UKG Performance Management – Try This Alternative

Finding the right payroll system isn’t easy. There’s a lot of competition out there, and many platforms offer enticing add-ons that transform their software into an all-in-one solution.

That’s appealing, especially if you’re also searching for performance management software. Logging into a single platform has the potential to save time and streamline workflows, but that doesn’t mean it’s better.

If you already utilize UKG, you might find the UKG performance management add-on is exactly what you’re looking for. Or, you might find that it doesn’t have the right functionalities for your workforce.

What matters is that you do your research to make an informed decision.

Keep reading to learn more about the pros and cons of UKG performance management.

UKG Performance Management Overview 

UKG offers a suite of solutions that can be added to your plan, allowing you to customize an all-in-one platform. One of those modules is the UKG performance management add-on. It is called UKG Performance and is meant to pair with the UKG Ready platform as a built-in HRIS performance management solution. If you have the Pro Plan, you will find similar capabilities under the name Performance and Coaching instead.

The ability to customize the platform can potentially save you money, but it also means costs can quickly balloon out of control, depending on the add-ons you choose. Their Ready platform offers a more competitive price point compared to their Pro plan, with typical prices ranging from $21-$29 per employee per month, but how much you pay will depend on the features of your particular plan.

The UKG performance management add-on itself is robustly developed with a wide range of customizable features, which sounds appealing on the surface, but it’s important to take a deeper dive into these features before going all-in.

Pros of UKG’s Performance Management Add-On 

UKG has some serious accolades to back up its software. They are top-rated with Trust Radius and are a 2022 Gold Medal winner at SoftwareReviews. They're also trusted by organizations like MGM Grand, The Salvation Army, and Crocs.

When it comes to the UKG performance management add-on, there are a few pros that make it an appealing choice, especially if you already use the UKG platform:

• Establish ongoing, real-time feedback
• Create goals that cascade from the corporate level down to groups and employees
• Special features for succession planning

Establish ongoing, real-time feedback

UKG understands that feedback is most effective when it's given quickly. Their performance management module supports the creation of real-time feedback loops by providing access to goal status and performance throughout the year.

By tapping into this information throughout the year, HR and managers can create a schedule of check-ins and one-on-one meetings that are designed to acknowledge accomplishments or offer guidance in real time—not just when review time comes around.

Create goals that cascade from the corporate level down to groups and employees.

Individual employee goals are a great way to support employees in reaching their particular professional goals, but it's equally as important to make sure their goals align with corporate-level goals. Only then can you make sure that when your employees are successful, your organization will be successful.

UKG performance management has the tools you need to define top-level goals and create cascading goals that can be assigned to groups and individual employees. Then, managers and HR can track performance at all of those levels. That way, potential solutions to roadblocks can be addressed individually, in teams, or as an organization.

Special features for succession planning

One unique feature of the UKG performance management module compared to some others is the fact that it has specific succession planning capabilities.

UKG Ready Performance enables you to set the skills and competencies that are associated with key positions. Then, you can drag and drop employees within the interface according to their potential. Charts and graphs give you the ability to benchmark certain strengths and skills so you can create a talent pipeline that identifies employees with the most potential.

This information can also be shared with employees. They can see their career path and discuss whether or not they are being groomed to fill a certain role.

Cons of UKG’s Performance Management Add-On 

Although there are a lot of positives about the UKG performance management module, there are also some drawbacks include:

• Self-service functionality has the potential to leave HR and management out of the loop
• Engagement is tied to goals—it isn't measured separately
• Functionality is limited without additional modules

Self-service functionality has the potential to leave HR and management out of the loop

The UKG performance management module focuses on empowering users to take accountability and ownership over their performance by enabling them to set their own goals. That sounds like a good thing on the surface—and it can be—but you do have to think carefully about whether you want goal-setting to be a collaborative or an individual effort.

It’s good for employees to have their own goals, but when it comes to performance management within an organization, it’s more effective to see goal-setting as a collaborative experience. Employees should work together with managers and other members of their team to set goals together. Being allowed to update their goals in the platform without approval first means managers and HR may potentially be left out of the loop if a goal is updated, added, or changed.

Engagement is tied to goals—it isn't measured separately

The UKG performance management add-on sees engagement as an effect of allowing managers to monitor employee goals and feedback. That's not untrue. A performance management strategy that values setting meaningful goals and offering real-time feedback can increase engagement, but it’s not a given.

