Performance reviews are evaluations of an employee’s work performance, usually conducted periodically by a supervisor or manager. These assessments typically focus on an employee’s achievements, strengths, areas for improvement, and goals for the future. You might receive a performance review as a formal annual assessment or as periodic informal check-ins with your manager.
When writing performance review comments, it’s vital to use positive language. This not only makes the receiver more receptive to your feedback but also helps create an empowering experience. For example, words like “improve,” “achieve,” and “progress” are encouraging and can boost the employee’s motivation.
Instead of saying, “You failed to meet the deadline,” try using a more positive approach: “Although you didn’t meet the deadline, we appreciate your hard work and believe you can do better next time.” This simple change in tone shows that you recognize their effort and are confident in their potential for growth.
To offer constructive criticism, focus on specific behaviors and outcomes rather than making personal judgments. For instance, avoid general statements like, “You’re not a good team player.” Instead, provide actionable feedback, such as, “During team meetings, try to engage more with your colleagues by asking questions and sharing your ideas.”
When discussing areas for improvement, pair them with related strengths or achievements. This way, you’re not only pointing out the problem but also acknowledging their effort and capability. For example, “Your creative ideas have significantly contributed to the project; however, working on time management will help you deliver even better results.”
Using positive phrases can help boost employee morale and encourage growth. Here are some examples:
Remember to support these positive statements with concrete examples from the employee’s work.
When discussing an employee’s strengths, try to be specific and use examples from their recent work. Focus on their skills and accomplishments, tying them to the overall success of the team or the company.
1. “I’ve noticed how effectively you manage your time, particularly during the (…) project when you delivered your part ahead of schedule without compromising on quality.”
2. “Your ability to lead the team was evident in the way you stepped up during the (…) event, ensuring that everyone was motivated and on task.”
3. “Your creative problem-solving skills really shone when you found a workaround for the budget issue on the (…) project.”
4. “Your attention to detail didn’t go unnoticed on the (…) report, where your thoroughness prevented potential errors.”
5. “Your technical skills are a huge asset, as seen when you implemented the new software that increased our team’s productivity.”
6. “Your communication skills have improved significantly, especially when you presented the quarterly results and received positive feedback from the stakeholders.”
7. “Your commitment to professional development is commendable, like when you completed the advanced training in (…) and immediately applied those skills to benefit our team.”
8. “Your teamwork has been outstanding, particularly when you assisted a new team member with onboarding and helped them become productive quickly.”
9. “Your initiative to organize the weekly brainstorming sessions has greatly enhanced our team’s creativity and collaboration.”
10. “Your customer service skills have consistently been exceptional, as evidenced by the glowing reviews from clients like in the (…) project.”
11. “Your sales performance has been remarkable, especially when you exceeded your targets by 20% last quarter.”
12. “Your adaptability was clearly demonstrated during the transition to remote work, where you maintained high productivity levels.”
13. “Your positive attitude has been a morale booster for the team, like when you encouraged everyone during the tight deadline for the (…) project.”
14. “Your strategic thinking was key in identifying new market opportunities that led to the (…) initiative.”
15. “Your reliability is something we can always count on, as you’ve never missed a deadline and always deliver quality work.”
16. “Your mentorship has greatly benefited your colleagues, such as when you guided your peer through the complex process of (…).”
17. “Your ability to communicate with clients has been outstanding, as seen in the successful onboarding of the (…) project.”
18. “Your analytical skills have helped us understand customer data better, leading to more targeted marketing strategies.”
19. “Your dedication to the company’s mission was evident when you volunteered to lead the corporate social responsibility program.”
20. “Your conflict resolution skills have been instrumental in maintaining a harmonious work environment, especially during the team restructuring.”
21. “Your writing skills have been invaluable, particularly in drafting the clear and persuasive proposal that won us the (…) grant.”
22. “Your resilience is commendable, as seen when you managed to keep the team focused and productive even amidst several unforeseen challenges.”
23. “Your organizational skills are top-notch, which was clear when you coordinated the successful industry conference last month.”
24. “Your ability to work under pressure was evident during the end-of-year audit, where you managed to deliver accurate reports within tight deadlines.”
25. “Your financial acumen saved the company significant costs by renegotiating vendor contracts effectively.”
26. “Your hands-on approach in the training of new hires has ensured they are fully equipped to perform their roles successfully.”
Constructive feedback should be clear, specific, and actionable. Instead of saying, “You need to improve your time management,” try offering suggestions like, “Consider using a calendaring tool to better organize your tasks and deadlines, which will help ensure projects are completed in a timely manner.” Focus on behaviors that can be improved and support your feedback with examples.
