Peer Reviews

How to Configure a Peer Review in ChartHop

What is a Peer Review? A Peer Review allows employees to receive feedback from their colleagues. This provides managers with additional perspectives on an employee's performance and collaboration skills.

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

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

Decision 2: Who Can See Responses?

For Peer Reviews, we recommend Manager Only access:

Only the manager of the person being reviewed can see responses

Protects peer anonymity and encourages honest feedback

The employee being reviewed does NOT see individual peer responses

Note: If you plan to release peer feedback to employees later, you can use Manager-Shared access, but this requires careful communication about when feedback becomes visible.

Decision 3: Anonymous or Identified Peer Feedback?

Identified: Managers can see who provided each piece of feedback

Best for building accountability

Useful for follow-up conversations

De-identified: Managers see feedback but not who provided it

Encourages more honest, direct feedback

Protects peers from potential concerns about candid responses

Important: Peer Reviews Require TWO Forms

Unlike other review types, Peer Reviews need two separate forms:

Peer Selection Form - Employees select which colleagues will review them

Peer Review Form - Selected peers complete feedback about the employee

You'll set up both forms in the steps below.

Step 1: Build Your Peer Selection Form

This form allows employees to nominate peers who will provide feedback about them.

Navigate To

People Ops Tools → Forms → Create Form → Peer Selection

Add a Header (Optional but Recommended)

Provide guidance to employees, such as:

How many peers to select

Criteria for selecting peers (cross-functional colleagues, frequent collaborators, etc.)

Deadline for submitting selections

Add Your Question

Question Type: Use "Person Value" field

This allows employees to select individuals from your organization

You can set a minimum and maximum number of peers to select

Example Question: "Select 3-5 colleagues who can provide meaningful feedback on your work this year."

You must convert the "Peer Reviewer" question into a field

Applies to: Select "People"

Track changes over time: Check this box

Sensitivity: Select "Manager-Shared" (so managers can see who was selected)

Step 2: Configure Peer Selection Form Settings

Status

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

When ready to launch: "Active"

Distribution Settings

1. Who is this form about?

Select: "The person completing the form"

Employees are selecting peers to review themselves

2. Should this form automatically appear on profiles?

Choose based on your review process:

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

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

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

Access & Anonymity

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

Select: "Identified"

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: "Default"

Form Completion

1. Allow saving drafts?

Select: "Yes" (Recommended)

2. Populate form with previous responses?

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

3. How would you like your form to display?

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

After Submission Settings

Approval

Select: "Yes" (Recommended)

Allows managers to review and approve peer selections before feedback requests go out

Editing

Select: "Yes" (Recommended)

Employees can adjust their peer selections if needed

Export

Optional: Allow export as PDF based on preference

Notifications

Email responses to:

Recommended: "The manager of the person the form is about" or "None"

Typically, you'll notify managers through the approval workflow rather than automatic emails

Step 3: Build Your Peer Review Form

This is the actual feedback form that selected peers will complete.

Navigate To

People Ops Tools → Forms → Create Form → Peer Review

Add a Header (Optional but Recommended)

Guide peer reviewers with context like:

Your rating scale definitions

Company values or competencies being evaluated

Tips for providing constructive feedback

Reminder about confidentiality

Add Your Questions

Choose question types that fit the feedback you want:

Question Type	Best Used For
Long Text	Open-ended feedback, examples, suggestions
Short Text	Brief comments
Single Select	One choice (e.g., rating levels)
Multi-Select	Multiple skills or behaviors
Numeric Scale	Performance ratings (1-5, 1-10, etc.)
Yes/No	Binary questions

If Using Custom Fields

For questions connected to custom fields:

Applies to: Select "People"

Track changes over time: Check this box

Sensitivity: Choose based on your release plan:

Manager Only: If feedback stays with managers only (Recommended)

Manager-Shared: If you'll release feedback to employees later

Step 4: Configure Peer Review Form Settings

Status

Start with: "Inactive" (draft mode)

When ready: "Active"

Distribution Settings

1. Who is this form about?

Select: "Another person"

