The additional manager role in performance reviews allows someone other than a person’s direct manager in 15Five to write a manager review for them. This is especially useful when an employee has a dotted-line relationship, cross-functional responsibilities, or mentorship support that warrants inclusion in their performance feedback.
In this article, you will learn...
- Types of Additional Managers 👥
- How to Assign Default Additional Managers 🧑💼
- How to Assign Cycle-Specific Additional Managers ⏳
- Customization Options for Additional Managers ⚙️
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ❓
Access and availability
📦 This feature is available in the Perform and Total Platform pricing packages.
Note
Feedback submitted by additional managers is automatically available during calibration sessions, helping review admins and leaders make more informed, balanced decisions. Learn more about calibration sessions →
Types of Additional Managers 👥
There are two types of additional managers in 15Five:
- Default additional managers are assigned to all review cycles a person participates in. Only one default additional manager can be assigned for a user.
- Cycle-specific additional managers are assigned to a participant in their individual settings for that review cycle. Up to five cycle-specific additional managers can be assigned per participant.
Both types allow for richer, more holistic feedback and ensure key contributors to an employee’s performance can participate in the review process. Continue reading to learn how to assign these roles.
Assign Default Additional Managers 🧑💼
You can assign one default additional manager per employee. This person will automatically be included as an additional manager in every review cycle that the employee participates in—no need to manually assign them each time.
Note
To ensure default additional managers are included in a review cycle, they must be assigned before the cycle launches. If you need someone to write a review for a participant after the cycle has already started, you can still add them as a cycle-specific additional manager instead.
There are two ways to assign default additional managers: via bulk import (best for assigning additional managers for multiple employees at once) and in individual account settings (best for assigning an additional manager for a single employee).
Use the dropdowns below to learn how to assign default additional managers using each of these options.
This option allows Account Admins to bulk upload or update default additional managers for multiple individuals at once. To learn more about bulk import capabilities, check out our "Bulk import or update people" article.
Access and availability
⛔️ Required access to Bulk import.
👥 This section is relevant to Account admins.
- Click People in 15Five's main, left-hand navigation.
- Open the "Import" tab in the top navigation bar.
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Prepare your bulk import CSV. This CSV must contain two columns: email and additional_manager_write.
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In the email column, enter the employee’s email address.
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In the additional_manager_write column, enter the email of the person you want to assign as their default additional manager.
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Upload your CSV. Click Choose file at the bottom of the import page and select your saved CSV (must be in UTF-8 CSV format).
- On the Preview import screen, review the pending changes. If something looks off, click Start over in the bottom-left corner to cancel the import and return to the bulk import page.
- Click Finish import. Depending on the size of your CSV, it may take up to 15 minutes for the import to complete.
This option allows you to manually add or update an individual’s default additional manager from their account settings page. Both Account Admins and the person’s Manager have permission to make this change.
Access and availability
⛔️ Required access to Account settings.
👥 This section is relevant to Account admins and Direct managers.
- Click People in 15Five's main, left-hand navigation.
- Click a person's name to open their account settings page.
- Scroll down to the Account settings section of the page and find the "Additional Manager" setting. Use the dropdown menu to select the person you want to assign as their default additional manager.
- Click Save at the bottom of the page.
Assign Cycle-Specific Additional Managers ⏳
This option allows you to assign one or more individuals to write an additional manager review for a participant in a specific review cycle. These individuals will only have access to submit feedback for that one cycle. You can assign up to five (5) cycle-specific additional managers per person.
Access and availability
⛔️ Required access to Best-Self Review® individual settings.
👥 This section is relevant to Review admins, Cycle collaborators, and Direct managers.
- Click Performance in 15Five's main, left-hand navigation, then select Best-Self Review® from the dropdown menu.
- Click on the name of the review cycle you want to assign additional managers in.
- Search for the review cycle participant you want to add a cycle-specific additional manager for.
- Click the ... option to the right of the participant's name and select 'Edit individual settings' from the dropdown menu.
- Scroll down to the Who can view reviews of [participant]? section and click Edit next to "Additional manager reviews."
- Add the names of the people you want to add as additional managers, then click Save.
Customization Options ⚙️
The following options are available to Account Admins to customize the additional manager role, allowing for greater flexibility and alignment with your organization’s review process.
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Visibility into past reviews: Default additional managers can be granted access to all past review cycles for the participants they’re assigned to. This ensures continuity and context across review cycles. Learn how to configure feature settings →
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Performance ratings calculations: Account admins can configure performance ratings to include additional manager reviews alongside self and manager reviews—ensuring a broader perspective is captured in final scores. Learn how to configure feature settings →
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ❓
Additional managers can use our "What to Expect: I'm an Additional Manager" article for role-based steps on how to complete a review cycle.
People who have additional managers will appear on the cycle overview page (Performance > Best-Self Reivew® > Open review cycle) with a + icon. You can hover over the icon to see the names of their additional managers.
No. Default additional managers must be assigned before the review cycle launches. If the cycle is already in progress, you can still add someone as a cycle-specific additional manager.
Additional managers can complete a manager review for the participant, and if enabled, view past review data. Additional managers cannot share or finalize review results or manage peer nominations for a review cycle participant.
Yes. Additional managers will receive an email notification when they're assigned as an additional manager.
You can remove a cycle-specific additional manager by editing the participant’s individual settings within the review cycle.
To remove a default additional manager, update the person’s account settings or bulk import a new file.
Yes, on their review cycle overview page.