The Impact of 360 Review Tools in the Modern Workplace in 2024

Jeana Fleming

9 min read

Published: Jan 11, 2024

Revised on: Mar 1, 2024

A 360 review tool is a type of business software designed to provide comprehensive employee performance feedback. This employee feedback system provides a complete overview of an employee’s performance from numerous sources along the corporate ladder, from subordinates and coworkers to supervisors and high management. 

Depending on the business sector and the importance of external feedback, 360-degree feedback can also include client and customer reviews.

Evaluations under the 360-degree model are typically anonymous, thorough, and intended to boost collaborative and team-based efforts. This type of employee evaluation system has been in use since the 1990s. However, software-based 360 evaluation solutions that can be easily integrated into a business’s application suite are a relatively recent development. 

Today’s 360-degree feedback tools are highly advanced and designed to integrate with commonly used tools, such as intranet systems and employee recognition systems. 

Learn more here about the importance of modern 360 performance review tools and discover the top 10 360 review software solutions.

What Is the 360 Performance Review Method?

A 360-degree performance review requires a selection of reviewers from different levels within the company’s hierarchy. It includes the following steps:

• Employee selection - The first step of the process is selecting an employee to review.

• Reviewer selection - Usually, individuals selected for a 360 performance review include managers, peers, supervisors, and subordinates. In some business models, client and customer feedback may also be solicited.

• Anonymous feedback collection - Each reviewer receives a survey to complete anonymously. 360 review questions usually cover employee performance, ability, conduct, key skills, office relationships, and, where pertinent, customer engagement.

• Compiling and analysis - The results are compiled and analyzed once all reviewers complete and submit their questionnaires. The data is then used to create a 360-degree overview of an employee’s performance from multiple other individuals’ points of view.

• Review, meeting, and aftermath - Once the company has a 360-degree review of an employee’s performance, the HR department or management may conduct a meeting with them. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the feedback and help the employee understand how others perceive them. HR or management can develop a plan to help the employee improve or further develop their professional skills.

In the past, HR personnel manually compiled the questionnaires to create a 360-degree overview of an employee’s capabilities. Today, software solutions can automate most of these processes using digital forms, dedicated applications, and automatic compiling and processing of answers and feedback.

Why Is 360-degree Feedback Important?

360-degree evaluations are an essential pillar of a business’s employee performance management. They provide a holistic view of an employee’s performance, capabilities, and interpersonal skills. 

The typical purpose of 360-degree feedback is to identify and address an employee’s potential blind spots in the workplace, such as communication issues, inefficient time management, or reluctance to delegate tasks. Using multiple reviewers allows for collecting and evaluating different points of view, painting a complete picture of an employee.

Once these issues are identified, meetings with HR or management staff can help address them and provide relevant pointers to encourage professional growth.

Businesses can also use a 360-degree review to identify high-performing employees and recognize their achievements, skills, or recent successes.

What Is the Difference Between 360-degree Feedback and Appraisal?

A 360-degree performance feedback and a performance appraisal are used to evaluate an employee’s performance. However, there are a few differences between the two:

• Feedback scope - Performance appraisals are top-down only, evaluating an employee’s performance from the point of view of their supervisors or managers. 360 evaluations gather feedback from everyone around an employee, including company members at the same or under their level in the hierarchy.
• Post-evaluation - Traditional performance appraisals are generally linked to administrative decisions, such as promotions or disciplinary actions. 360-degree feedback focuses more on identifying strengths and weaknesses and promoting an employee’s overall professional development.
• Frequency - Performance appraisals are conducted more regularly than 360-degree evaluations because HR needs to collect data from fewer individuals. For instance, if a company conducts semi-annual performance appraisals, the same company may only collect 360 review feedback annually or every two years instead.

The Top 10 360 Performance Review Tools

When relying on 360-degree reviews to evaluate an employee’s performance, you need an efficient software-based review tool that easily integrates with your workflows. We’ve assembled a selection of the top 360 performance review tools to enhance your team's appraisal process.

1

Leapsome

Pricing

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• Free trial available
• Seat Minimum: 10 Users

Rating 4.7 (2,483)

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Leapsome is a people enablement platform designed to help your organization enhance performance, be more forward-thinking, and build an efficient work culture. This business software tool includes convenient employee feedback, recognition, and review functions, ensuring your organization can regularly obtain and update insights on its members. 

Leapsome not only supports 360-degree feedback but also offers a complete range of options and features to make 360-degree feedback collection convenient and simple.