Peers are reviewing someone else, not themselves

2. Who can complete this form?

Select: "Selected peers"

Input the field name from your Peer Selection Form where employees chose their reviewers

Example: If your field is called "Peer Reviewers," enter that exact name here

3. Should this form automatically appear on profiles?

Choose based on your review process:

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

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

Access & Anonymity

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

Choose your anonymity approach:

"Identified" - Managers can see who provided each response

"De-identified" - Managers see responses but not who wrote them

2. Who can see the identity of the respondent?

Select: "Manager's in the person's reporting line"

This ensures only relevant managers see peer identities (if identified)

3. Who can view the form responses?

Select: "Managers of the person the form is about"

Keeps peer feedback visible only to the reviewee's manager

Form Completion

1. Allow saving drafts?

Select: "Yes" (Recommended)

2. Populate form with previous responses?

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

3. How would you like your form to display?

Choose: Pop-up or Standalone page

After Submission Settings

Approval

Select: "No" (Recommended)

Peer reviews typically don't need approval - they go directly to managers

Release

We do NOT recommend using a release step for Peer Reviews

Release is typically used for manager reviews, not peer feedback

Editing

Select: "No" (Recommended)

Once submitted, peer feedback should remain unchanged

Export

Optional: Allow export as PDF based on preference

Notifications

Email responses to:

Recommended: "The manager of the person the form is about" or "None"

Decide if managers should be notified each time a peer submits feedback

Step 5: Create the Profile Tab

Profile tabs display peer 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 "Peer Review"

To add to an existing tab:

Click into the existing tab

Add a new column

Name the column header "Peer Review"

Configure the Peer Review Tab

1. Display on the profile of:

If all employees receive peer reviews: Select "Everyone in the org"

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

2. Visible to:

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

Keeps peer feedback confidential to managers only

3. Columns:

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

This displays peer feedback responses on the profile

Step 6: Activate Everything

Activate the Peer Selection Form

Set Status to "Active"

Test by selecting peers yourself

Activate the Peer Review Form

Set Status to "Active"

Test by completing a peer review

Activate the Profile Tab

Scroll to top of Profile Tab settings

Toggle to "Active"

How the Peer Review Process Works

Here's the typical flow once both forms are active:

Employees select their peers using the Peer Selection Form

Managers approve the peer selections (if approval is enabled)

ChartHop creates tasks for the selected peers

Peers complete the Peer Review Form about their colleague

Managers view peer feedback on the employee's profile

Managers incorporate peer feedback into performance discussions

Testing Your Peer Review Setup

Before launching organization-wide:

Complete the peer selection process - Have a test employee select peers

Approve the selections - Test the manager approval workflow

Complete a peer review - Verify the selected peer receives and can complete the form

Check the profile tab - Confirm feedback appears correctly on the profile

Test anonymity settings - Verify identified vs. de-identified works as intended

Review notifications - Ensure emails go to the right people

Common Questions

How many peers should employees select? This is up to you! Common ranges are 3-5 peers. You can set minimum and maximum limits in the Person Value field.

Can I select peers on behalf of employees? Yes, managers can complete the Peer Selection Form on behalf of their direct reports if needed.

What if someone selects a peer who doesn't complete the review? You can send reminders through the task system or manually follow up. Incomplete peer reviews won't block the overall review process.

Should peer reviews be anonymous? Most organizations use "Identified" for accountability, but "De-identified" can encourage more candid feedback. Discuss with your CSM about what works best for your culture.

Can employees see their own peer review feedback? Not by default with our recommended settings. Managers typically summarize peer feedback during performance conversations. If you want employees to see raw peer feedback, you'll need to adjust visibility settings or use a release step.

What's the difference between Manager Only and Manager-Shared sensitivity?

Manager Only: Only managers see the feedback (recommended for most peer reviews)

Manager-Shared: Both manager and employee can see feedback (use if you plan to share peer feedback with employees)

Do I need to use the Release feature? No, we don't recommend using Release for peer reviews. It's typically used for manager-written reviews that need to be shared with employees at a specific time.