How to Manage Employee Appraisals in Odoo 18
By Braincuber Team
Published on February 24, 2026
Greenleaf Consulting, a 90-person digital marketing agency in Austin, ran into a wall during their annual review cycle last December. The HR lead, Priya, had been managing appraisals through a combination of Google Forms, shared spreadsheets, and calendar reminders. Feedback from managers trickled in weeks late, employees had no way to self-assess within the same system, and skills updates were tracked on a separate document that nobody remembered to open. By the time Priya compiled everything, the data was already six weeks old and half the team had changed roles or projects. The whole process took her 140 hours across two months.
When Greenleaf adopted Odoo 18's Appraisals module in January, the picture changed completely. Priya set up appraisal templates for different review types, scheduled automatic review cycles, and gave every manager a single screen where they could write feedback, update employee skills, set goals, and schedule follow-up meetings. The Q1 review cycle that year took 35 hours total, a 75% reduction in effort. This guide walks through exactly how they set it up.
What You Will Learn: How to create and manage employee appraisals in Odoo 18, choose the right appraisal template, collect employee and manager feedback, evaluate and update skills during reviews, set goals tied to appraisals, schedule review meetings, and track appraisals through the kanban pipeline.
What the Appraisals Module Does
The Appraisals module in Odoo 18 handles the full lifecycle of employee performance reviews. It is not just a form builder. It connects feedback collection, skills tracking, goal management, and meeting scheduling into a single workflow. Here is what it brings to an HR team:
Customizable Templates
Choose from built-in templates like Default, Probationary, Yearly Meeting, Post-Training, or Exit Interview. Each template pre-fills the appropriate feedback structure for that review type.
Two-Way Feedback
Both the employee and the manager write their own feedback within the same appraisal. Visibility controls let employees choose when their self-assessment becomes visible to the manager.
Skills Evaluation
During each appraisal, managers can review and update the employee's skill levels, add new competencies, and track progress over time with justification notes.
Goals & Meeting Integration
Set specific goals for the employee directly from the appraisal form. Schedule one-on-one review meetings without leaving the module. Everything links back to the employee record.
The Appraisals Dashboard
When you open the Appraisals module, you land on the main dashboard. At Greenleaf, Priya keeps this view bookmarked and checks it every Monday during the review period.
Kanban View
The dashboard shows all appraisals arranged as kanban cards, grouped by month. Each card displays the employee's name, department, appraisal date, and any scheduled activities. You can also group appraisals by company, department, or status to get different perspectives on the review pipeline.
Greenleaf groups by department during review season so department heads can see exactly how many reviews in their team are pending, in progress, or completed.
Creating a New Appraisal
Here is the step-by-step process Greenleaf follows for every new appraisal:
Start the Appraisal
Click the New button on the Appraisals dashboard. Select the employee from the dropdown. The system automatically fills in the Manager, Job Position, Department, and Company fields based on the employee record. The Appraisal Date defaults to today, but you can change it to schedule a future review.
Choose the Appraisal Template
Select a template that matches the purpose of the review. The template pre-configures the feedback structure:
| Template | When to Use | Greenleaf's Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Default Template | Standard periodic performance reviews | Quarterly reviews for all permanent staff |
| Probationary Template | End-of-probation evaluations for new hires | 90-day reviews for new joiners |
| Yearly Meeting | Annual comprehensive assessments | Year-end reviews with salary discussion |
| Post-Training | Evaluating impact after a training program | After external certifications (Google Ads, HubSpot) |
| Exit Interview | Departing employee feedback collection | Every resignation, conducted on the last day |
Confirm the Appraisal
Once you have selected the employee and template, click the Confirm button. This moves the appraisal from draft to the active pipeline, making it visible to the relevant manager and employee. The appraisal card appears on the kanban dashboard.
Smart Buttons: After confirming, notice the smart buttons at the top of the appraisal form. Goals shows any objectives tied to this employee. Appraisals shows the total number of past reviews for this person (useful for seeing performance trends). Meetings shows scheduled one-on-ones.
