Employee Check-in Software: Enhancing Productivity and Engagement

Over the last few years, employee engagement has been steadily decreasing, which can lead to lower motivation and productivity.

However, that doesn’t mean you have to come up with a complex strategy for re-engagement right away. It can be much simpler than that. Oftentimes, all you have to do is check in with your employees to see how they’re doing and what they need.

You might be surprised, but this can increase employee engagement and productivity more than you think. 

Whatever your current goal, whether it’s monitoring employee performance or improving their well-being, regular staff check-ins are the key to achieving it.

That’s where employee check-in software comes in. It is a tool that allows you to collect feedback quickly but consistently.

In this article, we'll talk about different types of check-in and employee monitoring tools to help you find the right solution.

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What is employee check-in software?

Employee check-in software is a tool for facilitating employee check-in meetings, either with individual employees or teams.

In contrast to traditional manual check-ins, which can be a hassle and easily overlooked during a busy day, check-in software helps you automate the process and ensure that it happens consistently and accurately.

It provides a structured approach to monitoring employee progress and keeping consistent communication with your team while constantly gathering insights into their performance. That way, both managers and employees get to have a clear overview of goals, challenges, and accomplishments.

Some companies have created dedicated solutions for employee check-in, but if you're on a limited budget, you can find workforce management software or employee monitoring solutions with a built-in employee check-in system.

Finally, it's important to make a difference between employee check-in software and check-in and check-out tools because people often confuse them. Even though their names are similar, they're used for completely different purposes.

While employee check-in tools focus on improving engagement and communication, check-in and check-out tools are used for attendance tracking and logging employee hours. You can think of them as employee time-tracking tools for productivity monitoring.

If your business requires detailed oversight, you may need a tool for user-activity monitoring and automated time tracking. While time and activity tracking are important, too, in this article, we'll focus specifically on employee check-in tools.

Key features of employee check-in software

There are different types of check-in tools, but here are some key features that every tool should have:

• Automated check-ins: You should be able to schedule and automate check-ins to make sure that the employees consistently provide updates on their tasks, progress, and challenges. The frequency depends on your needs, but most tools allow you to schedule daily or weekly check-ins.
• Employee check-in questions: Having structured check-in questions ensures focused and consistent feedback and encourages meaningful discussions. Many tools come with a library of questions and prompts that you can customize based on your industry.
• Performance and engagement tracking: Some check-in software come with built-in performance management tools that allow you to track employee progress, engagement, and motivation. This feature is especially important if you don't use any other employee tracking software.
• Goal tracking and progress reporting: Employee check-in tools have a twofold purpose. While they should enable employees to track their goals, they should also allow managers to review the progress of their employees. 

• Integrations: Check-in tools often integrate with collaboration tools, which can help you improve team alignment and communication.  Make sure that it integrates with the tools that you're already using, such as Slack, Asana, and other popular HR and productivity monitoring tools.

How to choose the best employee check-in software

Here are some factors to consider when choosing the best employee check-in app for your team:

• Ease of use: The easier a tool is to use, the more likely employees are to adopt it. Therefore, choose a user-friendly tool with a simple and intuitive interface.
• Customization: Make sure that the tool is flexible and that it allows you to create custom check-in templates based on your needs.
• Analytics & reporting: It should provide you with actionable insights on employee performance and engagement so that you can create a performance management report.
• Scalability: Look for talent management tools that can grow with your business and easily adapt to more users or your evolving needs.
• Cost & accessibility: Don't overspend! Try to find a tool that fits your budget while offering all the key features you need. More expensive tools aren't necessarily better. They're often designed for large enterprises and may include features that you don't actually need.

Top employee check-in software solutions

Here's our selection of the best employee check-in tools. As you'll see, some of them focus on particular industries or remote employees, while others combine check-in surveys with performance management, goal-tracking, and user behavior analytics.

Whether you're looking for a simple and affordable check-in tool or a more complex solution, we hope you'll find a tool that fits your needs perfectly.

Effy AI

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Effy AI is a comprehensive performance management system for small businesses that can be used for all types of employee surveys, including regular check-ins and 360-degree feedback.

