Admin Guide to Managing Performance Review Cycles

WorkStory administrators can manage an active performance review cycle by correcting manager and reviewer assignments, sending reminders, forcing a submission, skipping a step, or reverting a review.

By default, each performance review in a cycle is assigned to the reviewee’s direct manager. Administrators only need to override this behavior when the cycle intentionally requires a different manager.

These controls can change or permanently remove review data, so confirm the employee, review, and intended result before making an administrative update.

Edit peer and direct-report reviewers

While a review cycle is In Progress, administrators and the assigned review manager can add or remove eligible reviewers from an individual performance review. Use the reviewer table or Advanced Settings → Edit Reviewers.

When reviewer changes are allowed

• Sequential cycles: Until the Manager Review step begins.
• Parallel cycles: Until Release Review, or until Calibration when calibration is enabled.

Rules to know

• A new reviewer must be active and assigned in WorkStory.
• The reviewee and review manager cannot be added as another reviewer on the same review.
• In a 360 cycle, a direct-report reviewer must actually report to the reviewee.
• A reviewer who already submitted cannot be removed.
• Removing a reviewer deletes that reviewer’s comments and scores.
• If the removed person was the last outstanding reviewer, the review may advance automatically.

Check the removal confirmation carefully. If the feedback should remain part of the review, do not remove the reviewer.

Send a reviewer reminder

Administrators and direct review managers can notify an outstanding peer reviewer from the performance review. Send a reminder before using a control that changes the participant or stage whenever the correct reviewer is simply late.

Understand Force Submit, Skip, and Revert

Force Submit

Use when: The current step needs to be submitted so the review can progress.

Force Submit creates a submission for the current status and may move the review to the next stage.

Skip

Use when: A self, peer, or manager review should be completed with no content.

Managers and administrators can use Skip from Advanced Settings. Skipping permanently deletes saved notes, comments, and answers for that task, then submits it empty. Read the confirmation message before continuing.

Revert to a previous step

Use when: An individual performance review completed the wrong step or progressed too far.

Administrators can select a previously completed step, review the confirmation, and reopen the review at that point. Common examples include returning to peer selection or pulling back a review released too early.

Reverting can undo stage-specific actions or make a released review unavailable to the reviewee. The action is recorded in the review timeline.

Which action should an administrator choose?

• The correct reviewer has not responded: Send a reminder.
• The wrong reviewer is assigned: Edit reviewers.
• The current step should advance with its existing state: Consider Force Submit.
• The review should be completed empty and saved content removed: Use Skip.
• An earlier step must reopen: Use Revert.
• Every review in a new cycle intentionally needs the same manager: Use the optional fixed-manager override during setup. Otherwise, WorkStory assigns each review to the reviewee’s direct manager.

Optional: assign one fixed review manager to every review

WorkStory normally assigns each performance review to the reviewee’s direct manager. No additional setup is required for that default behavior.

When every review in a cycle intentionally needs the same manager, an administrator can select a fixed review manager during cycle setup. This optional setting overrides the usual direct-manager assignment for that cycle only.

• Confirm that one person should manage every included reviewee.
• Confirm that person has the time and access required for all manager steps.
• Review the cycle preview to verify the override before launch.

Administrator safety checklist

1. Confirm the employee and individual review.
2. Confirm the cycle status.
3. Review saved comments, answers, and submissions.
4. Choose the least disruptive action.
5. Read the confirmation message.
6. Verify the resulting stage, participants, and tasks.
7. Notify affected managers or reviewees.

Related WorkStory help

• Performance Review Cycles
• How Do 360 Performance Review Cycles Work?
• Who Can View a Performance Review?