There are two well-known ways to keep employees productive: The hands-on way is to monitor their performance as they work, and guide them to do better as they go; the hands-off way is to keep them happy overall (studies repeatedly find that happier workers are more productive). One way to improve both forms of productivity is to make it easier for employees to get real-time feedback on the job. What are they doing well? What could they do better right now? Are they focused on the right goals? And how are those changing?

Rypple is designed to bring the proven, widely-recognized power of social networks into the workplace—within a platform designed for getting work done rather than goofing off. Rypple’s focus is on immediacy, so neither managers nor workers need to pore through emails or wait for meetings or calls to exchange the feedback they need.

Start on the Personal Page – The Place Where Reputations are Built

For both manager and employee, the starting point for feedback on Rypple is each employee’s personal feedback page. Here you can see an employee’s assigned goals, plus feedback from their manager and coworkers as it comes in – just like comments on a Facebook post. Over time, the feedback page builds each employee a reputation based on real accomplishments, documented by the people they work for and with. So it’s possible to get a real-time snapshot of how an employee is doing, rather than having to dig through HR folders or asking around among staff.

Give Feedback When it Matters Most

To make the most of Rypple, a manager should give feedback right away, rather than waiting a day or a quarter. Right after an employee’s presentation at a meeting, for example, you can give both public and private feedback. On your Rypple newsfeed, use the box at the top to create a ‘Thanks’. At the top of the page, you’ll see a box labeled “Enter name or email address…” Type in an employee’s name, and Rypple will auto-complete it as you type. Leave the checked ‘Thanks’ button as it is. Then type in a public thank-you: “Nice job on the presentation, Lori. Sales asked some tough questions but I think you came prepared to answer them.”

Keep Feedback Private

Then, click on the employee’s name on the left-hand side of your Rypple page to send a private Shared Note that only the employee will see: “Bob from Sales is complaining about the launch date. Not your problem, but be aware that it’s an issue for them this quarter.”

Don’t Just Wait for Feedback —Be Proactive and Ask For It

For employees, Rypple makes it easy to ask others to give you feedback—either in a semi-public discussion among a few coworkers you select, or as anonymous feedback if you’re concerned that they won’t be forthcoming if their names are attached.

In Rypple, click on You in the upper left corner to see a page about yourself – just like clicking your own profile on Facebook. Then click the tab in the middle labeled ‘Feedback on You’ to see all feedback that you’ve either asked for or received.

To get semi-public feedback from other workers on a topic, click the button in the upper-right labeled “New Loop On You.” That pops up a dialog box. In the box, enter the names of coworkers whom you want to include – Rypple will auto-complete them – and ask a question or describe an issue to which you want these people to reply. Rypple will create a peer feedback loop visible to everyone in the loop, but not to others. This is perfect for inter-team discussions such as, “Sales is unhappy with the launch date. Any ideas on how we can bump it up a bit for them?” The subsequent discussion will appear as a loop on this page, and you’ll be notified on your Rypple feed whenever someone posts a new response.

Receive Feedback Anonymously

To ask a question that others can answer anonymously, click the button in the upper right labeled “Ask a Quick Question.” That will pop up a dialog box. In that box, enter the name of two or more people, as well as a question for them to answer. Optionally, click the Ask for Ratings link at the lower left to allow them to give you a simple rating rather than a verbal answer. “How was my presentation?” You’ll be able to see their response, but without names attached. It’s a good way to take a quick poll on something you just did—to learn if your colleagues think you could do better—without opening yourself up to an entire mailing list, or letting everyone in the department read the discussion. Rypple lets you control who gets involved in your feedback, case by case.

Whether you’re the boss or a junior employee, what matters most is immediacy. Don’t wait a month to find out how you’re doing. Ask now!