Leapsome 360 Review Features:

• Custom review templates - Offers organizations the ability to tailor their review process with customizable 360 review templates. You can build and modify these templates to suit the types of feedback you want to collect and include only the data points that matter the most.
• Automatic review cycles - Can be configured to issue automatic review cycles with all supported templates, including 360-degree reviews. Each template can be independently configured to recur at specific intervals, helping your organization build a thorough performance evaluation schedule.
• Professional growth roadmaps - Lets you build skill profiles and roadmaps to bring your employees to the skill and competency levels your organization needs. It allows you to turn each 360 review into an opportunity to make meaningful progress, identify skill gaps, and improve team compositions.

Pros

1. Easy to use interface and intuitive design. Many reviews highlighted the user-friendly nature of Leapsome.
2. Useful performance management features like goal setting, feedback, reviews. Reviews mentioned Leapsome helps track goals and get feedback.
3. Improved transparency and alignment through OKRs and feedback. Reviews noted increased transparency across teams.
4. Time savings compared to manual processes. Some reviews said it reduced time spent on administrative HR tasks.
5. Engagement surveys and feedback help improve company culture. Reviews mentioned it helps reinforce company values.

Cons

1. Steep learning curve initially. Some reviews said it took time to learn how to use all the features.
2. Confusing navigation/UI. A few reviews pointed out it can be hard to find certain features or navigate menus.
3. Limited customization options. Some reviews wanted more ability to customize certain features.
4. Integration limitations. A couple reviews mentioned limitations integrating with other tools.
5. Features not utilized fully. A few reviews noted teams don't use all available features.

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2

Assembly

Pricing

$2.80 per user/month

• Free version
• Free trial available
• Seat Minimum: 1 User

Rating 4.7 (291)

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Assembly is a comprehensive platform designed to simplify communication and make finding information easier. Assembly’s 360 Review Flow facilitates constructive evaluations and holistic feedback within professional environments. It empowers organizations to foster growth, development, and collaboration among team members through a multi-dimensional feedback approach.

This tool's user-friendly interface and robust functionalities make it a valuable asset for organizations striving to enhance communication, teamwork, and individual development within their workforce.

Assembly 360 Review Features:

• 360-degree feedback loop - Enables comprehensive evaluations by collecting feedback from multiple sources, including peers, managers, subordinates, and self-assessment, providing a well-rounded perspective on an individual's performance.
• Customizable evaluation templates - Offers the flexibility to create tailored evaluation templates, aligning feedback criteria with specific organizational goals, competencies, or performance indicators.
• Actionable insights and reporting - Generates comprehensive reports and actionable insights derived from aggregated feedback data, empowering individuals and organizations to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and development opportunities.

Pros

1. Easy to use and intuitive interface. Many reviews mentioned Assembly is simple, easy to navigate, and user-friendly.
2. Good customer support. Reviews mentioned Assembly's support team is responsive in resolving issues.
3. Rewards redemption process is smooth. Users liked the gift card and other reward options that can be redeemed with points.
4. Integrates well with Slack and Microsoft Teams. The integration makes giving recognition quick and seamless.
5. Good for employee recognition and engagement. Reviews highlighted Assembly's peer-to-peer recognition features that help boost employee morale.

Cons

1. Limitations in analytics and reporting features. Some reviews wanted more detailed analytics and user statistics.
2. Creating flows and automations can be tricky. Reviews noted workflows and automations are sometimes hard to setup.
3. Limited customization options for recognitions. Users wanted more ways to customize recognitions with images/GIFs.
4. Lack of mobile apps earlier on. Reviews mentioned lack of mobile apps made it hard to use when not by a computer.
5. Confusion due to branding changes. Reviews noted frequent name changes of the reward units was confusing initially.

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3

WorkTango

Pricing

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• Seat Minimum: 150 Users

Rating 4.5 (962)

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WorkTango is an established business software platform that helps businesses and organizations in all industries foster a more positive work environment. While it is primarily known for its employee recognition and rewards features, WorkTango also includes many employee feedback systems.

The platform can support 360-degree reviews and includes valuable features to help make feedback collection more accessible and insightful.

WorkTango 360 Review Features:

• Full-scale 360 reviews - Organizations can conduct 360 performance reviews with all stakeholders. In addition to coworkers, subordinates, supervisors, and clients, WorkTango 360 reviews can also collect anonymous feedback from executive personnel, business partners, and outside collaborators.
• Check-In feature - In addition to standard 360 performance reviews, WorkTango offers the Check-In feature, which allows employees and managers to send micro-updates between each review. Regular micro-updates create a continuous feedback loop to help managers and coworkers prepare for the next update and provide more accurate feedback.
• Performance summaries - Insights gathered from 360 reviews and meetings can provide information for overall performance summaries. These can help management help 360-reviewed employees work toward long-term career objectives.

