{"article":{"id":58239901243929,"url":"https://reflektive.zendesk.com/api/v2/help_center/en-us/articles/58239901243929.json","html_url":"https://support.reflektive.com/hc/en-us/articles/58239901243929-Common-Review-Configurations","author_id":902673952143,"comments_disabled":false,"draft":false,"promoted":false,"position":10,"vote_sum":0,"vote_count":0,"upvote_count":0,"downvote_count":0,"section_id":58239575486361,"created_at":"2026-05-24T13:49:16Z","updated_at":"2026-05-24T13:49:16Z","name":"Common Review Configurations","title":"Common Review Configurations","source_locale":"en-us","locale":"en-us","outdated":false,"outdated_locales":[],"edited_at":"2026-05-24T13:49:16Z","user_segment_id":null,"permission_group_id":317186,"content_tag_ids":[],"label_names":[],"body":"
\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

Now that you know how to set up a review, let's take a quick step back to learn about the most common review configurations so that your review is as effective as possible with your employees:

\n
\n
\n\n
\n
\n

With ALL of these configurations, you have the ability to pull in goals (if you have purchased the Goals Platform) for evaluation within the review cycle.

\n
\n
\n\n
\n \n \"\"\n \n
\n\n
\n

Configuring and Launching a Performance Review

\n
\n
\n

The Performance Review is great for opening lines of communication between managers and their direct reports. It's a starting point for creating a culture of professional growth through feedback. Many companies find that this review format is the easiest to roll out for their very first review cycle.

\n
\n
\n \n
\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Employees included in a Performance Review only need to provide feedback for themselves, their manager, and their direct reports. Peer reviews are excluded from Performance Reviews.

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Who Is Involved in a Performance Review?

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • \nManager: People managers will provide downward feedback about employees who directly report to them
    • \n
  • \nSelf: The employee will write a self-review
    • \n
  • \nDirect Reports: Employees will provide upward feedback about their manager
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Optional Performance Review Configurations

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Optional: Upwards Review

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • \n

    An Upwards-only performance review is a review where only direct reports provide feedback about their managers without any self-assessment, manager assessment, or peer assessment components. Companies use the feedback provided during this review to understand how a people manager is perceived by their team and to help coach managers. 

    \n
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Optional: Downwards Review

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • A downwards-only performance review is a review where only managers provide feedback about their direct reports without any self-assessment, direct report assessment, or peer assessment components. 
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Optional: Goals Performance Review (only available if Goals is purchased)

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • Intended to facilitate a structured conversation between employees and managers, with a focus on alignment on goals. 
    • \n
  • \nTip: The Goals Performance Review survey form incorporates an employee's current and active goals, so it's important to have goals up-to-date before submitting the performance review.
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

IMPORTANT

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • Upwards feedback in a Performance Review defaults to being anonymous. If you're incorporating an upwards review (direct reports complete reviews about their managers), please note that Reflektive will only show upwards feedback if there are at least three pieces of feedback written about the recipient. Please contact Reflektive Support with the name of your Performance Review Cycle if you need to lower the minimum required feedback number (ex: from three to two). 
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Setting Up a Performance Review

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • \nIn Step 2: Settings\n
    • \n
  • We recommend that you include the time-frame, year, type of the review for future reference, i.e. “2020 Mid-Year Performance Review”
    • \n
  • If any employees will be writing self-reviews, set this to Yes\n
    • \n
  • If any managers will be evaluating their teams, set this to Yes\n
    • \n
  • If you would like any direct reports to write upward feedback, set this to Yes (in this example, it's set to No)\n
    • \n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n \n \"\"\n \n
\n \n
\n \n \"\"\n \n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • We recommend that you allow managers to release the final report to their employee.
      \n
    • \nTip: If you want all managers to release the review report after a certain date, you could set this to \"No\" when building the review and edit to \"Yes\" when your release date approaches. 
      • \n
    \n
    • \n
  • We recommend that you share all types of feedback with the employee.
      \n
    • \nTip: If you don't want the employee to see the feedback from their direct reports, then you can uncheck the \"Direct Reports\" box. The employee's manager and the Reflektive Review Admin will still be able to see feedback from the direct reports about the employee. 
      • \n
    \n
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n\n
\n

Configuring and Launching a 360 Review

\n
\n
\n

The 360 Review incorporates feedback from all directions (self, manager, direct report, and peer), painting a more complete picture of an employee’s performance. 

