How to Restrict Employees from Updating Assigned Key Results in Horilla HRMS

In performance management, clearly defined responsibilities and controlled workflows are essential. At Horilla, we’ve built flexibility into the Objective and Key Results (OKRs) module, allowing organizations to fine-tune employee access while maintaining accountability and visibility.

One common requirement for HR and team leads is to restrict employees from updating the progress of key results they’ve been assigned to. This ensures that updates are only made through the proper channels, such as managers, supervisors, or structured feedback mechanisms.

New Control: Self Employee Progress Update Toggle

While creating or editing an Objective in Horilla HRMS, you may notice a toggle option labeled “Self employee progress update” (as shown in the image below). This control enables you to enable or disable progress updates by the employee, directly from the objective creation screen.

This feature was introduced to bring more governance and oversight into how key result updates are managed, especially in hierarchical or high-stakes environments.

What Does This Toggle Do?

Enabled (Red/On): The employee assigned to the Key Result can update its progress.

Disabled (Gray/Off): Only managers or users with elevated permissions (like HR or team leads) can update the progress on behalf of the employee.

This is especially useful when:

• The organization wants centralized performance tracking.
• Managers need complete control over reporting and evaluations.
• Progress needs to be verified before being updated in the system.

How to Access It

1. Navigate to the Objectives module.
2. Click Create Objective or edit an existing one (3 or 4 marked inside the image).
3. Fill in the required fields such as:

• Title
• Managers
• Duration
• Assignees
• Key Result
• Description

At the bottom, locate the toggle labeled ‘Self Employee Progress Update’.

4. Set the toggle:

• On (Red): to allow the employee to update progress.
• Off (Gray): to restrict them from editing. 

5. Click Save to apply your changes.
 
Note: This setting can be changed at any time by the manager or admin based on project needs. 

Why Restrict Employee Progress Updates?

Restricting progress updates provides control and audit reliability:

• Ensures supervisors validate progress.
• Prevents premature or incorrect reporting.
• Aligns with hierarchical review processes.
• Useful during performance review cycles where progress must be reviewed before submission.

Tip: If you’re managing a large team or using OKRs for performance-based appraisals, it’s recommended to disable self-updates by default and enable them only for departments or roles where autonomy is necessary (like R&D or creative teams).

Conclusion

Horilla’s OKR module is built with the modern workplace in mind—flexible, scalable, and structured. The introduction of the “Self employee progress update” toggle is another step toward giving organizations fine-grained control over how objectives are managed and tracked.
 
By enabling or disabling employee access to update their key results, you can align Horilla with your organization’s culture and workflow:
 
If your organization fosters autonomy and trust, enabling this option allows employees to take ownership of their contributions and track progress in real-time.
 
If your workflow requires managerial oversight, validation, or strict performance audits, disabling it ensures that updates undergo the necessary checks before being recorded.
 
This setting is particularly valuable during:
 
Performance review periods, where validated data is critical.
 
Team-based goals, where only a designated team lead should provide updates.
 
Regulated industries, where every metric matters and must be traceable.
 
By incorporating this toggle into your OKR process, you strike the perfect balance between transparency and control, as well as empowerment and accountability.
 
Whether you’re a startup growing your teams or a large enterprise managing hundreds of goals, Horilla adapts to your needs, ensuring your performance management process is as efficient, transparent, and compliant as possible.
 
So next time you’re setting up an objective, take a moment to consider:
Should this employee be allowed to update their progress, or is this one that needs to go through their manager first?
With a straightforward toggle, Horilla empowers you to make an informed decision.