What's the Difference Between Appraisal Period and Review Period?
Clarifying the two most commonly confused review phases
These two terms are often confused. Here's the difference:
This article is relevant to: All roles
Feature: Reviews
Appraisal Period (Data Collection)
Who's active: Employees and peers
What happens: Self assessments, peer reviews, and upward reviews are completed. This feedback becomes the foundation for performance reviews.
Think of it as: The "input" phase—gathering feedback from multiple sources.
Review Period (Manager Review Phase)
Who's active: Managers
What happens: Zal generates AI-powered draft reviews. Managers edit and submit their evaluations.
Think of it as: The "output" phase—managers write the final performance reviews.
Quick Summary
Appraisal Period: Employees complete self/peer/upward reviews → data collected
Review Period: Managers edit AI drafts → final reviews submitted
What Comes Next?
After the Review Period comes the Calibration Phase (HR reviews and approves) and then the Results Phase (managers publish, employees acknowledge).