Conversations user guide - Manager

Manager User Guide – Conversations

As a manager (Reviewer), you use Conversations to:

• Initiate conversations with employees (not only direct reports).
• Prepare and submit your own reflections.
• Collaborate via comments, tasks and summaries once both sides have submitted.
• Close and re‑open conversations.
• Optionally change the Period linked to a conversation.

You always act as Reviewer, while the employee is the Target‑user.

Creating a conversation

You initiate conversations from Team overview.

1. Go to Overview → Team overview.
2. Click Create conversation.

Fill in:

1. Template

• Choose a template from the list. The list contain both Simployer standard templates as well as custom templates build by company administrators. 

2. Language (Standard templates)

For standard Simployer templates:

• Select the desired language (e.g. English, Swedish, Norwegian).
• The language:
  • Applies to both participants.
  • Is independent of each person’s system language.

3. Period

• Select from:
  • Ongoing periods
  • Future periods
  • Or choose No period for ad‑hoc conversations
• The Period affects:
  • Reporting and follow‑up by administrators.
  • How the conversation is grouped in statistics.
• You can later change period from the conversation page if needed.

4. Employees

• Choose from all active employees:
  • Archived employees are excluded.
  • Your direct reports appear at the top of the list.
• Each selected employee results in an individual conversation with:
  • You as Reviewer
  • The employee as Target‑user

Once you confirm:

• Conversations are created.
• Each Target‑user receives a “Conversation created” notification.

Preparing your reflections

1. From Team overview, find the right employee.
2. Click Respond in the Action column.
3. On the Conversation page:
   • Text is auto‑saved as you type.
   • You may leave some points blank (you’ll receive a warning, but can still submit).

Submitting

1. Review your responses.
2. Click Submit.

After submitting:

• You cannot change your responses.
• Your responses are only revealed to the employee after they have also submitted.
• Conversation status:
  • In progress – only one of you has submitted.
  • Submitted – both have submitted.

After both have submitted – shared conversation

Once both participants have submitted:

• Status: Submitted.
• Side‑by‑side view is enabled:
  • Left side – Target‑user’s responses and comments.
  • Right side – Reviewer’s responses and comments.
• You can:
  • Add comments
  • Add/edit/delete tasks (draft‑mode)
  • Generate and edit the summary
  • Eventually Close the conversation.

Commenting

Use comments to:

• Clarify responses.
• Capture meeting notes.
• Record follow‑up decisions.

In the Submitted state:

• Both you and the employee can add comments per discussion point.
• Each comment shows author and timestamp.
• Comments are immediately visible to both.

Tasks (draft‑mode)

In the Submitted state, you can build an action plan via tasks.

1. Add new tasks with:
   • Title (required)
   • Description (optional)
   • Assignee – either the Target‑user or you (Reviewer)
   • Due date (optional)
2. Edit or delete tasks as needed while the conversation remains Submitted.

These tasks:

• Are draft until the conversation is closed.
• Do not appear in separate task lists yet.

AI‑supported editor

In both responses and summary:

• Use the Enhance button to:
  • Rephrase text
  • Fix spelling & grammar
  • Make the text longer
  • Make the text shorter
• The suggestion is based on the context of the discussion point.
• You choose whether to apply the suggestion.

AI‑generated summary

You or the employee can add a summary.

1. Click Generate summary.
2. AI creates a draft from:
   • Both participants’ responses
   • Conversation comments
3. Either of you can edit and refine this summary.
4. Changes are auto‑saved.
5. The summary can also be removed if not desired.

If you close a conversation without a summary:

• You’ll be reminded to create one, but you can skip it.

Closing a conversation

When you and the employee have discussed the content and tasks you as a manager can close the conversation. 

Click Mark conversation as closed

After closing:

• Status: Closed, not signed.
• Everything becomes read‑only:
  • Responses
  • Comments
  • Summary
  • Tasks
• Tasks are finalized:
  • Shown in the employee’s Tasks list and on the conversation page.
  • Can only be marked Todo or Done.
  • Cannot be edited or deleted—even if you later re‑open the conversation.
• The Target‑user receives a “Conversation closed” notification and can now sign.

Re‑opening a conversation

If you need to adjust comments or the summary after closing:

1. Open the closed conversation.
2. Use the Re‑open action.

When you re‑open:

• Status returns to Submitted.
• You and the employee can:
  • Add new comments.
  • Modify the summary.
• Tasks remain finalized and read‑only.
• If the Target‑user had already signed, their sign‑off is invalidated.
• The Target‑user receives a “Conversation re‑opened” notification and must sign again once you close the conversation again.

Changing Period for a conversation

If a conversation has the wrong Period:

1. Open the conversation page.
2. Use the page options menu.
3. Select Change period.
4. Choose the correct Period
5. Save.

This updates only the Period link; it does not change the conversation content.

Conversation statuses for managers

In Team overview, you’ll see:

• Not started
   Neither you nor the employee has submitted reflections.
• In progress
   One of you has submitted; the other has not.
• Submitted
   Both have submitted. Side‑by‑side view, comments, tasks and summary editing are enabled.
• Closed, not signed
   You have closed the conversation. It’s read‑only; the employee can sign. You can re‑open.
• Closed

        The employee has signed a closed conversation. You can still re‑open, which invalidate signing.