Peer Review Examples (300 Key Positive, Negative Phrases)1. “I’ve noticed that you excel in client interactions, consistently providing thoughtful and helpful responses. To further enhance your client management skills, I suggest participating in advanced communication workshops.”
2. “Your ability to work independently is impressive; however, I encourage you to engage more with the team during collaborative projects to contribute your valuable insights and learn from others’ perspectives.”
3. “You have shown great initiative in your role, but there have been instances where attention to detail could be improved. Double-checking your work before submission could help mitigate any minor errors.”
4. “Your creativity in problem-solving is commendable. To foster this skill, I recommend documenting your processes to share with the team, which could inspire innovative approaches across the department.”
5. “While you meet most deadlines, I’ve observed that some tasks are completed at the last minute. Prioritizing your workload and setting earlier internal deadlines might help reduce last-minute rushes.”
6. “You have a strong grasp of our project goals, yet sometimes there’s hesitation in decision-making. Confidence can be built through seeking mentorship or additional training in areas of uncertainty.”
7. “Your technical skills are outstanding, and to complement them, I suggest working on developing your presentation skills to effectively communicate your ideas to non-technical team members.”
8. “I appreciate your dedication to the team, but I’ve noticed that work-life balance could be an area for improvement. Managing your time to leave the office at a reasonable hour could benefit your overall well-being.”
9. “You often contribute innovative ideas in meetings; to take this further, I encourage you to lead a brainstorming session, which could help refine and implement these concepts.”
10. “Your project management is generally strong, yet there’s room to enhance your delegation skills. Trusting your team with more responsibilities can improve efficiency and team development.”
11. “You consistently produce high-quality work, though sometimes at a slower pace. Implementing productivity techniques, like the Pomodoro method, might help increase your output without sacrificing quality.”
12. “Your punctuality and attendance are commendable. To build on this, setting a personal goal to contribute at least one key point in meetings could further demonstrate your engagement.”
13. “You are very responsive to feedback, which is great. To take it a step further, actively seeking out feedback periodically could provide you with more opportunities for growth.”
14. “Your reports are always thorough, but they can be quite lengthy. Learning to condense information without losing clarity could make your reports more accessible to readers.”
15. “You show great enthusiasm for new projects, and I’d love to see you carry that energy through to project completion by setting and reviewing progress milestones.”
16. “Your teamwork is a strength, but taking on a leadership role in group tasks could help you develop management skills and provide valuable experience.”
17. “You’ve shown you can handle routine tasks well; now, challenging yourself with more complex assignments could further your expertise and career development.”
18. “Your sales numbers are impressive, and to enhance your performance even more, consider adopting a CRM tool to track customer interactions and follow-ups systematically.”
19. “You are very organized in your work, which is excellent. To improve efficiency, you might explore new project management software that could streamline your processes.”
20. “You handle customer complaints with patience and empathy. Enhancing your skills with additional conflict resolution training could make you even more effective in these situations.”
21. “Your ability to adhere to the budget is a real asset. To build on this, developing forecasting techniques could help you anticipate financial challenges and opportunities.”
22. “You are a reliable employee who often assists others. To further your development, I suggest you mentor a newer team member, which can help you hone your leadership abilities.”
23. “Your written communication is clear and concise. Expanding your skill set to include technical writing could open up new opportunities for you within the company.”
24. “You have a knack for identifying risks early on. Developing a formal risk assessment process could benefit the entire team by mitigating potential issues before they arise.”
25. “You’ve taken on additional responsibilities well. Now, focusing on strategic planning could help you understand how these tasks fit into the company’s broader goals.”
26. “Your proactive approach to learning new software is commendable. Sharing your knowledge through a short training session with colleagues could enhance team productivity.”
27. “You make sound decisions most of the time; however, incorporating data analysis into your decision-making process could provide a stronger foundation for those decisions.”
28. “You are very good at following up with clients. To improve even further, you might consider developing a standardized follow-up protocol to ensure consistency across all client interactions.”
29. “Your public speaking skills have improved, which is great to see. Joining a professional speaking group could provide you with even more opportunities to practice and refine these skills.”
30. “You have a strong understanding of our products, and to leverage that knowledge, you could create informational materials to help educate the rest of the team on product features and benefits.”
When discussing achievements, make sure to acknowledge your employee’s hard work and dedication. Start with praising their accomplishments, and then specifically describe what they did well. For example:
Don’t forget to include any metrics or data that showcase their success.