It’s important to have separate ways to measure engagement and get feedback directly from employees. Without the ability to do this within the platform, you have to do it separately and find a way to integrate the information you gather with the rest of your performance data.

Functionality is limited without additional modules.

Getting the functionality you want from the UKG performance management platform can be frustrating because not all performance-based features are included in the add-on. Many must be added by choosing additional modules, and with so many different names, things can get confusing fast.

For example, under the Pro plan, the add-on is called UKG Pro Performance and Coaching. If you have the Ready plan, it’s simply called Performance. They also have a separate Talent add-on and a People Insights add-on. If you want to utilize their Merit Matrix to tie performance to compensation, you have to add their Compensation module to your plan.

The add-ons offer a level of customization you won’t find with other platforms, but they also create a level of complexity that requires extensive research and support from a UGK representative to make sure you’re set up for success.

Why PerformYard is a Better Option 

If you want robust performance management capabilities, you won’t find what you’re looking for in the UKG performance management add-on. That’s because it was created to enhance their existing platform. Instead, you need a dedicated platform that was specifically designed to support your performance management strategy, whatever it may be.

PerformYard is a dedicated continuous feedback software platform that offers a complete solution that has been developed by performance management professionals. It offers industry-leading customization options that are backed by our software experts who can help you get the most out of your performance management strategy.

A few other reasons why PerformYard is a better option compared to UKG’s performance management module include:

• Focused review process that emphasizes collaboration
• Dedicated employee engagement features
• Complete performance management support from experts

Focused review process that emphasizes collaboration

PerformYard is designed to be customized to meet your unique needs. It has a complete range of assessments to choose from with the ability to customize your review schedule. You also can filter reports based on different groups. You can decide what information is being displayed and how it's being displayed.

And our goal management software does all of this while fostering an environment of collaboration.

Goals are meaningfully created as part of the review process. They are created as part of larger performance management conversations. They are inputted, tracked, and tweaked as part of the review process—not left up to employees alone—ensuring everyone is on the same page.

Dedicated employee engagement features

Instead of seeing engagement as a byproduct of a well-developed performance management system, PerformYard sees it as a completely separate aspect of performance management that deserves its unique processes.

PerformYard enables you to create and send completely anonymous surveys to your employees. Surveys contain the seven factors most closely tied to performance. Because they're anonymous, your employees are more likely to tell you what they think.

You can then track employee sentiment visually with graphs and charts. You're able to slice the data however you want, which enables you to see responses by employee cohort and track changes in responses over time.

Complete performance management support from experts

It can be difficult to call in and get support if you have specific questions about the UKG performance management add-on because it offers a dizzying array of modules. Customer reps can’t be knowledgeable about them all. You’ll likely find yourself on hold every time you have a question, and you may not be able to connect with someone who can help.

That’s not the case with the performance review software from PerformYard. We are a performance management-only platform, which means our team knows the ins and outs of our software. We know performance management too, which means you’ll never have to call and wonder if you will be able to get ahold of someone who can help you with your specific problem. You will always get industry-leading expertise with our dedicated performance management software.

PerformYard + UKG integration

You don't have to give up on having an all-in-one platform just because you want to use PerformYard's software. We have created a special integration that works with the UKG Pro platform.

All pertinent employee information is automatically pulled from UKG into PerformYard, with changes in employee data automatically reflected in PerformYard. You can also activate new hires and deactivate terminated employees with a single click. You're able to use UKG as a single employee system of record while harnessing the power of PerformYard's complete performance management capabilities.

The best way to see exactly how PerformYard can transform the way you do performance management is to give it a try for yourself.

Download our free demo today!

FAQs

What does UKG’s performance management add-on include?

The UKG performance management add-on includes a range of features like the ability to establish ongoing, real-time feedback, create cascading goals, and make succession planning decisions. It also offers ways to customize the timing of reviews, as well as the types of reviews you want to use.

Is the UKG performance management add-on worth it?

The UKG performance management add-on might be worth it if you're already using the UKG platform. It might also be a good choice if you want individual employees to be able to create, modify, and track their own goals.

What makes PerformYard a better alternative to UKG’s performance management add-on? 

PerformYard is a better alternative to UKG’s performance management module because it offers additional features, like dedicated employee engagement capabilities. It makes goal-setting part of the performance management process instead of enabling individuals to change goals outside of reviews and check-ins. PerformYard also offers unlimited support from performance management experts.

Does PerformYard integrate with the UKG System? 

Yes! PerformYard integrates with the UKG Pro system, enabling you to continue using UKG as your main employee information platform.