XP Daily Plain comparisons of personal productivity tools

How to write employee performance summaries hands-free for HR managers

A plain guide for HR managers to write employee performance summaries by voice, with steps, tools to try and mistakes to avoid.

By XP Daily ยท

XP Daily is published by the makers of DaysAid, QuickDictate and YTSort, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Gather your notes first, dictate the summary one section at a time, and check each section on screen before you move on.

OptionWhat it does for this jobCost
Paper notesSummary written by hand from your notesnot published
Word processor or notes app you already useSummary typed or spoken into a document you keepnot published
QuickDictateTypes what you say into whichever window you are using [1]Free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account [1]

What you need before you start

Dictating a summary goes better when the material is ready before you open any tool. Gather these first.

Step by step

These steps work with any tool, including typing by hand.

  1. Open the notes for the first employee and read the goals and results for the period.
  2. Write three or four plain points the summary must cover, such as results, strengths and areas to grow.
  3. Dictate the first section in one or two sentences, then pause.
  4. Read the text on screen and check names, dates and figures against your notes.
  5. Fix any misheard word right away, and add the term to your list of names.
  6. Dictate the next section and repeat the check.
  7. Describe what happened and what the result was, and leave out personal judgments about the person.
  8. Read the whole summary once from start to finish, and cut any sentence that repeats another.
  9. Save the summary in your HR system and keep the notes it came from.
  10. Reread the summary the next day before you share it.

Tools that can do it

Three options fit this job. Pick the one that matches your equipment and how much you want to dictate.

Paper notes. Write the summary by hand from your notes. Nothing is published here about cost or limits for this option.

A word processor or notes app you already use. Type or speak into a document you already keep. Check whether it has voice input, and where it stores what you write, before you use it for employee information.

QuickDictate. QuickDictate is made by the team that publishes this site. QuickDictate is a Windows program that types what you say into whichever window you are using [1]. You hold a key while you talk, or press it once to start and once to stop, and you can change both keys [1]. What you say is typed into whichever window you are typing in [1]. You can list words and phrases that are sent to the speech provider to help it recognise them, and a list of corrections fixes spellings such as changing 'Chat GPT' to 'ChatGPT' [1]. You can use ElevenLabs, Deepgram, OpenAI, AssemblyAI, DashScope or Google, and that provider bills you directly [1]. With five of those cloud providers, words appear while you are still talking [1]. Saying 'scratch that' discards the text you just dictated instead of inserting it [1]. While you dictate, other apps' audio is muted or turned down, and it returns to its old level when you stop [1]. In Settings you can browse and filter your last 50 dictations [1].

QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account [1]. Cloud providers bill you separately for their service [1]. Its licence matters for work use. From v0.9.0 on, it is source-available under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0, and commercial use needs a separate licence [1]. Releases up to v0.8.0 were MIT [1]. It is a Windows program that updates itself, with a built-in updater that works silently [1].

Common mistakes to avoid

Dictating without checking the text. Read each section on screen before you move on, because a misheard name is easy to miss.

Leaving names to chance. Add the names and terms you use often to your list, so they are spelled the way you need [1]

Using a personal install for work without a check. Look at the licence first, since commercial use needs a separate licence [1]

Dictating into the wrong window. Text goes into whichever window you are using, so confirm the window before you speak [1]

Losing an earlier draft. Settings lets you browse and filter your recent dictations, so check there before you start again [1]

Sending a summary without a second read. Reread it the next day before it goes to the employee or your manager.

Frequently asked questions

How do HR managers write employee performance summaries hands-free?

Start with your notes for the employee, then dictate the summary one section at a time. Check each section on screen before you continue, and fix any misheard names. QuickDictate is one tool for this: it is a Windows program that types what you say into whichever window you are using [1], and you hold a key while you talk [1]. Keep the summary factual, and read the whole text once before you save it.

Can QuickDictate be used for work summaries?

It depends on the licence. QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use [1]. From v0.9.0 on, it is source-available under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0, and commercial use needs a separate licence [1]. Check the licence terms before you install it on a work computer. Releases up to v0.8.0 were MIT [1].

Does QuickDictate work on a Mac?

No. QuickDictate runs only on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11, and there is no Mac or Linux version [1]. QuickDictate runs only on Windows, so if your HR work runs on a Mac, check which dictation tool works there. The Windows version updates itself, with a built-in updater that works silently [1].

Does QuickDictate sync employee notes between computers?

Not the audio or the transcripts. If you sign in, QuickDictate can sync preferences such as hotkeys and language between PCs [1]. API keys, audio and transcripts are never synced [1]. The finished summary is saved wherever you choose, so store it in your HR system as you normally would, and keep the notes it came from.

Is QuickDictate free for HR managers?

QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account [1]. If you choose a cloud provider, that provider bills you separately for its service, so those charges are not part of the program's price [1]. Commercial use needs a separate licence, so read the licence terms for your situation [1]. Check the licence against your own situation before you rely on it at work.

QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account. Cloud providers bill you separately for their service. [1]

Try QuickDictate

Sources

  1. QuickDictate's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)

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