Crafting an effective performance review

Regular feedback is a valuable tool that helps managers grow. When it’s time for the official review, you want to prepare a thorough synopsis of their accomplishments through the review period and combine it with input from your manager evaluations.

Take a look at their contributions to the company, the metrics they’ve consistently met and exceeded and their overall performance. Compare the manager’s current performance with previous periods while highlighting any areas of growth and areas of weakness.

Keep an eye on the bigger picture when drafting reviews. Incorporate metric data with the manager’s effort and mindset or how determined they are to fulfill your company’s vision. Make sure not to surprise managers unfairly with unexpected metrics or to base decisions on feedback that the manager hasn’t been approached with before.

9 best questions to ask your employees

When the goal is to determine how effective your management team is, there are many questions to ask the people who work directly below them. The nine most common questions to include in your manager assessments are:

1. Does the manager use active listening and work to make adjustments based on employee feedback?
2. Do employees feel valued and encouraged to develop professionally?
3. Does the manager follow company rules and policies?
4. Do employees see their manager as passionate about their work?
5. Is the manager an effective communicator between individuals as well as departments?
6. Does the manager provide consistent, helpful feedback?
7. Does the manager set a good example for team members with an upbeat attitude and dedication to their job?
8. Is there an organized meeting and training schedule in place that the manager adheres to?
9. Does the manager treat everyone fairly regardless of their position or seniority?

Depending on the type of product or service you offer, there may be a heavier focus on some metrics over others. Here are some examples of questions that won’t apply to every manager being evaluated:

• Satisfaction regarding upselling quotas can be a factor to consider in service industries, such as cell phone companies, where employees are required to constantly upsell
• Restaurant managers can be evaluated on their ability to communicate with customers and waitstaff when there is a tense situation.
• If your company has unique benefits, such as company vacations or activity days, the manager can be judged on how satisfied employees are with the planned activities and their tendency to incorporate employee ideas in the planning process.

You can end the evaluation with a call for feedback regarding what the manager can do to improve their performance and what activities they should keep doing. Once you’ve determined the questions that will be most helpful in your evaluation, you can begin to prioritize them and construct your rubric.

Ways to quantify performance

It’s easy to measure performance data when using a rating system. Many companies choose to use a scale of one to five while adding each answer together for an overall total. This is similar to how homework assignments are graded in school.

In this way, you can easily measure and track an employee’s performance over multiple reviews. Not all companies use a numeric rating system in their managers’ evaluations; some use a scale based on satisfaction instead. For example, you might use the following verbiage in your evaluations with a section for evaluators to write down their reasoning:

“Based on [employee name]’s performance in each category, are they:

• Unacceptable
• In need of improvement
• Meeting expectations
• Exceeding expectations
• Far exceeding expectations

This style leaves more room for the evaluator to provide a more detailed analysis that carefully compares the metric standards to actual performance. When using this type of evaluation, metrics are still quantified on a scale of one to five, but there’s more of a focus on feedback.

Manager evaluation template

[Company name]
[Employee name, title]
[Date of evaluation]

Management assessment

Thank you for participating in our annual management review. We would like to know your overall satisfaction with your manager, [managers name], and hear any feedback you may have.

The purpose of this assessment is to improve your work environment by ensuring that you have a great management team to lead you in your career at [company name].

Using a scale of one to five, please rate your managers ability to meet the outlined expectation.

1. Listens to my input and works to make changes to improve my job satisfaction
   1 2 3 4 5
2. Uses problem-solving techniques and logic when approaching difficult tasks
   1 2 3 4 5
3. Maintains composure and focus when faced with obstacles
   1 2 3 4 5
4. Sets clear expectations and inspires team members to meet them with positivity
   1 2 3 4 5
5. Shows up to shifts and returns from breaks on time
   1 2 3 4 5
6. Follows company values, such as [your company values]
   1 2 3 4 5
7. Uses technology, such as their smartphone, in accordance with company policies
   1 2 3 4 5
8. Regularly conducts effective team-building exercises
   1 2 3 4 5
9. Recognizes employees work and contributions
   1 2 3 4 5
10. Prioritizes and fairly and effectively delegates tasks to team members
    1 2 3 4 5
11. Can clearly communicate goals and strategies for short- and long-term projects
    1 2 3 4 5
12. Encourages employees to build friendly relationships with their colleagues
    1 2 3 4 5
13. Responds to emails and other communications in a timely manner
    1 2 3 4 5
14. Always behaves appropriately and professionally with all colleagues
    1 2 3 4 5
15. Provides me consistent opportunities to learn and improve my professional skills
    1 2 3 4 5

Manager evaluation FAQs

Do all staff members need performance reviews?

Regular feedback is important to encourage employees of all levels to strive for greatness. By providing standardized metrics specific to your company, you can track every employee’s growth over the years and help them thrive in your company. There are no legal manager review requirements, so it’s up to companies to develop their own management evaluations.

How often should I conduct a manager evaluation?

Good business practices include at least an annual formal review, including employee feedback forms. Less formal reviews can be conducted quarterly or monthly if that makes sense for your company.