If distractibility is hardwired into Jill’s nature, how will telling her what she already knows help her improve? Positive:Ī focus on prioritizing tasks early in the day will help Jill eliminate distractions to better meet project deadlines. Starting any piece of feedback with “You always do X” is bound to raise a person’s defenses and create negative feelings. This comment is both hyperbole (Jill isn’t always distracted otherwise, she’d never get a single thing done!) and a generalization. Jill is always distracted and finds it difficult to meet project deadlines. Let’s look at an example of the same critical feedback, one written with a negative tone, the other growth-focused and positive. This is where clarity of language comes into play.

How to keep your performance review constructiveĪ bit of psychology goes into writing a performance review that leaves both you and the employee feeling that the experience was valuable.

Ability to meet established goals and deadlines.

Most reviews will include your evaluation of the employee’s performance in areas such as: Whatever the case, commenting with clear, positive language is the key to keeping the review goal-focused and productive.

Others have question and response formats. There are many types of performance reviews, and they differ from company to company.

Let’s take a look at how to write a review that celebrates great performance and clearly communicates needed improvements. Nearly a quarter said they feared performance reviews, and the trend was especially strong among millennials, who also said the process stressed them out.Īlthough face-to-face feedback on a regular basis is an important tool for encouraging and motivating your team, the written review gives both the employee and manager something concrete to refer to. Employee engagement company TINYPulse surveyed over one thousand professionals and discovered that 37% think the process is outdated, and 42% feel that managers leave important elements out of their reviews due to bias. Employees aren’t often thrilled about the performance review process, either.

Rating review sample