Answer
How often to do performance reviews in a small team
There is no single required cadence. What works in a small team is a formal review on a fixed rhythm you will actually keep, once or twice a year, plus a check-in for new hires a few months in, with short regular 1:1s in between so the formal review holds no surprises. The rhythm matters more than the frequency: a yearly review that happens beats a quarterly one that slips. LVL Up Performance runs each review cycle on the dates you set and keeps every 1:1 note, so the formal review is written from a year of evidence.
How it works
A cycle with dates
Create a review cycle with its start and end dates and deadlines for the self-review and the manager review. Turn on peer or upward feedback if you want it. Everyone in the cycle sees what is due and when.
1:1s that feed the review
Notes and action items from regular 1:1s stay on each person's record and carry into the next meeting, so writing the review means reading what happened, not remembering it.
A new-hire check-in
Run a small cycle for one person a few months after they start. It uses the same form, so their first annual review has something to compare against.
Where we are the wrong answer
Cycles do not repeat on their own: you create the next one when it is due. LVL Up does not tell you what cadence the law requires, because in most places there is none; if a union agreement or contract sets one, follow that. It does not score or rank people for you.
Which plan, and what it costs
Team — Up to 25 people
$29/month, or $278/year
Review cycles, 360 feedback and 1:1s are on every plan; Team covers up to 25 people.
- • Performance reviews & 360° feedback
- • Goals & progress tracking
- • Structured 1:1 meetings
- • Pulse surveys & eNPS
- • Recognition & team directory
- • Standard reporting
- • Included people records, PTO & documents
- • License and certification expiry alerts
- • AI coaching (100 requests a month)
- • Founder-led email support
No credit card. The trial runs on Growth so you can see everything; pick Team when it ends.
Getting set up
- Pick the rhythm you will keep: once a year, or twice. Put the dates in the calendar now.
- Hold a 1:1 with each person at least monthly and write two lines after each.
- A few months after anyone starts, run a short check-in on the same form.
- When the cycle opens, ask for the self-review first, then write yours from the 1:1 notes.
Common questions
How often should a small business do performance reviews?
Once or twice a year on a fixed rhythm is what most small teams can keep, with regular 1:1s between and a check-in a few months after someone starts. Pick the cadence you will actually hold; a review that slips does more harm than a less frequent one that happens.
Is there a legal requirement to do performance reviews?
Generally no, though an employment contract, union agreement or a regulator in your field can set one. Check those first. Documented reviews do help when a later decision about someone's job has to be explained.
Are quarterly reviews better than annual reviews?
Only if they happen. Many small teams do better with an annual or twice-yearly formal review and monthly 1:1s than with quarterly reviews that keep getting pushed.
What does LVL Up cost for this?
Review cycles, 360 feedback and 1:1s are on every plan, from $29/month for up to 25 people.