This article is designed specifically for managers of participants in a 15Five review cycle. As a manager, you play a crucial role in supporting employee performance and growth. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know—from managing peer nominations and writing reviews to completing the review summary and holding final meetings with your team.
This article contains the following sections:
- How it Works
- Notifications
- Manage Peers
- Write Your Manager Review
- Review Peer & Upward Reviews
- Complete the Review Summary & Final Meeting
- Download or Print Review Results
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Access and availability
⛔️ Required access to Best-Self Review®.
👥 This article is relevant to Additional managers.
📦 This feature is available in the Perform and Total Platform pricing packages.
Role Overview
As a manager, you’re responsible for supporting your direct reports throughout the performance review process.
You help create a well-rounded evaluation experience by:
- Managing and approving peer nominations
- Writing a manager review
- Reviewing submitted peer and upward feedback (if applicable)
- Completing the review summary
- Sharing and finalizing review results
- Holding a final meeting to discuss the results
How it Works
To help you understand your responsibilities, here’s a quick walkthrough of the review cycle:
- Review cycle launches: The review admin initiates the cycle. You and your direct reports are notified.
- Nominate and approve/decline peers: If peer reviews are included in the cycle, you may be responsible for nominating peers on behalf of your direct reports and approving or declining submitted nominations (in participant-initiated peer review cycles).
- Participants complete self reviews: Employees submit self-assessments based on configured questions.
- Peers and upward reviewers contribute feedback: If enabled, peer and upward reviews are completed.
- Managers complete their reviews: You write a review for each direct report based on their self-review and peer/upward input.
- Calibration sessions (optional): Admins and stakeholders may review and adjust feedback for consistency.
- Review summaries and conduct final meetings: You complete a summary, meet with your direct report, and share results.
- Finalize results: You (or an admin/collaborator) finalize the results to conclude the cycle.
Notifications
Once a review cycle launches, you'll be notified the following ways:
When you're assigned as an additional manager in an active review cycle, you’ll see an action item on your Actions List (in-app link). Click on this action item to go directly to your review.
Upon being assigned as an additional manager, you'll receive an email notification from notifications@15five.com. Click on the call to action in the email to open your review.
- If you were added as a default additional manager, the text of the notification will read, "You are now an additional manager for [Name]'s future review cycles."
- If you were added as a cycle-specific additional manager, the text of the notification will read "You are now an additional manager for [Name] for their “[Review cycle name]” cycle."
You'll also receive an in-app notification, which you can access by clicking the notification bell at the top of your 15Five account. Click Go to cycle to open your review.
As a manager, you’ll also receive key notifications to help guide you through the review process:
- Review Cycle Kickoff
- Self Review Submitted (per direct report)
- Manager Review Reminders (7-day, 3-day, and overdue)
- Nudges from admins to write or share reviews
- Reminders to schedule and complete final meetings
For a more extensive list of emails that are sent out during a Best-Self Review® cycle, see: Email notifications for a review cycle.
Manage Peers
As a manager, the first interaction you may have with your direct reports who are participating in a cycle is during the peer nomination window. This is only relevant if peer reviews are included in the review cycle.
Either participant-initiated or peer-initiated peer reviews can be included in a review cycle. In participant-initiated peer reviews (the default peer review type), either the review cycle participant themselves, their manager (you), a review admin, or a cycle collaborator can nominate peers for the participant. The manager (you), a review admin, or a cycle collaborator can approve, decline, or remove peer nominations for a participant. In peer-initiated peer reviews, peers volunteer to write peer reviews of participants; there is no nomination or approval process.
Help Center article 💡: Nominate peers for a review cycle participant
Help Center article 💡: Approve, deny, or remove peer nominations for my team.
Write Your Manager Review
Follow these steps to complete your review:
- Navigate to the participant’s review via your Actions List or the Best-Self Review® dashboard.
- Click the participant’s name to open their review.
- Select the “Manager” tab to begin writing your responses.
- Use the Resources for reviews panel for helpful context from:
- The participant's Self review
- Any peer and upward reviews that have been submitted about the participant
- The participant's past check-ins, objectives, and wins/challenges
- Complete the Private Manager Assessment (PMA) section with future-focused insights.
Note
You cannot submit your review until your direct report has submitted their self review or the self review deadline has passed. You can edit your manager review until you share it, unless calibration has started.
Help Center article 💡: Submit my manager review
Help Center article 💡: Edit my submitted manager review
Review Peer & Upward Reviews
Review feedback written about your direct reports by their reports (if applicable)
Help Center article 💡: How to review submitted peer reviews of my team
Help Center article 💡: How to review upward reviews submitted for your team
Complete the Review Summary & Final Meeting
Once the self and manager reviews are complete and the "Start sharing on" milestone has passed:
- Complete the review summary, a concise synthesis of all feedback.
- Schedule and hold a final meeting with your direct report.
- Share review results (you, an admin, or a collaborator can do this).
- Finalize the review once feedback has been reviewed and discussed.
Help Center article 💡: Finalize a participant's review results
Download or Print Review Results
You can download or print the complete review for any direct report at any time, typically after finalizing results.
Help Center article 💡: View Review Results as a Manager
Help Center article 💡: Download a person's review results
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I edit my manager review after submitting?
Yes—until the review is shared or calibration begins. PMA sections cannot be edited during calibration.
Can I see feedback from others while writing my review?
Yes—submitted peer, upward, and self reviews appear in the Resources for reviews panel.
What if I miss a deadline to write or share results?
Reach out to a review admin or cycle collaborator to adjust dates or unlock the review.
Who can see my manager review once it’s submitted?
Review admins, cycle collaborators, anyone in the participant’s hierarchy (if hierarchy visibility is enabled), and review viewers. It’s only visible to the participant after sharing.
Is the Private Manager Assessment visible to the employee?
By default, no. Admins can configure visibility settings to allow broader access.
Can I write reviews for skip-level or dotted-line reports?
Not as a manager. You’d need to be assigned as an additional manager.
Other related resources
- Help Center article 💡: What to expect: I'm a review participant
- Help Center article 💡: What to expect: I'm a review admin