Employee Appraisals Module in Odoo 18

Companies conducting annual performance reviews with generic forms and vague feedback create employee frustration instead of growth. A manager writes "needs improvement" without specifying which skills, provides no actionable development plan, and offers no mechanism for tracking progress until next year's review—by which point both employee and manager have forgotten the conversation. HR has no visibility into whether reviews are happening, what development goals were set, or which high performers deserve recognition.

Odoo 18's Appraisals module transforms this paper-based chaos into structured performance management. Customizable templates ensure consistent evaluation criteria across departments, bi-directional feedback (employee self-assessment + manager review) creates dialogue instead of one-way criticism, goal tracking links reviews to measurable objectives, and 360-degree feedback gathers perspectives from peers and subordinates. Every appraisal becomes traceable data for compensation decisions, promotion planning, and skill gap identification.

Why Structured Appraisals Matter

Performance management directly impacts employee engagement, retention, and productivity—but only when done systematically:

Step 1: Configure Appraisal Templates

Templates standardize evaluation criteria and ensure consistent feedback across the organization.

Accessing Templates

1. Navigate to Appraisals module
2. Click Configuration → Appraisal Templates
3. View default template or click New to create custom template

Customizing Templates

Odoo provides a universal default template, but you can create department-specific or role-specific variants:

Step 2: Create Employee Appraisal

Initiating Appraisal

1. Access Appraisals: Go to Appraisals → Appraisals
2. View Format: Kanban view displays employees with appraisal dates and departments
3. Create New: Click New button
4. Configure Appraisal: Fill out appraisal form

Appraisal Form Fields

Step 3: Employee Self-Assessment

The appraisal process begins with employee self-reflection before manager evaluation.

Completing Employee Feedback

1. Confirm Appraisal: Click Confirm to activate appraisal
2. Navigate to Appraisal Tab: Access employee feedback section
3. Fill Out Questions: Employee answers all template questions
   • Self-rate goal achievement
   • Describe accomplishments
   • Identify challenges faced
   • Propose development goals
4. Make Visible to Manager: Toggle "Not Visible to Manager" → "Visible to Manager" when ready for review

Step 4: Manager Evaluation

After reviewing employee self-assessment, manager provides official evaluation and feedback.

Manager Feedback Process

1. Review Employee Feedback: Read employee's self-assessment once visible
2. Complete Manager's Feedback: Fill out manager section of appraisal template
   • Rate employee performance objectively
   • Provide specific examples of strengths
   • Identify areas needing improvement
   • Suggest development opportunities
   • Discuss compensation implications
3. Make Visible to Employee: Toggle "Not Visible to Employee" → "Visible to Employee"
4. Schedule Review Meeting: Use "No Meeting" smart button to create calendar event for discussion

Private Manager Notes

The Private Note tab allows managers to record sensitive information:

• Compensation Recommendations: Proposed raise percentage, bonus amount
• Promotion Readiness: Timeline and criteria for advancement
• Performance Concerns: Areas requiring performance improvement plan
• Succession Planning: High-potential indicators, replacement readiness

Step 5: 360-Degree Feedback

Gather additional perspectives from colleagues, subordinates, and other stakeholders.

Requesting Feedback

1. Confirm Appraisal: Ensure appraisal is in confirmed status
2. Click "Ask Feedback": Button appears after confirmation
3. Configure Email: Popup shows survey template
   • Subject: Pre-filled with appraisal title
   • Recipients: Add colleagues (peers, team members, cross-functional partners)
   • Deadline: Set response due date
   • Message: Customize request message if needed
4. Send: Click Send to distribute feedback requests

Managing Feedback Responses

Feedback Smart Button: After sending requests, track responses via the Feedback smart button on appraisal form.

Step 6: Skills Assessment

Link appraisals to specific skill evaluations for targeted development planning.

Updating Skills

1. After confirming appraisal, Skills tab becomes active
2. View employee's current skill levels
3. Click Add to create new skill assessments
4. Update proficiency levels based on appraisal findings

Step 7: Goal Management

Link appraisals to measurable goals for objective performance evaluation.

Creating Employee Goals

1. Access Goals: Go to Appraisals → Goals
2. Kanban View: Shows goals by employee with progress indicators
3. Create New Goal: Click New
4. Configure Goal:
   • Employee: Assign to specific employee
   • Goal Name: Clear, measurable objective (e.g., "Increase sales by 15%")
   • Manager: Responsible supervisor
   • Deadline: Target completion date
   • Progress: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%
   • Description: Detailed success criteria
5. Mark as Done: When goal achieved, click Mark as Done

Linking Goals to Appraisals

Access employee goals from appraisal record via Employee Goals smart button to review achievement during performance review.

Step 8: Complete Appraisal

Finalizing Review

1. Ensure both employee and manager feedback sections are complete
2. Review 360-degree feedback responses (if requested)
3. Update skills assessment
4. Verify/create goals for next period
5. Conduct review meeting with employee
6. Click Mark as Done to finalize appraisal

Appraisals Dashboard & Analytics

Kanban View Filters

The appraisals main view provides powerful filtering:

• By Company: Multi-company deployments
• By Status: Pending, In Progress, Done, Cancelled
• By Department: Sales, Engineering, HR, etc.

Smart Buttons

Each appraisal record includes contextual smart buttons:

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Odoo 18's Appraisals module transforms performance management from dreaded annual paperwork into a structured, data-driven development process. With customizable templates ensuring evaluation consistency, bi-directional feedback creating meaningful dialogue, 360-degree input providing comprehensive perspectives, and goal tracking linking reviews to measurable objectives, you build a culture of continuous improvement instead of once-yearly judgment.

The integration with skills management and private manager notes ensures appraisals drive actionable outcomes: training investments targeting real gaps, compensation decisions based on documented performance, promotion timelines aligned with readiness criteria, and succession planning built on objective data. Every appraisal becomes part of an employee's traceable career narrative, supporting both individual growth and organizational development.