HR at the forefront: how iPS manages performance

Three times a year, the Excel file was dug out

Setting targets in January, a mid-year review, an end-of-year appraisal. On paper, iPS Powerful People had a neat cycle. In practice, it was an Excel file that was emailed back and forth between employees, managers and HR. “It was very difficult for HR to keep track of,” says Mireille Teekens, Head of HR. “Who had we received the signed forms back from? Was everything in order? We had no overview and no control. As a result, it was a fairly static, but also time-consuming process.”

The problem wasn’t that discussions weren’t taking place. They certainly were. But what was discussed throughout the year wasn’t recorded anywhere. “You had nothing to fall back on,” says Mireille. Not in the case of a positive appraisal, nor when there was a problem and a manager wanted to make adjustments. And at organisational level, nobody knew how teams were performing or how they related to one another. “It was all cobbled together in a haphazard sort of way.”

It was a dull, static document that was dusted off three times a year. ‘Oh yes, we still need to do something with this.’ There was little follow-up on it during the year.

Growth starts with high-performing teams

iPS has grown rapidly in recent years. That is precisely where the problems began: the administrative processes and HR policy were not keeping pace. For Mireille, it makes perfect sense that performance management is at the top of the agenda: growth is driven by high-performing people. “High-performing teams – and therefore managers too – are absolutely crucial for an organisation to grow. We can really make a difference here if we do this better for our staff.” The management team agreed to this fairly quickly.

Flexible, all-in-one system, and local

During her search, Mireille compared several providers, ranging from a major international player to a few Dutch providers, including Treams. The requirements were: internationally scalable, multilingual and flexible to configure, not a standard, fixed package. “The deciding factors were the versatility and flexibility. We were also able to integrate the engagement surveys. We were already doing that via a different system, and we prefer to have as much as possible in a single system. That saves costs, and all your data is in one place. That, in turn, makes it easier to manage.” So that separate engagement system could be phased out.

What sealed the deal: the short lines of communication. The support team is based in the Netherlands, as is iPS’s head office. “Treams is still a small-scale operation, which makes it very approachable. You simply ring someone who speaks Dutch, and they’ll even come round in person. It’s no-nonsense: roll up your sleeves and just get on with it together.”

I’ve worked with a system before that was supported from abroad. In that case, the distance is greater and the collaboration feels more distant. Here, it’s accessible, contact is easy, and we can adapt quickly.

Plan it out first, then roll it out

The start: the two-day workshop. Inspiring, says Mireille, and to be honest: a bit overwhelming too. “You go home with your head full of thoughts: I have to do this, I have to do that. But you have to immerse yourself in it for a while. It forces you to map out the whole process in advance: what do you want to achieve with it, what questions are you going to ask? Otherwise, you’ll run into things afterwards that you hadn’t thought through. I’d definitely recommend it.”

Following a trial period with a small group, iPS went live in January 2025. Not all at once, but step by step: first the goals module, then a feedback round, a progress meeting, and the mid-year review. “That way, it remains manageable. After each step, you ask: what have we learnt, and how do we apply that to the next one?”

Even after the system went live, the support team remained closely involved. There are regular opportunities to ask questions – ranging from practical to more in-depth – and Mireille is involved in new projects. “Treams really lets you have a say in the product’s further development, so that it suits you as a customer even better. You’re involved right from the start, rather than complaining afterwards. That’s a nice bonus.”

A year and a half later: HR leads rather than merely administers

The difference is clear to see. Whereas HR used to chase up forms, it now holds discussions with managers based on the talent review: where does your team stand, who are your underperformers, and what is your plan for them? What are your talents, and how do you keep them engaged? Combined with the engagement survey, Mireille can also see how teams view the situation themselves. “With all that data, you can steer things much more proactively.”

Managers and staff are noticing this too. The check-ins have become more meaningful: they focus on actual performance and on how someone is getting on. They’re not a report on what happened in the past, but a conversation about how to do better in the future. Staff indicate in advance which topics they wish to discuss; managers receive a reminder when it’s time for a meeting and retain the freedom to structure it in their own way. And what about feedback within the organisation? It’s clearer, more organised and less time-consuming. The two biggest annoyances from the Excel era have thus been eliminated.