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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2026-01-09
Set Up Calibration Programs

Set Up Calibration Programs

  • Set up the calibration nBox report.
  • Security:
    Set Up: Calibration
     domain in the Performance Enablement or Talent Pipeline functional area.
A calibration program defines each aspect of the calibration activity, including:
  • Target population rules.
  • Calibration nBox report.
  • Calibration value mappings that determine the default position of the worker on the calibration nBox report when you launch calibration.
  • Any target box percentages.
  • Default calibration values.
You can create any number of calibration programs. You can also use the same program for multiple calibration events.
  1. Access the
    Create Calibration Program
     task.
  2. To label calibration tasks and events, enter a
    Program Name
    .
  3. (Optional) Specify a
    Due Date
     to use to create query alerts that notify managers or other roles when the due date is near. This date doesn't end the calibration event.
  4. Select the
    nBox
     report.
  5. As you complete the task, consider:
    Option Description
    Hide nBox Summary View
    This option hides the nBox summary view on the Submit Calibration summary page, improving calibration program performance.
    Applies To
    Select a rule that determines employee eligibility for the calibration program.
    You can create the options in this prompt using the
    Create Calibration Program Rule
     task.
    If you leave this field blank, the program includes all eligible employees in the organization that you select at launch.
    Unplotted Help Text
    You can provide information about unplotted workers not populated in the grid view.
    Allow update of Assess Potential during Calibration
    This option adds up to 6 employee attributes to the calibration list view:
    • Achievable Level
      .
    • Loss Impact
      .
    • Notes
      .
    • Potential
       (if not used as an axis in the calibration nBox report).
    • Retention Risk
      .
    • 2 configurable
      Potential Assessment Value
       fields you can set up using the
      Maintain Talent Matrix Setup
       task.
    Restrict Organization Level View
    To restrict the number of workers displayed in the nBox and list views of a calibration session, enter a value of
    1
     or
    2
    . A value of:
    • 1
       displays the manager’s direct reports and workers 1 level below.
    • 2
       displays the manager's direct reports and workers 2 levels below.
    • Zero
       displays all workers in the organization.
    A worker with a role at multiple levels of the organization, such as an HR business partner, can see 1 or 2 levels below the lowest level. This worker can also see all levels above the lowest level.
    Autocomplete First Participant
    You can skip the first participant when calibration launches.
    Select Validation for Unplotted Worker
    You can configure 2 types of notices for Workday to alert calibration participants if any workers remain unplotted using the
    Restrict Organization Level View
     population size.
    Select
    Warning
     to warn calibration participants with an alert that at least 1 or more workers are unplotted, but allow them to proceed.
    Select
    Error
     to stop calibration participants with an alert that at least 1 or more workers are unplotted, and require they fix the error before submitting.
    Select Validation for Target Percentage Population
    You can configure 2 types of notices for Workday to alert calibration participants if any target percentages populations aren't met in each box using the
    Restrict Organization Level View
     population size.
    Select
    Warning
     to warn calibration participants with an alert that any target percentages populations aren't met in each box, but allow them to proceed.
    Select
    Error
     to stop calibration participants with an alert that any target percentages populations aren't met, and require they fix the error before submitting.
  6. (Optional) On the
    Calibration Value Mapping
     tab, map rating values to the source field defined in nBox setup to define initial worker placement.
    Leave this tab blank if you want to start the calibration activity with all workers unplotted.
  7. (Optional) Click
    Target Percentages
     to recommend the percentage of the target population to place in each box.
    You can set targets for all boxes or just a subset of boxes.
    Workday converts the percentages into numbers when it renders the calibration nBox report, but only enforces the percentages if you configure the
    Select Validation for Target Percentage Population
     field to issue a warning or error message. Workday also rounds down the target numbers to provide more conservative estimates.
  8. (Optional) Click
    Calibration Default Values
     to select different rating fields as the basis for initial worker placement.
    You can override the default values for:
    Default Value
    Report field Used if No Value Specified
    Calibration: Overall Performance Rating
    .
    Rating - Current
    Calibration: Talent Based Performance Rating
    .
    Talent Matrix Review Rating
    Calibration: Potential
    .
    Potential
    Calibration: Row Section Rating
    .
    n/a
    Calibration: Column Section Rating
    .
    n/a
    Select another field from the
    Default value to choose
     prompt.
    If you select
    Calibration: Column Section Rating
     or
    Calibration: Row Section Rating
     on the calibration nBox report, you must select:
    • Review Section Rating - Most Recent
       as the default value.
    • A Workday-delivered or tenanted section from the
      Employee Review Section Type
       prompt.
    Repeat Step 6 to map the new rating values to the calibration nBox report.
You want to calibrate ratings from completed performance reviews, but your organization uses different employee review templates and rating scales to evaluate different groups of workers. To pinpoint which review template and rating scale is the basis for initially plotting workers on the calibration nBox report, override the default value for the
Calibration: Overall Performance Rating
 field with
Rating - Current
. This field finds the most recent review template and normalizes performance ratings based on your settings in the
Maintain Employee Review Setup
 task.
  • Launch the calibration program.
  • To view the number of launched sessions, access the
    View Calibration Program
     report.
  • To change or inactivate a calibration program, use the
    Edit Calibration Program
     task.
  • To copy a calibration program so you can reuse it for another calibration event, use the
    Copy Calibration Program
     task.