Manager Reviews

How to Configure a Manager Review (Downward Review) in ChartHop

What is a Manager Review? A Manager Review (also called a Downward Review) is a performance evaluation that managers complete about their direct reports. This is typically the primary review document used in performance conversations.

Before You Start: Key Decisions

Decision 1: Questions vs. Custom Fields

You have two options when building your form:

Option A: Questions Only

Responses are stored only within the form

Simpler to set up

Query or report on responses across the platform using ID's rather than fields

Option B: Questions Connected to Custom Fields

Responses are stored as custom fields in ChartHop

Can be queried, filtered, and reported on across the platform

Best for tracking performance data over time

Can be referenced in smart calculations

Need help deciding? Contact your Customer Success Manager to discuss which approach fits your organization's needs.

Decision 2: When Should Employees See Their Reviews?

This is a critical decision for Manager Reviews:

Option A: Release Step (Controlled Timing)

Managers write reviews, then manually release them to employees when ready

Best for coordinating review conversations across the organization

Ensures reviews are discussed in 1:1s before employees see written feedback

Field Sensitivity Setting: Manager-Shared

Option B: Bulk Releasing Unreleased Reviews (Controlled Timing)

Admins can release all pending reviews at the end of the review cycle or release all reviews at once

Field Sensitivity Setting: Manager-Shared

Option C: Bulk Release (not using Release functionality)

All reviews are released to employees at the same time (typically after all are completed)

Best for structured review cycles with specific release dates

Requires admin action to release all reviews at once

Admins must update each field/question in the form from Manager Only sensitivity to Manager Shared

Field Sensitivity Setting: Manager Only

Option D: Immediate Visibility

Employees see reviews as soon as managers submit them

Best for continuous feedback cultures

No release step needed

Field Sensitivity Setting: Manager-Shared

Recommendation: Most organizations use the Release Step approach for better coordination and to ensure managers discuss feedback before employees read it.

Step 1: Build Your Manager Review Form

Navigate To

People Ops Tools → Forms → Create Form → Manager Review

Add a Header (Optional but Recommended)

Provide guidance to managers, such as:

Your rating scale definitions and examples

Links to your company values or competency framework

Tips for writing effective, actionable feedback

Calibration guidelines

Reminder to focus on specific examples and behaviors

Add Your Questions

Choose question types that capture the evaluation dimensions you need:

Question Type	Best Used For
Long Text	Detailed feedback, accomplishments, development areas
Short Text	Brief summaries or comments
Single Select	Overall performance ratings, promotion readiness
Multi-Select	Skills demonstrated, competencies met
Numeric Scale	Performance ratings by category (1-5, 1-10, etc.)
Yes/No	Binary assessments (meets expectations, promotion ready)
Number Value	Quantitative goals (% attainment, numeric ratings)

Common Manager Review Questions:

Overall performance rating

Key accomplishments this period

Areas for development

Goals for next period

Promotion readiness

Flight risk assessment

If Using Custom Fields

For questions connected to custom fields:

Applies to: Select "People"

Track changes over time: Check this box (maintains historical performance data)

Sensitivity: Choose based on your release approach:

Manager-Shared: If using Release Step (managers release individually)

Manager Only: If using Bulk Release (admin releases all at once)

Step 2: Configure Form Settings

Status

Start with: "Inactive" (draft mode while building)

When ready to launch: "Active"

Distribution Settings

1. Who is this form about?

Select: "Another Person"

Managers are reviewing their direct reports, not themselves

2. Who can complete this form?

Select: "Their Manager"

Only the direct manager can complete reviews for their reports

3. Should this form automatically appear on profiles?

Choose based on your review process:

Task-Based (Recommended): "Only if there is a pending task"

Gives you control over when reviews happen and who participates

You create review tasks for managers

Self-Guided: "Yes, on everyone's profile"

Managers can write reviews anytime without tasks

Best for continuous feedback approaches

Custom Group: "Only specific people's profiles (Custom)"

For specific teams or levels only

Access & Anonymity

1. How should the identity of the respondent be recorded?

Select: "Identified"

Employees should know their manager wrote the review

2. Who can see the identity of the respondent?

Select: "Anyone who can view the form response"

3. Who can view the form responses?

Select: "The person the form is about"

This ensures the employee being reviewed can see their review (once released, if using Release)

Form Completion

1. Allow saving drafts?

Select: "Yes" (Recommended)

Managers can save progress and return to complete reviews later

2. Populate form with previous responses?

Select: "No, start with a blank form every time"

Ensures fresh evaluation each review cycle

3. How would you like your form to display?

Choose: Pop-up or Standalone page (based on preference)

After Submission Settings

Approval

Optional: Require approval based on your process

Some organizations require skip-level approval or HR review before release

Common for promotions or performance improvement situations

Release (Optional but Recommended)

If you want managers to control when employees see their reviews:

Enable: "Require release before the person can view"

Who can release: Select "Submitter or Admins" (Recommended)

Submitter = the manager who wrote the review

Admins = HR or system administrators

This ensures reviews are discussed in 1:1 meetings before employees read them

If you're using Bulk Release instead: Skip enabling individual release and plan to release all reviews at once using admin controls.