It's very user-friendly and easy to implement, and you can run and analyze your first staff check-in in only a few minutes, thanks to our templates, pre-made questions, and AI-powered analytics.

Here are its key features:

• AI-generated forms and templates: You can use one of our pre-made templates, or you can answer a few quick questions to get a check-in form tailor-made for your business, taking customization to the next level.
• Slack integration: If you don't want to burden your employees with yet another app, they can fill out their check-ins directly in Slack in only a few minutes.
• 360-degree reviews: You can use our performance review software both for quick check-ins and more detailed quarterly or annual reviews. Use our templates to gather multi-source feedback from peers, managers, and subordinates. Then, let the AI help you analyze and summarize all the responses and employee data, providing you with actionable insights. If you want to learn more, click here to discover how to conduct a performance review.

Start using Effy AI for free – no hidden fees.

15Five – A performance and feedback-driven check-in solution

15Five is a performance management tool that stands out for its premise that employees should be able to complete a check-in survey in no more than 15 minutes and managers should be able to review it in less than five minutes. Here are its key features:

• Check-in survey templates: The tool comes with plenty of customizable templates, making it quick and simple to start with regular check-ins.
• AI check-in insights: 15Five uses AI to analyze open-ended questions from check-in surveys, helping you spot patterns and identify recurring issues.
• 1:1 meeting agenda: You can create an interactive checklist with all the points you want to cover during a 1:1 employee check-in meeting. There's also space for notes and personal insights for each employee.

Lattice – Check-ins with built-in goal tracking and analytics

Lattice is a people management software that can be used for performance management, check-ins, goal-setting, and other HR and business operations. Here are its most relevant features:

• 1:1 check-ins: Lattice goes beyond 1:1 meeting templates, and it allows you to create profiles for each employee where you can track their progress and analyze their average sentiment over time.
• Goal tracking: Lattice can also be used as OKR and goal-tracking software. It allows you to connect individual goals with company-wide objectives and track them in a simple and visual way.
• Analytics: It provides you with real-time insights and alerts on your team's performance and engagement levels.

Weekdone – OKR-based check-ins for structured performance alignment

Weekdone is a performance and project management software based on the OKR principles. It can be used for various things, from task management and automatic time-tracking to check-in meetings. Here are its most relevant features:

• Weekly productivity reports: This employee development software can be a good option for those who want to measure productivity weekly through weekly insights and progress dashboards.
• Check-ins and pulse surveys: You can create different types of surveys quickly and easily, including employee skills assessment surveys.
• OKR goal-setting: You can use the OKR Wizard to set individual goals that align with the company's objectives. Tracking productivity is easy thanks to its color-coded system.

Officevibe – Employee engagement-focused check-ins with pulse surveys

Officevibe is an employee experience software that focuses more on employee well-being and engagement than performance. It can be used for different types of surveys and for organizing 1:1 meetings. Here are its key features:

• Pulse surveys: It comes with plenty of ready-to-use customizable surveys that you can start using in minutes. It stands out for its bite-sized surveys that employees can complete on the go, making it one of the best employee pulse survey tools for companies that want to implement quick daily check-ins.
• Anonymous feedback: Officevibe allows you to create a safe space where employees can share honest feedback and talk about sensitive topics without fear of judgment or negative consequences.
• 1:1 meetings: The tool comes with agenda templates, reminders, and employee check-in questions for 1:1 meetings.

Standuply – Automated check-ins for remote and hybrid teams

Standuply is an AI-powered bot made for remote teams in the IT industry that work on agile methodologies. It helps them automate daily meetings and quickly share updates, and it stands out as one of the best employee monitoring software for remote workers. Here are its key features:

• Standup meetings: The tool is suitable for remote workers located across different time zones, as you can run asynchronous daily team check-in meetings via text, voice, or video messages.
• Automated retrospectives: You can replace live retrospective meetings with automated scheduled surveys and keep a record of the things your team likes or doesn't like.
• Bot for Slack and Microsoft Teams: You can run standups, surveys, and check-ins directly in the tools you're using for communication.

