A performance review can come in many forms. However, it’s essentially when feedback is delivered to an employee or business in an attempt to improve performance on both ends.
Some companies use a continuous feedback model, such as an app, where feedback can be submitted to both management and employees whenever the need arises. However, the most common form of a performance review occurs when, during the review process, a member of the HR department or management and an employee either discuss their shortcomings and expectations in a meeting, or in a pre-written form, followed by a meeting to speak through it.
Constructive feedback should be shared by both parties in a performance review. The benefit of an effective performance review is to increase employee engagement and learn how work ethic and productivity can be improved. During the performance review process, the reviewer will usually talk through the employee’s job description and share both negative and positive feedback.
Effective Performance Review Phrases
If you’re struggling to effectively communicate your employee’s work ethic in a performance review, you can use some of the performance review phrases listed below.
Employees Who Have Excelled at Their Given Work
- Throughout your tenure with the company, the level of work you’ve returned has consistently been of a very high standard, thoroughly thought out, and shows impressive attention to detail.
- You have a strong grasp of what your job role entails, and you consistently deliver work that surpasses the expected standard.
- You consistently hit and exceed targets that are set for you, even when the bar is raised to a very high level.
Employees Who Are Producing Poor Quality Work
- Despite the support from management and your team members, you’ve consistently failed to meet targets. Is there a reason for this?
- The quality of work that is returned is consistently littered with errors, which must be attributed to a lack of attention to detail. Why is this?
- The work returned from you is far below the scope of work we expected from you in this role. Do you feel as though the quality of your work has dropped?
Employees Who Are Good at Problem Solving
- I’ve continuously watched you initiate new strategies to help you overcome problems you’ve faced; this is a quality that natural leaders have.
- You are skilled at analysing situations and devising a strategy to overcome any foreseeable problems.
- Even in the most complex situations, you don’t get overwhelmed with stress and have the level-headed qualities required to rationally devise a solution to a problem.
Employees Who Have Trouble Communicating
- Listening before speaking sounds simple, but it’s an extremely important quality in the workplace, and I appreciate your interpersonal skills.
- I think it would be very beneficial for you to take other people’s feelings and emotions into consideration more often.
- Sometimes, it can be hard to share duties when you’re invested in a job or project. But, to succeed in the role, you need to be a team player and work for the common goal of the team.
Employees With Good Communication Skills
- I can tell by the way you talk to me and others that you think about what you say before you say it.
- I have witnessed your social ability to confidently and thoughtfully converse with co-workers regardless of their age, status, or gender.
- You have demonstrated the ability to help people lower their guard while in a conversation surrounding work.
Employees Who Are Good at Goal Setting
- One of your strengths is evaluating the work you have and how you can deliver that work to the best of your ability by setting goals.
- I’ve witnessed you making thorough plans and goals before diving into a task. This is a very responsible and mature quality that helps productivity and quality of work in the long run.
- The goals that you set aren’t lofty and unachievable; they’re well thought out and realistic.
Employees Who Work Well With Other Team Members
- Your considerate nature has shown that you always have time to help a fellow teammate, a quality that helps the business thrive together.
- You always encourage others to add their thoughts and ideas into a conversation. This creates combined brainpower and helps with workshopping an idea and coming up with the best strategy possible.
- I’ve noticed your compassion in the sense that you will always notice when a teammate is struggling and will reach out to help them regain their confidence and get back on track. This is a great quality to have when working in a team environment.
Employees Who Don’t Work Well With Co-workers
- When things go wrong, I’ve noticed that you haven’t taken accountability and will shift the blame. Even if the crux of the problem was someone else’s doing, do you think that things can partially be your fault, too?
- I’ve noticed you speaking to co-workers in a condescending and rude manner. This is not accepted in our workplace. If you believe that a co-worker has dropped the ball in a team situation, you need to communicate this with them maturely.
- When a team project is completed successfully and to a high standard, you often jump up and take the credit without acknowledging the roles your team members played. When a project is done in a team, there are many moving parts, and credit should be shared together.
Employees Who Seem to Have a Bad Attitude
- A negative employee can bring bad morale to a workplace. I’ve noticed that you tend to point out negatives when they arise, but you don’t focus on the positives when good things happen. Do you think you’re capable of having a more positive attitude in the future?
- Gossiping is not tolerated in our workplace. On multiple occasions, I’ve heard of gossip happening in the workplace, and it’s been linked to you before. Can you explain why this is?
- Arriving frequently late to work shows disrespect to your fellow workmates, as well as the management team. When you are at work, you are an employee of the company, and we expect you to abide by our rules.