How to Fill Out Performance Reviews at Work
Performance reviews compare employee performance against clearly set objectives. Companies that are committed to effective performance management require performance reviews for all employees, from the most senior executives at a firm all the way down to the most junior workers. The schedule for performance reviews varies from one company to another, with most organizations conducting formal employee evaluations at least annually.
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Instructions
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Set a deadline for employees to complete and return the self-assessment section of the performance review in order to capture specific accomplishments that the employee made since the last review. Read over returned employee self-assessments. Reference reports, projects and specific projects the employee worked while you read the self-assessment and prepare to measure results.
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Get feedback. Schedule time with each business leader and other key persons the employee worked with during the performance cycle. Meet with these people and ask them to tell you about key strengths the employee showed on recent projects and areas where the employee can improve. Examples of questions you can ask include: "How would you describe the employee's communication skills?" or "What types of leadership skills did the employee display while working with you on a major project this year?" Take notes during the meetings. Summarize and include this feedback, without mentioning specific names of the people you met with, when you write up your assessment of the employee's performance.
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Focus on business results. Write your feedback of the employee's performance in two parts. In the first part of your feedback, focus on the employee's business results. For example, if the employee works in the payroll department, focus on the employee's data entry accuracy, timeliness when reporting taxes to local and federal agencies and percentage of overtime payments the employee processed that required correction.
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Focus on communication skills and personal effectiveness. Measure and record performance related to the employee's communication, negotiation, networking and conflict resolution skills. For business leaders, also measure executive presence and leadership skills. Be specific when writing your assessment of the employee's performance. Avoid becoming personal, especially when measuring the employee's communication style.
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Give feedback. After you type your comments on the employee's performance directly below the employee's self-assessment, schedule time with the employee to meet in person and discuss the final results. Allow the employee to respond to the final performance assessment. Express to the employee that you are available for further discussion upon request should the employee wish to talk more about the review, her career development or potential training opportunities at a later date.
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Keep a record of the performance review. Ask the employee to sign and date the completed review. After the employee signs the review, you sign and date the review. File the completed review on your computer then print and file a hard copy of the completed review in the employee's personnel record.
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