Performance review and self assessment forms
The attached forms adhere to the KISS principle: Keep it Simple Stupid! Use the links below to download the forms.
Each of these documents are one page: a performance review form and a self-assessment form. These have been used successfully in a number of organisations. These forms were originally designed to be used as part of a one-off performance review process for an organisation that had not done performance reviews before. It was a simple way of introducing performance reviews into the organisation without employees being overwhelmed by the complexity that you get with a lot of performance review systems. However, the success we’ve had with these simple forms has resulted in this becoming our preferred method of doing performance reviews for small to medium sized organisations.
This is how it works
You ask the employee to first do a self-assessment using the self-assessment form. They do this by rating themselves on the areas listed and they also give themselves an overall performance rating. They then list what they believe they have done well over the last year, and then list the areas they feel they need to improve in. The employee submits this form to their manager, prior to the review meeting.
The manager then has a meeting with the employee and asks them to talk through their ratings and comments (that the employee has made on their self-assessment form). This opens up a general dialogue about the employee’s performance.
Then the manager goes through their assessment of the employee using the performance review form, which is essentially the same form, but from the perspective of the manager doing the assessment. This allows the manager to discuss any discrepancies in their ratings (e.g. this might include ratings that are higher than the employee has rated themselves, and talking through the reasoning, or ratings that are lower than the employee has rated themselves, and talking through the reasoning).
The assessment that the manager conducts is the “official” performance review, not the employee’s assessment of themselves. The manager and employee sign off on the performance review and this is placed on the employee’s file, along with their self-assessment.
This process is a good way to set expectations and to give feedback on the areas of performance that a manager is happy with and not so happy with. If you do it right and conduct the performance review honestly and respectfully, this simple process can have a significant impact on performance. In one example, a manager used this process with a team that she rated as performing poorly (it was in a retail environment and the customer service at this store was regarded as poor, and it was consistently commented on by people who visited the store from head office). Some of the team members who were reviewed were disappointed by the feedback they received, but it allowed the manager to clarify what was expected of each of the team members. After going through this with all her team members, she saw a major improvement in the team over the next few months. And the feedback from head office staff visiting the store and from feedback received from customers was also very positive.