Visibility settings in Best-Self Review®

By default, the following roles can access the results of a person's past reviews:

• Review Admins
• Cycle Collaborators
• The participant
• Their manager at the time of the review cycle
• Their global and cycle-specific review viewers

• Make someone a cycle-specific review viewer to grant them access to a person's results in a specific review cycle.
• Grant past reviews visibility to all direct managers and/or all additional managers in the "Visibility setting" section of Best-Self Review® feature settings (in-app link).

  

By default, the following roles can see a participant's submitted reviews and review summary in a current review cycle:

• Review Admins
• Cycle Collaborators
• The participant's manager at the time of the review cycle
• The participant's additional managers (global and cycle-specific)
• The participant's review viewers (global and cycle-specific)

In the "Visibility settings" section of Best-Self Review® feature settings (in-app link), Account Admins can select one of the following options:

• Basic Visibility: Only the default roles above can see submitted reviews.
• Hierarchy Visibility: Anyone above the participant’s manager in the org chart can also view them.

By default, the following roles can see a person's Private Manager Assessment answers:

• Review Admins
• Cycle Collaborators
• The participant's manager in the review cycle
• The participant's additional managers (global and cycle-specific)
• The participant's review viewers (global and cycle-specific)

In the "Visibility settings" section of Best-Self Review® feature settings (in-app link), Account Admins can enable visibility for:

• Participants: Allows employees to see their PMA responses after results are shared with them.

• Hierarchy: Extends visibility to anyone above the participant’s manager in the org chart.

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  Note

  This option is only available if Hierarchy Visibility is enabled in visibility settings.

Learn more about PMA visibility settings →

Visibility for performance ratings follows cycle visibility settings. This means the following roles can see a person's performance rating by default:

• Review Admins
• Cycle Collaborators
• The participant's manager in the review cycle
• The participant's additional managers (global and cycle-specific)
• The participant's review viewers (global and cycle-specific)

• If hierarchy visibility is enabled in Best-Self Review® feature settings, skip-level managers can view performance ratings results for employees within their reporting hierarchy.
  
• In the "Performance Ratings+" section of Best-Self Review® feature settings (in-app link), Account Admins can enable visibility for Participants.
  

In the "Peer review transparency" section of Best-Self Review® feature settings (in-app link), Account Admins can select one of the following options for answer transparency:

• Shared: Participants see all peer responses verbatim.
• Hidden: Participants see a summary of peer reviews, written by their manager. Learn how to write a review summary →

Peer reviewers will see a note under the Submit button of their review stating whether their answers will be shared verbatim or summarized.

In the "Peer review transparency" section of Best-Self Review® feature settings (in-app link), Account Admins can select one of the following options for identity transparency:

• Everyone: Peer identities are visible to all.
• Everyone except the participant: Hidden only from the participant.

• No one: Fully anonymous—peer identities are hidden from everyone.

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  Note

  When identity visibility is fully anonymous, even Review Admins and Managers can’t see peer identities unless the nomination is rejected. Please refer to the FAQs at the bottom of this article for more information.

Peers can see which identity visibility option was selected in the Transparency section of the "Review details" box when writing their peer review.

In the "Upward review transparency" section of Best-Self Review® feature settings (in-app link), Account Admins can select one of the following options for answer transparency:

• Shared: Managers see all upward responses verbatim.

• Hidden: Managers see a summary of upward reviews, written by their manager. Learn how to write a review summary →

Direct reports will see a note under the Submit button of their upward review stating whether their answers will be shared verbatim or summarized.

In the "Upward review transparency" section of Best-Self Review® feature settings (in-app link), Account Admins can select one of the following options for identity transparency:

• Everyone: Direct report identities are fully visible.

• Everyone except the manager: Hidden only from the manager (i.e., the person the review was written about).

• No one: Fully anonymous—identities are hidden from everyone.

Direct reports can see which identity visibility option was selected in the Transparency section of the "Review details" box when writing their upward review.

Each person involved in a Best-Self Review® cycle is assigned a specific role, which determines what they can see and do throughout the cycle. The main roles include:

• Review Admin: Sets up and manages the review cycle. Has full visibility into all reviews and settings.
• Cycle Collaborator: Supports the admin in managing the review cycle. Can view and manage all review data.
• Manager: Completes reviews for direct reports.
• Participant: Completes a self review.

For a full breakdown of each role’s permissions, check out this article: Roles in a Best-Self Review® cycle →

When managing peers in a cycle in which peer identities are fully anonymous, identity visibility depends on the status of the nomination:

• If a nomination is not approved, the peer’s identity will be visible to Review Admins, Cycle Collaborators, and Managers, but it will remain hidden from the participant.
• If a nomination is not accepted by the peer, the peer’s identity will remain anonymous to everyone, including Admins and Managers.

This ensures anonymity is preserved even during the nomination process.