Editing

Select: Allow respondent to edit "Until it's approved" OR "For a period of time" (Recommended)

Gives managers flexibility to refine reviews before finalizing

Consider timing: "Until approved" or set a specific deadline

Export

Optional: Allow export as PDF based on preference

Useful if managers want to keep copies or share offline

Notifications

Email responses to:

Choose who should be notified when reviews are submitted:

"The person who completed the form" (the manager)

"The manager of the person the form is about" (skip-level manager)

Recommendation: Enable notification to the manager who completed the form so they have confirmation of submission.

Note: Employees are typically notified separately when reviews are released, not when they're submitted.

Step 3: Create the Profile Tab

Profile tabs display manager review responses on employee profiles.

Navigate to Profile Tabs

Navigate to Admin → Profile Content.

To create a new tab:

Click the + icon

Name the tab "Performance Reviews"

Name the column "Manager Review"

To add to an existing tab:

Click into the existing tab

Add a new column

Name the column header "Manager Review"

Configure the Downward Review Tab

1. Display on the profile of:

If all employees receive manager reviews: Select "Everyone in the org" (Recommended)

If only specific employees: Use "Custom" and create a filter

2. Visible to:

This is where you control visibility timing:

During the Review Period (Before Release):

Select: "The person's manager" (Recommended)

Only managers see in-progress and completed reviews

Employees cannot see reviews until they're released

After the Review Period (Post-Release):

Select: "The person, and the person's managers" (Recommended)

Employees can now see their reviews

Managers retain access

Pro Tip: You can adjust this setting at different points in your review cycle. Start with "Manager only" during writing, then change to "Person and managers" after all reviews are released.

3. Columns:

Under "Form Responses History," select your Manager Review form

This displays review responses on the profile

Step 4: Activate Everything

Activate the Form

Set Status to "Active"

Test by completing a sample review yourself

Activate the Profile Tab

Scroll to top of Profile Tab settings

Toggle to "Active"

How the Manager Review Process Works

Here's the typical flow once the form is active:

With Release Step:

Create review tasks for managers (or managers access reviews on profiles if self-guided)

Managers complete reviews and submit them

Managers conduct 1:1 performance conversations with employees

Managers release reviews during or after the conversation

Employees can view their written reviews on their profile

Profile tab visibility can be updated to show employees their reviews

With Bulk Release (by Updating Field Sensitivity):

Create review tasks for managers

Managers complete reviews and submit them (employees cannot see yet)

All reviews are completed and calibrated

Admin releases all reviews at a designated time

Employees can view their reviews simultaneously

Managers conduct 1:1 conversations (typically scheduled around release)

Without Release (Immediate Visibility):

Create review tasks for managers

Managers complete reviews

Employees see reviews immediately upon submission

Managers follow up with 1:1 conversations

Testing Your Manager Review Setup

Before launching organization-wide:

Complete a test review - Have a manager write a sample review

Check visibility - Verify the employee cannot see it yet (if using Release)

Test the release function - Release the review and confirm visibility changes

Check the profile tab - Verify the review appears correctly

Test notifications - Ensure emails go to the right people

Review with HR - Get sign-off on settings before rolling out

Test approval workflow - If using approval, verify it works as intended

Common Questions

What's the difference between Release and Bulk Release?

Release Step: Managers individually release each review when they're ready (usually after the 1:1 conversation)

Bulk Release: An admin releases ALL reviews at the same time organization-wide by updating field sensitivity

Choose based on whether you want individual flexibility or coordinated timing

Should I require approval for manager reviews? Most organizations don't require approval for standard reviews, but consider approval for:

Promotion recommendations

Performance improvement plans

Reviews by new managers

Organizations wanting HR oversight

Can managers edit reviews after submission? Yes, if you enable the editing setting. Common options:

Allow editing "Until it's approved" (if using approval)

Allow editing "For a period of time" (set a deadline)

No editing after submission (for strict review processes)

What if a manager doesn't complete a review on time? You can:

Send reminder emails through the task system

Monitor completion rates in reporting

Have HR or admins follow up directly

Can skip-level managers see reviews? Yes, managers up the reporting chain can see reviews based on your access settings. The "Default" access setting typically allows the full management chain to view.

When should I change the profile tab visibility from "Manager only" to "Person and managers"?

If using individual Release: Keep it "Manager only" during review writing, then change after most reviews are released

If using Bulk Release: Change it right after you execute the bulk release

If not using Release: Set it to "Person and managers" from the start

How do employees know when their review is released? ChartHop sends an automatic notification email when a review is released to them. You can also communicate the release timing in advance should you be using fields to toggle.

Can I disable email notifications when releasing reviews? You can only disable notifications when bulk releasing.

What if I want an employee's previous manager to complete the manager review form? As long as the task is still pending, you can reassign a task. Go to the Task tab within the Performance Review and select the pending task you would like to reassign and click Reassign.