System and method supporting ongoing worker feedback

• US 10,089,588 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2015
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Transform Sr Brands, LLC (ESL Investments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sears Brands LLC (Sears Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Frederico, Adam Robert, Seshadri, Naveen, Schneider, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty, Romain
• Application Number:
  US14/705,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20150347938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 705 712
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications

Abstract

A system and method that enables the ongoing communication, tracking, and management review of feedback among a population of workers and their management.

Claims

1. A method of operating a system that supports the ongoing communication, tracking, and management review of feedback among a population of end users of the system comprising workers and managers of the workers, the method comprising:

providing, in one or more electronic memory devices, a repository of data comprising;

information representing working relationships of the population of end users;

information representing each request for feedback; and

each feedback response submitted by each of the population of end users;

generating, by a processing circuitry of the system, at least one first graphical user interface (GUI) via which a first end user of the population of end users is enabled to input via one or more input devices of the system, a request for a second end user of the population of end users to provide feedback about the first end user;

storing the request for feedback in the one or more electronic memory devices;

associating, in the repository of data by the processing circuitry, the first end user and the second end user;

assigning one or both of an expiration date and an expiration time to the request for feedback, and associating, in the repository of data, the expiration date and expiration time with the request;

generating, by the processing circuitry, at least one second GUI via which the second end user is enabled to input, using one or more input devices of the system, a feedback response to the first end user, the feedback response comprising one or both of;

quantitative feedback representing a rank or scale of a characteristic of the first end user selected by the second end user; and

qualitative feedback comprising textual information provided by the second end user;

analyzing, by the processing circuitry, any quantitative feedback in one or more feedback responses for the second end user, in view of the working relationships of the population of end users; and

generating, by the processing circuitry, at least one third GUI via which a manager of the second end user is enabled to view one or both of;

the analysis of quantitative feedback for the second end user; and

the qualitative feedback for the second end user.

2. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

transmitting, via network interface circuitry of the system, a reminder to a network address associated with the second end user based on the one or both of an expiration date and an expiration time.

3. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

storing, in the repository of data in association with the second end user, an indication of failure to respond to the request for feedback, if the second end user does not respond to the request for feedback by the one or both of an expiration date and an expiration time.

4. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

notifying, via a reminder transmitted over an electronic network, the first end user upon receipt of the feedback response of the second end user.

5. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

making the request for feedback unavailable for access by the second end user, upon occurrence of the one or both of an expiration date and an expiration time.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein contents of the first at least one GUI is generated based on feedback stored in the data repository for the first end user.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the repository of data is configured to support reporting of all quantitative feedback associated with end users managed by a particular manager.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the repository of data is configured to support reporting of all quantitative feedback associated with end users managed by a particular manager.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the repository of data is configured to support reporting of all quantitative feedback associated with end users managed by a particular manager.

10. A system that supports the ongoing communication, tracking, and management review of feedback among a population of end users of the system comprising workers and managers of the workers, the system comprising:

one or more electronic memory devices that store a repository of data comprising information representing working relationships of the population of end users and information representing each request for feedback and each feedback response submitted by each of the population of end users; and

processing circuitry operable to;

generate at least one first graphical user interface (GUI) via which a first end user of the population of end users is enabled to input, via one or more input devices of the system, a request for a second end user of the population of end users to provide feedback about the first end-user;

store the request for feedback in the one or more memory devices, and associate, in the repository of data, the request with the first end user and the second end user;

assign one or both of an expiration date and an expiration time to the request for feedback, and associate, in the repository of data, the expiration date and expiration time are with the request;

generate at least one second GUI via which the second end user is enabled to input, using one or more input devices of the system, a feedback response to the first end user, the feedback response comprising one or both of;

quantitative feedback representing a rank or scale of a characteristic of the first end user selected by the second end user; and

qualitative feedback comprising textual information provided by the second end user;

analyze any quantitative feedback in one or more feedback responses for the second end user, in view of the working relationships of the population of end users; and

generate at least one third GUI via which a manager of the second end user is enabled to view one or both of;

the analysis of quantitative feedback for the second end user; and

the qualitative feedback for the second end user.

11. The system according to claim 10 comprising network interface circuitry that is operable to transmit a reminder to a network address associated with the second end user based on the one or both of an expiration date and an expiration time.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further operable to, at least:

store, in the repository of data in association with the second end user, an indication of failure to respond to the request for feedback, if the second end user does not respond to the request for feedback by the one or both of an expiration date and an expiration time.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further operable to, at least:

notify, via a reminder transmitted over an electronic network, the first end user upon receipt of the feedback response of the second end user.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further operable to, at least:

make the request for feedback unavailable for access by the second end user, upon occurrence of the one or both of an expiration date and an expiration time.

15. The system according to claim 10, contents of the first at least one GUI is based on feedback stored in the data repository for the first end user.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a system that supports the ongoing communication, tracking, and management review of feedback among a population of end users of the system comprising workers and managers of the workers, cause the processing circuitry to perform a method comprising:

generating, by a processing circuitry of the system, at least one first graphical user interface (GUI) via which a first end user of the population of end users is enabled to input via one or more input devices of the system, a request for a second end user of the population of end users to provide feedback about the first end user;

storing the request for feedback in the one or more electronic memory devices;

associating, in a repository of data comprising information representing working relationships of the population of end users and information representing each request for feedback and each feedback response submitted by each of the population of end users, the first end user and the second end user;

assigning one or both of an expiration date and an expiration time to the request for feedback, and associating, in the repository of data, the expiration date and expiration time with the request;

generating, by the processing circuitry, at least one second GUI via which the second end user is enabled to input, using one or more input devices of the system, a feedback response to the first end user, the feedback response comprising one or both of;

quantitative feedback representing a rank or scale of a characteristic of the first end user selected by the second end user; and

qualitative feedback comprising textual information provided by the second end user;

analyzing, by the processing circuitry, any quantitative feedback in one or more feedback responses for the second end user, in view of the working relationships of the population of end users; and

generating, by the processing circuitry, at least one third GUI via which a manager of the second end user is enabled to view one or both of;

the analysis of quantitative feedback for the second end user; and

the qualitative feedback for the second end user.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16, the steps of the method further comprising:

transmitting, via network interface circuitry of the system, a reminder to a network address associated with the second end user based on the one or both of an expiration date and an expiration time.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16, the steps of the method further comprising:

storing, in the repository of data in association with the second end user, an indication of failure to respond to the request for feedback, if the second end user does not respond to the request for feedback by the one or both of an expiration date and an expiration time.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16, the steps of the method further comprising:

notifying, via a reminder transmitted over an electronic network, the first end user upon receipt of the feedback response of the second end user.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16, the steps of the method further comprising:

making the request for feedback unavailable for access by the second end user, upon occurrence of the one or both of an expiration date and an expiration time.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16, contents of the at least one GUI is generated based on feedback stored in the data repository for the first end user.