The phrases are organized by the different skills, attributes and aspects of performance that are commonly covered in reviews. How does the company rate a bad job from one that is mediocre or bad? As mentioned above, a performance review is a two-way street. Sarah exceeds manager expectations continuously while in the role of a recruiter. • Remember that delegation is not the same as dictation. • Ideally we're striving for a democratic workplace, so please keep that in mind. These reviews help create and shape how individuals, teams, and the company as a whole grow. Ending on a positive note is encouraging and shows employees they are appreciated. Performance evaluation time can be a trying experience for companies. While Sarah excels at following company culture and communicating effectively, she could benefit from leading team meetings to further her leadership skills. You will save time and money and allow your evaluators to produce more informative statements while giving your employees better feedback. Mike effectively enforces policies and values that are important to the company, without creating negativity in the workplace. This helps explain and justify future career moves and benefits. According to Delaney, reviews that include some type of ranking, scoring or category result are easier to audit than, say, a purely summary report of performance. Sarah goes above and beyond by regularly seeking out additional tasks and responsibilities and follows through with the projects she takes on. Understanding how to write performance reviews is a crucial piece of keeping the company in top shape. Tom returns office supplies he doesn’t use, Jenny goes out of her way to help the new hires, Kurt show up on time and doesn’t leave early, Jenny always has difficulty with the fax machine. All constructive criticism should be based on the employee's performance, not specific and unique circumstances. He is not effective at leading her team to high performance. That way you don’t set their actions or traits in stone. Make this the focus, rather than telling the employee to get better at something else. No need to spend hours finding a lawyer, post a job and get custom quotes from experienced lawyers instantly. Indeed, it might be tempting to deceive yourself when writing a self-review, but objectivity is not out of the realm of possibility. It is very important not to take personal feelings into account when reviewing an employee’s performance. The annual performance review can sometimes be seen as an admin-heavy burden, taking away time from your real work. Use this as a time for constructive feedback. • Improved production on (x) goal set out at beginning of review period • Exceeded production expectations on (x) goal set out at beginning of review period • Tends to take initiative to gather the information and tools needed to get a project completed on time and above expectations • Sets measurable goals and continually strives to attain them • Struggles to match the results of his/her teammates when it comes to (x) So, if you feel that your manager is not giving you much attention or, on the other hand, is breathing down your neck too much and micromanaging you, now is your chance to let them know! Legal Aspects of Performance Appraisals. However, taking the time to complete your self evaluation is an important opportunity for employees. A performance review or appraisal helps give insight to employees on how they perform. Honest performance reviews can help employees improve their performance and be more engaged in their work. No matter what paperwork you decide to use, follow these best practices to make sure your reviews are effective and legal: Review employee performance throughout the year. • Try asking others for their input more often. They have a concrete copy of the review to which they can refer. The good news is that there are now many performance review examples available to guide managers with their employee assessments. She not only communicates effectively with customers to rectify their concerns, but she has also shown an aptitude for active listening and showed honest interest in hearing and addressing problems other employees shared. Communication is the key to successful relationships. These reviews offer helpful feedback, not only to employees but also to managers. They should understand what the supervisor is going over, specific metrics, and criteria for those metrics. Even if your manager does not require your written input, it is still a good idea to prepare notes to take with you into the review – to ensure you do not forget any important points or examples. Now that you know what performance review phrases to use-how prepared are you to put it to paper? He has trouble adapting to fast-paced changes and unique circumstances, making it difficult for other employees to approach him. However, he does not perform well as a manager. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. While performance reviews typically happen once or twice a year, feedback should not be limited to those short review periods. How to write a performance review. However, he struggled to get this produced in the requested time frame. Writing performance review is not a piece of cake for some supervisors. However, with a written review, employees can see exactly where they stand. He shows adequate communication skills with peers and superiors. In many companies, these performance reviews create a standardized way to decide among employees who most deserves salary increases, bonuses, and other performance-based incentives. Like above, it’s better to use a phrase or even a sentence in place of a single descriptive word. During your review, make sure to avoid common errors: Sample Phrases to Use: Coaching and Training Abilities. Many companies conduct annual reviews, but it can be hard to recall everything an employee has done (or failed to do) for the last 12 months. How does this rating differ from one company evaluator to another? However, Karen's overall project management skills allowed her to excel in the additional projects she took to help unify her team over the year. One of the best ways to do that is to use performance appraisal phrases. Writing performance review is not a piece of cake for some supervisors. Meanwhile, the managers are stressed out because they can’t seem to come up with an accurate summation of an employee’s overall performance and productivity. During difficult discussions on serious performance problems, supervisors should talk to their employees in an open-ended way. I successfully completed [project or milestone] and, as a result, achieved [results] . Keep in mind that not all unsatisfied goals are because of problems with performance. Review period (such as yearly, quarterly, etc. Private employers do not have a legal obligation to conduct employee performance reviews. But you can avoid that stress by structuring your performance reviews to inspire greatness instead of dread. Adding additional information to a review allows a more well-rounded view of the employee's performance. When written performance reviews and appraisals are collected, a company can see where employees' strengths and weaknesses lie, not only on an individual level but on a department and company level. It might not be written in your job description, but if you want to be seen as a top performer, going above and beyond to help from time to time never hurt. Over the next year, Mike should focus on time management and project management skills. Make sure you're specific with the constructive feedback. All feedback needs to be explicit and relevant to the job and review objective. “Almost every job description ends with, ‘and other duties as assigned.’. Supervisors should offer details or examples to show the employee that they pay attention to what they are doing. Not all goals can be achieved all the time. Rather than dread, supervisors should feel this is an opportunity for in-depth discussion. Here are 14 phrases to avoid in the performance review: 'Jane can do this--why can't you?' Understanding how to write performance reviews is a crucial piece of keeping the company in top shape. If you’re one of the supervisors who needs to write an appraisals- then how do you know what performance review phrases to use for the Share it with your network! Phrases for Unacceptable Performance • It's important to inspire trust, not fear. Karen struggled with unforeseen scheduling conflicts this year, which made her time management less than stellar. If you wing it, performance reviews fail. This performance review phrase is less focused on your behaviors and more focused on the results of specific milestones or projects you completed. Suggestions on where employees can improve allow them to work toward a better rating in their review in the future. Performance reviews are tough for your employees – and that’s before you stick your foot in your mouth. Words, by themselves, have degrees of meaning. Whether employees are writing their self-review or managers are writing their supervisory reviews, many struggle with what to write and how to write it. Personal reviews that are uncritical can also hurt the employee. Performance reviews are an important feature in any organization since it determines the future growth of an employee. Discuss their role in the team and company, how they can grow over the next review period and any future changes to the review expectations. As a rule, don’t use these overly generalized comments like the following: These statements are not just simplistic, they also appear to be mere opinions because they are not supported by examples. Make sure to recap this information during the formal review. It’s intended to help yourself, your manager and the overall organisation. In-person reviews are beneficial because they help with the flow of communication. Find out if they achieved the result for which they were hoping. A performance review is also a useful tool because it provides a solid basis to which managers may refer when assigning bonuses and salary raises. This helps employees see where they can improve and on what they need to work. 3. There are many ways to conduct reviews, but the most successful include, Performance reviews are naturally difficult, and when you add numbered scales, they, Your email address will not be published. Don't forget that improvement opportunities come in different forms, and may include more than just fixing weaknesses. Keep in mind that when an employee receives a bad performance review, their productivity lowers. What Should You NOT Say in a Performance Review? It is a necessary step in managing a team. No one enjoys learning their boss isn't pleased with their work and having that information in writing to live indefinitely in your employment file, makes it so much worse. Keep the tone optimistic and positive, especially with low-performing employees to help alleviate any additional stress this may cause. A performance review enables employers to communicate to employees how they're doing and where they need to improve. In many companies, these performance reviews create a standardized way to decide among employees who most deserves salary increases, bonuses, and other performance-based incentives. Many have difficulty in choosing the right words and phrases to convey their sentiments to the workers. Let’s break it … Mike has not met the manager expectations in his employee development role. A little support can turn these statements into substantial performance evaluation phrases. However, if you do refuse, your supervisor or an HR staff member will probably indicate on the signature line that you refused to sign. Even terms like “good job”, “bad job” or “mediocre job” can raise speculations about the specific degree of performance you want to describe. Was this document helpful? _____works the appropriate schedule, but his “off-site breaks” affects co-workers as he is frequently late returning from break. Use the time of the performance review to help employees create their goals for the next review period. This makes the wording of the review quite important. To strengthen the preceding statements you can beef them up with examples why some employees are like that. 100 Performance Review Example Phrases. The more prepared an employee is, the better. If you’re one of the supervisors who needs to write an appraisals- then how do you know what performance review phrases to use for the evaluation? A performance review or appraisal helps give insight to employees on how they perform. When offering a performance review, you can choose between conducting the review in writing or face-to-face. The examples listed here are designed to spark some ideas and get you thinking about how to approach performance reviews for your team members. Deciding on the right type of review for employees can be a challenge. Identify the goals that the employee did not achieve appropriately and fairly. He has not yet found a way to deal with situations in a group. Think of it as constructive criticism. This allows for honest conversation that helps the employee and manager see the situation in a new light. Consider wording feedback to show employees what they are doing well. Feedback should also be as direct as possible. This helps solidify previous comments. Start on a positive note Honesty, dedication and the will to improve are all characteristics that are not just for work, but also your professional development. Also, when writing a performance review, you can identify areas of needed improvement for employees. Then rinse and repeat each year. Even those with low-performance scores generally have a few areas in which they shine or have contributed to the company in a meaningful way. If you need help with Performance Reviews, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel's marketplace. While Karen displays great communication skills with her peers, I have noticed that these skills are not as strong when talking with superiors. Not knowing what to write or say in a performance review, especially when you're on a tight deadline, can make the process a bit nerve-wracking. It can be useful to have some effective performance review phrases to help you conduct an in-depth review that provides valuable feedback on skills and goals that are important to your business’ success. Writing performance reviews is the process of documenting strengths, weaknesses & progress of employee in writing or on screen & necessary step in managing a team.8 min read. When giving a performance review, it’s expected that the employee and manager both take it seriously. Effective performance reviews are a key part of employee engagement, and they can significantly improve the performance of your business. Just what do you mean by “cheerful”, “industrious”, ”lazy” and “outspoken”? Want High Quality, Transparent, and Affordable Legal Services? While it may not seem like it when you have to hand down a poor performance review, workers actually crave the feedback that you provide them. 8. Make sure to discuss maximizing your employee's strengths. Make sure feedback and free-form reviewing are specific. Low review scores lower morale. ), Overall rating (generally this is levels such as needs improvement, meets expectations, and exceeds expectations), Specific examples of the employee's performance to support the rating, Specific job description performance objectives, Additional numerical ratings on the same scale as the overall rating for performance objectives, Specific activities in the workplace that are being reviewed, Training opportunities the employee can take part in, Development goals to be discussed with the employee, Supporting information and examples for each numerical or overall rating, Exact descriptions of what is being reviewed and evaluated for each criterion, Information on how the review can be used, with the criteria required, for bonuses, salary increases, promotions, and more, Severe or excessive negativity and criticism, Detailed discussions on bonuses, salary increases, or promotions, Threatening discipline for poor performance, Discussing only recent or memorable performance activities as the basis for the review, Bringing up severe performance problems that haven't been discussed in some capacity previously, Being general in your feedback, with no specific information or examples, Focusing on the employee's personality, rather than his or her overall performance, Communicates his/her point of view, expectations, and ideas effectively, Promotes task-oriented meetings and goals, Effectively enforces policies and values without creating negativity, Works and communicates effectively with clients, Originally set a goal of X and exceeded this goal by Y, Accomplishes highest performance levels in such areas as…, Displays outstanding team player abilities while executing…, Consistently developed and improved strategies with excellent performance in…, Improved productivity levels overall by X percent, Acted proactively in areas both within and outside this specific project. 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