How to Write an Evaluation of Performance

Write an effective performance evaluation.

Employees may have anxiety when it comes time to complete annual performance evaluations, but this practice is an important part of professional development. The performance evaluation presents you and your employee with a chance to better understand her goals, strengths and areas of improvement. Creating a reflective performance evaluation begins long before you sit to write the first draft. With planning and a record-keeping system, you can create a performance evaluation process that is beneficial to your company and employees.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Gather performance notes for the evaluation period. It's standard to complete a performance evaluation cycle each year but other time periods are useful as well, such as the probation period given to new employees. Over the course of the evaluation period, you should compile as much data as possible on those you supervise. Create a folder (paper and digital) for your employee to place records that demonstrate her work. These might include reports and presentations, compliments from clients, mistakes or performance correction notices.

2. Talk to others in your organization. As a supervisor, you will gain one impression of your employee but her teammates and other supervisors may be able to offer additional areas of feedback. In particular, you can gleam how your employee performs in the areas of teamwork, communication and leadership from her interactions with others in the organization.

3. Request a self-reflection from your employee. Ideally, the performance evaluation is a tool for growth. Allowing your employee to reflect on her greatest accomplishments, goals and areas of improvement gives her a stake in her growth. In addition, the reflection may remind you of accomplishments you overlooked.

4. Review previous year's goals. How well did your employee meet the goals that were set at the beginning of the evaluation period? Write the outcome of each goal or milestone, including your thoughts on what worked and what areas could have been improved.

5. Draft the evaluation. Create three key sections: one for your employees greatest accomplishments, another for areas she can improve and finally, a section that reflects a shared set of goals for her to achieve during the next evaluation period. Each section should be objective, based on facts and outcomes that you gathered during the evaluation period. Avoid character judgments, such as how she spends her free time. The tone of the writing should be positive and constructive, particularly in the areas of improvement section. Ideally, this section should not have any surprises for your employee. It should reflect areas that you both discussed or that surfaced at some point in the past.

6. Share the draft evaluation with your supervisor. This may be required in your organization but it is also useful to have another set of eyes to review the document and offer feedback. Finalize the document, implementing any necessary changes. Also be sure to include a header that states the date of the evaluation period, your employee's name and title and the effective date of the evaluation. Add a signature line to the end of the document. Ideally, you can occasion a meeting to review the evaluation with your employee. This gives her the opportunity to sign the document, formalizing it as an agreement of all that it reflects.

References

• HR Careers: Mastering the Art of Effective Performance Evaluations