Performance Management FAQ

BambooHR® Performance Management is available for customers on BambooHR Pro. Click here to get an overview of the Pro plan or to schedule a demo.

What are the frequently asked questions about Performance Management?

Purpose: To give you answers to the most frequently asked questions about BambooHR® Performance Management.

Table of Contents

Review cycles
  1. Is there a limit on how many review cycles I can create? 
    • No. There is no limit on the number of review cycles you can create in BambooHR. 
  2. Is there a way to see what review cycles an employee is in?
    • No. Currently, there are no reports that show this specific information.
  3. What will the manager or employee see if they are in more than one active review cycle?
    • When they navigate to their Performance tab and click Assessment, they will notice the names of all active review cycles attached to a specific date range in the dropdown menu.
  4.  How do review cycles impact impromptu assessments?
    • The Start Assessment option will show up on an employee’s Performance > Assessments tab if you skip all active assessments for every active review cycle an employee is in. 
  5. Is there a way to do a 90-day performance review for new hires or disciplinary follow-up reviews? 
    • Yes! You can use the By Hire Date option when setting up your review cycle. The best way to do this is to schedule managers and employees to complete their assessments either two or three months after the hire date and keep the Repeat box without a checkmark.
  6. Why schedule my review now if they are not due until the end of the year?
    • Even if reviews are not due until the end of the year, it can be easy to forget. Setting the date now will help you move on to other tasks. It will also help you get feedback and goals started as soon as possible to have more information for managers to use in the assessments.
  7. Can the review cycle be based on the employee’s hire date rather than every three, four, six, or 12 months?
    • Yes! You can create review cycles on a fixed date (all employees will have reviews start on the same date) or the hire date (employees included will have reviews start based on the date they got hired).
Assessments
Setting up assessments
  1. When do assessments start?
    • Assessments start based on the New Window Start Date field configured in a review cycle setup (Settings > Performance > Review Cycles). We recommend beginning assessments at least one week in advance to ensure you have time to set up the review cycle, and the system will send out all email notifications on time when the assessment window starts. 
  2. How many total questions can an assessment have?
    • There can be a total of fourteen questions with four standard questions and up to ten custom questions.
  3. Can I customize assessments? 
    • Extensive research has found that assessments are most helpful when they are simple. This simplicity allows the manager and employee to focus on the most important aspects of an employee's work. We understand that there are other thought-provoking questions out there, so we allow up to ten custom questions. You may not feel that this is enough based on previous performance reviews you have conducted, but we are challenging that. The performance reviews of BambooHR are different in that they focus on what is most important. If you truly need to store additional performance information, there is an option to upload scanned documents to the assessment.
  4. Can I remove the BambooHR standard assessment questions?
    • Yes. However, we get real with our default questions by embracing the idiosyncrasies and flaws in human judgment. We ask managers what they would do if their employee received a job offer elsewhere to discover how truly valuable the employee is to the company. The answers reflect the sentiment that may be uncomfortable when recognized. The following questions help managers to start or continue a crucial dialogue with their employees.
      • Do the employees feel valued by their organization? 
      • What can help them perform more of their best work every day? 
      • How is their attitude and engagement? 
    • These questions include what the employee does well and how they could improve: industry, company, role, location, tenure, and culture agnostic. They work for anyone because they are at the core of self-evaluation and continuous improvement. We feel that these questions are the ones necessary for assessing performance in a way that focuses on the employee's needs.
  5. Can employees assess their managers?
    • In Performance Management, employees cannot submit an assessment on their manager. However, employees can submit upward feedback on their manager if you have the Pro package. To learn more, navigate to the 360° Feedback help guide.
  6. How many custom questions can I add to the assessments?
    • Ten. The more answers we require from managers and employees in our assessments, the less thoughtful and effective they become. We want to help remove unnecessary details and focus on what is most meaningful. This simplicity enables a process where managers and employees are delighted by a refreshingly straightforward analysis of an employee’s standing perceived by the manager and employee. We continue to see success by companies who switch to this method of thinking, throw away their multi-page assessment forms, and empower their managers to manage performance successfully.
  7. Can you customize different assessment questions based on a department, division, or location? 
    • The standard assessment questions are industry, company, role, location, tenure, and culture agnostic. They work for anyone because they are at the core of self-evaluation and continuous improvement. We recommend setting up separate review cycles if you wish to individualize custom questions by different employee groups.
  8. Can we add ratings to questions?  What if we want to score them on their competencies or skills?
    • Humans are poor at judging other humans. Ratings often say more about the rater than the rate (a symptom known as the idiosyncratic rater effect). The issue that most companies have is ignoring this problem to tie a “number” to each employee and simplify business decisions. Because the math used to arrive at the number is flawed, so are the choices. The questions are often subjective, based on or influenced by personal feelings or opinions. Instead, we focus on output and the employee’s development instead of the review itself and use accurate data to decide how to improve.
  9.  Can we translate custom questions within the assessments?
    • You can do this manually with the supported languages listed in Settings.
  10.  Can I change which questions to show or not show to my employees?
    • No. We currently hide only the first two questions in the assessment from the employee. All others will be visible to the employee.
  11. Can I select which manager should assess the employee if they have more than one manager?
