Workleap Performance sends notifications to keep everyone informed throughout a review cycle. They're triggered automatically by key events, like a cycle launching, a review being submitted, or a deadline approaching, so no one has to follow up on every step manually. Notifications are adjusted to the recipient's timezone and respect each member's communication preferences. This article covers the notifications sent around review cycles: which ones, when, and to whom. Goals notifications are documented in the Goals collection.
Note: Members must have a confirmed email address to receive notifications.
Communication methods
Notifications can be delivered through different channels depending on your organization's settings and your personal preferences. The available methods are Email, SMS, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. Each notification is sent through one channel only: your preference if you've set one, otherwise your organization's default.
Email and SMS are always available. Slack and Microsoft Teams are available only if your organization has connected them. SMS works only if your profile has a confirmed mobile phone number.
Your organization's admin sets the default method. You can override it under Preferences > Workleap > Communication method.
Review cycle launch
When an Executive or Collaborator launches a review cycle, the system notifies participants that it's active.
Employees are notified that their self-review is available (if the cycle includes self-reviews).
Managers are notified that the cycle has launched and they have reviews to complete, only if the cycle includes peer, manager, or upward reviews. They're also asked to select peer reviewers where peer reviews are enabled. They're asked to select upward reviewers only when upward nominations are manual. When upward reviewers are nominated automatically, based on direct reports or the reporting line, they're assigned without any action from managers.
On hire-date cycles and cycles set to start automatically on a later date, no launch notifications go out at launch. People get an Added notification as they enter the cycle (see Participant lifecycle below).
Review reminders
Workleap Performance sends automatic reminders so participants complete their reviews on time, based on the cycle's due dates. On hire-date cycles, each reminder targets the reviewees whose own due date for that review type falls in the window, since each person entering on their own date has their own due dates. There are three:
Before the deadline — 3 business days before the due date.
On the deadline — on the due date.
After the deadline — 1 business day after the due date, for self, peer, and upward reviews.
Each review type has its own schedule:
Review type | Reminder sent to |
Self-review | The employee being reviewed |
Manager review | The manager (or temporary manager) responsible |
Peer review | The peer reviewer |
Upward review | The upward reviewer |
Note: Reminders are only sent for reviews not yet submitted, and never for locked cycles. Reminders go out at 9 AM in the recipient's timezone. Business days exclude weekends.
When a review is overdue, the reviewee's manager also gets a summary in their Manager Daily Digest (below). Manager reviews have no separate after-deadline reminder: when one is overdue, it appears in the manager's Manager Daily Digest instead.
Submission confirmations
When a review is submitted, the person who submitted it gets a confirmation.
Self-review submitted — to the employee.
Manager review submitted — to the manager.
Peer review submitted — to the peer reviewer.
Upward review submitted — to the upward reviewer.
When a self, peer, or upward review is submitted, the reviewee's manager (and temporary manager, if any) also get a Manager Daily Digest update.
Review sharing
When a manager shares review results with an employee:
The employee is notified that a review has been shared with them.
The manager doesn't receive a confirmation.
Peer and upward review notifications
Peer and upward reviewers are notified at key moments:
Review request — when someone is assigned to give a peer or upward review, telling them who they've been asked to review.
Review canceled — when a peer or upward nomination is removed, the reviewer is told they no longer need to give that review. Peer and upward cancellations are separate notifications. By email, the upward one is titled "Upward reviews no longer needed". Each nomination removed sends its own notification. When a reviewee is removed from a launched cycle, all their peer and upward requests are canceled, and each affected reviewer gets one notification per review type listing everyone they no longer need to review.
Only people who were nominated as reviewers receive these notifications. Executives, Collaborators, the reviewee's reporting manager, and their temporary manager can remove a nomination while the cycle is launched and unlocked.
Manager Daily Digest
Managers, and temporary managers, receive a daily summary of review activity for their team, delivered at 9 AM in their timezone. On hire-date cycles, the digest omits the shared due date (each reviewee has their own) and is also updated when scheduled intake adds a reviewee to their team. It includes:
Recently submitted self, peer, and upward reviews from their reports.