Pros

1. Easy to use and user-friendly interface. Many reviews mentioned how simple and intuitive the platform is.
2. Ability to easily recognize and reward coworkers. Giving points and recognition is seamless.
3. Fun way to boost employee morale. The gamification and rewards help motivate employees.
4. Provides insight into employee engagement. The data and analytics provide valuable insights.
5. Good variety of rewards to choose from. Many gift cards and merchandise options in the catalog.

Cons

1. Point system not ideal. Reviews mentioned points being hard to earn or expiring too quickly.
2. Rewards catalog limitations. Some wanted more options, lower point costs, or better rewards.
3. Reporting and analytics could be better. Some found the data analysis functionality lacking.
4. Issues with notifications. Reviews cited missing or too frequent notifications as problems.
5. Navigation issues. Some found the site navigation confusing or unintuitive at times.

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4

ClearCompany

Pricing

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• Seat Minimum: 5 Users

Rating 4.4 (1,187)

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ClearCompany is a business talent management platform designed to ensure organizations find, retain, and develop the highest-performing teams possible. It is a comprehensive platform that covers every aspect of talent retention, from applicant tracking and onboarding to performance management and analytics.

ClearCompany supports 360 reviews through its performance management portal, alongside multiple other review and check-in types.

Clear Company 360 Review Features:

• Employee-first reviews - Designed to give HR personnel and management the tools to improve employee performance through constructive feedback and aligning personal and business goals. 
• Self-assessments during 360 reviews - Supports and encourages employees to evaluate their own performance during a 360 review. 
• Harmonize 360 reviews and analytics - The analytics engine can track and interpret data from a 360 review on the platform. This system helps HR personnel obtain easy-to-read graphs, charts, and information breakdowns regarding each reviewed team member’s performance.

Pros

1. Easy to use and user-friendly interface
2. Good customer support/service
3. Helps manage and track candidates through hiring process
4. Integrates well with other systems (e.g. payroll, job boards)
5. Useful features like interview scheduling, offer letters, reporting

Cons

1. Slow response time for support at times
2. Reporting functionality needs improvement
3. Lack of customization options
4. Issues with forms not working properly
5. Implementation process can be bumpy

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5

Empuls

Pricing

$3.00 per user/month

• Free trial available
• No Seat Minimum

Rating 4.3 (1,596)

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Empuls is a powerful, all-in-one employee engagement platform. In addition to offering employee recognition, rewards programs, and social intranet features, Empuls also integrates real-time employee insights, surveys, and feedback collection. 

Conducting a 360-degree review on Empuls is as easy as launching any other employee survey and can be done from the same Surveys & Quizzes menu. The platform refers to individuals providing feedback as raters and individuals being rated as participants.

Empuls 360 Review Features:

• High flexibility - Offers multiple standard templates to organizations looking to collect 360-degree feedback surveys. Management can also modify each template to suit organizational needs. You can also create 100% custom 360 surveys from scratch.
• Invitation-based feedback collection - After creating or selecting a suitable template, managers can easily invite participants by selecting them from the employee list on Empuls and sending invitations to fill out the survey. People being evaluated can also be invited to respond to the survey, offering self-assessment opportunities.
• Highly flexible rater system - Supports 360-degree surveys with as few as 5 raters or as many as 20. It helps ensure organizations of all sizes can appropriately scale the 360 review system and collect the optimal number of answers.

Pros

1. Easy to use interface
2. Good platform for employee recognition and rewards
3. Provides effective employee engagement
4. Lots of gift/voucher redemption options
5. Good communication and collaboration features

Cons

1. Issues with notifications not working properly
2. Delay in receiving gift vouchers
3. Needs more customizable features
4. Scope for improving user interface
5. Lacks advanced analytics and reporting

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6

15Five

Pricing

$4.00 per user/month

• Free version
• Free trial available
• Seat Minimum: 1 User

Rating 4.6 (4,336)

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15Five is a business performance management solution aiming to redefine management. The company believes better outcomes and employee performance come from more efficient managers.

While 15Five supports 360 reviews, the platform does not use traditional solutions. Instead, it includes a review tool designed in-house: 15-Five 360 Best-Self Review.

15Five 360 Review Features:

• Performance reviews redefined - In addition to more traditional 360-degree review questions from managers, coworkers, and subordinates, 15-Five 360 Best-Self Review includes additional questioning for a complete overview. For instance, it requires participants to self-assess, fully integrating self-reviews into the 360 report.
• Track performance from the hiring date - Lets managers run 360 review cycles starting from, or based on, a reviewed employee’s hiring date. This option is an excellent solution to view a team member’s progress since they joined the company.
• Custom question templates - Managers can add questions to 360 reviews in three ways: default templates, modifying existing templates, or creating new templates from scratch.

