Questions to Ask in a Performance Review

"It's time for performance reviews."

If that sentence makes you anxious, you are not alone. Employees and managers equally dread performance reviews, but that doesn't always have to be the case. Performance reviews are a critical part of a company's employee management strategy and can guide your organization to meet its goals. It helps companies discover top performers, struggling employees, missing resources, areas for improvement, workforce skill gaps, or misaligned goals. Creating engaging performance review questions that solicit valuable insights from employees is the key to making the most out of an invaluable tool. Getting performance reviews right takes careful planning and effective questions.

Best Performance Review Questions

The best performance review questions deep dive into individual performance, employee engagement, goals, and motivation. Broad and general questions like "Are you happy with your current role?" fall flat and create minimal impact. On the other hand, specific and targeted questions like, "What accomplishments were you proudest of this year?" spark active participation and reveal how employees feel about their work. Revitalize your performance reviews by asking the following questions below.

Performance-Related Questions

Asking employees about their perceived strengths helps you gain perspective on their contributions to the company. It's also an avenue for the employee to talk about the skills they haven't had the opportunity to showcase yet. Identifying each of your employee’s strengths allows you to better direct them towards meeting your organization’s goals.

1. What accomplishments are you most proud of, and what impact did it have on the team, department, or company?
2. What motivates you to get your job done?
3. What personal strengths help you do your job effectively?
4. How do you think your role helps the company succeed?
5. Which of your current tasks comes most effortless to you?

Challenges and Areas for Improvement Questions

Discussing roadblocks and areas of improvement create a safe space for employees to reflect on their past performance. It's also a chance to review why specific projects or tasks did not go as planned and how managers can offer support. Start the conversation with these questions:

1. What deliverables were you least proud of, and how will you approach those differently in the future?
2. Which part of your role drains you or makes you feel less enthusiastic?
3. Where do you think there's room for you to improve?
4. What training do you wish you had or would like to have?
5. Of all the goals you've set in the past [performance year], which ones fell short? And why did you think it did?

Growth and Development Questions

Asking employees about their career goals and future aspirations gives insights into what motivates them. Understanding an employee's long-term plans helps managers map out career development opportunities and provide any necessary tools and resources. It also allows managers to gauge if employees envision themselves growing within the company. Try these performance review questions to identify employee career goals.

1. Which strengths or skills would you like to focus on and develop over the next few months?
2. What do you hope to accomplish in the coming year?
3. What do you want your next position to be in this company, and what growth opportunities would you like to master to get there?
4. How do you see yourself growing within the company?
5. Are there any special projects you'd like to tackle this coming year?

Employee-Manager Relationship Questions

Employees don't leave companies. They leave managers. Leverage performance reviews to build rapport and develop relationships with your team members. Asking the right performance review questions helps managers retain employees and get relevant information on how they can better support them.

1. What are the things that I can do differently to better manage and support you?
2. How can I help you improve and do your best work?
3. Do you feel comfortable reaching out to me [manager] with new ideas? Why or why not?
4. Do you feel supported in your current tasks? How so?
5. Have I been able to help you achieve your goals this [performance period]?

Company Goal and Culture Alignment Questions

Engaged employees positively impact your organization. Asking the right questions during a performance review helps managers understand how the employee aligns with the company's goals and culture. Start by asking these questions:

1. What company value have you exemplified best last [performance period] and how?
2. What do you think of our company culture, and are there any areas for improvement?
3. When have you felt most proud working for this company?
4. Where and in what aspect of the company is there room for improvement?
5. Will you recommend working for this company to your friends? Why or why not?

How to Conduct Performance Reviews

Create a culture that promotes performance reviews as a positive tool that helps both employees and the organization. Once you've decided on your performance review questions, schedule the meeting in advance so that both parties have enough time to reflect on what transpired the past year. Be sure to tailor your questions to your organization's unique needs so that they can drive a meaningful impact upon your business. Keep a conversational tone so that employees feel comfortable sharing.

If you need help structuring performance reviews, Nexus HR can guide you in creating the best performance review questions to benefit your specific organization. Afterward, we will save the evaluation in the employee's personnel file and launch a performance improvement plan if necessary. As a full human resource partner, Nexus HR takes care of all of your administrative tasks so that you can focus on other aspects of growing your business.