The new review system uses roles to control who can manage reviews, who can view them, and who participates at each step. Understanding these roles helps you set up the right permissions for your process.
This article explains every role in the system, what permissions each one has, and how to assign them to the right people.
💡 Still using our previous review system? See Classic Reviews documentation for help with one-on-one and 360 reviews.
Review-level roles
These roles control who can manage and view reviews across entire campaigns. You set them when creating workflows or launching campaigns.
HR and Group HR (automatic review admins)
What they can do:
Create and edit review workflows
Launch campaigns from workflows or from scratch
Add or remove participants from campaigns
Move campaigns to the next step (even if not everyone has completed)
Close campaigns
Send reminders to participants
View all review content for all campaigns
Edit reviews in progress
Access all campaign management features
Who gets this role:
Anyone with HR or Group HR permissions in your system. You don't need to assign this — it's automatic.
Scope: Organization-wide for HR and groups for group HR. They can manage and view all reviews for all employees.
💡 Tip: HR and Group HR always have access. You can't remove their admin permissions, even if you want to limit visibility for a specific review.
Review admin
Review admins can manage reviews from campaigns but might not be able to create workflows (depending on their role).
What they can do:
Add or remove participants from reviews
Move reviews to the next step
Close reviews
View all review content for reviews they admin
What they can't do:
Create or edit workflows (unless they're HR/Group HR)
Access campaign management features
Who gets this role:
You assign review admins when creating workflows or launching campaigns.
Common choices:
Managers (role-based): When you add "Manager" as a review admin, every manager becomes a review admin for their own team's reviews only. They can't access reviews outside their department.
Specific users: Add individual people who should be admins for all campaigns from this workflow — like an HR business partner, talent manager, or executive assistant.
Groups: Give admin access to everyone in a group, like "People Operations Team" or "HR Partners."
Scope:
Depends on how you assign it:
Managers as review admins: Can only manage reviews for their direct reports
Specific users or groups: Can manage all reviews from campaigns where they're assigned as admin
📌 Note: Being a review admin doesn't automatically make you a participant in reviews. If a manager is a review admin, they still need to be added as a feedback giver, meeting participant, or signature participant to actually engage with the review content.
Review viewer
Review viewers have read-only access to review content. They can see everything but can't make changes.
What they can do:
View all review content (feedback, preparation, summaries, signatures)
See review progress and status
Read completed reviews
What they can't do:
Edit anything
Add or remove participants
Move reviews through steps
Access campaigns
Send reminders
Participate in reviews (unless separately added as a participant)
Who gets this role:
You assign review viewers when creating workflows or launching campaigns:
By role:
Managers can view reviews for their direct reports
Other roles you've defined (like "Department Head" or "HR Business Partner")
By user:
Add specific people who need visibility, like:
Skip-level managers
HR consultants
Executives who want to monitor the review process
By group:
Give viewer access to entire groups, like "Leadership Team" or "People Operations"
Scope:
Depends on how you assign it:
Managers as review viewers: Can only view reviews for their direct reports
Specific users or groups: Can view all reviews from campaigns where they're assigned as viewer
💡 Tip: Be thoughtful about review viewers. Employees may feel uncomfortable if they know their skip-level manager or executives are reading their reviews. Consider your company culture and explain who has visibility when you launch reviews.
Step-specific roles
These roles determine who participates at each stage of the review. You assign them when configuring each step in your workflow.
💡 Tip: If you're participating in a review (not administering it), see Employee and Manager Guide to Participating in Reviews for step-by-step instructions on what to do.
Feedback giver
Feedback givers provide input during the feedback step.
What they can do:
View the questionnaire they need to complete
See basic information about the employee being reviewed
Submit their feedback responses
Edit their feedback until they submit it
What they can't do:
See feedback from other feedback givers
Access content from other review steps (unless also added as a participant in those steps)
See who else is giving feedback
Edit their feedback after submission
Who gets this role:
You select feedback givers when configuring the feedback step in your workflow. Choose from:
Manager — The employee's direct manager
Peers — Colleagues sharing the same manager
Direct reports — People the employee manages
Reviewee — The employee themselves
Manager N+2 — The manager's manager
Specific users — Anyone else you want to include
Scope: Their own feedback only. They can't see what others wrote.
📌 Note: Feedback is always private between the giver and HR during this step. This can't be changed — it prevents bias and encourages honest input. Participants and following steps might have access depending on the settings.
Preparation participant
Preparation participants draft their responses before the review meeting happens.
What they can do:
Complete the meeting questionnaire as a draft
See feedback from the feedback step (if you enable this setting)
Edit their preparation until the meeting step begins
View their own preparation draft during the meeting
What they can't do:
See other people's preparation drafts (unless you're also a meeting participant)
Edit preparation after the meeting step starts
See the final meeting summary (unless also added as a meeting participant)
Who gets this role:
You select preparation participants when configuring the meeting step in your workflow. Common choices:
Manager
Reviewee (the employee being reviewed)
Both manager and employee
Skip-level manager
HR partners
Specific users
Scope:
Their own preparation draft. They work independently until the meeting.