Pros

1. Improves communication between employees and managers through weekly check-ins. Allows for timely feedback and discussions.
2. Easy to use interface and setup. Intuitive for both employees and managers.
3. Provides visibility into team and individual goals and objectives. Allows tracking progress over time.
4. Facilitates employee recognition through features like High Fives. Boosts morale.
5. Centralizes performance management and reviews. Provides useful records and insights.

Cons

1. Can feel repetitive answering the same questions every week. Questions get stale over time.
2. Not all employees like documenting work and giving constant feedback. Can feel like micromanaging.
3. Pricing can be high for large teams. Expensive for big organizations.
4. Lack of advanced custom reporting and analytics features. More metrics would be useful.
5. Mobile app capabilities are limited compared to desktop. Missing some features.

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7

Culture Amp

Pricing

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Rating 4.6 (1,127)

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Culture Amp is an employee performance management platform with employee engagement, rewards, and review features. The platform was designed to support companies with a strong focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Culture Amp’s approach to 360 reviews and employee growth reflects these values. They include the features needed to improve inclusivity, reduce bias, and promote a balance of competence and cultural awareness.

Culture Amp 360 Review Features:

• Foster efficient leadership - The review system supports both 360 reviews and 180 reviews (managers and subordinates only). This approach allows a company to assess and improve a team member’s leadership from all relevant angles.
• Encourages learning and development - Businesses can use 360 reviews through Culture Amp to identify strengths and weaknesses from all directions, including self-assessment. This approach helps rated team members compare their perspectives to those of others and prioritize what to improve.
• Coaching system - Supplements its review systems with a Coaching tool. A rated team member can be assigned a personal coach to help them interpret and contextualize the feedback they receive to ensure more efficient growth.

Pros

1. Easy to use interface and platform for both employees and administrators. Very intuitive and user-friendly.
2. Provides insightful data and analytics on employee engagement through surveys. Allows segmentation of data to identify trends.
3. Has useful pre-built templates and questions for surveys so you don't have to build from scratch. Saves time.
4. Reporting capabilities allow easy analysis of results. Dashboard provides overview and ability to drill down.
5. Good customer support that is responsive and provides personalized service. Helpful in onboarding process.

Cons

1. Can be pricey for smaller companies. Expensive compared to some other solutions.
2. Lack of customizable reporting options mentioned by some. Not as easy to manipulate data for presentations.
3. Some minor bugs or glitches mentioned with certain features like performance management. Still improving some new features.
4. Not as seamless integration with HRIS systems for employee data. Requires some manual upload/updates.
5. Algorithm for text analysis and sentiment needs improvement in properly categorizing comments.

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8

Lattice

Pricing

$11.00 per user/month

• No Seat Minimum

Rating 4.6 (4,010)

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Lattice is a comprehensive HR software suite with performance management and employee engagement features. While Lattice is a newer option, first introduced in 2015, it offers just as many features as older, more established alternatives.

Lattice supports multiple employee performance review methods, including complete 360 reviews, providing organizations with an all-in-one talent tracking solution.

Lattice 360 Review Features:

• Scheduled and real-time feedback - Designed to support both traditional, scheduled 360 reviews and continuous, real-time feedback. Management can use continuous feedback to supplement traditional reviews and paint a more accurate picture of each employee’s performance.
• Simple interface - Conducting 360 reviews on Lattice is easy, thanks to its accessible interface. Questionnaires include text fields and a simple 5-point scale rating system delivered through social media-type menus.
• Multiple integrations - Seamlessly connect with various common business tools and solutions, such as Jira, Outlook Email, and MS Teams. These tools can notify team members of an ongoing 360 review so they can submit responses promptly.

Pros

1. Easy to use interface and intuitive navigation. Many reviews mentioned that Lattice has a user-friendly interface that makes it simple to find features and navigate the platform.
2. Effective performance management system. Reviews highlighted that Lattice streamlines the performance review process through customizable templates, continuous feedback features, and automated workflows.
3. Robust goal setting and tracking features. Reviews noted the ability to easily set, track, and update goals at the individual, team, and company level as a major benefit.
4. Integration with other tools like Slack. Reviews praised the integrations Lattice offers to platforms like Slack to enable easier sharing and communication.
5. Useful reporting and analytics. Reviews mentioned the ability to pull reports and gain insights into performance metrics as a valuable capability.

