Performance review examples for managers
A good performance review says what the person did, why it mattered and what comes next. The hard part is remembering the whole period, not only the last few weeks. Here are examples you can adapt, and a simple way to write a review from facts.
Updated
Start from what happened, not from memory
Memory favours the last month and the loudest moments. Before you write, list what the person worked on across the whole period: what they finished, who they helped and what they took on that was not theirs.
Ask them for their own list too. People often forget their best work by review time, and so do their managers.
Examples: results
- "You took [project] from a rough plan to a release, and kept the team informed at every step."
- "When [problem] came up, you found the cause and fixed it without being asked."
- "You finished [work] while also covering for [name] when they were away."
Examples: helping others
- "You reviewed more of the team's work than anyone, and your comments made it better."
- "New people on the team go to you first. You make time for their questions."
- "You wrote down how [system] works, so the team no longer depends on one person."
Examples: growth
- "You asked to lead [work], and you did. Next, I would like you to [next step]."
- "This period you started [new skill]. Let us find work that uses it."
Examples: when something needs to change
Name the behaviour, give one example and say what good looks like. Nothing in a review should be a surprise. If it is, it should have been said earlier.
- "Twice this period, [work] was late without warning. Next time, tell me as soon as a date is at risk."
- "Your work is strong, but the team does not see it. Show your work in progress earlier."
Phrases to avoid
- "Great job." It is kind, and it says nothing. Say what was great.
- "Needs to be more of a team player." Say what they should do instead.
- Anything about personality. Write about the work and what the person did.
A simple performance review template
- What they did: three to five pieces of work, with what each made possible.
- How they worked with others: who they helped, and how.
- One thing to keep doing.
- One thing to change, with an example.
- What comes next: the work and the growth you agreed.
For the self performance review
Ask the person to answer the same five points before you meet. Compare the two lists. Where they differ, you have found what to talk about.
The signals behind this guide
- How to spot good work nobody is talking about
Someone is doing more than usual, or helping others a lot.
- How to tell if someone could take on more work
Someone has had much less of their own work than usual, and could take on more.
- Are you giving one person less of your time?
One person gets much less of your time than the others.
More guides
- Why employees leave and the signs before they go
Why employees leave, the changes a manager can see before someone resigns, and how to start the conversation while there is still time.
- Quiet quitting: the signs, and what to do
What quiet quitting looks like on a team, how it differs from a quiet week, and how a manager can respond without blame.
- One on one questions to ask your team
One on one questions for every part of a 1:1 meeting: workload, the team, growth and you as their manager. Plus what to talk about, and a simple agenda.
- Employee recognition: how to thank good work
Employee recognition that costs nothing: how to notice the work that deserves thanks, how to say it so it lands, and ideas to make sure nobody is missed.
- Signs of burnout at work a manager can see
The signs of burnout at work a manager can see early are about the work: late nights, no breaks, no say. What to look for, what to say, what to change.
- Signs an employee is secretly struggling
The work changes that show someone may be struggling, why they hide it, and how a manager can ask in a way that gets an honest answer.
- How to tell if an employee is disengaged
What disengaged looks like day to day, how it differs from a bad week, and how a manager can find the reason and respond without blame.
- Bus factor: how to find it and raise it
Your bus factor is how many people could leave before work stops. How to find the one person your team relies on, and how to spread what they know.
- How to support an employee returning from leave
What to do before, on and after someone's first day back from leave, so they can catch up without being rushed or left out.
- Overwhelmed at work: how a manager can help
What to do when someone has too much on: how to find out what they are carrying, what to take away, and how to check that it worked.
- Employee onboarding: a 90-day plan
A practical plan for a new hire's first days and first 90 days: what to prepare, who they should meet, and what to check on each week.
- Employee retention: how to keep your best people
What employee retention depends on, why good people leave, and the habits that keep them: fair workload, real growth and a manager who notices.
- Team health check: how to run one
How to run a team health check in half an hour: what to ask, how to get honest answers, what to do with the result, and what to watch between checks.
- First time manager: what to do first
A plan for a first time manager: meet each person, learn how the team works, start one on ones, and avoid the mistakes most new managers make.
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