Employee Performance Review Template: 15 for Managers

Measuring success is a key piece to leading an effective team. After all, you can't improve until you know what skills you need to build.

An employee performance review is one of the best ways to identify what's working, and what can be improved. This is also a great opportunity to communicate how a team member is pacing against organizational goals and personal objectives.

You can measure success in different ways, from peer reviews to self reviews and different performance evaluations in between. To figure out the right review style for your team, we've put together 15 employee performance review templates to measure job performance effectively.

What is a performance review?

A performance review is a formal assessment where a manager evaluates an employee's work performance, strengths, and areas for growth over a set period. It's an opportunity to align on goals, provide feedback, and support career development.

Your performance review process should include:

• Employee strengths: Always include feedback and praise regarding the team member's strengths, such as effective problem-solving and communication skills. This offers insight into what the employee is doing well.

• Employee weaknesses: It's also valuable to discuss any weaknesses or areas of opportunity for the team member. Areas of focus could include working in a team setting, and when and how to share ideas more effectively.

• Rating system: Include a rating scale to gauge each employee's skill level in pre-set categories. Common ratings include:

  • Consistently exceeds expectations

  • Often exceeds expectations

  • Consistently meets expectations

  • Needs development

• Review period: During the performance review process, you will measure an employee's performance relative to a set period. Common periods include annually, biannually, or quarterly.

• Set goals: Clear SMART goals give employees a sense of where they can improve and what they should focus on in the future. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.

Every performance review will have the above elements, but there are other considerations to keep in mind, such as individual skills, that can't be easily measured. These skills could include your ability to brainstorm in a team setting or support team members for the good of the organization.

Benefits of using a performance review template

Using a standardized template for performance reviews helps create a fair and consistent process for everyone. It provides a clear framework that ensures every evaluation is thorough, objective, and focused on what matters most.

• Create consistency: Ensure every employee is evaluated with the same criteria, which promotes fairness and reduces bias.

• Save time: Give managers a ready-to-use format so they can focus on delivering quality feedback rather than building documents from scratch.

• Improve documentation: Keep clear, organized records of performance discussions, goals, and development plans for future reference.

• Clarify expectations: Align individual performance with team and company goals, so everyone understands how their work contributes to the bigger picture.

Types of performance review templates

Performance review templates fall into three main categories based on timing, team involvement, and purpose. Here's a quick overview:

Time-oriented performance review templates

Let's take a look at the first type of employee performance review templates: time-oriented review periods.

1. Annual performance review

Review frequency: Once a year.

An annual performance review assesses a team member's accomplishments over a year. Overall performance may focus on core competencies and individual goals within the context of performance management.

An annual review is a great way to analyze performance history over the course of a year. Documenting work in a central source of truth allows you and your employee to review what they did and creates transparency around expectations and milestones.

2. Mid-year performance review

Review frequency: Twice a year.

A mid-year performance review measures a team member's accomplishments biannually. This is a great option for teams who want to create transparency around performance.

Giving team members an opportunity to see where their performance lands every six months allows them to implement changes where needed. Positive feedback also gives team members a sense of what they're excelling at.

3. Quarterly performance review

Review frequency: Four times a year.

A quarterly performance review evaluates a team member's success four times a year, giving your employee a more consistent opportunity to turn weaknesses into strengths. Just as with other performance review styles, it's important to spend as much time and energy on positives as on constructive feedback.

4. Year-end performance review

Review frequency: Once a year.

A year-end performance review assesses a team member's performance against the company's financial performance. This review is commonly scheduled alongside the evaluation of long-term company goals and is used frequently for operations and marketing teams.

While each company's financial year starts and ends on different timelines, it's common for a year-end review to take place around the end of the calendar year.

5. 30-60-90 performance review

Review frequency: Once a month for the first three months of employment.

A 30-60-90-day performance review measures a new team member's success. Often paired with a 30-60-90-day plan, this method reviews the new team member against job expectations after their first, second, and third months in the role.

This review gives new team members a baseline of how they're meeting role expectations and where to focus their energy. Employee onboarding is tricky, and priorities often shift as employees learn more about the role. Without a 30-60-90 review, a new hire might go 6+ months without understanding how they're performing.

As a manager, one of the most valuable things you can do for new team members is to provide multiple feedback sessions to show that you're involved, engaged, and invested in their growth.

Team-oriented performance review templates

As a manager, you have a unique understanding of how your team member is performing in their role. But you can't always see everything they're doing. Employee performance review templates centered on team goals are a great way to gather feedback from other team members.