Cons

1. Steep learning curve for some features. Some reviews noted that certain advanced functionality like setting up OKRs can have a difficult learning curve.
2. Mobile experience needs improvement. The mobile app experience was called out in reviews as an area for improvement.
3. Dashboard/homepage not intuitive. The homepage and dashboard views were mentioned as sometimes being confusing to navigate and cluttered.
4. Not enough customization in review templates. Some reviews wanted more ability to customize performance review templates.
5. Data formatting issues in reporting. Reviews pointed out occasional formatting errors when pulling reports from the platform.

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9

SurveyMonkey

Pricing

$16.25 per user/month

• Free version
• No Seat Minimum

Rating 4.4 (57,480)

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SurveyMonkey is a dedicated online survey tool with highly customizable features and options. While its primary use is customer- or public-facing surveys, your organization can leverage SurveyMonkey’s features to conduct internal performance reviews. 

This functionality allows you to create and fine-tune your own 360 survey for company use, replacing traditional 360 review tools with a fully survey-based approach.

SurveyMonkey 360 Review Features:

• Point-scale review questionnaires - Organizations can build fully customized surveys for 360 review purposes. Each question can include point-based rating systems, with scales ranging from 4 to 7. For example, a 5-point scale question will ask the reviewer to give a score of 1 to 5.
• Easy anonymization - The point-based question system makes it easy for companies to summarize and anonymize feedback. Managers can average each score received and create an anonymous summary of each employee’s 360 performance.
• Analytics integration - Offers an analytics platform that can receive, process, and interpret 360 review scores and written impressions. This feature helps managers and HR departments receive valuable employee performance insights, identify potential gaps, and track growth efficiently.

Pros

1. User-friendly and intuitive interface makes it easy to create and distribute surveys even for beginners.
2. Extensive customization options allow users to personalize survey design, branding, questions types etc. as per their needs.
3. Powerful data analysis tools provide impactful insights from survey responses through graphs, charts, filtering etc.
4. Integration with other platforms like Salesforce, MailChimp, Excel etc. allows seamless data sharing and workflow automation.
5. Availability of numerous pre-made templates helps in quick set up of surveys tailored for specific purposes.

Cons

1. Limitations in free version like capped number of questions, responses, lack of advanced features.
2. Expensive pricing of paid plans can be prohibitive for individuals or small businesses on a budget.
3. Restricted survey design and formatting options compared to some specialized survey tools.
4. Technical issues like slow loading times, freezing pages especially for longer or complex surveys.
5. Customer support response time can be slow or inadequate for resolving complex technical queries.

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10

Survey Sparrow

Pricing

$19.00 per user/month

• Free version
• Free trial available
• No Seat Minimum

Rating 4.4 (3,623)

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SurveySparrow is a digital survey and feedback collection platform for businesses and organizations in all industries. The platform advertises itself as an omnichannel experience management platform capable of distributing surveys through nearly any medium.

SurveySparrow features a dedicated in-house-developed 360-degree feedback software solution. This software tool is an all-in-one solution for businesses that need to centralize their 360 performance reviews in one place.

SurveySparrow 360 Review Features:

• Customizable feedback reports - Companies can customize 360 feedback reports with a wide range of widgets and graphs. You can use them to easily display the most relevant data points, such as strengths and weaknesses, individual and team competencies, and areas of improvement.
• Comprehensive employee insights - The 360 review reports include additional data points for a more comprehensive overview of the team member’s performance. Examples include hidden strengths, personalized development plans, and individual blind spots.
• Team-based reviews - With the Manager Dashboard, organizations track team metrics and obtain a 360-degree view of entire teams or departments. Managers and HR personnel can use the dashboard to identify training needs or find top-performing employees.

Pros

1. Easy to use interface and intuitive survey builder
2. Conversational, chat-style surveys that feel more engaging
3. Lots of customization options for branding and personalization
4. Helpful features like logic jumps, piping, and conditional questions
5. Good customer support and onboarding process

Cons

1. Expensive pricing, especially for smaller businesses or teams
2. Limited free plan with only basic features
3. Reporting and data analysis functionality could be more robust
4. Occasional bugs or glitches with the software
5. Limited ability to customize survey appearance without code

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Conclusion

Implementing 360-degree reviews using a dependable software platform can enhance your organization’s performance. Collecting comprehensive feedback is crucial to get a complete and clear picture of each team member’s abilities. This enables you to make strategic decisions to boost productivity and employee satisfaction. 

Using the right software to build, collect, and analyze these reviews can equip your organization to conduct 360 reviews efficiently and often. They can also integrate with existing HR and business software, providing your managers and executive personnel with a powerful employee management tool without needing to learn separate software.