    • No. The system will automatically assign the assessment to the manager listed in the Reports To field in the employee's Job Information table.
  12. How can we submit an assessment on a CEO if they do not have any direct reports listed in the system?
    • To have an assessment done, employees (including the CEO) will need to have someone they report to in the system. We have found most CEOs do not need an assessment or track performance on themselves.
  13. Where do I set pay based on performance?
    • Although performance-based raises and bonuses are appropriate, we disagree that conversations about pay should happen at once with performance assessments. Doing so makes the whole experience about the money. Employees try to justify a raise, and managers try to justify their decisions regarding raises. The whole point of performance reviews is to measure (and improve) performance, which can get lost in compensation. Let’s assess the employee. How are they doing? How can they improve? Are we aligned? Then, a few months later, talk about money.
Completing assessments
  1. Do managers and employees get notifications when the other party has completed their assessment?
    • Yes, both the manager and the employee will receive an email notification when the other party has completed their assessment.
  2. Can my managers view their employee’s self assessment before submitting their assessment of the employee?
    • Assessments in BambooHR are double-blind, which means managers must assess their employees before seeing how their employees have evaluated themselves. This approach deliberately breaks from the traditional workflow and may make some managers uncomfortable.
  3. How do employees know how long they have to complete assessments?
    • When you launch a review cycle that includes assessments, it will notify employees when the assessment is open and the due date you selected. It will then remind them to complete the assessment with scheduled reminders until completion.
  4. Can managers or employees fill out their assessments following the deadline? What is the timeline?
    • There is a button that will allow you to view the previous assessment, and it will take you there to fill those out whenever. The timeline is only for due dates, and we send reminders to have those completed on time. Managers and employees can fill out assessments after the assessment due date.
  5. Can you make a change to the assessment in the middle of the review period?
    • You can change questions ONLY if no assessments are complete yet. We lock those down otherwise.
  6. What if a new hire gets hired after the review has already started? Are they included in the review period?
    • Yes. A manager will have the option to skip the assessment if they do not want to include the new employee. Or, you can use the By Hire Date option when setting up your review cycle to prompt the employee to complete an assessment based on the hire date.
Viewing completed assessments
  1. Can I hide the manager assessment until the scheduled 1:1 with the employee?
    • Yes! Once a manager submits the assessment, they can pick the date they would like to have it published for the employee to see. 
  2. Can admin users “proofread” the assessments before they are submitted?
    • We currently do not support this. However, admins can unlock an assessment if there are mistakes or errors to correct. This action allows the employee or manager to resubmit an assessment.
  3. If an employee gets a new manager, can the new manager see the previous manager's assessment data in the system?
    • Yes, managers have access to Performance and can view assessment data from previous managers.
  4. Where do the uploaded files go to? Can I move them to the Documents tab?
    • Uploaded files stay attached to that specific assessment on the Performance tab, and you cannot move it.
  5. Is there a place to leave notes after the assessment and after a "formal sit down" with an employee?
    • Yes. Once both assessments are complete, the manager will have the option to add a follow-up note regarding the assessments. Please note that the employee can see follow-up notes added to an assessment. 
  6. What happens when I unlock an assessment? And is there a timeline after the completion of assessments that I cannot unlock them?
    • It is just as though they are incomplete. The employee or manager would just resubmit an assessment. There is no timeline, and the admin can unlock an assessment whenever.
Feedback
  1. When does feedback start?
    • The Date field under Feedback in a review cycle setup determines the feedback start dates. Based on your selected start date, you can then have feedback happen every 3, 4, 6, or 12 months.
  2. When does feedback show up in the system once someone has provided feedback on another employee?
    • The feedback will show up immediately after submission.
  3. Can I select non-employee users to give feedback?
    • Yes. The individual has to be a user, but you can select any user.
  4. Can I select new hires to give feedback?
    • Yes—as long as they have access to their BambooHR accounts.
  5. Can I change the schedule for feedback or skip a quarter?
    • Yes. In the review cycle setup, you can adjust the date of when the next feedback period should occur. You can also change the frequency. In that way, you can make sure everyone is ready to give the most effective feedback.
  6. Can I request feedback outside my regularly scheduled review cycle?
    • Yes. At any time, you can navigate to the employee's profile and select other employees to give feedback. Keep in mind that you can only have 10 open requests at a time.
  7. How many people can I select to provide feedback on an employee?
    • The manager can select up to 10 people to provide feedback on one of their employees, but what is better is that the manager can have conversations with their employee after receiving feedback on them. They can resolve concerns, set new goals, and give praise at the moment. Now, compare that to the traditional method of collecting a bunch of feedback trying to paint an accurate picture of the past year at a time when it is too late to do anything about it.
  8. Can I customize feedback questions?
    • If you have the Pro package, you can add custom feedback questions to peer and upward feedback within a review cycle setup. Each feedback type has a limit of five questions in total (custom and standard). For example, if you remove the two standard questions, you will be able to add five custom questions.
      • If you do not have the Pro package and are interested in upgrading your package, navigate to Settings > Account and click Learn More for the specific package upgrade.
  9. Who can view feedback?
    • Admins, the employee’s manager, and the manager’s manager can view feedback on a specific employee, but that specific employee (including admins) receiving the feedback will not be able to view it. Studies show that people provide more honest and open feedback if they know the recipient will not see it. However, strictly anonymous feedback lacks the context of the provider, which can be very helpful for managers in determining what actions to take with the information shared. The goal is to create an environment where individuals can share open feedback in an insightful and actionable way.
