For anyone in a managerial role, writing employee evaluations becomes a repetitive task and there are only so many times they can write “good performer” and “team player” without running out of useful employee evaluation phrases. According to an SHRM article, managers spend an average of 210 hours a year on performance management activities.
With this much time invested into an activity, it is imperative that the results are worthwhile, otherwise skipping the reviews entirely might be ideal. This is why it is ideal to write a good evaluation with useful employee evaluation comments that can actually benefit the receiver. So what do you write in an employee evaluation and how do you decide on appropriate phrases? Let’s find out.
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What Do You Write in an Employee Evaluation?
The entire employee evaluation report acts as a progress milestone of where an employee is currently placed in their work with the company, and how well they can maintain their role. An employee evaluation can include:
- Basic employee details such as time spent with the company
- A job description that covers what they are expected to be doing
- Employees self-evaluation report
- Summary of past reports and noted areas of improvement
- Employee evaluation phrases describing current strengths and areas of future growth
- Performance review comments on how they might make improvements
- Goals set for upcoming weeks/months
- Room for employee’s feedback and concerns
This form of a comprehensive structure is ideal to build a report on but the content has to be selected carefully, Adobe found that 47 percent of employees started looking for another job after a performance review while 30 percent quit immediately. There is something about performance reviews we are not getting right but paying attention to what these reviews mention might be helpful. The employee evaluation phrases used in the report determine how it is received.
The Purpose of Using the Right Employee Evaluation Phrases
An Oak Engage study found that 75 percent of employees felt feedback was very important to their work. People want to know what you think and believe that a manager’s input could improve their performance and satisfaction at work.
Employees are seeking to be evaluated, however, Trinet and Wakefield Research found that 22 percent of employees preferred to call in sick rather than face formal performance reviews. While the numbers can seem confusing, it is clear that people want employee evaluation comments that can guide their growth, but the current systems we have in place do not use performance review comments to anyone’s advantage. This is why the language used in employee evaluations is important.
Types of Employee Evaluation Phrases
Being sensitive and leaving the right employee evaluation comments does not require a manager to ignore the weakness and just compliment the employee, however stating with positive feedback can be useful.
Positive Employee Evaluation Phrases
Highlighting an employee’s strengths can be an invaluable source of pride for them. The content of the employee evaluation comment does not have to be falsified either. All employees will have something they do well and acknowledging it can make them feel seen. A Clear Company report found that 25 percent of employees leave a job due to a lack of recognition for their services. It is evident that when managers observe and reflect on an employee’s performance, the employee is likely to feel valued.
Constructive Criticism through Evaluation Phrases
When it comes to acknowledging an employee’s weakness, making a list of their failures can be very demotivating. Instead, using action phrases and solutions in between the other employee evaluation phrases can be a way to guide them towards improvement areas and indicate how they can make the change.
Examples of Useful Employee Evaluation Phrases
Categorizing the key metrics is an essential first step to writing out the performance review comments that will go into an employee’s evaluation. Within each category, it will help to make a note of situations where the behavior was displayed to make it easier to write specific phrases in the employee’s evaluation rather than generic feedback.
Communication
- “Maintains a friendly but professional tone while interacting with coworkers.”
- “Is clear while giving instructions to his juniors and can create detailed progress reports.”
- “Ensure he keeps everyone informed of upcoming deadlines.”
Leadership
- “Was able to explain the project to the new hires and helped them assimilate.”
- “Divided project A efficiently between his 3 team members while keeping their ongoing assignments in mind.”
- “Listened to the team’s ideas and was able to consolidate an action plan.”
Work Ethic
- “Completes projects a day in advance so they can be reviewed by the marketing team.”
- “Keeps a formal record of all client interactions, which have been very useful.”
- “Conducts bi-weekly reviews on the progress of the project and makes adjustments immediately.”
Attitude
- “Is open to feedback and asks questions to better understand it.”
- “Is enthusiastic about the new collaboration despite the changes to the project.”
- “Struggles to navigate conflicts; developing strategies to address interpersonal challenges is a suggested focus.”
Creativity
- “Was able to redesign the last wing of a campaign in a short period.”
- “Is able to use the information provided to generate her own list of topics.”
- “Is unable to step away from the original plan; might need to work on putting the client preferences first.”
Adaptability
- “Takes well to changing circumstances and can embrace new challenges.”
- “Thrives in dynamic work environments, adjusting seamlessly to evolving priorities.”
- “Maintains composure despite uncertainty and demonstrates adaptability in varying situations.”
Time Management
- “Is great at handling short-term deadlines. We can work on adapting the same planning for long-term goals in the next meeting.”
- “Is able to meet the client’s deadlines regularly without overworking the team.”
- “Is very adept at breaking a task down and prioritizing where to start.”
Client-facing Behaviors
- “Has high customer ratings and returning customers often ask to work with him.”
- “She is able to handle angry clients and find a solution to address their complaints.”
- “Can bring in clients better on the phone. It can be helpful to take on more in-person tasks and hone the skill.”
Firing and rehiring employees is a very tedious process, so it is in a company’s best interest to work with their employees and see improvement, rather than conducting these reviews to criticize them. Top companies like GE, Deloitte, and Accenture have moved away from the era of yearly performance evaluations to more continuous formats, but whatever frequency it is conducted in, it is important for the performance review comments to inspire growth rather than stifle it.