6. Self-evaluation review

Review frequency: Annually, biannually, or quarterly.

A self-evaluation is where a team member evaluates their own performance, giving you insight into how they view their skills. It's not meant to take work off your plate; instead, it gives employees a chance to communicate their perspective before the review conversation.

Oftentimes, you will then provide your employee feedback on the self-evaluation, using a physical or digital form. This is done during a one-on-one meeting, where you'll both discuss your feedback to conduct a holistic performance review.

7. Peer review

Review frequency: Annually or biannually.

Oftentimes, annual or biannual reviews will also have a peer review component. This gives peers an opportunity to ask questions and evaluate their coworkers, most commonly in writing.

The main value of peer review is giving team members an opportunity to see their value and areas for improvement from other perspectives. Peer reviews are an opportunity for team members to share their perspectives with you, giving you a more holistic picture of the employee's performance.

8. Team performance review

Review frequency: Once a year.

A team performance review is when a group of individuals rates the team's performance as a whole. Hearing multiple opinions from different individuals can help you understand the group's needs and identify where growth opportunities lie.

You can do this by asking each team member to complete a self-assessment and answer questions about the team and its goals. For example, you might ask:

• How well did the team work together as a group?

• Name one example of good team collaboration in the last period.

• Name one example where team collaboration was less effective in the last period.

• How comfortable are you communicating feedback to your peers? What about your manager?

• What improvements could be made to enable better team collaboration?

Performance review templates

If none of the above performance review templates felt quite right, consider general employee performance review templates that work for most situations and teams.

9. Simple performance review

Review frequency: Annually, biannually, or quarterly.

A simple performance review focuses on performance phrases rather than numbers. Providing a rating without context can be confusing to team members and hinder their growth.

A simple performance review helps keep expectations as clear as possible, without confusing the employee. Center a performance review on goals and use examples to support data.

10. Goal-setting review

Review frequency: Annually or biannually.

Goal-setting reviews focus on a team member's expected goals and objectives and how they align with the company's long-term strategy. For example, as a team lead, your goal over the next quarter might be to streamline cross-functional communication.

Goal-setting reviews should follow the SMART goal acronym to ensure they are specific and measurable enough to evaluate. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.

11. 360 performance review

Review frequency: Once a year.

A 360-degree performance review assesses an employee's performance from the perspectives of all relevant team members. This includes self-feedback, peer feedback, manager feedback, and, if applicable, employee feedback about the manager.

This type of review is particularly useful for managers who want feedback from their direct reports. Use this review template if you want insight from the people you work closely with, regardless of how their role relates to yours.

12. Professional development review

Review frequency: Annually or biannually.

A professional development review measures a team member's personal goals. This is important when you're evaluating a team member's career trajectory and ensuring they're developing skills like leadership.

By connecting job and personal goals, employees better understand how their role supports career development. For example, if an employee wants to grow into a leadership position, their development plan might include taking on more strategic responsibilities. During the review, you can assess their progress and outline next steps together.

13. Performance improvement review

Review frequency: Only when an employee is underperforming.

Before using a performance improvement review, make sure you have an improvement plan in place. It's important to communicate the expected performance goals in advance so the individual has a chance to meet them.

An improvement review assesses your team member's success against a previously established performance plan. Put a performance plan in place when an individual is underperforming relative to their job description.

14. Compensation check-in

Review frequency: Once a year.

A compensation check-in is a review of a team member's performance to evaluate the merit of a raise. This type of review doesn't guarantee a promotion, but it can help create transparency about the expectations for an annual raise.

To do this effectively, be sure to provide examples of work where the employee went above and beyond their job description. This will create transparency around performance and promotion trajectory.

15. Excelling feedback review

Review frequency: Only when an employee is excelling in their role.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, use an excellent feedback review to measure and detail an individual's successes. This review template provides the employee with additional context on how their excellent work has positively affected the team or company.

Taking a moment to acknowledge this performance can help boost employee morale, giving you both a moment to reflect on what went well.

Sample performance review example

Now that you understand the 15 most popular employee review templates, it's time to craft one of your own. We created a sample performance review to give you an idea of what a general review template might look like.

Employee name: Daniela Vargas

Review period: Q4

Date of review: January 1

Employee rating: Often exceeds expectations

Strengths: Daniela had an excellent quarter. She excelled at team collaboration by stepping up to help team members brainstorm solutions to meet deadlines. It's clear that Daniela really cares about her work and her teammates and embodies Apollo Enterprises'core values.