Best practices for implementing employee check-ins

If you're just starting with check-ins and are not sure how your employees will react, we've got you covered. Here are some tips to create a system that works for you and your team:

Establish a regular check-in meeting frequency

Consistency matters more than frequency in this case. Regular check-ins help track progress over time, and your employees will get used to them. Choose a frequency that works for you – most companies do it daily, weekly, or monthly. Generally, it's recommended to conduct check-in meetings at least once a week, but it depends on factors like your workload, whether you have remote employees or not, etc.

Use structured employee check-in templates.

Check-in templates help you standardize the process and keep conversations focused and on point. They ensure that the key topics are covered and help you track progress over time. Not to mention how much time they will save you!

Incorporate insightful employee check-in questions.

By asking the right questions, you can encourage open and honest feedback that will provide you with valuable insights into employee satisfaction, needs, and challenges.

You'll find a list of must-have check-in questions in the next section, grouped by key areas.

Avoid micromanagement – focus on trust and support

The structure is important, but overly structured check-ins can feel restrictive. You should create a safe environment where employees can openly express themselves.

Instead of micromanaging, use check-ins as an opportunity to support employee growth and development. Encourage employees to discuss their career aspirations, desires, and challenges. When check-ins focus on support and long-term professional growth, employees are more engaged and motivated.

To learn more, check out these examples of employee development plans.

Use analytics to optimize the check-in process

Tracking analytics will help you identify patterns and recurring issues so that you can improve your check-in process. Some metrics to keep an eye on include check-in frequency, employee participation rate, response quality, sentiment analysis, impact on performance, etc.

Essential employee check-in questions for meaningful conversations

If you want to encourage meaningful discussion and get insights into employee performance and well-being, the key is to ask the right employee check-in questions that will keep the conversation focused.

Here are the key areas to cover and the meeting check-in questions to ask if you want to get a well-rounded picture of employee experience.

Performance & productivity

• What progress have you made toward your goals this week?
• What obstacles are slowing you down, and how can we help?
• Are there any resources or support you need to be more effective?

Engagement & motivation

• What aspects of your work energize you the most?
• Are you feeling challenged in a good way, or do you need more opportunities to grow?
• How connected do you feel to the company’s mission and your team?

Well-being & work-life balance

• How are you feeling about your workload?
• Are you experiencing any stress or burnout?
• Is there anything we can do to improve your work environment?

Feedback & growth

• What feedback do you have for me as your manager?
• Are there any skills you’d like to develop or training opportunities that interest you?
• How can we improve team collaboration and communication?

Using structured employee check-in questions allows you to implement continuous feedback, helping teams stay engaged and aligned with company goals.

💡 Not sure where to start with employee feedback? Check out our 360 feedback examples and provide your employees with constructive feedback examples so they can develop their skills.

Useful employee check-in templates

The best way to keep your check-ins focused and ensure consistency is to use a good employee check-in template. Those templates can also act as a staff meeting agenda, making sure that you cover all the topics you planned. 

Here are some templates you can customize according to your needs:

1. Weekly employee check-in template

Questions:

• What are some recent milestones you’d like to share?
• Do you have any challenges at the moment?
• What do you plan to focus on next week?
• Is there any way we can support you more?

2. One-on-one check-in template

Questions:

• How do you feel about your work overall?
• What recent success are you most proud of?
• What’s one thing we can improve as a team?
• What can I do to support your goals and career development at the moment?

3. Employee engagement check-in template

Questions:

• How meaningful do you find your work?
• Do you feel recognized for your contributions?
• Do you think any workflow or process can be improved?
• What do you think about our company culture?

💡 Check out our meeting agenda template that will give structure to your meetings.

Conclusion

Choosing the right employee check-in software depends on the features you’re looking for, your needs, and your budget.

If you're looking for a user-friendly but versatile tool to monitor employee performance and engagement, we've got you covered.

Effy AI allows you to create all types of surveys, including employee check-ins and 360-degree surveys, quickly and easily.

It helps you analyze a large volume of responses, thanks to built-in AI that can spot patterns and generate summaries and actionable insights.

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