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Self reviews give employees space to reflect on their own impact, growth, and goals. When a self review opens, Windy reaches out in Slack with a context report highlighting key contributions and feedback from the review period.

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How self reviews work

Windy guides employees through discussion topics configured for the cycle. The conversation is interactive—employees respond to each topic, and Windy asks follow-up questions for clarity or depth.

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The self review conversation

When the self review stage opens:
  1. Windy reaches out in Slack with a personalized message and context report
  2. Employees respond to discussion topics in a natural, conversational thread
  3. Windy asks follow-up questions to ensure responses are specific and actionable
  4. Progress is saved automatically throughout the conversation
The entire conversation happens in Slack, making it easy for employees to complete their review when it’s convenient.

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After completion

Once complete, the self review is uploaded into Windmill and becomes part of the employee’s Performance Review Packet—visible to their manager when drafting the manager review. Employees can edit their responses in the Windmill Dashboard up until the review deadline.

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Configuring self reviews

When creating a performance review cycle, you configure the discussion guide for self reviews—the topics Windy will guide employees through.

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Creating discussion topics

Discussion topics are open-ended prompts that Windy uses to guide the conversation. You configure them directly in the cycle creation wizard when setting up the self review stage. Example self review topics:
  • Describe the impact or outcomes from the last 6 months you believe have had the greatest impact on your team.
  • What would you consider your clearest areas of improvement or growth opportunities to drive stronger outcomes in the future?
  • How do you want to grow next quarter? Any specific steps or resources you’re thinking about to get there?

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Best practices for discussion guides

  • Keep it conversational — Write topics as if you’re asking them in person
  • Focus on specifics — Ask for examples, projects, or outcomes
  • Limit to 3-5 topics — Windy will follow up naturally based on responses
  • Avoid yes/no questions — Open-ended prompts lead to richer feedback
Windy is trained to ask follow-up questions if responses are vague, so you don’t need to include every possible follow-up in your discussion guide.

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Scheduling and participants

When configuring the self review stage:
  • Schedule — Set when the self review stage opens and when it’s due
  • Who participates — Optionally filter to a subset of employees for this stage (or use the cycle-level filter)

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Editing responses

After completing a self review in Slack, employees can still edit their responses in the Windmill Dashboard up until the stage deadline. To edit:
  1. Go to Performance Reviews
  2. Find the active cycle
  3. Click into the self review
  4. Make changes and save
Once the deadline passes, responses are locked.

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FAQs

Yes. After completing a self review in Slack with Windy, employees can still edit their responses in the Windmill Dashboard up until the review deadline.This allows employees to:
  • Refine answers after reflecting further
  • Add examples they remembered later
  • Adjust phrasing for clarity
Once the deadline passes, responses are locked.
When collecting feedback, Windy is trained to ask for more specific, constructive input. If responses are vague, Windy follows up with prompts focused on work products and outcomes rather than personalities.For example, during a self review, Windy might ask:
  • “What project or outcome are you referring to?”
  • “Can you share a specific example of your impact on that project?”
  • “What specific steps did you take to achieve that result?”
By encouraging feedback focused on work products and concrete outcomes, Windmill ensures that self reviews are more actionable and grounded in reality.
Yes. When creating a cycle, you configure discussion topics for self reviews. These are the prompts Windy uses to guide the conversation in Slack.Discussion topics are fully customizable to match your company’s review process.Learn more in Cycles.
If a deadline passes and a self review is still not submitted:
  • The review status changes to overdue in the tracking views
  • HR/admins can see who’s behind in the All Employees view
  • The employee can still submit after the deadline
However, late submissions may delay calibration or review sharing. HR can follow up with individuals who are overdue to understand blockers and adjust deadlines if needed.Windmill sends automated reminders before and on the deadline to minimize late submissions.