Template
Performance review calibration template
Managers compare the ratings they plan to give, person by person, so the same work gets the same rating across teams — and nobody's rating depends on who their manager is.
The agenda, with a time for each part
- How we rate10 min
- What does each rating level mean, in examples?
- Proposed ratings, team by team35 min
- What is the evidence for this rating?
- The edges20 min
- Who is between two ratings, and what tips it?
- Patterns15 min
- Does any team, group or kind of work get rated higher or lower?
- Final ratings and messages10 min
- What does each manager tell each person, and when?
How the notes read afterwards
A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.
Meaning. “Exceeds” means results beyond the role's goals, with examples.
Edge. Raj: between “meets” and “exceeds”; the migration finished early but two goals slipped. Settled at “meets”, with the migration named in his review.
Pattern. Remote staff rated lower in two teams; managers to recheck their evidence.
Messages. All conversations held by the 20th.
Running it well
- Ask for evidence — outcomes and examples — for every rating. “She's a star” is not evidence; “she shipped the billing migration two weeks early” is.
- Look for patterns across the whole list: ratings that follow part-time work, remote work or quiet personalities are a warning.
- Keep the discussion confidential and about the work, never the person's character.
Ways to change it
When to skip it. If one manager rates everybody, there is nothing to calibrate against — but have someone else check their evidence.
Questions
What is performance calibration?
A meeting where managers review and compare proposed performance ratings together to make them consistent and fair across teams.
Why do companies calibrate performance reviews?
To reduce the effect of individual managers being harsher or more generous, and to catch bias before ratings are final.
What should managers bring to calibration?
A proposed rating for each person with specific evidence: results, examples of work and feedback from others.
What happens in the room
Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.
More templates
Try Meetful
Meetings that take their own notes
Free video meetings in the browser: every line of the transcript under the name of who said it, and the summary and action items when you hang up. Nothing to install — guests just open the link.