluation Setup:
  During evaluation setup, HR Admins will have the option to select whether they want scoring labels to be displayed on both the overall score and the individual section scores. These options will be in the evaluation setup under the options tab, with checkboxes to activate either or both label types. The overall score checkbox will be enabled by default, while section scoring labels will remain inactive by default.
• Display Scoring Labels on Overall Score:
  If the option "Use Scoring Labels on Overall Score" is selected during the evaluation setup, the overall score will be displayed using the selected label instead of the numeric percentage score. This label will appear under the "Scoring" section at the top of the page when the employee or manager views the evaluation.
• Display Scoring Labels on Section Scores:
  If "Use Scoring Labels on Individual Sections" is selected during the evaluation setup, each section score will also be displayed using the selected scoring label, omitting the numeric value of points scored out of points possible. Additionally, individual question points will not be displayed.
• Default to Numeric Scores When Labels Are Not Selected:
  If neither "Use Scoring Labels on Overall Score" nor "Use Scoring Labels on Individual Sections" is selected, the system will default to showing numeric scores. The overall score will be displayed as a percentage, and section scores will show in the format of "points scored / points possible."

This enhancement allows for a more personalized and flexible feedback experience for both employees and managers, aligning the evaluation system with organizational preferences for performance reporting.

Update App Header to Include Profile Image Upload Option

Feature Details:
We are enhancing the app header to allow users to upload a profile image, replacing the current static display with a more personalized design. This update will provide a better user experience across both desktop and mobile devices.

• Users will see a circular placeholder with initials (e.g., "JD" for John Doe) if no image is uploaded, or their profile image if uploaded.
• The greeting will display as "Hello, [Firstname] [Lastname]" with a dropdown arrow next to the name for additional options.
  • Options include: "Help," "Edit Photo," and "Logout."
• Upload:
  • Users can upload a new profile image through the "Edit Photo" option.
  • Managers and HR users can edit or upload images for employees on their profile

This update improves the personalization of the user experience, giving a more engaging and modern feel across all devices.

Re-Implement "Magic Link" for Pulse Surveys

Feature Details:
We are re-implementing the "Magic Link" feature for Pulse Surveys to allow employees to complete their surveys easily without needing to log in. User will receive a confirmation email with a login link, and the survey will be marked as complete in the backend, removing the Pulse Survey card from the employee’s dashboard. The magic link will still allow for anonymity, and will not show you who has submitted or who hasn’t yet.

Workflow:

• Magic Link in Email:
  • Users assigned a Pulse Survey will receive an email with a unique Magic Link to access the survey without requiring login.
• Survey Submission:
  • Upon submission, the survey will be saved in the database, and the Pulse Survey card will be removed from the employee’s dashboard.
• Post-Submission Confirmation:
  • After submitting the survey, the user will see a confirmation message with an option to "login."
• Redirect to Dashboard:
  • If the user clicks "Login" in the confirmation email, they will be taken to the login page. Upon successful login, they will be redirected to their dashboard. If they are already logged in, they will be directly sent to the dashboard.

This feature is designed to reduce friction in completing Pulse Surveys and ensure that once the survey is submitted, the task is reflected as completed within the system.

Improve PDF Format and Design on Evaluation Exports

Feature Overview:
This feature aims to improve the formatting and design of evaluation PDFs, ensuring that all evaluations, regardless of their stage, are visually appealing, professional, and easy to read. This will help users across roles (employees, managers, HR, approvers) better review, document, and share evaluation information.

Workflow:

• Maintain Paragraph Formatting:
  The PDF will preserve formatting in section and question descriptions, ensuring all text formatting (bold, underline, italics, line breaks, etc.) is retained.
• Prevent Splitting Across Pages:
  Questions and goals will no longer be split across pages. If a question or goal is too long for a single page, it will begin on a new page.
• Goal Section Layout:
  The goals section layout will be restructured for better readability and alignment, improving the overall visual appeal.
• Evaluation Header and Scoring Layout:
  The header will avoid redundancy and feature a larger company name. The scoring breakdown will have improved readability by ensuring a clear distinction between employee scores and labels.
• Signature Section Design:
  The signature section at the end of the PDF will have a professional, consistent format that matches the rest of the PDF layout.
• Handling Scoring Labels and Hidden Scores:
  If scoring labels are used or if scoring is hidden, the PDF will either omit numerical scores or replace them with the labels as necessary.

This update enhances the overall user experience by ensuring that exported evaluation PDFs are visually appealing and contain accurate, easy-to-read information.

Provide Users with Options for Marking Goals as Complete

Feature Overview:

This feature allows users to have more control when marking goals as complete by giving them the option to either update the associated metrics' progress or leave them unchanged. This flexibility ensures that users can manage goal completion more effectively while keeping associated metrics accurate.

• Mark Goal as Complete Without Updating Metrics:
  • Users will have the option to mark a goal as complete without affecting the associated metrics. This allows the goal status to update while keeping the progress of the metrics unchanged.
• Mark Goal and Metrics as Complete:
  • Users can choose to mark both the goal and its associated metrics as complete, automatically updating the metrics to 100% progress, streamlining the process.
• Cancel Action:
  • If users decide not to proceed with marking the goal complete, they can cancel the action. In this case, no changes will be made, and the user will remain on the same page.

This update provides users with the flexibility to handle goal completion and associated metrics based on their specific needs, improving overall usability and workflow efficiency.

Empower Your Team with Custom Logo Uploads

Feature Details:
HR Admins and Content Managers can now upload their company's logo directly through the "Company Settings" tab, streamlining the process and giving you full control over your branding.

Product updates for users on our professional license

If you would like access to the features and aren’t on our Pro License level, reach out to your Express Evaluation Account Manager about upgrading your license.

Org Chart

Feature Details:
The new Org Chart feature provides HR Admins, Content Managers, and Managers with a clear, interactive visual representation of the organization's reporting structure.

• Access Made Simple: The Org Chart can be found under the new "Org Chart" tab on the people page.
• Employee Details at a Glance: Each employee is displayed with their profile image, name, and department (if assigned).
• Interactive Navigation: Scroll through and expand levels to explore the organization’s hierarchy with ease.

This feature is available exclusively to companies on a Pro license. To add this feature, please contact your Account Manager for more information about upgrading.

Pro Template Library

Feature Overview:
This feature enables HR admins and Content Managers to access a "Pro Template Library" evaluations page, provided their group is on the Pro Licenses. If you would like to upgrade your plan to have access to the template library, contact your Account Manager. This addition streamlines the evaluation process by offering high-quality, professional templates that can be customized for creating evaluation schedules.

Workflow:

• Display Pro Template Library Tab for Eligible Groups:
  HR admins and Content Managers will see a "Pro Template Library" tab when the Template Library feature is activated for their group. This tab provides quick access to professional templates.
• Display Templates in Pro Template Library:
  When accessing the "Pro Template Library" tab, eligible users will see a list of available templates with key details: Template Name, Last Updated, and Actions.
• Preview Pro Template:
  Users can preview templates in the library. Clicking "Preview" will open an editable preview page, with fields locked for viewing except for options to preview or use the template. The goal-related toggles will still be functional.
• Use Pro Template:
  When clicking "Use Template," a duplicate of the original template will be created with the isProTemplate flag set to false. The user will be taken to an editable version of the template, where they can make changes and save it under a new name with "(copy)" added to the title.

This feature will provide HR admins and Content Managers with an easy way to access professional templates and apply them to streamline their evaluation processes.