Performance Review Comments - General Guidelines
Posted by Byron Rausenberger on Thu, May 13, 2010 @ 02:42 PM
Here are some general guidelines to writing performance review comments .
Follow the 3 I's of Writing Performance Review Comments
- Issue - Write the issue you have with the employee. Positive or Negative. Be as specific as possible.
- Importance - Write why the issue has importance.
- Improve - Write about how the employee can improve.
Example Negative Comment - (Issue) John, You need to arrive to work on time. Just yesterday you were 15 minutes late. (Importance) The assembly line can not start without you. So not only are we losing 15 minutes worth of value from you, but also from your 5 teammates that can not start working until you arrive. (Improve) Set your alarm 20 minutes early so you arrive on time.
Example Positive Comment - (Issue) John, Great job anticipating the need for additional inventory for the Smith Project last month. (Importance) Your forward thinking prevented any of our assembly workers from just standing around with nothing to do. (Improve) Keep up the great work!
Basic Laws to Follow When Writing Perfromance Review Comments
- Don't Reference - Gender, Age, Medical History, Religious Beliefs, Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation
- Performance not Personality - Stick to writing comments that are observable and avoid comments regarding personality.
Words to Use and Avoid When Writing Performance Review Comments
- Use - "For example" and "I expect you to" are great words because they force you to write something specific.
- Don't Use - "Attitude" and "Needs Improvement" are both subjective words. Specifically, "needs improvement" does not let the employee know if her work is satisfactory or not. Maybe she is doing satisfactory work, but the manager wants her to try to get even better.
Let me know if you want me to cover any addition topics regarding Performance Review Comments.