How to Perform an Employee Evaluation (Free Templates)

Typically, the employee evaluation is performed by a manager or supervisor who has kept notes on the employee throughout the year. These notes provide the supervisor with specific examples of the aspects of the employee’s performance that require improvement as well as aspects that the employee has exceeded expectations.

In other words, we may define this concept as;

An employee evaluation is an annual evaluation of the performance of an employee for the employer’s consideration with regard to compensation and promotion.

It is important to note that an employee evaluation must be well conducted to help motivate the employees to thrive in their careers and improve the quality of their work. An employee evaluation also presents an opportunity for employees to course-correct and lay the groundwork for career advancement within the company. In addition, the employee evaluation can create helpful documentation for human resources concerns.

On the other hand, poorly conducted employee evaluations can negatively impact the morale of the employees.

Therefore, it is essential to plan the employee evaluation by following the steps mentioned below;

Set goals before evaluating

The employee evaluation exercise should be carried out with a clear goal in mind. The supervisor or manager carrying out the employee evaluation should set a goal or more before commencing the evaluation. 

Share employees’ evaluation form copy

An excellent strategy to ensure accurate and transparent employee evaluations is to provide copies of the employee evaluation form to the employees before commencing the evaluation process.

Taking notes to assess performance

Employees should be instructed to self-evaluate themselves when measurable goals are used in an employee evaluation. Also, the employer can more accurately gauge the performance of the employee.

Use honest, direct, and concise comments

Transparency and concise evaluations are mandatory to prevent confusion with the employees regarding the employer’s goals and expectations. The employer can guarantee clarity by using specific metrics where possible or citing specific instances in the evaluation. The employer should avoid sugar-coating the feedback. Honest, clear, and straightforward feedback is the only appropriate feedback.

Motivation for employee’s self-assessment

During the meeting review, the supervisor/manager should discuss in an interactive; two-sided manner employee self-assessment elements observed in the report, such as their most significant accomplishments, challenges, the employee’s greatest strengths, and aspects the employee believes in improving in the following review period.

Avoid comparisons between employees

Comparison between employees breeds contempt and unhealthy competition. Hence, it should be avoided when making evaluations.

Future-oriented evaluation

Addressing negative observations such as recent failures or poor performance areas can be uncomfortable for both the employer and the employee. However, these issues must be addressed. After addressing these issues efficiently, the manager should shift the focus towards the future by outlining new goals and sharing the plans for improvements with the employee.
The manager must communicate mutual goals to the employees and assure them that they are available for guidance and assistance. The manager can ensure that the employee leaves the meeting with a higher level of motivation and hope by focusing on the future and positive notes.

Only make realistic promises

The manager must discuss future possibilities with the employee. However, the manager should ensure that the possibilities discussed are well within their power to not set the employee’s expectations too high without the ability to follow through.

Do not answer all the questions

During the employee evaluation meeting, the manager should encourage back and forth interactions and questions from the employee. However, the manager should only answer relevant and vital questions leaving out irrelevant or unrelated questions. The manager should also refrain from pretending to answer all the questions as this will only lead to miscommunication and confusion.

Conduct multiple evaluations

The manager should organize and hold multiple periodic evaluations throughout the year. By so doing, the employees can easily get a clear picture of how well they are performing as well as the aspects of their performance that requires some improvement.

Employee evaluations have the potential to be helpful or hurtful when it comes to legal matters. There are some general do’s and don’ts that employers will find helpful during an employee evaluation;

Do’s

• The employer should keep notes on employee performance all year round. The notes should include dates of incidents, both negative and positive, with a concise description. By keeping detailed notes of incidents all year round, the employer can avoid legal complications or unwarranted claims from a terminated employee.
• The employer should talk to employees about issues and provide employees with a chance to improve their performance and skills.
• The employer should document their evaluations.
  

Don’ts

• A majority of the state laws allow employees to work at will. This means that employees can terminate without reason. Employers should not undo this by promising long-term employment.
• The employer must never be inconsistent. When an employee is perceived as inconsistent, especially in treating different employees in the same situations, the employer is at risk of discrimination claims.
• An employee that speaks out about potential legal violations or wage and hour issues should not be condemned, rather, the employer should encourage employees to note and report any and all legal violations within the company for prompt rectification.  

According to the range of the performance of the employee, here are a few samples of employee evaluations managers can use for a range of employees according to their level of performance;