Managing Feedback
The Appraisal tab contains two feedback sections: one for the employee and one for the manager. This two-way feedback structure is what makes Odoo's approach more useful than a one-directional review form.
Employee Self-Assessment
The employee opens the appraisal from their own dashboard and fills in the Employee's Feedback section. This is where they reflect on their own performance, highlight accomplishments, and flag any challenges they have faced during the review period.
Here is a real example from Greenleaf. Maya, a content strategist, wrote in her Q1 self-assessment:
Accomplishments: - Published 24 blog articles (target was 18), generating 34,000 organic visits - Led the content pillar strategy for 3 new client verticals - Completed HubSpot Content Marketing certification Challenges: - Coordinating with the design team for infographics created bottlenecks - Client revision cycles on case studies averaged 3 rounds (goal was 2) Goals for Next Quarter: - Reduce case study revision cycles to 2 rounds by implementing a structured brief - Launch the internal content style guide - Mentor the new junior copywriter joining in April
Visibility Controls
By default, the employee's feedback is marked Not Visible to Manager. This lets the employee draft their self-assessment privately before sharing it. When they are ready, they click the "Not Visible to Manager" button, a confirmation popup appears, and after clicking OK, the feedback becomes visible to the manager.
The same logic applies in reverse: the manager's feedback section has a "Visible to Employee" toggle. At Greenleaf, managers write their feedback first but only make it visible after the one-on-one meeting, so the discussion happens before the employee reads the written evaluation. This prevents the meeting from feeling like a formality.
Timing Matters: Greenleaf learned early that if both feedbacks are visible before the meeting, the conversation becomes defensive rather than constructive. Their policy: employee submits self-assessment first, manager reads it, writes their own feedback privately, then both are revealed after the face-to-face meeting. This order creates a more honest and productive discussion.
Skills Evaluation During Appraisals
The Skills tab inside the appraisal form is where managers assess and update an employee's competencies. This is one of the most underused features, but Greenleaf considers it essential because it feeds into promotion decisions and training budgets.
Reviewing Existing Skills
The Skills tab lists all competencies currently recorded for the employee, showing:
| Column | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Skill | The specific competency (e.g., "Google Ads Management") |
| Skill Level | Current proficiency level (e.g., Beginner, Intermediate, Expert) |
| Progress | Visual indicator of how the skill has developed over time |
| Justification | Notes explaining why the skill was rated at this level |
Adding a New Skill
If an employee has developed a new competency since the last review, the manager can add it directly from the appraisal:
- Click the Add new skills button on the Skills tab
- Select the Skill Type (e.g., Technical, Language, Management)
- Enter the Skill name (e.g., "SEO Technical Audit")
- Set the Skill Level (e.g., Intermediate)
- Click Save & Close
At Greenleaf, Maya picked up video scripting during Q1 after the agency started offering YouTube marketing. Her manager added "Video Content Scripting" at the Intermediate level with the justification: "Scripted 6 client YouTube videos in Q1, all approved with minimal revisions." This skill entry now appears on Maya's employee record permanently, visible for future appraisals and role discussions.
Setting Goals From the Appraisal
The Goals smart button at the top of the appraisal form links directly to any objectives assigned to this employee. Managers can set, review, and update goals right from the appraisal without switching modules.
Here is how Greenleaf's content team manager, Derek, set goals for Maya during her Q1 review:
| Goal | Target | Deadline | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publish blog articles | 20 articles in Q2 | June 30 | 40% |
| Launch content style guide | Complete and distribute internally | May 15 | 25% |
| Mentor junior copywriter | Weekly 30-min sessions, documented progress | Ongoing through Q2 | 20% |
| Reduce case study revisions | Average 2 rounds or fewer | June 30 | 15% |
These goals carry over to Maya's next appraisal, where Derek can check progress and update targets. This creates continuity between review cycles instead of starting from scratch each time.
Scheduling Review Meetings
Appraisals without face-to-face conversations are just paperwork. Odoo 18 integrates meeting scheduling directly into the appraisal workflow.
