Performance reviews are important for an organization as it allows them to evaluate their employees and provide them with constructive feedback about the performance, competencies, strengths and areas of improvements.
However, it is extremely important to use the right overall performance review phrases while writing the performance review report. Using them will improve the readability of the report and boost engagement among the workforce. The idea of the performance review is to evaluate the performance of the employee, therefore, the performance review phrases should be positive and encouraging and display potential for the employee.
Here is the list of useful and highly effective performance review phrases that you can use depending on the job, role, employee characteristic, or the situation you want to highlight in your employee performance review report.
Let us first check some performance review phrase examples based on the characteristics of the employees.
Employee performance review phrases about achievement
Acknowledging the achievement of the employees is the best way to bring out the best from the employees. These phrases will help you highlight the achievements of the employee in the right way.
- Improved performance by x% by doing (specific task)
- Has achieved optimum levels of accomplishment through great performance in…
- Exceeds all performance expectations
- Excels in developing effective strategies and programs, which have delivered favourable results
Performance review phrases for administrative skills
These examples will help you properly state and evaluate the performance of the employee in administration.
- Keeps all the documents organised to avoid duplication of information
- Improves and enhances the administrative support system by doing the (specific task)
- Develops highly productive administrative strategies, like (mention task), which led to (mention results)
- Continuously examines the effectiveness of the administration and seeks reliable methods for (mention tasks)
- Establishes an effective administrative information retrieval system through (mention task)
For communication skills
Communication skills are important to create and maintain a cohesive and healthy work environment. So, by highlighting or recognising the communication skills of any employee, you motivate the employee to hone their skills more.
- Excels in conducting group discussions
- Effectively communicates job expectations
- Keeps the meeting action-oriented and effective by doing (mention task)
- Communicates effectively to implement company values and policies without creating negativity among the workforce
- Is very effective in lateral, upward and downward communication
For creativity
Recognizing and appreciating creativity is the best way to encourage and promote creativity and out-of-the-box thinking at the workplace. These performance appraisal phrases will help you highlight creative thinking in the best way possible.
- Seeks newer ideas and methods to find a solution
- Seeks different creative alternatives, like (examples) that helped achieve (mention results)
- Initiated and executed unique creative ideas, like (example), which delivered favourable results
- Imaginative and clever when faced with an obstacle
- Eager to experiment continually to deliver better results
For interpersonal skills
Only some employees have great interpersonal skills, hence, highlighting it would encourage your employees to display more such behaviour at work. Here are the performance evaluation phrases you can use to commend interpersonal skills.
- Promotes the culture of the company among peers
- Builds understanding and mutual dependence among team members
- Creates synergy within the team
- Establishes effective professional relationships
- Recognizes and understands others needs and lends help in the best way possible
Performance review phrases for planning
Here are some good examples for those who are good at planning.
- Very effective in implementing the action plan
- Excels in creating strategic alternatives
- Creates a flexible plan to meet the changing opportunities
- Develops an effective action plan
- Instrumental in formulating different action plans, tactics and strategies to drive results
For problem-solving
Problem-solving is a very special skill, which only a few possess. Effective problem solving requires a proactive mindset, creative thinking and the crucial ability to stay composed under pressure. Therefore, never overlook an employee’s problem-solving skills. Here are the best performance review phrases that highlight this.
- Very skilled at proposing optimum solutions
- Focuses on the problem, not just its symptoms, and solves it effectively
- Converts a problem into an opportunity
- Generates creative solutions
- Displays a pragmatic approach to problem-solving
For productivity
Productivity affects the bottom line of the company. Therefore, you must never miss a chance to highlight the higher productivity of the employee. These phrases are the best examples for highlighting productivity.
- Consistently exceeds performance objectives
- Has exceedingly general output standards
- Is a potent contributor to departmental success
- Consistently delivers more than what is expected
- Makes substantial contribution towards the continued growth of the company
Performance appraisal phrases highlighting strengths as well as weakness
For attendance
Strength
- Prompt and punctual at beginning the workday
- Always punctual (or, early) for conferences and meetings
- Adheres to the provided schedule on most (or, all) occasions
- Respects and values other’s time and does not keep anyone waiting
- Achieved a perfect attendance across (mention period)
- Is never a ‘no call no show’ employee
- Does not stray away from the employee attendance policy described in the employee handbook
- Inspires other employees to improve attendance
- Very reliable, responsible and punctual
- Follows the shift start timings each day
Weakness
- Frequently reports late to work
- Doesn’t meet company attendance standards
- Often exceeds the permitted vacation leaves
- Doesn’t follow the employe attendance policy
- Unreliable and irresponsible behaviour while reporting to work
- Does not meet the attendance standards of the company
- Disrespects the time and commitment of others by frequently arriving late for meetings
For attitude
Strength
- Finds positivity in all situations
- Doesn’t get bogged down by difficult circumstances
- Always proactive and cheerful at work
- A proactive learner who learns from his mistakes
- Reflects an enjoyable attitude at work
- Always maintains a positive attitude and inspires others
- Always motivates other team members to perform better
Weakness
- Gets upset or confused easily
- Easily distracted by non-work topics
- Needs to control poor attitude at work
- Displays anger and aggression even on minor issues
- Displays negative emotion, which affects others in the team
- Uses inflammatory comments despite repeated warnings
- Finds it difficult to put up with pressure and stress at work
- Switches easily from a positive to a negative attitude
- Finds it hard to accept constructive criticism
- Consistently carries a negative attitude towards work
Performance review phrases for various job functions
For sales
Positive phrases
- Consistently achieves sales targets
- Has exceeded expectations by x% during (mention period)
- Displays great sales performance, making (candidate name) the most sought after team member
- Owns all sales responsibilities and ensures timely delivery of expectations
- Has the ability to instantly identify the pain points and provide proper solutions
- The best sales rep to manage difficult clients
- Shows positive intent when faced with a challenging situation
- Great team player who helps to achieve team sales targets
Negative phrases
- Lack of confidence in self despite having the best sales abilities
- Too liberal with discounts while closing the sale, thus, affecting the margins
- Shows no intent to improve sales and negotiation skills
- Frequently reports unrealistic sales data, which affects the efficiency of the overall sales
- Displays poor attitude during negotiations
- Is unable to achieve sales targets consistently, despite the best resources
- Avoids difficult sales tasks
For marketing
Positive phrase
- Established important marketing metrics to measure the performance of content published online in/during (mention quarter or duration)
- Accomplished phenomenal growth rate by increasing organic visits to the website in a limited duration
- Effectively calculated the effect of X marketing strategy on company branding
- Develops impeccable and successful marketing strategies
- Possesses in-depth understanding of the marketing business
- Is extremely responsible and ensures that the tasks finish on time
Negative phrases
- Lacks intent for the rigours of marketing
- Lacks an understanding of the buyer persona, which results in incorrect identification of the target audience
- Is unable to achieve the marketing schedule
- Takes marketing decisions without properly analyzing the data
- Lack of patience for long term marketing initiatives
- Tends to deviate from the marketing strategy midway through the marketing campaign
- Unable to convincingly answer client doubts and questions
These performance review phrases will hold importance only when you have an effective performance review system in place. In general, annual performance reviews prove to be less effective as managers tend to highlight only the recent accomplishments of the employee, forgetting the earlier achievements that happened at the beginning of the review cycle. Therefore, companies should create and maintain an effective bi-annual or a customised performance review system that is best suited to the operations of the company.
And once, you implement an effective performance review system, you can then refer to and use these effective performance review phrases.
