We’ve rolled out several product improvements to help you keep your manager - employee conversations productive, focused, and impactful. 

  

We expect this release to go into Demo on the 8th July at 6pm. We expect the updates to be released into the live site during w/c 14th July.

   

Overview

At a glance, here's what's new: 

  • Brand new: Add direct reports to 1:1 agenda - enabling managers to raise, review and discuss team members with their own leader

  • Improved: Refreshed “Admin View” of Team Insights, offering a clearer snapshot of people and performance data (now easily exportable as a PDF for sharing and reporting!)

  • Steamlined: Allow the system to remove Overdue Actions from profiles

  • Refined: Edit and delete offline notes added to Additional 1:1s

  • Evolved: Smarter workflows in Evaluate, a cleaner UI across Objectives and lots more (all explored below!)

Dive in. And as always if you have questions or want to see any updates in action, your internal OpenBlend admin or Customer Success Manager is here to help.


✨ NEW!  1:1s for Managers: Supporting Team and Personal Performance

We all know how valuable regular 1:1s are between managers and their direct reports - continuous conversations drive motivation, development, and performance. OpenBlend is built to make these conversations as effective as possible.


But great conversations don’t stop there.


Managers also need regular 1:1s with their manager. After all, a culture of continuous conversation starts at the top. And often, these sessions aren’t just about the manager’s own performance and development - they’re also a space to discuss their team.


That’s why we’ve introduced a new feature: Direct Report Agenda Items.


Direct Report Agenda Items give managers a structured way to bring individual team members into their own 1:1s with their leader. It enables: 

  • A simple, repeatable way to raise specific team members for discussion during a 1:1

  • Easy access to a team member’s profile during the conversation, including performance goals, development needs and additional context: wellbeing and motivation

  • More timely discussions around progress, potential concerns and where support may be needed

  • A consistent approach to surfacing and documenting direct report-related topics without relying on memory or informal prep

  • Stronger coaching conversations between leaders and managers


You can now add a specific agenda item for any direct report you want to discuss. During the 1:1, you’ll have instant access to a snapshot of that individual’s profile - making it easier to discuss performance highlights, development needs, or address any concerns around underperformance.


To add a Direct Report to your next 1:1 agenda, simply go to ‘Create Agenda’ > Topics:

 

Simply scroll down to the 'Direct Reports' menu item, where you'll see the option to choose a specific team member you'd like to discuss:



Once you've started the 1:1 session with your manager, you'll be able to select the Direct Report from the Agenda menu and the snapshot of their profile will be displayed:


 

Please note: 


This update is the first of two planned releases, with the next one coming in late July or early August.

In that second release, we’ll be adding even more functionality—including the ability to:

  • Discuss your whole team with access to aggregated team-level data
  • Make notes and create Actions while discussing individual team members

Together, these updates expand OpenBlend’s capability to support managers at every layer giving them the visibility, context and structure they need to lead well, build their confidence and stay engaged in the work of managing others

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✨ NEW! Improved Admin View of Team Insights

Did you know you can access a complete view of key usage metrics for your whole business?


As an Admin, once you’ve designated a single user as the CEO within the tool, you’ll unlock access to an aggregated dashboard showing:

  • Overall usage stats – including number of 1:1s completed and updates to Wellbeing and Motivator scores
  • A company-wide Objectives overview
  • Team-level insights for both Motivators and Wellbeing
  • Progress and scores from any live Evaluate cycles


You can filter the data by time frame (7, 30, or 90 days), drill down into specific teams by selecting sub-teams, and even generate a PDF summary to share across the business.



Need help getting set up? Just reach out to your Customer Success Manager.


✨ NEW! Logging an Additional 1:1 and editing Notes

Last month we released some new functionality to allow you to edit/delete any notes that were made during an online 1:1 session. But what about when you are logging the notes for a 1:1 that happened offline?

