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Releasing makes finalized review packets visible to the right people at the right time. After managers submit reviews and calibration is complete (if applicable), HR sends packets to managers for review, and then managers release them to employees.

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The 3-step release process

1

HR sends packets to managers

After calibration is complete, HR sends finalized review packets to managers for their review.
2

Managers review and release to employees

Each manager reviews their direct reports’ packets and releases them to employees when ready.
3

Employees view their packets

Once released, employees can view and download their finalized performance review packet.

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What’s in a packet

Review packets include:
  • Finalized responses from the manager’s review
  • Post-calibration ratings (if calibration was part of the cycle)
  • Only the questions HR has selected to share with employees
Employees do not see calibration justifications, rating changes, or internal notes—just their final ratings and the questions shared with them.

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Configuring shared questions

Before releasing packets, HR can control which questions from the manager review are visible to employees. To configure shared questions:
  1. Navigate to the performance review cycle
  2. Go to the Admin Dashboard
  3. Select which questions will appear in employee packets
  4. Questions are opt-in and can be changed any time before release
This allows HR to share overall ratings and key feedback while keeping internal questions (like promotion readiness or compensation recommendations) private.

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Releasing to managers

Once calibration is complete, HR can send packets to managers:
  1. Go to the Admin Dashboard for the cycle
  2. Select employees whose packets are ready to send
  3. Click Release to Managers
Releasing is soft-gated by calibration completion. If some employees aren’t calibrated yet, you’ll see a warning with an option to override and release anyway. Packets appear in each manager’s To-Do page. HR can track which managers have reviewed and released their packets from the Admin Dashboard.
You can hold off on releasing to managers until all calibrations are done by leaving the “Release after calibration” checkbox unchecked. You can always release later from the Admin Dashboard.

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Managers releasing to employees

After receiving packets from HR, managers:
  1. Review each direct report’s packet in their To-Do page
  2. Download packets as PDFs if needed for the performance conversation
  3. Click Release to Employee when ready to share
Once released, the employee can view their packet under My Review and download it as a PDF.
We believe performance conversations matter. Managers should have these conversations with their direct reports before releasing reviews, ensuring employees have context and can ask questions.

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HR releasing directly to employees

If needed, HR can release packets directly to employees (bypassing the manager review step):
  1. Go to the Admin Dashboard
  2. Select employees to release for
  3. Click Release to Employees
This is useful when:
  • A manager is unavailable
  • You need to expedite the process
  • An employee’s manager has left the company

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Tracking release progress

HR can track release status from the Admin Dashboard:
  • Which packets have been sent to managers
  • Which managers have released to employees
  • Which employees have viewed their packets
This makes it easy to follow up with managers who haven’t completed releases or identify employees who haven’t viewed their packets yet.

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Unreleasing packets

If changes are needed after release, HR can unrelease packets from both managers and employees. To unrelease:
  1. Go to the Admin Dashboard
  2. Select the employee(s)
  3. Click Unrelease
Important: A review must be unreleased before it can be calibrated again or edited. Once unreleased, you can make changes, recalibrate, and re-release.
Unreleasing should be reserved for corrections. Employees will lose access to their packet when you unrelease it.

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Bulk actions

All release actions support bulk operations:
  • Release all to managers — Send all calibrated packets to managers at once
  • Release all to employees — HR can release packets directly to all employees if needed
  • Unrelease multiple — Unrelease several packets at once for corrections
This makes it easy to manage releases at scale.

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Review locking

Reviews lock only when released to employees. Before release:
  • Managers can edit submitted reviews
  • HR can make changes after calibration
  • Reviews can be recalibrated as needed
After release to employees:
  • Reviews are locked and cannot be edited
  • To make changes, you must unrelease the packet first
This ensures employees always see accurate, finalized information while maintaining flexibility before release.