This feature is available for users who have enabled Workforce HR.
What Does This Help Guide Cover?
Permissions
By default, only Admin-type roles can create, edit or delete Performance Review Templates. Other non-employee roles, such as Managers, can view templates but not change them.
To let another role create, edit or delete templates:
Go to Settings > Permissions > Show Advanced Settings > Customise access & roles here.
Select the role you want to change.
Go to the HR section and expand the HR Templates menu.
Turn on Create, Delete and/or Edit.
Note: Employee-type roles can only be given permission to view templates, so you'll only see the View setting for these roles.
To learn more, see our Permissions and Customise Permissions help guides.
Create a Performance Review Template
To create a performance review template:
Go to HR > Performance Reviews and select the Performance Review Templates tab.
Click + Create Template.
Fill in the template details:
Name: a name to help you find the template later.
Upload a document to quick-build this performance review (optional): upload an existing performance review as a PDF or DOCX file, and our AI will build the template from it.
Active: tick this to make the template available to send. Leave it unticked to save the template as a draft.
Description (optional): a description of the performance review and when to complete it. It's only shown on the templates page.
Notifications (optional): choose who's notified when a performance review is submitted. You can enter how many levels up the organisation chart to notify, or choose specific Position Titles. Only users with permission to view the performance review will be notified.
Click Create.
Your template opens in the template editor with one section and a sample question ready to edit.
If you uploaded a document, you'll see a progress page while our AI builds the template. The template opens once it's ready.
You can change these details later on the template's Setup tab.
Add Sections
Sections group related questions together. A template always has at least one section, and you can add as many as you need.
In the template editor, click Add Section below the section list on the left.
Enter a Section Name, then click Add Section.
To rename a section, select it, then click Edit section name in the top right.
To reorder sections, hover over a section in the list on the left, then drag it up or down using the handle at the top.
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From there, you can name or rename the section and begin to add in questions or other additional information.
You can also reorder sections by holding onto the 𓃎 icon and dragging them up or down the list:
Add questions
To add a question to the end of a section, click + Add Question on the right side of the page.
Each question has these settings:
Question: the question you want to ask.
Answer type: how the question is answered. To see what each answer type looks like, see HR Answer Types. For multiple choice questions, click Add option to add more answers.
Required: whether the question must be answered or can be skipped.
Advanced Answering Options:
Who should answer this question? Choose one or more:
Assigned employee will answer the question
Assigned reviewer to complete
Assign answering the question to specific people
Assign answering the question to another position(s) / team(s)
Validation Settings (optional): set limits on the answer, such as a minimum or maximum number of characters or words. The settings available depend on the answer type.
Questions save automatically as you make changes.
You can also click Duplicate on a question to copy it.
Arrange questions
To reorder questions, hover over a question and drag it up or down.
To add a question in a specific spot, hover over the gap between two questions and click + Add question here.
Follow-up questions
A follow-up question is only asked when a question gets a particular answer.
On the question, click + Add follow up question.
Choose the condition and the answer that should trigger the follow-up.
Click Save.
Set up the follow-up question the same way as any other question.
For example, if the question "Have the sales targets been met this quarter?" is set to show a follow-up when the answer is "No", the follow-up is only asked when the employee answers "No".
Following the example above, this might look like this:
This means that if the employee answers "No" to "Have the sales targets been met this quarter?", they'll be asked the follow-up question.
You can then set up the follow-up the same way as any other question.
Note: You can't add a follow-up question to another follow-up question.
Add resources
You can add resources alongside your questions to give extra context:
Add a video url: a YouTube or Vimeo link.
Add a file or image
Add text: formatted text, such as instructions.
Add a resource from the buttons on the right side of the page, or place it in a specific spot from the + Add question here dropdown between two questions. Like questions, resources can be dragged into a different order.
Extract questions from a document
If you already have questions in a document, you can add them to a section automatically.
Select the section.
Click Extract from document on the right side of the page.
Upload a PDF or DOCX file.
Click Extract.
Our AI adds up to the first 100 questions and text it finds to the end of the section. Anything already in the section stays as it is.
Choose when to send
You can send a performance review to staff automatically, either once or on a repeating schedule. The template must be active before you can do this.
Open the template and select the When to send tab.