Visibility control:
You decide whether preparation participants can see feedback from the feedback step while preparing. Most organizations enable this so people can respond to themes they notice.
Meeting participant
Meeting participants engage in the review discussion and view the summary being written.
What they can do:
Participate in the review meeting (in person or virtually)
See feedback and/or preparation (based on your visibility settings)
View the completed summary after the meeting
What they can't do:
Edit the summary (only the note taker can write)
Change who participates
Move the review to the next step
Who gets this role:
You select meeting participants when configuring the meeting step. Typically includes:
The employee being reviewed
Their manager (if not the note taker)
Sometimes: skip-level manager, HR partner, or mediator
Scope:
The specific review they're participating in.
Visibility control:
You decide what meeting participants can see:
Feedback from the feedback step
Preparation drafts from the preparation phase
Both
None (just the summary questionnaire)
All meeting participants have the same visibility settings.
Note taker
The note taker writes the review summary during the meeting step. There's only one note taker per review.
What they can do:
Write and edit the meeting summary
See everything that meeting participants can see (based on visibility settings)
Complete the meeting questionnaire that becomes the official summary
View and reference feedback and preparation while writing
What they can't do:
Delegate note-taking to someone else mid-review
See content they're not configured to see (visibility is controlled by workflow settings)
Who gets this role:
You select one note taker when configuring the meeting step:
Manager — Most common choice
Reviewee — For self-directed reviews where employees document their own development
Specific user — If someone like an HR partner always writes summaries
Scope:
The specific review they're writing the summary for.
Visibility control:
Note takers typically see everything (feedback + preparation) to have full context while writing. You control this when setting up the workflow.
Signature participant
Signature participants review the completed review and formally acknowledge it.
What they can do:
View the review content you've configured them to see
Read and acknowledge the review
Add an optional signature comment
Sign to confirm they've reviewed the content
What they can't do:
Edit any review content
See content they're not configured to see
Refuse to sign (though they can add comments explaining concerns)
Who gets this role:
You select signature participants when configuring the signature step. Common choices:
Reviewee (the employee) — Most common
Manager — To confirm accuracy and completion
Both employee and manager — For mutual acknowledgment
HR partners — For oversight
Skip-level managers — For approval
Specific users
Scope:
The specific review they're signing.
Visibility control:
You decide what each signature participant sees before signing:
Feedback — All responses from the feedback step
Preparation — All preparation drafts
Summary — The meeting summary
Any combination
All signature participants have the same visibility.
💡 Tip: Signing isn't approval or agreement — it's acknowledgment that the person has seen and reviewed the content. Make this clear to participants so they don't feel they're endorsing everything written.
How roles combine
The same person can have multiple roles in a review. Here's how that works in practice:
Manager participating in their employee's review
Roles they might have:
Review admin (if managers are set as admins in the workflow)
Feedback giver (if added to the feedback step)
Preparation participant (if added to prepare before the meeting)
Note taker (if designated to write the summary)
Meeting participant (if not the note taker, but attending)
Signature participant (if required to sign)
What this looks like:
Manager gives feedback during the feedback step
Manager prepares notes before the meeting
Manager meets with employee and writes the summary (as note taker)
Manager signs the completed review
They wear different hats at different stages, all controlled by how the workflow is configured.
Employee being reviewed
Roles they might have:
Feedback giver (if self-reflection is included)
Preparation participant (to prepare for the meeting)
Meeting participant (to attend and discuss)
Signature participant (to acknowledge the completed review)
What this looks like:
Employee completes self-reflection during the feedback step
Employee prepares notes before the meeting
Employee participates in the meeting and views the summary being written
Employee signs to acknowledge the completed review
HR business partner
Roles they might have:
Review admin (if assigned when launching the campaign)
Review viewer (for oversight)
Meeting participant (if attending to support the discussion)
Signature participant (for formal approval)
What this looks like:
HR partner can manage the campaign (add participants, send reminders)
HR partner attends the review meeting as a mediator or witness
HR partner views all completed reviews for their assigned department
HR partner signs reviews requiring HR approval
Visibility rules by step
Understanding what each role can see at each step is critical for protecting privacy and managing transparency.
Feedback step visibility
Role | Can see their own feedback | Can see others' feedback |
Feedback giver | ✅ Always | ❌ |
HR / Review admins | ✅ Always | ✅ (once submitted) |
Review viewers | ✅ Always | ✅ (once submitted) |
Preparation participants | ✅ Always | Based on setting |
Meeting participants | ✅ Always | Based on setting |
Signature participants | ✅ Always | Based on setting |
Key rule: Feedback givers never see each other's responses. This is automatic and unchangeable.
Preparation phase visibility
Role | Can see their own preparation | Can see others' preparation |
Preparation participant | ✅ Always | Based on setting |
HR / Review admins | ✅ Always | ✅ Always |
Note taker | ✅ Always | Based on setting |
Meeting participants | ✅ Always | Based on setting |
Signature participants | ✅ Always | Based on setting |
Key rule: Preparation is private until the meeting step. Then visibility is controlled by workflow settings.
