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Rater bias is, by definition, an inaccurate distortion of a measurement.  Everyone has biases, and we bring our biases to the table when appraising ourselves or others.  Our biases can inflate or deflate an employee’s ratings, but we want to be fair. How can an organization flatten Rater Bias?  Here are three easy steps. Create […]

Here at Trakstar we wanted to celebrate Pride Month by sharing what Pride means to some of our employees. Kicking off with our CEO Julie Rieken, read below to see how Pride positively impacts our employees and company. Happy Pride from all of us at Trakstar!   What does Pride mean to you? To me, […]

  What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from your dad about work? My dad is the hardest worker I know. He loves work of all types. He is one of the founders of Trakstar. He had an idea and fully committed to its success, dedicating nights, weekends, early mornings, evenings and holidays to the […]

From the desk of: Julie Rieken CEO, Trakstar julie@Trakstar.com   May 16, 2018   To all of our Valued Customers: Sparked by recent events and new legislation like the GDPR, Trakstar saw an opportunity to revisit and strengthen the strong data processing policies we already had in place. We’re confident that today, we’re better than […]

We often get asked here at Trakstar about best practices around various aspects of appraisals and performance management. While each organization has their own culture, goals and processes to contend with we want to provide some guiding best practices that will apply to everyone with an electronic performance appraisal system. Check out these eight pro-tips […]

You can be the greatest, most experienced leader and still suffer from bias. It’s so important to the engagement of your employees, efficiency of the workplace and overall satisfaction to keep objectivity away from the performance appraisal process. Unfortunately, bias is sneaky and sometimes goes unnoticed.   Here are 5 types of bias that commonly […]

The past few months our team has been heads down redesigning the new look of Trakstar, and on Saturday, April 30, our new look will be live! Some highlights of the new user interface include streamlined typefaces and colors, a new ultimate search bar, and the ability to white label your Trakstar site. If you are […]

Managing people is difficult. Between learning personalities, pushing deadlines and hitting company goals, leaders feel pressure to ensure none of the hypothetical balls drop. Meanwhile, there are the technical responsibilities of the job: administering performance appraisals, aligning team goals with company needs and completing the pile of non-managerial work. In short, being a leader is […]

You’re looking for a new job. You decide to apply online to a company you’re interested in.  But, you don’t have any connections at the company, and you want your resume to stand out.  Can you get the attention of the hiring manager? Yes, you can! Write a great cover letter, set yourself apart from the crowd […]

This December, the Trakstar team got to explore Theo Chocolate, a local chocolate company here in Seattle. We had an awesome afternoon of team bonding, chocolate trivia and, of course, plenty of tastings! A big thank you to the Theo team for having us, inspiring us and sharing your chocolate with the world. We would highly […]

Say it isn’t so: Red flags with your new employee, within the first three to six months.  Maybe you did everything right — you interviewed, you checked references, your team was involved, and still, it’s not working. Sometimes it’s obvious. Want to know what issues are most commonly seen? The person you hired spends more […]

Okay so we’re not located globally (yet), but we are spread across three time zones in the US. So, how do we all stay on the same page and remain such a tight-knit team with that much variation? Keep reading to find out!   It all begins in the hiring process — we look for […]

So you’ve completed the implementation of a new software tool and you’re excited to get started, but how to do you make sure that all of your hard work isn’t lost? Adoption of new software can be tough on an organization and you want to succeed! Here’s a checklist we compiled to help ensure your […]

Customer: “We love your software. We’d like to change the button that says Appraisal to the word, ‘Review.’ It’s a must-have for our culture.” Employee reviews, check-ins, evaluations, appraisals…there are many variations on the words organizations use to describe that discussion about how things are going each year. Customer: “We love your software. Can we change […]

When I was single, I thought my dog was like a child. When we had our first child, I thought that books on parenting made me an expert. When I ran my first race, I thought things would go according to the training plan. (And, the Seattle Seahawks thought that pass would be caught.)   […]

It’s Superbowl Sunday this week, and maybe you know this…but Trakstar headquarters is on Capitol Hill in Seattle. The office is a *little* excited right now. We took a survey about the big game and here are some of our Superbowl Favorites. Who will win the Superbowl? Seattle Seahawks – 77% New England Patriots – […]

There was a holiday season before Disney’s Frozen. There were other songs. Christmas carols, even! I can’t remember that time. Yesterday we went to hear a choir sing for the holidays – with one child dressed in an Elsa costume. If you have a child between 2-12, you’re following along. If you don’t, it’s all right if […]

What fun, a holiday office poll revealed some things about the the Trakstar team and our holiday favorites! Here’s what we asked and the answers: Will you celebrate something in December? 90% – Christmas 0% – Hannukah 10% – Festivus/Other Do you dream of a white Christmas or a sandy beach holiday? 80% – Let it […]

Twice a month on Fridays, our Seattle office holds “Fancy Fridays”, a day on which all employees make an effort to pull out the ironing board and wear something not purchased from REI.  This looks like success!

Today is Marcus’s birthday. The Trakstar team is celebrating! Who is Marcus? He’s a man who exceeds the minimum height requirements to be a natural born leader. He likes donuts and burgers, with which he celebrates special occasions. In his spare time, he plays various blue grass instruments. He’s a grammar guy, all too familiar […]

We’ve added new people and had to expand the office. But before the walls came down, we took some time to express ourselves artistically and draw some portraits.