Click + when to send.
Under How often should this be sent?, choose an option:
Once off: sent once, on the send date.
Monthly: sent on the send date, then every set number of months.
Weekly: sent on the send date, then every set number of weeks.
Days after employee start date: sent a set number of days after each employee's start date.
After a number of worked shifts: sent once an employee has worked a set number of shifts.
Offboarding: sent when an employee is given an employment end date.
If you chose Once off, Monthly or Weekly, enter the Send date. This is the first time it's sent, and it must be in the future.
Under Recipients, choose who receives it:
All employees
Selected positions
Selected teams/locations
Advanced selections: staff who are in both a selected team/location and a selected position.
Optionally, tick Number of days before send date(s) to notify employee and enter a number of days. The performance review is then created, and the employee notified, that many days before the send date. This option isn't available for After a number of worked shifts. For Days after employee start date, the notification can't be earlier than the employee's start date.
Click Create.
Scheduled sends are listed on the When to send tab, with their frequency, next send date and recipients. You can edit or delete a schedule from this list. Deleting a schedule can't be undone.
Save the template
Sections, questions, resources and schedules save as you go, so there's no save button. When you're finished, you can leave the page.
Changes on the Setup tab are the exception: click Update to save them.
FAQs
Can the reviewer and the employee answer different questions?
Can the reviewer and the employee answer different questions?
Yes. On each question, open Advanced Answering Options and choose who should answer it. If no questions are assigned to the employee, they have nothing to fill in.
Why can't I create or edit Performance Review Templates?
Why can't I create or edit Performance Review Templates?
Your role needs the Create or Edit permission under HR Templates. Ask your account administrator to check your access. Employee-type roles can't be given these permissions.
What file types can I upload to quick-build a template?
What file types can I upload to quick-build a template?
PDF or DOCX. Our AI reads the document and turns it into sections and questions, which you can edit afterwards.
Is there a ready-made template?
Is there a ready-made template?
There isn't a template library in your account. Upload any review form you already use, and our AI will build the template from it.
What files can I add to a section as a resource?
What files can I add to a section as a resource?
Images (JPG or PNG), PDFs, Word documents and text files, up to 15 MB each.
Do I need to click save?
Do I need to click save?
No. Sections, questions, resources and schedules save as you go. Only the Setup tab needs you to click Update.
Can the reviewer and the employee answer different questions?
Can the reviewer and the employee answer different questions?
Yes. On each question, open Advanced Answering Options and choose who should answer it. If no questions are assigned to the employee, they have nothing to fill in.
Can reviews be scored?
Can reviews be scored?
Yes. Enter a score for each option on Multiple Choice or Checkboxes questions. A completed review then shows an Employee Score and a Reviewer Score, and both appear in the Performance Review Details report. Scores for each section aren't available.
Why can't I set up When to send?
Why can't I set up When to send?
The template must be active. Tick Active on the Setup tab, then click Update.
Can a review go out a set number of days after someone starts, and repeat every year?
Can a review go out a set number of days after someone starts, and repeat every year?
Yes. In When to send, choose Days after employee start date and enter the number of days, for example 90. For yearly reviews, add a schedule for each anniversary on the same template, such as 365, 730 and 1095 days.
How do I set up probation reviews automatically?
How do I set up probation reviews automatically?
Create a probation review template, then add a Days after employee start date schedule, for example 77 or 90 days. Add another schedule for a mid-probation review if you need one.
Can the schedule use the date someone started in a role, instead of their company start date?
Can the schedule use the date someone started in a role, instead of their company start date?
Not currently. Schedules use the employee's employment start date.
Who is the reviewer on scheduled reviews?
Who is the reviewer on scheduled reviews?
Workforce chooses the employee's manager based on your org chart. If there isn't one, it uses a team manager, and then an admin. You can change the reviewer on the review's Access tab afterwards. To choose a specific reviewer from the start, use Start a review instead.
Can I stop scheduled reviews going to staff on leave?
Can I stop scheduled reviews going to staff on leave?
Not currently. Scheduled reviews go to everyone in the recipients you've chosen.
Why can't I add a follow-up question?
Why can't I add a follow-up question?
Follow-up questions can't have their own follow-up questions. Signature and upload questions don't support follow-ups.