      • If you have the Pro package, managers will not be able to view upward feedback provided on themselves.
  10. Where can employees see the feedback they provided on another employee?
    • The employee can log in to their employee profile and go to their inbox. Within the inbox, they will be able to view the feedback they provided on other employees. 
Goals
  1. Is there a limit on how many goals an employee can add to their account?
    • No, there is no limit.
  2. How do we create the right kind of goals?
    • S.M.A.R.T goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound)
  3. Do you have a way to track OKRs?
    • Not currently.
  4. What email notifications are sent regarding changes to goals?
    • Click here to view the email notifications associated with goal tracking. 
  5. Can I add department-wide or company-wide goals?
    • Yes, employees can share goals with other team members to help unify their efforts and complete goals faster. Additionally, managers can work with their employees to establish goals that align with organizational objectives. 
  6. How can I view the history of completed goals?
    • On an employee's Performance tab, click Goals. The Status dropdown menu allows you to select what kind of goals you want to view: In Progress, Completed, or Closed.
  7. Will new hires have access to the Goals tab right away?
    • Yes.
  8. Can employees edit or delete goals?
    • Yes, but only if you have granted your employees access under Settings > Performance > Goals.
Settings
  1. Do I have to use goals, feedback, and self and manager assessments?
    • BambooHR® Performance Management includes all of these features, but you do not have to use each (determined in Settings > Performance). However, we strongly recommend using all three features as each brings unique value to a performance review cycle. Performance Management is simple, accurate, and it motivates employees and managers to take action. When incorporating all features, everyone with access to Performance gets a better understanding of how, when, and where to take action.
  2. Can I add performance customizations to my BambooHR account or recreate my current performance process?
    • Based on what we have seen with customizations around performance management, it does not typically provide a good user experience in BambooHR. Also, the customizations provide no added functionality to our current performance management feature. (Historically, our customers have not used performance customizations after we have added them.)
  3. Can managers access their indirect reports' Performance tab and data?
    • Yes, Managers can always see the Performance tab of their direct and indirect reports, regardless of their access level settings, but you can do this more easily by having the manager access level settings include direct and indirect reports. 
      • If set to Direct and Indirect Reports, the manager can go to indirect report's employee profile to see all the information they have access to view, including performance data. On the indirect report's Performance tab, the manager can add and change goals as well. Managers cannot submit assessments on the indirect report, but a direct manager can ask them to provide feedback.
      • If set to Direct Reports, managers can still go to their direct reports' employee profiles. If they click on a indirect report in their reporting line, they will only be able to view the Performance tab and no other tabs.
  4. If a CEO is only going to use Performance Management to assess employees, do they have to purchase the feature for themselves?  
    • If you do not enable Performance Management for the CEO (and thereby the company is not paying for them), they can still prompt a manager assessment for their direct reports. The CEO will not have their reviews completed because the feature is not available for them, but they can still administer them and see others' performance information.
  5. Is Performance Management available on the BambooHR mobile app?
  6. What happens if I cancel Performance Management? Is data all lost?
    • Yes. Canceling Performance Management will remove the entire feature, including its data, reports, etc. from your account. 
  7. Can I configure access levels to allow specific users view Performance Management data in BambooHR?
    • Yes. Managers with direct and indirect reports have automatic access to complete tasks associated with performance management. Click here to learn more about other access options in Performance Management. 
  8. Can non-employee users access an employee's Performance tab and data?
    • Yes—as long as you give them access through a custom access level.
Reporting
  1. Can I set up a custom report with Performance Management data?
    • Currently, custom reports are not available for Performance Management. However, we offer standard reports with filters you can use to view a specific set of data. Our standard reports for Performance Management are Assessment Progress, Company Performance, Employee Performance, Feedback Status, and Goal Status.
  2. When an admin is looking at the Employee Performance report, can they see their own information in the report?
    • No. The admin can view other employees' information but not their own information.
  3. How can I see my employees' progress over a period of time?
    • The Employee Performance report will be your best resource. It will show all assessments completed within a specified date range. Click on an employee's picture to see a trendline showing changes in their manager ratings over their last few assessments.
  4. Do managers see direct and indirect reports in the Employee Performance report regardless of their access settings?
    • If a user shares the report with a manager, the manager will only see their direct indirect reports, never themselves.
  5. Does the system pull custom assessment questions into the Employee Performance report? 
    • Yes, but you will first need to export the report, and the exported file will show your employees' answers to the custom assessment questions. 
  6. Will the Employee Performance and Company Performance reports work if I am not using the BambooHR standard assessment questions for a specific review cycle?
    • You can still access the reports, but those assessments will not show up.
      • If you wish to view custom assessment questions and answers, navigate to the Employee Performance report, specify the date range, and download the report. This downloaded report will reflect custom questions and answers of all assessments from the review cycles included in the selected date range, regardless of whether or not the assessments used the BambooHR standard assessment questions. 
Who can view what in Performance?

