We wanted a new approach that would embed a 'coaching culture' into our workplace. Having moved away from the old fashioned appraisal - we needed a way of continuing with the positive aspects such as feedback, clear objectives and identifying support and development needs. We wanted to empower managers to have great conversations with their team members and not be encumbered by process and systems. We wanted to recognise that we are all individuals, with different pressures and different motivations. We wanted to encourage people to bring their whole self to work. I can honestly say that Open Blend has supported us in all of these objectives.

In fact the software kind of fades into the background. it's sufficiently simple and intuitive that it really is not about using the system which allows users to focus on the conversation.

Very little. Most minor issues have been resolved in subsequent realeases.

My aim was to move away from irregular one to one meetings and improve our appraisal process. So far, I have found the Openblend implementation team to be helpful and knowledgeable, nothing is too much trouble to help me get the platform right for IAM RoadSmart, I am very much looking forward to starting to use it in April and believe it will transform our culture.

I liked that it is more than simply a platform to store documents, it's interactive and informative and puts the employee at the centre of the conversation.

We are still in the implementation phase so nothing yet. It would be useful in the future to be able to store documents such as role profiles or CV's on the platform.

It is a structure way to get feedbacks from team but sometimes I have doubt whether the teammates would totally honest on their opinions

As a team leader and department head, the tool gives good insight on teammates priorities and what they want to talk about. It is a good tool to complement the discussions with teammates

Not really user friendly ... difficult to find where and to preform update / replace blend

Our previous performance management process was almost non-existent. OpenBlend has brought us a visible, consistent process for all colleagues to follow. However it's so much more than a process. What attracted us to OpenBlend was its cultural fit with our organisation. The concept of people-centred performance, and the concept of the 'whole person' at the heart of high performance was exactly in tune with the culture and approach we're trying to promote within our organisation. The fact that we now align our performance management process with this ethos makes it seem not like 'performance management' at all. It's having a really good quality conversation with your line manager to help you be your best.

The ease of use - it's incredibly intuitive to use, both as a user and an administrator. It has made it so much easier to implement as a new tool, and even initially skeptical users are swayed once they've used it a few times. There's real benefit for all in using the tool, but it's having particular impact for us in terms of upskilling our line managers to have high-quality, coaching-based performance conversations, even if they hadn't been used to doing this before. Also, nothing is hidden. The whole process is out in the open. Line managers aren't making secret assessments or judgements about progress - both line manager and individual see all the same information all of the time, which facilitates really open and honest conversations.

No easy or automated way to regularly update user details as standard. For an organisation with over 1000 employees, managing this process manually (joiners, leavers, line manager changes etc) is not feasible. However, the team have been great at working with us to try and get a solution in place.

Open Blend has been used by staff to address tricky subjects with their line manager. This has resulted in some changes to roles and on the whole much better connection which has been invaluable during the Pandemic whilst we have all had to work remotely. The number of 1-1's taking place in our organisation has increased significantly.

We were looking to move away from annual appraisals. Open Blend has not only provided an alternative to the traditional appraisal process but also developed new skills at the same time in a step by step guided process. It has improved relationships and enabled a mechanism for addressing tricky or personal matters, even between staff who already had a great start point. It has provided a framework for those line managers less comfortable or confident in holding 1-1 meetings and encouraged a more consistent approach. The coaching focus and GROW model has really started to help us move our culture from spoon fed to supported self help. Even the most experienced LIne Managers had got into the habit of providing solutions all the time!

Initially the lack of reporting functionality was frustrating, but Open Blend really seem to be listening to their users and the improvements that have been made over the last 12 months have been significant. This will make a real difference to how we can understand our staff better, support staff to achieve their personal and business objectives and track our progress.

OpenBlend has brought a new dimension to performance conversations in Aer Lingus. Traditionally these conversations where more formal and didn't include all wellbeing elements. With OpenBlend performance managers are not seeing their employees as a whole person and can ensure a happy production team if following the OpenBlend Ethos. Also, working with the OpenBlend team has been a real pleasure. They have been very patient and open to Aer Lingus suggestion and traditions.

The most beneficial elements in OpenBlend are that the tool in itself is very intuitive. For Aer Lingus, the customisation of the tool has really meant it can be used meaningfully in the company. The reflections, tips and guidance that OpenBlend provides results in a more valid and worthwhile experience for the employee.

I can honestly say there are no issues or problems with using OpenBlend. Maybe the only suggestion would be to have the reporting element contained in the tool and not in a separate platform. But using the reports outside the tool hasn't caused a major problem.

We are able to track productivity, highlight problem areas and report back to the leadership team on trends in employee behavior.

OpenBlend has given our line managers the tools and ability to hold meaningful one to one's that focus on both employee and business needs. They are able to use blend and wellbeing to understand what motivates their team, as individuals, as well as drive productivity through objective setting using a coaching methodology.

Reporting functionality continues to improve, and allows us to report back to the leadership team. Further improvements to increase visibility for our leadership team to enable them to see a snapshot of their areas on their dashboard is coming, which will give direct access and negate the need for our HR team to provide the information.

We used to have paper-based reviews and managers would approach their conversations, when they had them at all, with an ad-hoc approach meaning a very mixed experience for the Talent in our organisation. Open Blend offers on-going yet very subtle training to encourage conversations that build trust. The method has formed the bedrock for how we support our people throughout the organisation.