\n
\n
\n \n
\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Who Is Involved in a 360 Review?

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • \nManager: People managers will provide downward feedback about employees who directly report to them
    • \n
  • \nSelf: The employee will write a self-review
    • \n
  • \nDirect Reports: Employees will provide upward feedback about their manager
    • \n
  • \nPeers: Everyone else who is not in a direct reporting relationship (Ex: colleagues, your CEO, your manager's manager, etc are all considered \"peer reviewers\")
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Optional 360 Review Configurations

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Optional: Upwards Review

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • An Upwards-only 360 review is a review where only direct reports (and perhaps some peers) provide feedback about their managers without any self-assessment or manager assessment. Companies use the feedback provided during this review to understand how a people manager is perceived by their team and to help coach managers. 
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Optional: Goals (only available if Goals is purchased)

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • Intended to facilitate a structured and comprehensive conversation between employees and managers, with a focus on alignment on goals. 
    • \n
  • \nTip: The 360 Check-In survey form incorporates an employee's current and active goals, so it's important to have goals up-to-date before submitting the check-in!
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

IMPORTANT

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • Please pay attention to anonymity settings in a 360 review.
    • \n
  • After launching your cycle, you will no longer be able to change the following setting:
    Should employees be able to decline peer review requests?
    • \n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Setting Up a 360 Review

\n
\n
\n \n
\n \n \"\"\n \n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • We recommend that you include the time-frame, year, type of the review for future reference, i.e. “2020 360 Review”
    • \n
  • If any employees will be writing self-reviews, set this to Yes\n
    • \n
  • If any managers will be evaluating their teams, set this to Yes\n
    • \n
  • If you would like any direct reports to write upward feedback, set this to Yes (in this example, it's set to No)
    • \n
  • 360 feedback anonymity controls whether or not employees and their managers see the names of the Peer/Direct Report reviewers associated with their submitted feedback. Choose the anonymity settings that best reflect the outcomes you want to achieve with your 360.
    • \n
  • Default for the maximum number of peer reviewers that each employee can nominate is three peer reviewers. It's not recommended to have more than six peer reviewers.
    • \n
  • If you select Fully Anonymous or Non-Anonymous for Managers, you will see the additional option of What is the minimum number of feedbacks required for the review to show up in a report drop-down selector appear. If this threshold is met, then the feedback collected will appear for the employee/report recipient after the review is submitted.
    • \n
  • Under Advanced Options:
    • \n
  • Choose whether employees should be able to decline a peer review request. Once a peer review is declined, the employee’s manager will receive an email notification to select additional reviewers for that employee.
    • \n
  • We recommend that you allow managers to release the final report to their employee.
    • \nTip: If you want all managers to release the review report after a certain date, you could set this to \"No\" when building the review and edit to \"Yes\" when your release date approaches. 
    \n
    • \n
  • We recommend that you always share Self and Manager feedback with the employee
    • \nTip: If you don't want the employee to see the feedback from their peers, then you can uncheck the \"Peer\" box. The employee's manager and the Reflektive Review Admin will still be able to see feedback from the peers about the employee. 
    \n
    • \n
  • \nIf as an admin, you want to skip peer selection and only allow managers to choose reviewers for their direct reports, you can perform a Bulk Approve action right after launching the cycle so that this will essentially made employees unable to submit and only manager/admin can add/remove peers for the employees.\n
    • \n
  • Warning: if you deselect all options, the system will default to release all types of feedback
    • \n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n \n \"\"\n \n
\n \n
\n \n \"\"\n \n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • \nTip: If you want all managers to release the review report after a certain date, you could set this to \"No\" when building the review and edit to \"Yes\" when your release date approaches. 
    • \n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • \nTip: If you don't want the employee to see the feedback from their peers, then you can uncheck the \"Peer\" box. The employee's manager and the Reflektive Review Admin will still be able to see feedback from the peers about the employee. 
    • \n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n\n
\n

Configuring and Launching a Check-In

\n
\n
\n

The Check-In is our simplest survey format. They're typically run quarterly and help to align managers and employees on performance and progress. They're intended to facilitate a structured and lightweight conversation between employees and managers on performance and growth opportunities. 

