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Ideas and practices for organisations rethinking performance.
Perspectives and product thinking from the people building Crewmojo.
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Start with the decision, not the data
For years early in my career I collected the data first and worked out what it was for later. In this newsletter I share a simple framework for how to work out what data you should be gathering.
30 August 2026
I changed my mind
What if the best way to understand a people problem isn’t more discovery, but a small experiment? This article explores why testing solutions can sometimes reveal more than surveys, audits and analysis alone.
14 August 2026
Be opinionated - but about the principles of performance, not the process.
Most performance processes fail not because they're too simple, but because we bundle review, feedback, and goal-setting into one heavy ritual instead of asking what each one is actually for.
9 July 2026
What if your promotion was in your hands?
Juro scrapped the traditional performance review and made employees build their own promotion case—but only if the work is business-critical, above and beyond, and done consistently.
9 July 2026
3 steps to design a high-performing, AI enabled organisation
Before you can build a high-performing, AI-enabled organisation, you have to be honest about whether you’ve actually agreed what any of those words mean. 52 People leaders signed up to spend a morning with us talking about how to build a high-performing, AI-enabled organisation.
24 June 2026
Would you rather follow a script?
Imagine you're in your mid-20s and have only been in your role for a few months, and then you're suddenly told you need to make 13 people redundant in a single day. Do you seek guidance or autonomy?
10 June 2026
Accountability isn't an HR problem
This post challenges the habit of measuring performance success by platform usage, completed check-ins, or ticked boxes. The real question is whether leaders have agreed that people development matters, what accountability should look like, and how they’ll know if performance conversations are actually helping people do better work.
20 May 2026
Getting 75+% of your people satisfied with their career progression
In this post, Megan Bernard-May shares how one engagement survey uncovered a deeper issue: people weren’t frustrated by the review itself, but by the lack of feedback, clarity, and development conversations leading up to it. The fix wasn’t another HR process. It was experience mapping... designing the moments before, during, and after career conversations so employees know where they stand long before pay decisions are made.
20 May 2026
The choice to co-create that changed everything
Most values projects die the moment they become posters on a wall. This post shares how Pixelogic took a different path: co-creating their company values with employees, testing how they showed up in performance conversations, realising the first version didn’t quite work, and then iterating. The interesting bit isn’t just the values work. It’s how closing the feedback loop helped build trust, ownership, and better performance conversations across the business.
20 May 2026
The day HR told me to get out of their lane
The turning point in my career was when the Head of People at my company came over to my desk and said, "I hear you've been putting together some training on feedback"
15 April 2026
"We're building a high-performance culture" is not a people strategy.
The gap tends to show up when you ask HR leaders to describe their actual strategy... what they genuinely believe about how people should experience work at their specific organisation.
15 April 2026
What people remember tells you more than any survey
When I took my first People Experience role at a scaling startup, the last thing I wanted was for people to think of me as HR.
15 April 2026
When your work bestie becomes your boss
Most performance tools are built for reviews, not relationships. But the most powerful performance practice Megan Bernard-Mayan has ever experienced wasn't a review, it was a quarterly conversation with her manager where they both rated how they were working together.
11 March 2026
Stop chasing 1:1 adoption (➡️ do this instead)
I was tasked with driving 75% adoption of our performance system. But a simple question revealed the real issue wasn’t the software — it was how managers were leading their teams.
4 March 2026
How to design a strong performance process
Strong performance systems mean nothing if the relationships behind them aren't built on trust, Megan Bernard-Mayan shares why designing the experience of being managed matters more than the process itself.
2 February 2026
Does your performance process have “product market fit”?
Just as a business needs to find its product market fit with customers, you need to find your performance management “product market fit” with employees.
18 January 2026
Stop guessing: Map your culture to identify performance levers
Kick-start the year with clarity on what’s really driving performance. Culture Mapping helps leaders quickly uncover where everyday behaviours, leadership habits, and systems that are enabling (or undermining) how work actually gets done.
7 January 2026
Your performance system is being used. That's the problem.
Raj runs an HRIS. It tracks goals three times a year. Mid-year reviews happen in October. Year-end evaluations close the loop. The system does everything it's supposed to do. "Does it really help enhance performance?" I asked Raj. "No, I don't think so."
14 December 2025
Do your people know what performance means? Or are they guessing?
Most organisations never define what "performance" actually means, leaving employees to guess whether success is about outcomes, effort, or something else. A clear performance philosophy stops the guessing and creates the conditions for people to do their best work without burning out.
1 December 2025
We're back (and we brought a friend)
I'm excited to be partnering with Megan Bernard-Mayan Trotter to co-write our newsletter. Megan Bernard-Mayan and I work in the same space from different angles, and we're treating this as an experiment in how collaboration can create better thinking. Which feels fitting, given that's exactly the approach we advocate for in HR.
23 November 2025
I don’t really know what the term ‘performance management' means
You might ask what the heck have I been doing for the last 10 years... Bear with me, you might feel the same as I do.
28 November 2024
Here's why you struggle to find the right HR Tech solution
Most HR teams jump straight into finding the "best" tech solution, but there’s a smarter way. What if you started by tackling your team’s actual pain points and see how involving your employees could be the game-changer.
6 September 2024
This might change your mind about feedback tools
Giving employees access to feedback tools, even with multiple options to give or request, isn't enough to establish a culture of feedback.