Meeting step visibility
Role | Can see summary being written | Can see feedback | Can see preparation |
Note taker | ✅ Always (they write it) | Based on setting | Based on setting |
Meeting participants | ✅ Always | Based on setting | Based on setting |
HR / Review admins | ✅ Always | ✅ Always | ✅ Always |
Review viewers | ✅ Always | ✅ Always | ✅ Always |
Signature participants | ❌ (until signature step) | ❌ (until signature step) | ❌ (until signature step) |
Key rule: You control what meeting participants and the note taker can see. Set this when configuring the meeting step.
Signature step visibility
Role | Can see what they're signing |
Signature participants | Based on your configuration (feedback, preparation, summary, or any combination) |
HR / Review admins | ✅ Everything always |
Review viewers | ✅ Everything always |
Key rule: All signature participants have the same visibility.
Common permission scenarios
Here's how to set up permissions for typical situations:
Scenario: Manager-led annual review with 360 feedback
Review admins: HR (automatic) + Managers (for their own teams)
Review viewers: Skip-level managers (for their department)
Feedback step:
Feedback givers: Manager + 3 peers + employee
Visibility: Feedback givers can't see each other's responses
Meeting step:
Preparation: Manager and employee both prepare, both can see feedback
Note taker: Manager
Meeting participants: Employee
Visibility: Both manager and employee see all feedback and both preparation drafts
Signature step:
Signature participants: Employee and manager
Visibility: Both see feedback, preparation, and summary
Scenario: Lightweight quarterly check-in
Review admins: HR (automatic)
Review viewers: None
Feedback step: Skipped
Meeting step:
Preparation: Manager and employee both prepare
Note taker: Manager
Meeting participants: Employee
Visibility: Both see each other's preparation
Signature step: Skipped
Scenario: Upward feedback for manager development
Review admins: HR (automatic)
Review viewers: Skip-level manager (the manager's manager)
Feedback step:
Feedback givers: Direct reports only
Visibility: Anonymous — feedback givers can't see each other's responses
Meeting step: Skipped (feedback speaks for itself)
Signature step:
Signature participants: The manager being reviewed + skip-level manager
Visibility: Manager sees all feedback, skip-level manager sees summary only (you create a summary from the feedback first)
Scenario: Performance improvement plan with oversight
Review admins: HR (automatic) + specific HR business partner
Review viewers: Skip-level manager + HR director
Feedback step: Skipped (direct conversation, not feedback collection)
Meeting step:
Preparation: Manager and employee both prepare
Note taker: Manager
Meeting participants: Employee + HR business partner (as witness)
Visibility: All three people see both preparation drafts
Signature step:
Signature participants: Employee + manager + HR business partner
Visibility: All three see everything (preparation and summary)
Best practices for permissions
Follow these guidelines to set up appropriate access:
Start with less access, add more as needed
It's easier to give people more access later than to take it away. Start conservative and expand based on feedback.
Match visibility to your culture
High-trust cultures with transparency norms can handle more visibility. If your culture values privacy, limit who can see what.
Explain who has access
When launching reviews, tell participants who can see their feedback. Surprises erode trust.
Example message: "Your feedback will be visible to the employee and their manager during the review meeting. HR can always access all reviews for oversight."
Use review viewers sparingly
Just because someone can see reviews doesn't mean they should. Give viewer access only when there's a genuine business need.
Let managers manage their teams
Making managers review admins (scoped to their team) empowers them to handle their own reviews without bottlenecking HR for every change.
Keep feedback private between givers
Never change the feedback visibility rules to let feedback givers see each other's responses. This is protected by design to prevent bias.
Test permissions with a pilot
Before rolling out company-wide:
Set up a test campaign with a few volunteers
Have them go through the full process
Ask what felt right and what felt invasive
Adjust based on feedback
Frequently asked questions
Can I remove HR's access to a specific review?
Can I remove HR's access to a specific review?
No. HR and Group HR always have full access to all reviews. This is by design for oversight and compliance.
Can a manager be both a review admin and a review viewer?
Can a manager be both a review admin and a review viewer?
Yes. If you add managers as both, they'll have admin capabilities for their team's reviews and can manage them, not just view them. Review admin includes viewer permissions.
What if someone has conflicting visibility settings from different roles?
What if someone has conflicting visibility settings from different roles?
The most permissive setting wins. If someone is a review viewer (sees everything) and also a signature participant (configured to see summary only), they'll see everything because their review viewer role grants broader access.
Can I change someone's role mid-campaign?
Can I change someone's role mid-campaign?
You can add or remove participants from steps that haven't happened yet. You can't change roles for steps already completed. See Managing Participants in Active Campaigns for details.
Do review admins automatically participate in reviews?
Do review admins automatically participate in reviews?
No. Being a review admin gives you management capabilities but doesn't make you a participant. You still need to be explicitly added as a feedback giver, meeting participant, or signature participant to engage with the review content.
Can employees see who else gave them feedback?
Can employees see who else gave them feedback?
Yes, participants can see who else is participating in other steps.