In a 360-degree feedback process, feedback is typically kept confidential to help Responders feel comfortable providing honest and meaningful input. Possible exceptions may include the Subject’s self-assessment and feedback from the direct Manager, depending on your report settings.
For other responder groups, such as Direct Reports, Peers, Others, or custom responder categories, Panoramic Feedback includes built-in confidentiality protection.
By default, a minimum of 3 completed responses is required for a responder group to be shown separately in the report.
If fewer than 3 responses are received for a group, the system will look for another available group that can be merged with it. If the combined group still has fewer than 3 responses, an additional group may be merged as well.
If, after all available merging, there are still fewer than 3 responses, those results will be omitted from the report to help protect responder confidentiality.
When a responder group is omitted or merged, the system will display a message during report generation explaining what happened. Be sure to review the output message on the report generation screen, as it provides a summary of any confidentiality-related adjustments made to the report.
If necessary, you may modify the default merging settings to allow results to be included in the report even when only 1 or 2 responses have been received. However, this should be done with caution.
In smaller groups (with only 1 or 2 responses), it may be easier for report viewers to identify who provided the feedback, especially when comments contain specific examples, wording, situations, or references.
If you choose to report results from very small responder groups, consider whether doing so could compromise responder confidentiality. If appropriate, inform Responders in advance that their feedback may be less anonymous due to the small number of responses in their category.
Protecting confidentiality helps maintain trust in the 360-degree feedback process and encourages Responders to provide open, constructive, and useful feedback. When Responders are confident that their identities will not be disclosed, they are more likely to share honest observations that contribute to meaningful development and growth.
