This article explains how to control who can see feedback in a 360 cycle and how anonymity settings work. Getting this right helps you create a safe environment for honest feedback while ensuring the right people have access to insights.
Visibility & Anonymity Overview
You can decide exactly who sees feedback results:
Go to your 360 cycle and click Edit Cycle Settings.
Scroll down to Visibility & Anonymity.
Choose who can view feedback:
The reviewee
Their direct manager
Their indirect manager
To restrict access completely, disable all options so only HR Admins can view feedback.
When feedback visibility for the reviewee is turned off, employees without an assigned manager may still be able to access their feedback. Make sure to check for a warning in the settings if this applies.
Cycle Settings
In the cycle settings under the same Visibility & Anonymity section, you can choose whether to make the feedback anonymous and if you want to hide the list of reviewers.
When you select Feedback is anonymous:
Reviewer names are hidden.
Feedback is shown as from "Anonymous."
The list of approved reviewers remains visible (unless you choose to hide it, see below).
Hide the list of reviewers
When you select Hide list of reviewers:
People who submitted feedback are unknown.
Feedback becomes fully anonymous.
However:
Employees will still know who they nominated.
Managers and HR Admins may assign additional reviewers.
Notify employees when a nominee declines
If you select Inform reviewee by email if a nominee declines:
The employee receives an email if a nominated reviewer declines.
They can choose a replacement reviewer.
Using split and shuffle for stronger anonymity
If anonymity is enabled, you can further protect identities by splitting feedback into smaller pieces.
How split and shuffle works
Enable Split and shuffle feedback.
Feedback is:
Broken into paragraphs
Displayed in random order
This makes it harder to identify the author based on writing style or structure.
Tip: Let reviewers know about this setting so they write each paragraph clearly on its own.
How reviewers should format feedback
To ensure feedback is split correctly:
Write feedback in paragraphs.
Press Enter twice between each paragraph.
This creates a clean separation for the system to split content properly.
How split feedback appears
For the person receiving feedback:
Paragraphs appear individually
The order is randomized
Multiple paragraphs from the same reviewer are not grouped together
This enhances anonymity while still delivering meaningful insights.
Best practices
Use anonymity to encourage honest feedback.
Combine Hide reviewer list and Split and shuffle for maximum privacy.
Keep visibility limited if sensitive topics are expected.
Start simple. Only enable the settings that match your feedback culture.