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Shared packet contents

Each employee has two packets in a cycle:
  • Employee packet: The stages and questions a cycle admin chooses. This is what the employee reads after their review is shared. Learn how to choose what’s in review packets.
  • Manager packet: Every stage and question, with reviewer names. Only managers and cycle admins can read it.
Each packet shows the latest submitted reviews in its stages. Questions are numbered (Q1, Q2) in each stage. Optional questions can have no answer. Observations, context reports, comments, and history are not part of either packet. When you have access to both packets, switch between them with the Employee packet and Manager packet tabs. On the employee packet, each stage shows how many of its questions are not shared with the employee.

Lock or update a packet

A lock prevents the manager from editing the review. A cycle admin can unlock it so the manager can edit and submit again. An unlocked packet shows the latest effective submitted answers when an authorized viewer opens it. This includes reviews submitted after the packet was shared. Sharing and locking are separate; the sharing dialogs make locking optional.

Download a PDF

Access depends on your role and the packet’s sharing status:
  • Cycle admins: Can download either packet after it has at least one submitted review, even while sharing is pending.
  • Assigned managers and managers above the employee: Can download either packet after manager sharing is enabled.
  • Employees: Can download the employee packet after it is shared with them.
A human resources business partner (HRBP) does not get access from that role alone. They need cycle-admin access or access through the employee’s management hierarchy. PDF access follows the same rules as the on-screen packet. Select Download PDF in the packet banner. The PDF matches the packet tab you are viewing:
  • Employee packet PDF: The answered questions in the employee packet. Hidden reviewer names stay hidden.
  • Manager packet PDF: Every stage and question, with reviewer names. It has an INTERNAL watermark.
Before a manager packet download starts, Windmill asks you to confirm. This PDF can include reviews and answers that the employee can’t see. Don’t send it to the employee.

Track packet views

Cycle admins can open Configure cycle > Sharing to track packets. Each timeline shows when sharing was enabled, who enabled it, when it was shared, who shared it, and the employee’s first view of the current share. Opening a packet or downloading its PDF records a view for that person. A manager or admin view does not count as an employee view. After access is revoked and the packet is shared again, only employee views after the new share count. These views do not appear in cycle Insights or review exports.