Opportunity: While Daniela excelled in collaboration, I believe she could improve her thought leadership. There are opportunities for Daniela to learn new skills by attending workshops and keeping up with industry news, which she can then bring back to the team.

Goals:

• Learn one new industry skill a month in Q1.

• Lead two team meetings to share thought leadership by the end of Q2.

While you can use this sample as a starting point for your own effective performance review process, remember to put your own team flair into it.

How to prepare for a performance appraisal

A performance review is a two-way conversation between an employee and their manager to discuss strengths, work quality, and future goals. Preparing for a performance appraisal creates an evaluation process that helps fairly evaluate and document employee progress.

For managers:

• Thoroughly review the employee's past performance. Consider using an annual performance review template to assess employee development and any areas needing improvement.

• Set clear, achievable long-term and short-term objectives for the next performance review cycle. These should match the company's goals and support both employee progress and organizational growth.

• Have an open dialogue to boost employee engagement. Offer clear examples of past performance and provide constructive feedback to guide the conversation.

For employees:

• Reflect on your performance. Identify strengths and areas for growth. Use the employee self-evaluation form to organize your thoughts and achievements.

• Think about your career goals. Set key performance indicators (KPIs) that support these goals, and prepare to discuss them with your manager.

• Prepare specific examples of your work to discuss, including achievements, challenges, and the support you need moving forward to improve your performance rating and growth.

How to give constructive feedback

Before you dive into the structure and style of various performance reviews, you must understand how to give constructive criticism effectively. Constructive criticism focuses on providing helpful feedback supported by specific examples.

To provide effective, detailed feedback, be sure to do the following.

Notify the employee before you meet

It can be tempting to launch into a feedback session and get it over with quickly, but the opposite approach works better. The more time you give your team member to prepare, the more valuable the session will be. Employees notified in advance can get into the right mindset to receive feedback openly.

Communicate in private

It's easy for constructive feedback to accidentally turn into a negative experience if you share it in a group setting. No matter the type or style of performance review, make sure you're communicating feedback in a private one-on-one setting.

If your review style includes feedback from multiple people, such as peer reviews, it's your responsibility to aggregate that feedback and present it privately. This gives employees a chance to process the feedback on their own time.

Offer actionable feedback

To ensure your feedback is constructive, always pair it with data-backed insights and actionable next steps. Offer particular feedback with details around what's been working well, what they can improve, and how to get there.

For example, imagine your team member has missed some critical deadlines. It's significantly more valuable if you can include specific examples of missed due dates. That way, you and your team member can work to figure out what went wrong and come up with concrete action items for the future.

You can simplify these conversations by using a performance review template to organize your notes and keep feedback consistent across every review.

Document feedback in writing

Be sure to document constructive feedback in writing. You can do this in a feedback system or a tool like Asana. This way, you and the employee can look back on past performance and measure objectives accordingly.

This goes for positive as well as constructive feedback. Keeping track of the team members'major wins is a great way to increase team morale while reducing impostor syndrome and burnout.

Employee performance evaluation follow-up

Both managers and employees should actively follow up on actions after a performance evaluation. This ensures that feedback and action plans are effectively implemented, setting the stage for professional development.

Employee development plan

A professional development plan outlines a roadmap for an employee's growth and skill enhancement. Here are a few details to include:

• Define specific goals based on appraisal insights to guide employee progress.

• Identify essential skills and competencies for career development.

• Set clear milestones, metrics, and timelines for achieving professional growth objectives.

• Maintain ongoing communication and make necessary adjustments to the development plan.

Employee performance improvement plan

When a performance review form identifies areas for improvement, an employee performance improvement plan specifies those areas and outlines specific, measurable goals for boosting performance.

• To ensure accountability, establish realistic metrics and timelines for achieving each goal.

• Conduct regular employee progress reviews to track progress and address challenges.

• Provide continuous support and adjust the plan as needed to ensure the employee's success.

Connect performance to purpose with Asana

A performance review is an excellent way to measure a team member's performance. It offers transparency on expectations and provides an opportunity to communicate honestly with your team.

From giving feedback with context to connecting goals to the work that supports them, Asana can help. Improve communication and drive clarity not only during performance reviews, but every day. See how your team can achieve its goals faster when you get started today.

Frequently asked questions about employee performance reviews