This feature is available for users who have enabled Workforce HR.
Performance Reviews let you run and record any kind of employee review in Workforce.com, including appraisals, 1:1s, check-ins, supervisions, PDRs, probation reviews and 360 feedback. Every review is saved, so there's a record of every conversation.
What's covered in this guide?
What are Performance Reviews?
Performance reviews are formal conversations between managers and their staff about how someone is performing. They help you track performance over time, and support decisions about development, promotion or performance concerns.
With Workforce.com you can:
build your own review templates, or have our AI build one from a document you already use
send reviews to one employee, or schedule them automatically, for example 90 days after someone starts
have the employee, the reviewer, or other people answer different questions
score reviews and report on progress and answers
keep notes and files alongside each review
How are Performance Reviews Structured?
Performance Review Templates are where you set up a review once and reuse it. Each template has:
Template details: a name, a description, whether it's Active, and who's notified when a review is completed.
Sections: groups of related questions, like pages. Every template has at least one section.
Questions: each has an answer type, whether it's required, and who should answer it: the employee, the reviewer, specific people, or a position or team.
Resources (optional): videos, files, images or text added to a section to give extra context.
When to send (optional): a schedule to send the review automatically.
Performance Reviews are the individual reviews sent from a template. Each review has an employee, a reviewer and a review date, plus three tabs:
Performance Review: the questions and answers.
Notes & Files: notes and files about the review.
Access: who else can see the review, and its review date.
Where do I find Performance Reviews?
Go to HR > Performance Reviews. The menu on the left has:
Performance Reviews: reviews that have been sent.
Performance Review Templates: where you create and manage templates.
Details Report: the status, reviewer and scores of each review.
Response Report: the answers people gave.
Employees can also find and complete their reviews in the Workforce mobile app.
When should I use Performance Reviews?
Use Performance Reviews for any regular or formal conversation you want on record, such as:
annual or half-yearly appraisals
1:1 catch-ups and check-ins
supervisions
PDRs (performance and development reviews)
probation reviews
self-assessments and 360 feedback
performance improvement plans
There's no separate supervision, PDR or probation area. Create a template for each type of review you run, such as "3-monthly supervision", "Annual appraisal" or "End of probation".
FAQs
On a supervision, who is the employee and who is the reviewer?
On a supervision, who is the employee and who is the reviewer?
The employee is the person being supervised or reviewed. The reviewer is their line manager or supervisor. Each question's Who should answer this question? setting decides who answers it.
Do I have to turn on "Visible to users up the org chart" for every review?
Do I have to turn on "Visible to users up the org chart" for every review?
Yes. It's set on each review and is off by default, including for reviews sent by a schedule. There isn't a template-level or account-wide default.
Can an employee confirm they've read their review?
Can an employee confirm they've read their review?
Yes.
Open the review's Access tab and tick Should employee see other reviewers' answers?.
Tick Acknowledgement required from the employee?, then click Update.
Once the review is completed, the employee can acknowledge it. Acknowledgement can't be turned on unless the employee can see the reviewer's answers.
Can I limit a template to one team, department or location?
Can I limit a template to one team, department or location?
Not currently. Anyone with permission to view HR templates can see all Performance Review Templates. To control who sees each review, use its Access tab and your org chart.
Why can employees see performance review templates?
Why can employees see performance review templates?
The Employee role's View setting for HR Templates has been turned on. It's off by default. To turn it off:
Go to Settings > Permissions > Show Advanced Settings > Customise access & roles here.
Open the Employee role.
Turn off View under HR > HR Templates.
How do I let managers see their team's reviews?
How do I let managers see their team's reviews?
Make sure your organisation chart is set up, with the manager's position above the employee's.
Go to HR > Performance Reviews, open the review, and go to the Access tab.
Tick Visible to users up the org chart, or add the manager's position title under Position Visibility. The manager must currently hold that position.
Click Update.
With Visible to users up the org chart ticked, everyone above the employee in the org chart can see the review, not just their direct manager.
The manager's role must have Read Managed User's HR Template Submissions turned on, under Staff in Permissions. It's on by default for managers.
Position Visibility only shows for admins, or for roles with the Edit Managed User's HR Template Submissions permission.
How do I stop managers seeing other managers' reviews?
How do I stop managers seeing other managers' reviews?
Go to Settings > Permissions and tick Protect manager data (salaries, hourly rates & performance reviews). This stops managers seeing the reviews of other managers and more senior staff through the org chart. It doesn't apply to a review shared by position, so check Position Visibility on those reviews too.
An employee can see someone else's review. What should I do?
An employee can see someone else's review. What should I do?
Go to HR > Performance Reviews, open the review, and go to the Access tab.
Check whether Visible to users up the org chart is ticked. If it is, check whether the employee is above that person in the org chart.
Check whether a position the employee holds is listed under Position Visibility.
Untick or remove anything that shouldn't be there, then click Update.
The employee can also see the review if they sent it, are its reviewer, or have been assigned questions on it.