From the Appraisal Form
Click the No Meeting (or Meetings) smart button at the top of the appraisal. This opens the Calendar view where you can:
- Drag on a date to select the time slot
- Add the event title (e.g., "Q1 Review – Maya")
- Set the attendees (employee and manager are pre-filled)
- Add any notes or agenda items
- Click Save & Close
From the Dashboard
You can also schedule activities directly from the kanban dashboard by clicking the clock icon on any appraisal card, then clicking + Schedule an activity. Fill in:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Activity Type | The type of follow-up (Meeting, Call, Email, To-Do) | Meeting |
| Summary | Brief description of the activity | "Q1 Performance Review Discussion" |
| Due Date | When the activity should happen | March 22, 2026 |
| Assigned to | Who is responsible for completing the activity | Derek (Content Team Lead) |
At Greenleaf, Priya requires all managers to schedule their review meetings within 5 business days of the appraisal being confirmed. This prevents reviews from sitting in limbo. The activity reminder system sends notifications so nobody forgets.
Completing and Reopening Appraisals
Marking as Done
After the review meeting has happened, both feedbacks are finalized, and skills have been updated, the manager clicks the Mark as Done button. This closes the appraisal and archives it for future reference.
Reopening if Needed
Sometimes an appraisal needs to be revised after it has been marked as done. Maybe new information came to light, or a goal needs to be adjusted based on a subsequent conversation. Clicking the Reopen button moves the appraisal back to the "To Confirm" stage, where it can be edited and re-confirmed.
Greenleaf Tip: Priya reopened 4 appraisals during Q1 because the original goals turned out to be unrealistic given a major client shift in February. The ability to reopen meant the team did not have to create duplicate appraisals or lose the existing feedback.
Private Notes
The Private Note tab on the appraisal form is visible only to the manager and HR. It is meant for internal observations that should not be shared with the employee, things like promotion readiness notes, retention risk assessments, or compensation recommendations. At Greenleaf, managers use this tab to flag employees they want to discuss at the quarterly talent review with leadership.
Best Practices from Greenleaf's Implementation
Use Templates Consistently
Greenleaf assigns the correct template to every appraisal without exception. New hires always get the Probationary Template at their 90-day mark. Quarterly reviews use the Default Template. Departures get the Exit Interview. This consistency means the data is comparable across employees and time periods. When Priya pulls reports, she can filter by template type to see patterns.
Keep Skills Updated Every Cycle
The Skills tab is only useful if it is current. Greenleaf made it a policy that managers must review and update at least 3 skills per appraisal. This caught skill gaps early. For example, they spotted that 60% of their account managers lacked analytics proficiency, which led to a company-wide Google Analytics training program that paid for itself within two quarters.
Reveal Feedback After the Meeting
This is the single most impactful process change Greenleaf made. Employees submit self-assessments first, managers write feedback privately, and both are made visible only after the face-to-face meeting. This order prevents defensive reactions and keeps the conversation genuine. Several managers reported that their review meetings became 40% shorter because the discussion was more focused.
Set Time-Bound Goals With Weights
Goals without deadlines and weights are wishes. Greenleaf requires every goal to have a specific deadline and a percentage weight that adds up to 100%. This makes the next appraisal evaluation objective rather than subjective. The manager simply checks whether the goal was met by the deadline and what percentage of the employee's overall target it represents.
Summary
Key Takeaways: Odoo 18's Appraisals module centralizes performance reviews into a structured workflow. Create appraisals using appropriate templates (Default, Probationary, Yearly, Post-Training, Exit Interview), collect two-way feedback with visibility controls, evaluate and update employee skills directly during reviews, set weighted goals with deadlines that carry over to the next cycle, and schedule review meetings from the appraisal form without switching modules. The kanban dashboard gives HR teams a live view of every review's status. Private notes keep internal observations separate from employee-facing feedback. The module transforms appraisals from an administrative burden into a genuine tool for employee development and talent management.