Full Admin and Account Owners have access to all aspects of Performance: assessments, feedback, and goals. An exception to this is if they are the one being assessed (first two questions on manager assessment) and given feedback on.

Type  Who can view  Who cannot view
Assessments 
  • The direct report (employee) 
  • The direct report's manager 
  • Manager’s manager

Assessments are double-blind. Managers must submit a manager assessment on their direct report before they can view the direct report's self-assessment.


  • Employees outside of direct report, manager, and manager's manager
Feedback (known as "peer feedback" in the Pro package)
  • The direct report’s manager
  • The manager’s manager
  • The employee who submitted feedback (viewable under Sent > Feedback in their inbox)
  • The direct report receiving the feedback
Impromptu feedback
  • The direct report’s manager
  • The manager’s manager
  • The requester (if outside of the manager/direct report line)
  • The employee who submitted feedback (viewable under Sent > Feedback in their inbox)
  • The direct report receiving the feedback
Upward feedback (Pro package ONLY)
  • The manager’s manager
  • The direct report who submitted feedback (viewable under Sent > Feedback in their inbox)
  • The manager receiving the feedback
Goals
  • The direct report
  • The direct report’s manager
  • The manager’s manager
  • Other team members, unless a user shares a goal with them

Managers can always view the Performance tab of their direct and indirect reports, regardless of their access level settings. Managers can add and edit goals for both direct and indirect reports. Managers cannot submit a manager assessment on an indirect report, but they can provide feedback if requested by the indirect report's manager.