Tips Before Launching Performance Reviews in Workday

Set it up right the first time.

Performance reviews only run once or twice a year. In Workday, that means you have one shot to get it right. Here’s a quick checklist to avoid rework and confusion.

👤 Confirm Manager for Majority of Event Access

If a manager changes mid-cycle, this setting controls who can act on the review. Miss it, and you’ll hear, “Why can’t I see my team’s reviews?” Keep the security group in your BP policy even if it’s not actively used.

📋 Run the Employee Review Eligibility Report

Use this before launch. If someone isn’t eligible for the template, they won’t get the task. Don’t wait until someone says, “Am I not getting reviewed this year?”

🧮 Test Your Calculations

Using weights or different rating scales? Test the math. A miscalculated total score will trigger long emails from HR asking why things don’t add up.

📊 Review the Employee Review Setup

Make sure ratings show up in worker profiles and dashboards. If they don’t, you’ll get hit with, “We completed reviews, but where are the scores?”Check this before go-live.

⏰ Set Due Dates

People actually read deadlines in reviews. Missing dates means stalled steps and follow-up emails. Use Maintain Calculated Dates if you need custom timelines.

🔍 Test Visibility from Every Angle

Test the process in sandbox as:

• An employee

• A manager

• A 360 reviewer (if using)

Make sure employees can’t see their review until it’s complete. Once it's visible, you can't unsee it, and you can't walk it back.

✅ Bottom lineTest everything. Eligibility, access, due dates, visibility, ratings. Workday won’t warn you if something’s off. But your users will.