Calibration and final ratings
Calibration is the step where HR and leadership compare ratings across managers before they're finalized — it keeps one manager's "meets expectations" from meaning something different than another's for the same underlying performance.
Why calibration exists
Different managers can rate similar performance differently without meaning to. Calibration brings managers (and often a facilitator from HR) together to review ratings across a team or department, discuss any that look out of line with the evidence (goals, self-review, manager review, and 360 feedback where used), and adjust before ratings are shared with employees.
Running a calibration session (HR/admin)
- Once manager reviews are submitted for a cycle, open the calibration view.
- Compare ratings across the group — Kredily surfaces the distribution so you can spot clusters or outliers (e.g. one manager rating everyone unusually high).
- Discuss flagged cases with the relevant managers and record any adjustments with a reason.
- Finalize ratings once calibration is complete. Finalized ratings move to the release stage.
What changes for the manager
If a rating is adjusted during calibration, the manager is typically notified so they can explain the outcome to their report consistently with what calibration decided — the goal is alignment, not surprising the manager after the fact.
Releasing results
Once ratings are finalized, HR (or the system, depending on configuration) releases the review outcome to employees, often alongside or after a one-on-one conversation with their manager.
Common issues
- Rating differs from what the manager originally entered — this is expected if calibration adjusted it; check the calibration notes for the reason.
- Calibration view is empty — manager reviews for the group may not all be submitted yet; calibration usually needs the full set to be meaningful.
- Employee sees an outcome before their one-on-one — check the release settings for the cycle; some organizations release automatically on finalization rather than waiting for HR.
When to contact support
If finalized ratings from calibration aren't reflecting in an employee's review, raise a ticket with the cycle name and the employee affected.
Related: Complete a self-review and manager review, Set up and run a performance review cycle