Define Default Performance Review Section Rating Scale

A performance review rating scale is required for each section created. The same scale can be used for the overall performance review task as well.

To define a default rating scale, go to Admin > Tools > Performance Management > Performance Reviews > Form Sections. Then, click the Define Default Rating Scale link. The Define Default Rating Scale window appears.

At the top of the pop-up, set the following configuration options to determine how the rating scale is structured. After setting these options, click the Update button to implement the settings and refresh the rating scale accordingly.

  • Scale - This setting represents the rating scale used in the given performance review form section. Entering a number is required and creates a scale based on the number of ratings to be used in the review. Additional rows appear for every point on the defined scale.
  • Include N/A rating - Select this option to include a scoreless value titled N/A at the top of the scale. This option allows reviewers to not select a rating if the particular evaluation does not apply or if the reviewer cannot properly judge the evaluation.
  • Target Distribution - Select this option to define a target distribution of scores that managers can use as a guideline when reviewing their employees by viewing the Performance Review Distribution Report. The target distribution helps create consistency by providing all managers the same scoring guidelines for the review process.
  • Include Custom Rounding Range - Select this option to define custom rounding for the default rating scale. See the Custom Rounding Range section below for additional information.

If multiple languages are available for the portal, the rating scale can be localized by selecting the appropriate language from the Language drop-down list. The ratings and descriptions for the administrator's default language must be entered prior to translating the rating and descriptions for other languages.

The following information displays for each point in the rating scale:

  • Points - This field is fixed for each rating and cannot be changed. This represents the numerical value used to calculate a score for the section using the scale.
  • Order - This determines the display order of the scale. In some cases, organizations want the highest possible score to display at the top of the list, while other organizations want the highest possible score to display at the bottom of the list. The point with the lowest Order value displays at the top of the rating scale. Click Update to refresh the display based on the updated Order values.
  • Score Display - This is the value that reviewers see during the review process. This represents the point value of the rating on the rating scale. This can be a number or letter or combination of both and is used to help express what the score is on the rating scale. Typically, this number matches the point value of the rating scale, but other examples include the first letter of the scale (E for Exceptional, A for Above Average, etc.).
  • Title - This represents the value of the rating (Exceptional, Above Average, etc.). This can also be a combination of letters and numbers that express the value of the point on the rating scale.
  • Visible - When this option is selected, the corresponding rating scale score is available to reviewers when completing a performance review. When this option is deselected, the corresponding rating scale score is not available to reviewers and cannot be selected. In addition, when this option is not selected for a rating score, the range value cannot be set and the Target % is set to zero.
  • Range - See the Custom Rounding Range section below for additional information.
  • Target % - This column is visible only when the Target Distribution option is selected. If this option is selected and the Target % column is not visible, click Update. This is the target distribution for each rating. The total of all percentages must be 100%.
  • Description - This is used to explain the rating in greater detail.

After defining the default rating scale, click Save to save the changes and return to the Performance Review Sections page.

Custom Rounding Range

For every rating that has the Visible option selected, a range of numbers appears in the Range column. Each range of numbers represents a range of performance review scores. If a reviewee's performance review score is within the range of scores, then the reviewee's performance review score is set to the corresponding rating. For example, if the range of 2.5-3.4 corresponds to a rating of 3.0 (Meets Expectations) and the range of 3.5-5.0 corresponds to a rating of 5.0 (Superior Performance), then a reviewee with a score of 3.4 gets a rating of 3.0 (Meets Expectations) and a reviewee with a score of 3.5 gets a rating of 5.0 (Superior Performance). Note: The reviewee's numeric score is unchanged. However, the text ratings can be determined by custom rounding.

The left value in the range is known as the range floor and it represents the lowest value that is included in the range.

  • The range floor value is always read-only. If a range ceiling is modified, the range floor for the following range is automatically adjusted to match the previous range ceiling. For example, for the first rating (1.0), the range is set to 0-1.0. The range floor for the following rating (2.0) is automatically set to 1.1 because this is the next possible performance review score. If the range ceiling for the first rating (1.0) is modified from 1.0 to 1.4, the range floor for the following rating (2.0) is automatically updated to 1.5 because this is the next possible performance review score.
  • The first range floor is always set to zero.

The right value in the range is known as the range ceiling and it represents the highest value that is included in the range. This value can be modified for all ranges except the final value, which is equal to the highest rating point value.

If a rating is set as not visible, the range for that rating is not available and is set to N/A. The ranges for the remaining ratings are automatically adjusted to account for the missing range.

If a rating that is not visible is set to be visible, the ranges are automatically adjusted to accommodate the new rating.