When is a written justification required in an evaluation?
An evaluation cycle can require a written comment when the highest or the lowest score is chosen for a competency or a goal. If a user cannot submit, a missing justification is one of the first things to check.
Where is it configured?
In the evaluation cycle's settings:
Ask for text justification when the highest score is selected?: on by default.
Ask for text justification when the lowest score is selected?: off by default.
Minimum characters (Min chars in the previous version of the evaluation pages): the minimum length of the justification. The default is 20.
The settings apply to the whole cycle.
Who has to write it?
Whoever chooses the score: the employee in the self-evaluation and the manager in the manager's evaluation. The same rule applies in Touchpoints.
What does it apply to?
Competencies: when the highest or lowest score of the scale is chosen, according to the settings above.
Goals: when the highest or lowest score is chosen, according to the settings above. A goal score with a negative weight in the goals scale always requires a justification.
It does not apply to Feedback 360 evaluations, and these settings do not make comments on potential, strengths or development areas mandatory.
The user cannot submit and a comment seems to be missing
Look for competencies or goals scored with the highest or lowest value.
Check that each of them has a comment of at least the minimum length.
Save and submit again.
When should I contact Support?
Contact Support when every highest or lowest score has a comment of the required length and the user still cannot submit. Include the user identifier, the cycle, the step (self-evaluation or manager evaluation) and the message shown.
Related articles
Evaluation Cycles: Create and Configure a Cycle: where the cycle settings are.