How to Use Employee Reviews & Check-ins - Manager guide

How it works 

Reviews & Check-ins is a structured review module in Simployer. A manager creates a conversation with an employee using a template (a set of discussion points). Both parties answer the same questions independently — neither can see the other's responses until both have submitted. Once both submit, a shared view unlocks for comments, tasks, and an AI-generated summary. The manager closes the conversation, and the employee signs off. 

Note
If your administrator has enabled the Early access for reviewer setting, you can see the employee's responses as soon as they submit — read-only, while you're still preparing your own. This is one-way: the employee still can't see your responses until you've submitted. The conversation status stays In progress, and comments, tasks, and the AI summary remain unavailable until you've also submitted.

Conversation status lifecycle 

Manager Guide — Reviews & Check-ins 

As a manager (Reviewer), you create conversations, submit your own reflections, collaborate on tasks and summaries once both parties have submitted, and close the conversation. You can initiate conversations with any active employee — not just your direct reports. 

Step 1 — Create a conversation 

1 Go to Overview → Team overview → Create conversation 

This is the only place to initiate conversations. You can select any active employee — direct reports appear at the top of the list. Each selected employee results in a separate individual conversation with you as Reviewer. 

2 Choose a template 

Pick from Simployer's standard templates or your company's custom ones. Standard templates support English, Norwegian, and Swedish — the language you select applies to both participants, independent of their system language setting. 

3 Select a period (optional) 

Choose an ongoing or upcoming period, or 'No period' for ad-hoc. This affects reporting and statistics. You can change the period later from inside the conversation via the options menu. 

4 Confirm — conversations are created and employees notified 

Each employee receives a 'Conversation created' email notification and can begin preparing their responses. 

Step 2 — Prepare and submit your reflections 

5 Click 'Respond' from Team overview 

Type your answers to the discussion points on the conversation page. Text auto-saves as you type. You can leave some points blank — you'll get a warning before submitting but can proceed. 

6 Use AI Enhance if helpful, then click Submit 

The Enhance button can rephrase, fix spelling, shorten, or lengthen your text. Once you submit, your responses are locked and remain hidden from the employee until they also submit. 

Tip

Status is 'In progress' until both parties submit. Neither of you can see the other's responses until both have submitted. 

Step 3 — After both have submitted

7 Status becomes 'Submitted' — review side-by-side 

Your responses appear on the right, the employee's on the left. Both of you can now add comments per discussion point to clarify, capture meeting notes, or record decisions. 

8 Add tasks (draft mode) 

Create action items with a title, description, assignee (you or the employee), and optional due date. Tasks are in draft mode and not visible outside the conversation until it is closed. 

9 Generate and edit the summary 

Click 'Generate summary' — AI drafts a summary from both sets of responses and comments. Either participant can edit it. Changes auto-save. The summary is optional and can be removed. 

Step 4 — Close and follow up 

10 Click 'Mark conversation as closed' 

Everything becomes read-only: responses, comments, tasks, and summary. Tasks are finalized and appear in the employee's task list. The employee receives a notification to sign. 

Tip

Tasks are permanent once the conversation is closed — they cannot be edited or deleted even if you re-open the conversation later. Only their status (Todo/Done) can be changed. 

11 Re-open if needed 

Use the Re-open action to adjust comments or the summary. Status returns to Submitted. If the employee had already signed, their sign-off is invalidated — they will need to sign again after you close it again. 

Deleting a conversation round

To delete a conversation round:

1. Go to Conversation rounds.
2. Open the round by clicking on it.
3. Click the Edit button in the top right corner.
4. Select Delete round from the dropdown menu.
5. A confirmation window will appear. Click Delete to confirm, or Cancel to go back.