Overdue review reminders for their team.
Employees who were removed from the cycle.
In acknowledgement-required cycles, when one of their reports acknowledges their shared reviews.
Note: If 9 AM has passed or it's a weekend, the digest is deferred to the next business day. Multiple events for the same manager are grouped into one digest.
Nudge (manual reminders)
Executives, Collaborators, and Direct Managers can manually send reminders, called nudges, to prompt action. Nudges are available from the Performance overview and the cycle's management screens. Reporting managers nudge within their reporting line; Executives and Collaborators can nudge across the organization.
A nudge can prompt someone to:
Complete their self-review.
Complete their manager reviews.
Complete their peer reviews.
Complete their upward reviews.
Share review results with the employee.
In acknowledgement-required cycles, acknowledge their shared reviews.
The sender can add a custom message. The system tracks whether a review was submitted after a nudge, to measure how effective reminders are. In acknowledgement-required cycles, reviewees who have already acknowledged are excluded from acknowledgement nudges.
Participant lifecycle
When participants are added to or removed from a launched cycle:
Added — the employee is notified they've been added to an ongoing cycle (only if it includes self-reviews). On hire-date cycles and cycles that start automatically on a later date, this also covers people entering the cycle on their own scheduled date; their notification is deferred to the next business hour (9 AM–5 PM, Monday to Friday) in their own timezone, and any automatically nominated upward reviewers receive their Upward Review Request.
Removed — the employee is notified they've been removed from the cycle, even if the cycle has no self-reviews. This happens when an Executive or Collaborator selects Remove from cycle in the participants list (only on a launched, unlocked cycle, and not for someone who has already acknowledged their review), or when the participant sync finds the person no longer matches the cycle's audience or is no longer active. People who haven't entered the cycle yet (hire-date cycles or a later automated start) don't get a removal notification. Their reporting manager and temporary manager see them as removed from the cycle in their Manager Daily Digest.
Temporary manager notifications
When temporary managers are assigned during a cycle:
Scenario | Who is notified |
Temporary manager assigned for the first time | The new temporary manager is told they're assigned. The reviewee's reporting manager, if any, is also told they're unassigned. |
Temporary manager replaced by another | The former temporary manager (unassigned) and the new temporary manager (assigned) |
Temporary manager removed without replacement | The former temporary manager is told they're unassigned. If the reviewee has a reporting manager, that manager is told they're reassigned. |
Note: Notifications for the same cycle and manager are grouped into one message within a 30-minute window.
Lock review cycle reminder
About 30 days after a cycle's overall due date has passed, the cycle's creator, editors, and launcher get a reminder to lock it, at 10 AM in their timezone, so cycles are closed in a timely way. It's only sent if the cycle isn't locked yet. On hire-date cycles, the overall due date is the last entrant's due date.
Review cycle locked
When a cycle locks itself on its automated lock date, the cycle's creator, editors, and launcher are notified that it's locked. Locking a cycle manually doesn't send this notification. It's delivered at the next business hour in each recipient's timezone.
Notification summary
Notification | Triggered by | Sent to |
Self-review available | Cycle launch | Employee |
Manager review available | Cycle launch | Manager |
Review reminders (self, manager, peer, upward) | Approaching or past due date | Reviewer |
Submission confirmation | Review submitted | Submitter |
Review shared | Manager shares review | Employee |
Peer or upward review request | Reviewer assigned | Peer or upward reviewer |
Peer or upward review canceled | Nomination removed, or reviewee removed from the cycle | Peer or upward reviewer |
Manager Daily Digest | Review activity on team | Manager and temporary manager |
Nudge | Executive, Collaborator, or manager sends a reminder | Participant |
Added to cycle | Participant sync or scheduled intake (hire-date cycles) | Participant |
Removed from cycle | Executive or Collaborator removes the person, or participant sync | Participant |
Temporary manager assigned, changed, or removed | Manager nomination | Affected managers |
Lock cycle reminder | About 30 days after due date | Cycle creator, editors, and launcher |
Review cycle locked | Automated lock date reached | Cycle creator, editors, and launcher |