Employee
Appraisals
The Appraisals module manages employee performance reviews. It provides a structured workflow for setting goals, defining KPIs, conducting manager and HR reviews, assigning ratings, and recommending promotions and salary increments.
What is Appraisal Management?
Employee Appraisal Management handles the complete performance review cycle: review setup (periods, years), goal setting (objectives and targets), KPI configuration (weighted performance indicators), manager review (assessment and rating), HR review (second-level assessment), final approval (overall rating, promotion, increment recommendations), and document attachments (supporting evidence).
Each appraisal follows a five-stage workflow: Draft → Submitted → Reviewed → Approved/Rejected, with clear ownership at each stage.
Why Does It Exist?
- → Bias reduction — Structured reviews with goal-based KPIs reduce subjective bias
- → Career progression — Without reviews, high performers go unrecognized and underperformers go unaddressed
- → Compensation decisions — Appraisal outcomes directly inform increment and promotion recommendations
- → Institutional memory — Historical reviews provide a complete record of each employee's growth trajectory
The Appraisal Workflow
Draft Creation
HR or department heads create an appraisal for an employee. They define the review period (annual, semi-annual, quarterly, monthly), the year, set goals/objectives, and configure weighted KPIs with targets.
Submission for Review
Once goals and KPIs are finalized, the appraisal is submitted for review. This triggers notifications to managers and HR reviewers. The appraisal enters the 'submitted' stage.
Review Stage
Managers provide their assessment with qualitative review text and a numeric rating (0-5). HR then provides their independent review and rating. Each reviewer is tracked with timestamps and identity.
Final Approval
An authorized approver finalizes the appraisal with an overall rating, promotion recommendation (yes/no), and increment percentage recommendation (0-100%). The appraisal can also be rejected with a reason.
Every Feature Explained
Review Cycles & Periods
Define performance review cycles by period and year.
Standardizes the review cadence across the institution.
Supported periods: Annual, Semi-Annual, Quarterly, Monthly. Each appraisal is tied to a specific review year. Multiple appraisals per employee across different periods are tracked independently.
Goals & Objectives
Set performance goals and objectives for each review period.
Clear goals align employee efforts with institutional priorities.
Free-text goals field allows detailed objective setting. Goals can be edited during the draft stage. Historical goals are preserved in the appraisal record.
Weighted KPIs
Configure key performance indicators with targets and weights.
Quantifiable metrics provide objective performance measurement.
KPIs are defined with name, target value, and weight percentage. Weighted scoring enables composite performance calculation. KPIs can be added dynamically during draft stage.
Dual Review System
Independent manager and HR reviews with separate ratings.
Dual reviews reduce individual bias and provide balanced assessment.
Manager provides qualitative review text and 0-5 rating. HR independently provides their own review and rating. Both are stored with reviewer identity and timestamp. Each reviewer sees the employee's goals and KPIs.
Promotion & Increment Recommendations
Recommend promotions and salary increments based on performance.
Directly links performance outcomes to career growth and compensation.
Approver sets promotion recommended flag (boolean) and increment percentage (0-100%). These recommendations flow into HRIS for compensation planning and workforce management.
Document Attachments
Attach supporting evidence documents to appraisals.
Provides documentary evidence for review assessments.
Documents (images, PDFs) are uploaded via the media upload system. Each document is linked to the appraisal as a file key. Documents can be added during draft and review stages. Attachments are preserved in the final record.
Workflow Timeline & Audit Trail
Complete timeline of every action taken on an appraisal.
Provides full transparency and accountability in the review process.
Timeline tracks each workflow step with timestamp and actor identity. Audit logs record all actions (create, edit, submit, review, approve, reject, document upload). Both are visible in the appraisal detail view.
CSV Export
Export appraisal records to CSV for reporting.
Enables offline analysis and institutional reporting.
Export includes employee code, name, department, designation, period, year, overall rating, and status. Filterable by year. Exported data respects record scope permissions.
Technical Architecture
| Field | Type | Institutional Role |
|---|---|---|
| appraisal_id | UUID | Unique appraisal record identifier. |
| employee_id | UUID | Reference to the employee under review. |
| review_period | Enum | Annual, Semi-Annual, Quarterly, Monthly. |
| overall_rating | Decimal(3,2) | Final composite rating 0.00-5.00. |
| promotion_flag | Boolean | Recommended for promotion. |
Note: Sensitive fields use AES-256 field-level encryption where applicable.
Governance & Power
hr:appraisal:viewhr:appraisal:createhr:appraisal:reviewhr:appraisal:approveWorkflow Transparency
Every stage of the appraisal is tracked with timestamps, reviewer identity, and audit events, providing a complete chain of custody for performance decisions.
Future Compensation Link
Approved appraisals with increment recommendations integrate with HRIS for compensation cycle planning. Promotion flags feed into role management workflows.
Historical Records
All past appraisals are retained. Employees and managers can review previous cycles to track growth, identify patterns, and inform future goal setting.