My navigating to the 'My 1:1s' section, you'll see there is an option to 'Add an additional 1:1' where you'll be able to specify which of your direct reports you want to add some 1:1 notes for:


Once you've added the notes, you can review in the 'Previous 1:1' section, and edit the notes made:

There is also an option to delete an additional 1:1 should the need arise.  

NEW! Automated clean-up for overdue Actions

We’ve all done it - created a to-do list (or in this case, added Actions in OpenBlend), set a due date, and then work (and life) takes over. Priorities shift, tasks get done but not marked as completed, and the list doesn’t always reflect the reality.


Our data shows this is a common theme - many Actions remain marked as overdue long after they're relevant, simply because they weren’t ticked off. It's a pattern we see across our customer base and one we wanted to help solve.


As part of our upcoming Notifications update (more on that soon ?), we’ve introduced a small but highly useful improvement: Automated clean-up for overdue Actions.


Now, you can choose to automatically mark any Action as ‘No Longer Relevant’ if it remains overdue for 60 days. A simple setting for all of your users that helps keep profiles tidy, accurate, and focused on what really matters.


Want it switched on? Just get in touch with your Customer Success Manager - they’ll sort it in a click.


NEW! Everything else we've done this month!

Whilst the updates above have been our main customer focussed improvements this month, that is by no means all we have been up to. Below is a full list of the updates being made in this release - the team have been very busy!!

Objectives Module: Now running on Vue.js

As part of our ongoing platform improvements, we’ve migrated the code for our Objectives module to Vue.js, a modern JavaScript framework known for its performance, flexibility, and scalability.

This migration brings several key benefits:

  • Greater consistency in the codebase, making it easier and faster for our development team to maintain and enhance the module
  • Faster delivery of future updates and improvements
  • A more stable and reliable user experience

General Updates

  • Daily System Update Time Change:
    We’ve moved the daily system update to 8am BST, so any changes are visible by the time most users log in at 9am.

  • Manager Wider Team View – Permissions Update:
    When the ‘Manager Wider Team View’ setting is enabled, senior managers will no longer be able to edit 1:1 bookings or start 1:1 sessions with employees who don’t report directly to them.

  • Deletion of Actions Linked to Deleted Users:
    When a user is deleted from the platform, any outstanding Actions assigned to them will now automatically be removed at the same time. We have also fixed an issue that was preventing some Actions from being closed.

  • Styling and Layout Fixes:
    We’ve made several layout and styling improvements, including fixes for line spacing and general UI polish.

  • Consistency for Custom Wellbeing Titles and Descriptions:
    For customers using custom Wellbeing titles and descriptions, we’ve ensured these now appear consistently throughout the platform and in all notifications.


Evaluate Updates


  • Calibration Message Update (Evaluate):
    We’ve corrected the text shown in the pop-up during Calibration. It previously suggested that employees would be notified of their calibrated score before their 1:1 - this has now been updated for accuracy.

  • Calibration Comments Display:
    When Calibration is used, if no additional comments were added during the Calibration process, only the manager’s original comments will now display in the employee’s review. This ensures clarity and prevents confusion over missing or duplicated content.

  • Improved Navigation in 'View Snapshot':
    When using the ‘View Snapshot’ feature while completing a review, the system will now remember your place in the form. After closing the snapshot, you’ll return to where you left off - no more being taken back to the top of the page.

  • New Employee Alert: 'Ready to Discuss':
    Following our recommended process for Evaluate cycles - where the employee completes their Self-Evaluation first, and the manager completes their evaluation second - we’ve now added an on-screen message at the top of the Self-Evaluation page. This message appears once the manager has submitted their review, letting the employee know that the Evaluation is now "Ready to Discuss."

  • CSV Export Update (Evaluate):
    We’ve made an improvement to the CSV export for Evaluate, ensuring it now accurately recognises and retains all formatting. This will help maintain data clarity and consistency when exporting review data for reporting or analysis.


And that’s everything from July’s release! 

If you’d like to book refresher training on any of the new updates, arrange a demo for key teams where rollout is critical, or explore how these changes can be tailored to your workflows, just reach out to your OpenBlend Customer Success Manager. We’re here to help.