\n
\n
\n \n
\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Who Is Involved in a Check-In

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • \nManager: People managers will provide downward feedback about employees who directly report to them
    • \n
  • \nSelf: The employee will write a self-review
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Optional Check-In Configurations

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Optional: Manager Check-in

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • Intended to have employees assess themselves and/or have managers provide feedback about their direct reports. 
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Optional: Goals Check-In (only available if Goals is purchased)

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • Intended to facilitate a structured and lightweight conversation between employees and managers, with a focus on alignment on goals. 
    • \n
  • \nTip: The Goal Check-In survey form incorporates an employee's current and active goals, so it's important to have goals up-to-date before submitting the check-in!
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

IMPORTANT

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • Once an employee or a manager submits the Goal Check-In, the Goals incorporated into the survey will no longer update or be linked to the active goals in the Goals tab.
    • \n
  • Once a manager clicks \"Done\" after writing the Manager Check-In, the manager feedback is instantly shared with the employee.
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Setting Up a Standard Check-In:

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • In Step 2: Settings

    • \n
  • We recommend that you include the time-frame, year, type of the review for future reference, i.e. “Q1 2020 Check-in”
    • \n
  • If any employees will be writing self-assessments, set this to Yes\n
    • \n
  • If any managers will be evaluating their teams, set this to Yes\n
    • \n
  • If you've purchased Goals and you want the Check-In survey form to display an employee's current active goals so that employees and managers can comment on goal progress, set this to Yes. You can also check off other goal statuses here as well.
    • \n
  • Under Advanced Options:
      \n
    • You can make downwards manager reviews optional by letting them decline reviews
      • \n
    • The email sender field allows you to customize who these review emails come from. Leaving it blank will default to your company's name
      • \n
    • The report tabs allow employees to see more details (eg: score breakdowns/averages) around how they were evaluated
      • \n
    \n
    • \n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n \n \"\"\n \n
\n \n
\n \n \"\"\n \n
\n \n
\n \n \"\"\n \n
\n \n
\n
\n
    \n
  • You can make downwards manager reviews optional by letting them decline reviews
    • \n
  • The email sender field allows you to customize who these review emails come from. Leaving it blank will default to your company's name
    • \n
  • The report tabs allow employees to see more details (eg: score breakdowns/averages) around how they were evaluated
    • \n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n\n
\n

FAQ

\n
\n
\n
    \n
  • \nWhy Can't I See the List of Peer Reviewers After I Submit Them? 
    In a 360 review, once an employee submits their list of peers for their manager to approve, the employee will no longer see who they selected as a peer. If you would like the employee to see their final list of peer reviewers, please submit a ticket to support@reflektive.com. 

    \n
    • \n
  • \nHow Do Anonymity Settings Work in a Review Report?
    Anonymity settings only apply to 360 reviews; a 360 review can be:
      \n
    • \nFully Anonymous\n
        \n
      • In order for a review to be fully anonymous, there needs to be at least three peer or direct report feedback providers.
        • \n
      • If someone has fewer than three peer or direct report feedback providers, the feedback will be hidden in a Fully Anonymous review to preserve anonymity. Please talk to your Customer Success Manager if this applies to your review to explore alternatives!
        • \n
      • The review report will show peer and direct report feedback categorized under \"Peer\" and \"Direct Report\" sections if you have three or more peers and three or more direct reports.
        • \n
      • Feedback will be categorized under \"Others\" if there are fewer than three peer feedback providers and three direct report feedback providers.
        • \n
      \n
      • \n
    •  Non-Anonymous for Manager
        \n
      • The names of the peers and direct reports who submitted their feedback about this employee will only be viewable by the manager, but not by the employee. Employees will see feedback categorized under \"Peer\" and \"Direct Report\" or \"Other.\"
        Tip: If your managers like handing a physical copy of the review report to their employee, please make sure they print the employee view!
        • \n
      \n
      • \n
    •  Fully Non-Anonymous\n
        \n
      • The names of the peers and direct reports who submitted their feedback about this employee will be viewable by both the manager and employee. 
        • \n
      \n
      • \n
    \n
    • \n
  • \nIMPORTANT\n
      \n
    • Feedback from self-review and manager review will always be Non-Anonymous.
      • \n
    • You can change anonymity settings after a review or check-in is launched.
      • \n
    \n
    • \n
\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n

Example of Fully Anonymous Review Report (rating scale question)

\n
\n
\n \n
\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n\n\n\n
"}}