Managers today are facing more pressure than ever: they’re expected to guide team performance, reinforce culture, track goals, coach individuals, and prevent burnout—all while navigating hybrid work, reduced budgets, and growing expectations. It's no wonder that many feel overwhelmed and unsupported.
Worse, few organizations adequately enable their managers: only 20% of managers strongly agree that their organization helps them be successful people managers.
It's time to fix that. From recognition and feedback to project tracking and communication, the right tools give managers time back and insight they need to lead effectively. Whether you're a new people leader or scaling a large team, these are the tools to consider for working smarter, not harder.
Manager effectiveness: 9 tools for people managers
1. Bonusly
Best for: Real-time recognition, manager tools, and employee/team performance.
Recognition is powerful, but it's only the beginning. Bonusly's performance tools helps managers turn praise into progress, giving them the tools to lead with intention and drive meaningful results.
With Bonusly, managers can:
- Use recognition as a performance signal to guide and coach in real time.
- Run impactful 1:1s using shared notes, smart prompts, and performance recaps.
- Leverage the Giving Tracker to ensure everyone on your team feels supported, and to identify gaps.
- Access Manager Digests with insights into recognition trends, team activity, and engagement.
- Align recognition to goals, values, and feedback to build momentum.
Bonusly empowers managers to lead proactively, not reactively. Instead of relying on annual reviews or one-off coaching, Bonusly helps make performance management part of everyday work. When recognition becomes the foundation, real-time growth, trust, and team alignment follow.
2. Asana
Best for: Project management and performance visibility
Asana helps managers plan, organize, and track work across individuals and teams. The platform's AI-powered workflows and visual dashboards keep everyone aligned, while making it easier for managers to spot roadblocks before they become problems.
Features like AI task summaries and workload forecasting let managers proactively balance resources and timelines.
3. Monday
Best for: Custom team workflows
Monday.com offers a flexible workspace for managers to build and customize project boards, track progress, and collaborate cross-functionally. It’s a powerful tool for operational managers who want visibility and structure without needing to know code.
Its dashboards, automations, and integrations help reduce time spent on repetitive updates and status checks. Monday also offers a ton of templates managers can use to plan and execute all kinds of campaigns and goals, customized by industry.
4. Trello
Best for: Simple task tracking and team communication
For smaller teams or newer managers, Trello’s board-and-card interface is an intuitive way to organize projects, assign tasks, and visualize progress. Add-ons like Power-Ups enable integration with tools like Slack, Google Drive, and even Bonusly.
Pro tip: Managers can use Trello boards to track recognition moments, team wins, and individual development goals.
5. Slack
Best for: Real-time team communication
Slack is still the gold standard for workplace communication, but it’s also a powerful tool for recognition, onboarding, and manager visibility. Bonusly’s Slack integration lets managers recognize employees without leaving the flow of conversation.
Managers can also create private channels for 1:1 follow-ups or use workflow builders to automate recurring check-ins.
6. Loom
Best for: Asynchronous coaching and communication
Loom lets managers record quick videos to explain projects, give feedback, or connect personally—especially helpful for remote or hybrid teams. Rather than waiting for the next Zoom, managers can coach or clarify through video messages that save time and add a personal touch.
7. Rippling
Best for: Manager enablement through integrated HR, IT, and performance tools
Rippling is an all-in-one workforce management platform that combines HR, payroll, and IT with performance management. Managers can easily track goals, give feedback, and support growth within the same system where onboarding, reviews, and approvals already happen.
Rippling’s unified structure gives managers real-time context on their teams, like role changes, milestones, and compensation, so performance conversations happen with clarity and confidence.
8. Toggl
Best for: Time tracking and workload balance
Toggl helps managers understand where time is going. Whether it’s tracking billable hours or surfacing inefficiencies, managers can use this insight to prevent burnout and rebalance workloads.
It’s especially useful for teams juggling multiple projects or clients.
9. Donut
Best for: Team-building and onboarding
Donut integrates with Slack to spark intentional connections—like pairing new hires with buddies, scheduling cross-team chats, or reminding managers to check in. It’s a lightweight way to build relationships and culture, especially on distributed teams.
Takeaways for Modern Managers
- Don’t stop at recognition. Use it to coach and guide performance in real time.
- Equip managers with performance tools like Bonusly to make growth, alignment, and feedback part of the daily rhythm.
- Use AI and automation to eliminate manual task updates and reduce cognitive load.
- Track time and workload to proactively prevent burnout.
- Foster culture and visibility in remote and hybrid teams.
- Pilot a few tools at once to see what fits your team’s style and needs.
With the right manager tools in place, you can give your team leaders the clarity, time, and confidence they need to lead with impact.
