What is the upward manager feedback form template?
Upward feedback turns the usual review around: the people who report to a manager rate how well that manager communicates, supports and leads them. Because the power runs the other way, it only works when team members trust that their answers can't be traced back.
This survey doesn't ask for the respondent's name or email — only the manager's name, so answers reach the right person. It covers communication and direction, support and development, fairness and leadership in three agreement grids, then an overall star rating and two open questions: what to keep, and what one thing to change.
It also provides a clear route for serious issues. Anyone who flags harassment, discrimination or unsafe practice is shown how to raise it formally, because an anonymous survey alone can't be followed up.
- Best for
- HR teams and managers who want honest feedback from their team
- Filled in by
- Direct reports, anonymously
- Time to complete
- About 6 minutes
- Includes
- Three agreement grids, a star rating, a recommend question and a concern route
Who uses a upward manager feedback form?
- An annual upward review for every people manager
- A new manager asking their team for feedback after six months
- Part of a leadership development program before and after training
- Adding a team voice to a manager's performance review
- Following up on low manager scores in an engagement survey
- A founder or owner asking their direct team how they're doing
Questions on this upward manager feedback form
13 questions over 5 pages · includes conditional questions, multiple pages, ratings.
1 Before you start
- Your manager's name*
- How long have you reported to them?* Less than 6 months · 6–12 months · 1–2 years · More than 2 years
- How often do you have one-to-ones? Weekly · Every two weeks · Monthly · Rarely · Never
2 Communication & direction
- My manager…* Strongly disagree · Disagree · Neutral · Agree · Strongly agree
3 Support & development
- My manager…* Strongly disagree · Disagree · Neutral · Agree · Strongly agree
- What support would help you most right now?
4 Fairness & leadership
- My manager…* Strongly disagree · Disagree · Neutral · Agree · Strongly agree
- Is there a serious concern about your manager — such as harassment, discrimination or unsafe practice — that HR should know about?
- Describe the concern asked only when it applies
5 Summary
- Overall, how effective is your manager?*
- Would you recommend working for this manager to a friend?* Yes · Not sure · No
- What should your manager keep doing?
- What one thing could they do differently?
The upward manager feedback form, page by page
1 Before you start
A note explains that no name or email is collected and results are combined before the manager sees them. Respondents enter their manager's name, how long they've reported to them, and how often they have one-to-ones.
2 Communication & direction
Six statements, from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree: sets clear goals, keeps the team informed, listens, is available, gives clear expectations, and explains the reasons behind decisions.
3 Support & development
Six more statements cover useful feedback, recognition, career development, wellbeing, help with workload and priorities, and trust without micromanaging. An optional box asks what support would help most right now.
4 Fairness & leadership
A third grid covers fairness, acting on feedback, timely decisions, handling conflict and poor performance, leading by example and making it safe to speak up. A yes/no asks whether there's a serious concern such as harassment or unsafe practice; yes shows guidance on formal channels and a box to describe it.
5 Summary
A required star rating of overall effectiveness and whether they'd recommend working for this manager, followed by what the manager should keep doing and one thing they could do differently.
Make the template yours
- Swap statements to match your leadership framework or manager expectations
- Update the concern guidance with the names of your HR contact or grievance procedure
- Create a copy per manager so results file separately, or keep one form and filter by manager name
- Set a close date for each feedback round
- Add NotifyEmails so HR, not the manager, receives the raw responses
- Add a question about a specific change the manager committed to last round
Tips for a better upward manager feedback form
- Have HR hold the raw responses and give the manager a combined summary
- Don't share results for teams too small to protect anonymity
- Ask the manager to share what they heard and one change with their team
- Repeat the same statements each round so progress is visible
- Treat any serious concern through your formal process, not through the survey
- Avoid running it right after a restructure or pay decisions if you want a fair read
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
Each response is saved as a PDF in your chosen vault folder and you're notified by email. No respondent copy is sent, as nobody's email is collected.
The Responses table can be filtered by manager name and exported to CSV so HR can combine answers into a summary for each manager.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Upward manager feedback form: frequently asked questions
Is this upward feedback template free?
Yes. It's a starter template in the FileIt Forms app, and every question can be edited.
Can a manager tell who gave which answers?
The form doesn't collect names or emails. Written comments can still identify someone if they describe specific situations, so share comments as themes and avoid reporting on very small teams.
Who should receive the responses?
Usually HR or a manager's own manager, who then shares a combined summary. You set who is notified in Settings.
Can I use one form for all managers?
Yes — respondents type their manager's name. You can also make a copy per manager.
What happens if someone reports a serious concern?
The form shows guidance to raise it through your formal procedure. Because the survey is anonymous, it can't be followed up from the response alone.
How is this different from 360-degree feedback?
Upward feedback comes only from direct reports. A 360 collects feedback from a manager, peers and reports together.