6 September 2024
Solving Employee Experience One Journey at a Time
If you're in a rut trying to improve employee experience, try solving it at a different level...
23 October 2023
Matching HRTech with employee expectations
Why HR software can fall short, especially as companies and employee needs change in a fast-paced world and finding the answer in an agile mindset.
19 October 2023
Designing Employee-Centric Performance Processes for Better Outcomes
Unlock the keys to effective performance management by balancing employee participation with organizational goals, while tailoring the process to fit your unique corporate culture.
6 October 2023
Putting Employee-Centric HR Processes Over One Size Fits All Software
In evolving Crewmojo, we learned that exceptional employee experience and performance stem from customised HR processes designed within each organisation, rather than from rigid, one-size-fits-all software solutions.
6 October 2023
Revolutionizing Performance Processes with Just-in-Time Help
Boosting employee adoption of performance processes by embedding real-time, relevant help content directly within the workflow.
6 October 2023
The Two-Faced Challenge of HR Software Selection
Choosing the right HR software is a unique challenge for HR leaders, as they must balance the rigid demands of compliance with the need for flexible, employee-friendly systems.
6 October 2023
When HR Tech Stifles Your Employee Experience
How the standardisation inherent in many HR Tech solutions can hinder companies from achieving a truly exceptional and tailored employee experience.
6 October 2023
Why One Company Said No to Digital High-Fives: A Lesson in Employee-Centric Culture
In challenging conventional wisdom, one company opts for in-person recognition over digital 'high-fives,' underlining the importance of tailoring HR practices to fit unique organizational cultures.
6 October 2023
AI-Generated Employee Feedback... Would You?
The use of AI in employee feedback may seem unauthentic, but experiments have shown promising results.
17 August 2023
Building Your Career with a Deadline: Why We Should Stop Thinking of Jobs as Permanent
Have you ever put off visiting a tourist attraction in your own city, thinking you'll get around to it another day? The same can happen with career advancement... Unless we put a deadline on it.
17 August 2023
Crafting an Exceptional Performance Experience
Performance reviews are more than just a process, and the human element introduces many questions that need to be considered.
17 August 2023
Creating Accountability Around Performance Activities
Organisations that are successful with performance activities either have them deeply ingrained in their culture or have set minimum standards and created accountability for them.
17 August 2023
Customisation is Key to Achieving Exceptional Employee Experience and Performance
The shortcomings of productised performance solutions and how customisation is key for successful HR Tech implementations.
17 August 2023
Data and Science Fall Short When It Comes to Employee Experience
In the world of employee experience, studies and data can inform high-level best practices, but they often fall short when it comes to the unique culture and ways of working within each organization.
17 August 2023
Designing an Effective Performance Experience Through Employee-Centered Approaches
When buying performance management software, document your performance experience and don't let software vendors dictate the process.
17 August 2023
Employee Experiences, Not Experience
Bringing a fresh mindset to make the abstract concept of employee experience more tangible and practical.
17 August 2023
Ex Design - Hit the Ground Walking
Designing a great employee experience (EX) can be challenging for HR leaders without a background in Human Centred Design or Design Thinking. While engaging a consultant can lead to better results, not all businesses are willing to invest in this process - nothing wrong with excel and sticky notes to get you going.
17 August 2023
How do we get people back in the office?
The debate about whether to work from home or in the office misses the point. It's not about WFO vs WFH.
17 August 2023
Key Ideas for Successful HR Tech Implementation and Adoption
To ensure successful HR Tech implementation, focus on employee adoption. Top tips to drive this success criteria.
17 August 2023
Performance Management Best Practices - Nice in Theory
Best practices are a useful tool for certain components of performance management, but they should not be used to define the entire performance experience.
17 August 2023
Rethinking 30, 60, 90 Day Milestones for Connection, Belonging & Contribution
Traditional onboarding processes may not fully address the goals of a new employee's experience. Instead, we should focus on more human-centric milestones to create inclusive, high-performing workplaces.
17 August 2023
Return to the office - what are you doing?
Creating a flexible work policy that balances individual needs with team needs is challenging, but necessary to retain employees in a tight talent market.
17 August 2023
Thinking of Employee Performance as an Experience
In today's work environment, providing feedback is essential to ensuring that employees are engaged, productive, and continuously improving. However, simply providing a feedback framework and some training sessions is not enough to create a culture of feedback.
17 August 2023
Uncovering the Hidden Depths of HR Tech Integrations
The common question of whether an HRTech vendor integrates with an HRIS/payroll system or Microsoft/Google suite was discussed. HR leaders should press vendors to explain integration details to ensure clarity.
17 August 2023
Unintended Consequences of the WFH Revolution
Flexible work arrangements may have unintended consequences - innovative ways of working should be treated as an experiment, iterated with feedback and deemed a success or failure based on your context.
17 August 2023
Unlocking the Benefits of an Integrated Performance System
The need for a comprehensive performance process that packages all components into a coherent experience to make it easier for employees to understand, what they need to do next, and why.
17 August 2023
Who 'brands' their performance process?
Companies are increasingly using branding to make performance processes more positive, with many re-naming them to reflect their organisation's values.
17 August 2023
How To Get The Most From The GROW Coaching Model
As a HR manager or leader, one of your primary responsibilities is to develop and support the talent within your organisation. The GROW coaching model can help your team members identify their goals, understand their current reality, explore their options, and develop an actionable plan.
10 August 2021