What it is
The Manager Review is an optional, standalone part of the 360 feedback process. It provides managers with a dedicated, structured space to evaluate each of their direct reports independently of the standard 360 feedback questionnaire.
The Manager Review is separate from the standard 360 feedback page and has its own set of questions, timeline, and communication. It is designed to capture additional, manager-specific feedback beyond the standard 360 questions, reflecting the perspective of the person with the deepest understanding of the employee’s day-to-day performance and overall contribution.
❓Why it matters
The Manager Review treats a manager’s feedback as a separate, distinct data point rather than just one voice among many. This approach provides several important benefits.
> Managers have a unique perspective.
Peers evaluate how an employee collaborates with others, while direct reports assess their leadership and support. Managers, however, evaluate performance against expectations, business objectives, and long-term growth potential. These are fundamentally different perspectives, making manager feedback uniquely valuable.
> It creates accountability.
By completing a formal Manager Review, managers provide a documented assessment of an employee’s strengths, development areas, and potential. This creates a clear point of reference for coaching conversations, development planning, performance discussions, and talent decisions.
> It connects feedback to action.
360 feedback delivers the greatest value when it leads to meaningful development. The Manager Review creates a natural bridge between assessment and action by giving managers an opportunity to articulate their observations and priorities upfront. Those insights become the foundation for follow-up conversations and development plans instead of having to be reconstructed after the review.
> It improves the overall quality of the assessment.
Manager feedback is often the most context-rich input in a 360 process. Providing managers with a dedicated set of tailored questions results in more relevant, specific, and actionable feedback, ultimately strengthening the quality and usefulness of the overall assessment.
✨ Should you add it to your 360 team assessment?
The Manager Review is optional, so it’s worth considering whether it fits the goals of your 360 feedback process rather than including or excluding it by default.
Add it when:
You want manager feedback to be documented separately and clearly distinguished from peer and stakeholder feedback.
The assessment will inform development planning, coaching, performance reviews, or succession planning, where the manager’s perspective plays a key role.
Managers have meaningful visibility into each employee’s day-to-day performance, progress, and strategic contribution.
You want managers to provide thoughtful, structured qualitative feedback on each direct report rather than simply participating as another survey respondent.
You need a formal manager assessment that can be referenced during talent review discussions.
Your organization wants to separate manager evaluations from multi-rater feedback for reporting or decision-making purposes.
Consider skipping it when:
Managers are already participating in the standard 360 survey with a dedicated set of manager-specific questions, making a separate Manager Review unnecessary and potentially creating duplication or survey fatigue.
The assessment is intentionally focused on peer or stakeholder feedback, with limited manager involvement.
The primary goal is to gather broad, multi-rater feedback rather than conduct a formal manager evaluation.
Managers have limited interaction with the employees being assessed and cannot provide meaningful additional context.
You need to keep the assessment process as simple and lightweight as possible to maximize participation and completion rates.
🔧 How to set it up
The Manager Review is a separate process. It has its own questions, its own deadline, and its own communication to managers. This means additional coordination — and additional expectation-setting with managers before the assessment launches.
Steps to Complete the Manager Review Setup:
Select Manager
Click + Add manager to assign a manager responsible for reviewing each direct report. You must select at least one manager for this section to be activated.Add Manager Questions
Use the + Add manager questions button to include specific questions that the manager should answer during the review. These questions help guide the feedback process and ensure consistency.Review Communication
Click on Preview manager communication to review the message that will be sent to managers. This ensures the message is clear, aligned with expectations, and can be customized if necessary.Define a Deadline
Set the deadline by which managers must complete their reviews. After this date:Managers will still be able to access the platform and download reports.
However, they will no longer be able to edit their review responses.
The deadline can be selected using the date picker provided under “Deadline for managers to complete direct reports review in platform."
Launch the Manager Review after the 360 survey is complete.
The Manager Review should only be launched after the standard 360 feedback process has finished. If additional managers need to be included later, you can assign them after the initial launch and launch the Manager Review again to send them their review requests.
💬 Need Help?
If you have questions or need assistance, reach out to our support team or contact your Customer Success Manager.