When addressing areas for improvement, ensure you are providing constructive feedback and actionable advice. Be supportive and empathetic, framing the conversation as an opportunity for growth. For example:
When providing comments, ensure you focus on observable behaviors and results that can be measured or quantified. This helps to keep the feedback objective and avoids misunderstanding. For example:
Effective performance review comments serve to support your growth and development in your job. They provide you with constructive feedback that can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, as well as areas where you can improve. Well-written comments are:
For example, instead of vaguely saying, “You need to improve your communication skills,” helpful comments might go like this: “When presenting to clients, try to make eye contact and speak more confidently. This will help you build rapport and better convey your ideas.”
When providing feedback in performance reviews, it’s important to use specific examples to illustrate your points. This helps the employee understand the exact situations you are talking about and shows that you have paid attention to their work. For instance, instead of saying, “You need to communicate better with your team,” you could say, “I noticed at last week’s project meeting that you didn’t share updates about your progress with the rest of the team. Sharing this information can help everyone stay aligned and avoid duplication of work.”
Adding concrete instances of behavior or results allows your comments to carry more weight, making them more useful for the employee. They can then focus on these instances to learn and improve. For example, instead of saying, “You are a great problem solver,” mention a specific situation when the employee went above and beyond to address a challenge, like this: “You did a fantastic job troubleshooting the server issue last month, finding the root cause, and resolving it within two hours. That saved the company from significant downtime.”
Aligning your feedback and examples to the employee’s goals helps to clarify how their actions affect their progress towards meeting their objectives. This demonstrates that you are invested in your employee’s growth and success. When discussing accomplishments, point out how they contributed to meeting their goals. For instance, “Your dedication to completing the new client proposal led to it being both well-received and signed, which was a crucial part of reaching this quarter’s sales target.”
30 Examples: Performance Review Questions (Employee, Peer, Manager)On the other hand, when addressing areas that need improvement, emphasize how the observed behavior may hinder the employee’s progress towards their goals. For example, “Your tendency to miss weekly status update meetings has made it difficult for other team members to keep track of your projects, which can delay their own work and impede reaching our team goals.”
Using examples tied to their goals highlights the direct impact of the employee’s actions, whether positive or negative, on their overall performance and success. This encourages employees to take ownership of their development and strive for improvement in their day-to-day activities.
Help your employees grow by setting clear and achievable goals for the next period. Instead of setting a vague objective, try to make it specific and measurable. For example, rather than saying “Improve your sales skills,” you could say “Increase your sales numbers by 10% in the next quarter.”
When you provide feedback on their performance, explain how they can improve and discuss the steps needed to achieve their goals. For instance, if your employee needs to improve their presentation skills, suggest that they attend a workshop or take an online course. This way, they’ll have a clear direction to follow, and it will be easier to monitor their progress.
Supporting your employees in their professional development is an important aspect of their career growth. Offer resources that can help them learn new skills and refine existing ones. These resources could include training programs, online courses, mentoring, or even access to relevant conferences and seminars.
To write effective performance review comments, avoid using vague language. Instead, get specific about the areas in which the employee demonstrates success or needs improvement. For example, instead of saying “You have great communication skills,” say “You are excellent at explaining complex ideas in simple terms during team meetings.” This specificity allows employees to understand their strengths and weaknesses and work towards improvement.
Performance reviews should focus on an employee’s job performance, not their personality traits. Critiquing someone’s character can create a negative environment and perception of bias. Focus on tangible actions and behaviors to offer constructive feedback. For example, instead of saying “You are too emotional and disorganized,” say “It would be helpful if you work on keeping a more structured approach to your projects and manage your emotions during tense situations.”
When providing feedback, ensure that it is consistent and fair across all team members. Avoid comparing employees to one another during individual reviews, as this can cause resentment and competition. Instead, use benchmarks and objectives to evaluate their performance. For example, say “Your sales numbers have consistently surpassed targets for the last quarter” or “You have taken on extra responsibilities within your role, such as managing the new interns, which has shown great initiative.” By maintaining a balanced, objective approach, you can support your team and help them grow in their roles.
When you’re ready to finish the performance review, take a moment to recap the main points discussed. This can help reinforce important issues and ensure that both you and the employee understand what has been covered. For example:
End the performance review on a positive note to foster a sense of motivation and enthusiasm. Show appreciation for the employee’s efforts, and express confidence in their ability to continue growing and succeeding in their role. Some ways to do this include:
Here are some words that can help describe employee performance:
When using these words, make sure to include specific examples, so the employee understands the context and the impact of their work.
When pointing out areas for improvement, focus on specific behaviors or skills that need development. For example, if an employee struggles with delegating tasks, you could say, “To help improve your team’s efficiency, consider working on your delegation skills by identifying tasks that others can take on and providing clear guidance.” Stay supportive and offer solutions to help the employee grow.
Writing an effective performance appraisal summary should include: