How To Write Employee Evaluations and Improve Performance

Because workers play a significant role in business success, employee evaluations are essential for gauging and motivating their performance. Writing and conducting employee evaluations or performance reviews is a formal process that identifies workers’ strengths and areas for improvement, as well as how performance impacts the broader organization. Use evaluations to assess whether team members are meeting expectations and have the necessary skills to adapt to shifting business priorities.

Effective employee evaluations help workers understand challenges and celebrate achievements, along with determining next steps to develop skills and make progress toward career goals. A proactive approach to employee evaluations can also ensure organizations have skilled, productive individuals on the team who will make positive contributions to overall business objectives.

Preparing for employee evaluations

The cadence for employee evaluations or performance reviews varies across organizations. While some companies may conduct annual evaluations, others may require evaluations twice a year or quarterly. Because business needs and in-demand skills are evolving more rapidly than ever before, you may want to consider conducting employee evaluations more often than once a year. However, according to a survey of 1,000 full-time U.S. workers from Workhuman, only 38% of respondents said their companies conduct performance evaluations quarterly or monthly.

No matter the frequency of worker evaluations, preparing ahead of time can ensure evaluations are as impactful as possible and help drive improvements across the organization.

Key steps your organization can take to prepare for employee evaluations include:

• Developing a standardized employee evaluation template. Rather than expecting managers across the organization to approach the performance review process on their own, developing a standardized employee evaluation template or form can help keep the process efficient and organized. One option for the form may be including a SWOT analysis, which identifies the worker’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for improvement, and threats that may impact the worker’s performance. Another option is using a rubric to outline required skills for the role and ranking the employee’s performance on a scale from one to five or “needs improvement” to “exceeds expectations.” Whichever format your team uses, include specific data or examples about the worker’s performance in the form.
• Encouraging or requiring team member self-evaluations. In addition to holding managers accountable for completing employee evaluation forms, many organizations also require individual team members to complete self-evaluations. Similar to manager evaluations, use a standardized form for self-assessments, where workers can share examples of their best work and identify focus areas for improvement. Including both types of evaluations can help managers and individual workers compare feedback during the meeting and work collaboratively to determine goals moving forward.
• Scheduling training sessions. Schedule training sessions for any individuals who are involved in performance management or conduct employee evaluations and workers who will receive evaluations. During the training sessions, discuss the standardized forms in detail, the process expectations, and timeline; include time to answer any questions. Also consider recording the training sessions in case some workers can’t attend scheduled meetings.
• Implementing a set timeline for evaluations to be completed. Let’s say, for example, your organization conducts annual employee evaluations. The full review period each cycle may be a few weeks in total, with such steps as training the first week, preparing and completing evaluation forms the second week, conducting meetings the third week, and consolidating feedback and determining next steps the fourth week.
• Keeping an ongoing record of worker strengths and areas for improvement. Recalling the most successful projects and areas for improvement for each direct report on your team when the time comes for employee evaluations can be challenging. To simplify the process, consider keeping a written record highlighting each employee’s work throughout the year, so you can refer back to it when needed.

Writing employee evaluations

Setting aside time to write thorough, thoughtful employee evaluations can help ensure you’re fully prepared and can use the details you’ve outlined to guide discussions with individual team members.

Here are some steps to consider as a best practice approach to write employee evaluations:

1. Review the job description and individual goals
2. Gather performance data and provide specific examples to support evaluations
3. Use clear and objective language
4. Identify both positive behaviors and areas for improvement

1. Review the job description and individual goals

A helpful starting point for effective reviews is reading through the initial job description and any goals each worker set in the past. If an individual recently joined your team, review expectations that were established during initial onboarding. If the worker has been with the organization for some time, reference past evaluations to assess employee performance based on goals that were set previously.

When reviewing job descriptions and past performance evaluations, consider ranking workers’ skills, ability to perform job responsibilities, and progress toward goals on a scale of one to five or a similar rating system. The ratings can then be used to discuss achievements and areas for improvement in more detail.

As you measure any progress toward key objectives, take into consideration whether the worker’s responsibilities or priorities have changed due to shifting business priorities. If this is the case, the exact goals that were set previously may not be as relevant. For example, if your organization has reduced overall hiring, a talent acquisition manager’s total number of hires has likely declined for reasons outside their control, but you can still evaluate success metrics related to hiring time, process efficiencies, and candidate feedback.  

Keep in mind, formal employee evaluations are intended for in-house workers. If your team engages independent talent, you can share direct feedback on projects or milestones, or leave a review on their profile.

2. Gather performance data and provide specific examples to support evaluations

Sharing specific examples of projects, achievements, actions, progress toward goals, areas for improvement, and other critical information can help ensure employee evaluations are objective and that workers have a clear understanding of their performance. Including specific examples in employee evaluation forms can also help make the case for any recommended actions following the meeting, such as recommending a worker who consistently exceeds goals for a raise or promotion.

Some positive examples may include:

• Direct positive comments from a customer or other team member about the employee’s performance
• Instances in which the individual helped another worker or asked to take on additional tasks
• Skills assessment scores or new certifications that show the worker’s commitment to improving in their role
• Quantifiable metrics that show the worker has exceeded goals, such as a sales team member reaching 110% of their sales quota

A few negative or constructive examples may include:

• Specific projects or milestones with missed deadlines or other indicators of ineffective time management  
• Dates or times when the team member arrived late to work or missed meetings
• Instances in which the worker made repeated mistakes, showing a lack of attention to detail
• Quantifiable metrics that show the worker fell short of expectations, such as a customer support worker receiving below average ratings from customers

3. Use clear and objective language

Whether you’re sharing positive or constructive feedback, using clear and objective language throughout employee performance reviews is important. Vague performance review phrases such as “You’re performing well” or “You need to be more focused” may confuse workers and leave individuals uncertain about where they stand with their overall performance. Specific examples such as those highlighted in the previous section can help ensure your message is clear.  

Subjective language such as “In my opinion” or “I feel,” may lead to feedback appearing biased or diminish the importance of critical points you’d like to convey in employee evaluations. By using objective language, sharing examples and data points, and tying feedback directly to individual and company goals, you can reduce bias in performance appraisals. This approach enables you to focus specifically on the worker’s performance, rather than evaluating the individual based on personal opinions.

4. Identify both positive behaviors and areas for improvement

A formal employee evaluation is intended to show a full picture of the worker’s performance, successes, and areas for improvement. Even top performers on your team always have opportunities to further develop their skills, while individuals who may be falling behind have likely also made positive contributions to the team.

Highlighting examples of when an individual has excelled can create opportunities to continue building their skills and competencies in areas in which they’re most passionate or experienced. As a result, you can help team members be better prepared to take on new responsibilities or move into more strategic roles.

When it comes to negative feedback, rather than only focusing on what went wrong, also highlight steps the workers can take to improve, such as taking an online course to develop their skills. However, keep in mind that when sharing negative or constructive feedback, try to avoid sandwiching this feedback between positive talking points, as the worker may not recognize the importance of constructive criticism.

‍

Conducting employee evaluation meetings

Once you’ve adequately prepared and completed any required employee evaluation forms, the next step is conducting employee evaluation meetings.

Here are some best practices to consider for effective performance review and evaluation meetings:

• Scheduling with advanced notice. By following a structured, standardized process for employee evaluations, your organization can ensure team members aren’t caught off guard by an evaluation meeting being scheduled at the last minute. As soon as you know about the overall timeline for employee evaluations, schedule meetings with team members at least a week in advance so they have time to reflect on their performance and, if applicable, fill out their self-evaluation in detail.
• Discussing all points on evaluation forms. While the employee evaluation meeting should be a two-way conversation, rather than reading from the evaluation form like a script, covering all points is important to ensure the worker has a full understanding of their performance. As you read through employee evaluation comments and examples, create a safe and comfortable environment for workers to ask questions along the way.
• Listening actively and responding to employee feedback. Whether the worker is responding to feedback you’ve identified in your evaluation form or reading through their self-evaluation, engage in active listening to show the individual that their opinions are valued. A few ways to display active listening include asking follow-up questions, repeating certain statements for clarification, and taking notes. If any feedback in the employee evaluation and self-evaluation conflict, respect the worker’s point of view and reiterate specific examples or data to maintain objectivity.
• Identifying SMART goals to improve performance. Once you discuss the employee evaluation and the worker’s self-evaluation in detail, the next step is to collaboratively determine next steps for the individual to improve in their role. Rather than outlining goals when you initially fill out the evaluation form, encouraging the worker to be involved can increase motivation and ensure they fully understand performance review goals. In fact, research from Gallup found that 30% of workers surveyed indicate that managers involve them in setting goals and that workers who are involved in goal setting are 3.6 times more likely to be engaged. As you set goals, consider using the SMART framework, which focuses on goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. An example of a SMART goal may be for a customer service representative to increase the customer satisfaction rate for their assigned territory by 10% over the next quarter.

Following up and offering continued support

While your team may conduct employee evaluations only once a year or at another set frequency, following up to offer continued support and hold team members accountable for next steps is important.

Here are some steps you can take to increase the likelihood of employee evaluation feedback making a positive impact:

• Following up in writing. Each time you meet with team members to conduct employee evaluations, take thorough notes so you can follow up on any important points after the meeting. Send the individual an email after the meeting thanking them for their time and highlighting any action items or next steps. Also attach or link to evaluation forms so individuals can refer back to the information captured as they work toward goals and ahead of their next evaluation meeting. Depending on your evaluation process, you may need to add forms to the team member’s personal file or share key insights from the discussion with human resources or the broader leadership team.
• Moving forward with any other next steps. In addition to outlining successes areas for improvement, employee evaluation meetings may include outcomes such as recommending a worker for a promotion, a raise, or an internal transition to another role at the company. Connect with your HR team and other relevant stakeholders to discuss next steps based on employee evaluations, overall business needs, and budget.
• Providing ongoing feedback and support. While formal employee evaluations may only happen once a quarter or once a year, continue to check in with workers during recurring one-on-one meetings. Use this time to offer additional support, point to helpful resources, answer questions, and ask individuals how they’re progressing toward goals. With an ongoing feedback process, workers can have a better understanding of their overall performance, which can help minimize any surprises during formal evaluations.  
• Encouraging development and growth. One way to offer workers support and help them achieve goals following employee evaluations is by offering access to talent development resources to build and improve their skills. Some examples of talent development resources include online learning platforms, skill and talent assessment tools, and stipends for professional development events.  
• Celebrating successes. Rather than waiting until the next employee evaluation meeting to review accomplishments, celebrate successes as they happen for the greatest impact in encouraging ongoing worker motivation. For example, if a worker set a goal to learn a new skill and recently passed an online course related to the skill, consider highlighting the achievement in the next team meeting.
• Addressing ongoing performance issues. Even if workers have a full understanding of goals and next steps following employee evaluations, some individuals may still face challenges with improving performance or achieving goals. When this happens, schedule a conversation to address any conflicts sooner rather than later, as an individual’s underperformance can have a negative impact on team morale and overall business success.

In addition to following up with individual team members, your organization can benefit from centralizing all employee evaluation data to identify trends and insights as part of a companywide talent review. Setting aside time for managers or supervisors to collectively review all employee evaluations can help ensure each individual is rated on a consistent scale and drive out any potential reviewer bias.

Through a comprehensive talent review process, your team can discover top performers, make informed, objective decisions about promotions and other internal transitions, identify focus areas to improve the worker experience, and flag skills gaps. As a result, your organization can increase employee engagement by helping individuals grow in their careers while ensuring you have the right team members and skills to support long-term business success.

Find talent with the skills you need on Upwork

Employee evaluations are mutually beneficial to individuals and organizations. Feedback from employee evaluations can help workers focus on continual development to reach their full potential. By identifying trends and skills gaps as part of the employee evaluation and talent review process, companies can ensure they have qualified workers with the necessary skills to support long-term growth.

As you identify talent needs based on insights from your employee evaluation process, you can access independent professionals from around the world on the Upwork Talent Marketplace™. Leading organizations engage experienced talent from Upwork with more than 10,000 skills to quickly fill skills gaps, scale up and down as business needs shift, and reduce operational costs.