The software is so easy to use and most importantly this ease means there are no distractions from the quality conversations it facilitates. The software compliments the underlying concept rather than causing frustration. Its so easy to administer in-house and any issues are handled by the team at Open Blend quickly and efficiently. Additionally, and very importantly for my creative-led team, it looks great and uses appropriate language that everyone can relate to.

Of course there are a couple of things we would add, such as a method of storing our end of year ratings (it does work well for Objective setting however) but I have worked with the team at Open Blend for long enough to know their development track is such that there will be constant improvements made along our journey with them and this builds immense confidence.

Excellent, great team awesome product which makes us a better Team!

The best feature for me is the structure the OB tool gives you to have a deep conversation with team members on a regular basis and really understand what motivates them and doesn't. I also like the wellbeing score which we always do first as it sets the tone for the conversation.

I would like to have absence and holiday to be incorporated into blend even if its a simple API pulling data from timetastic...

As the business has grown, people management has been delegated to a wider group of managers. OpenBlend has given us a way to support them and give them a good set of tools, both through the software and especially the training. There's a way to go yet, but we have seen good improvements in the way people feel they are managed over the last year.

OpenBlend gives us a consistent and powerful framework for 1:1s and career development. The software is based on sound methodologies which gives managers and team members a strong set of tools to help them have more productive conversations.

The interface can be counter-intuitive at times, but is constantly improving.

Very positive however it does take time. You simply cannot move your culture overnight and the open style of conversation Open Blend promotes is sometimes a big change for some. Persevere!

Open Blend is a fantastic tool that looks to focus on the individual and engage in meaningful manager / employee conversation. The system opens doors for both management and their talent and gets to meaning full discussion and root of issues very quickly. Managers don't always receive the right level of training and support as they step into management - Open Blend really fills this learning gap and enable managers to become competent coaches very quickly. I used Open Blend in my previous role and will be looking to roll this out in my new organisation.

At the time of using Open Blend I felt it could have integrated more with our systems through API's etc. Additionally I felt there could be be more competency based features however I see this has now been addressed in the system.

Superb. Great firm with professional and experienced staff who offer first class service in support of this market leading platform.

The platform is simple to use and extremely powerful. It facilitates a far greater level of communication and engagement between report and line manager and offers practical support to both parties to improve understanding and the unique work environment experiences by each individual employee.

I can't think of anything missing from the software. Any frustration stems from encouraging adoption and full participation in the process... breaking down old practices and mindsets requires patience.

Open Blend helps us to ensure that there is a consistent approach to talent management across the business, with a remote workforce reliant on tech. We are able to see who is having conversations, if people are being managed and also get real time analytics on levels of engagement across the business. The support and project management were brilliant with [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] and the team all passionate and patient as we took a while to get going!

Open Blend provides our leaders and managers with support to have brilliant conversations that allows them to get more from their people but in a way that works for them. The feedback has been excellent from users and, although early days, has given leaders confidence to have performance led conversations. It also gives us brilliant data that informs our HR strategy.

We are still in the early days so ensuring that the objectives piece isn't missed.

A easy to use product that has benefitted my company significantly because it has enabled me to understand my employees better

It facilitates conversations with my employees and on subjects that do not arise in my company appraisal process

I think it would be far easier if the Blend totals were just out of 10 rather than various amounts, it would keep things consistent

It enables me to understand my team better and the most important (blend) elements in their life and therefore what makes them tick. As a company we've used OBM for at least 4 years now and in that time we've (largely) retained good staff. I would put some of the credit behind this to OBM as it helps to identify what makes your team tick.

The product is very easy to use and helps to guide a review process. It replaces an out of date annual review format and encourages regular catch ups and helps to guide those catch ups to ensure the most pertinent bases are covered.

We have looked at ways to integrate with individual and team KPIs for a while. I also like the concept of the feedback function, but i think it needs additional work.

Openblend is a very user friendly software, and easy to navigate around. It is really helpful to have everything sitting under one system. The OB team continue to develop and improve the software, and we are looking forward to seeing what else they launch in the near future. We also really like the 'blend in 10'

New changes or updates could sometimes be communicated with a bit more clarity as sometimes they can be unclear at times. Perhaps some more blend options would be also be good so that staff have more choice once they have reached their targets on their current blends.

We have moved away from the traditional, “once and done” approach to performance management and annual reviews, and are on a cultural journey to coaching for performance. To drive the adoption of a new employee-centered approach, we needed a tool which focused on coaching for high performance whilst taking the whole self into consideration, especially in the current time of uncertainty and virtual working. OpenBlend is the only solution we could find that ticked these boxes.

The coaching models that sit behind the tool help our managers to have really meaningful conversations with their Talent which leads to a pathway for actions. The data insights we get are extremely useful for us to see trends and patterns across our global workforce.

There are some features that we would like to see added, such as hierarchy views, but these are on the product roadmap.

Challenges you to follow the GROW method of coaching and mentoring teams - one of the best approached to driving company performance.

Still evolving - there are always areas to improve

Only just starting out but enjoying the journey so far!

It complements our current framework for performance development

It's not available in multiple languages and customisation is limited

Very positive, the team are really supportive and the events are really good, great speakers.

For me, without a framework to support my team personally and professionally, a lot of the conversations around investing in yourself and finding better ways to work, solve problems and show up just wouldn't happy.

Sometimes it can be a bit slow. I don't like that it logs you out during a session as it can really break the flow of conversation.