Employee performance review

A structured appraisal form for the annual review: performance, collaboration, development and goal setting — with self and manager assessment.

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Employee performance review – questionnaire preview

Appraisal forms rarely fail for lack of questions; they fail for vague ones. "Commitment: 1 to 5" mostly measures how well disposed the assessor happens to feel. This template therefore uses behaviour-based statements rather than trait judgements: not "is reliable" but "keeps commitments and deadlines". That can be observed, evidenced and discussed. It is completed twice — by the manager and by the employee — and the gaps between the two forms are exactly what the conversation is for.

When should you use this template?

This template is a great fit for:

  • You hold annual or half-yearly reviews and want them to be comparable
  • Existing forms produce ratings that are not comparable between managers
  • You want to contrast self and manager assessment rather than merely rate
  • Development goals should be documented and reviewable the following year
  • You are preparing to introduce 360-degree feedback and need a solid base appraisal first

Every question in this template

  1. 1

    In which role are you completing this form? *

    Single choice
    • As the employee (self-assessment)
    • As the manager (assessment)
  2. 2

    How far do the following statements about work performance apply? *

    Please refer to the past review period.

    Matrix
    Rarely appliesPartly appliesMostly appliesConsistently applies
    Achieves the agreed work results
    Delivers reliable quality
    Keeps commitments and deadlines
    Works in a structured way even under pressure
    Spots problems early and raises them
  3. 3

    How far do the following statements about collaboration apply? *

    Matrix
    Rarely appliesPartly appliesMostly appliesConsistently applies
    Shares knowledge and information within the team
    Gives feedback factually and in good time
    Accepts criticism and works with it
    Supports colleagues when things get tight
    Takes on tasks beyond their own role
  4. 4

    How far do the following statements about expertise and autonomy apply?

    Matrix
    Rarely appliesPartly appliesMostly appliesConsistently applies
    Has the expertise required for the tasks
    Gets to grips with new topics independently
    Makes decisions within their own remit
    Implements improvements on their own initiative
  5. 5

    How were the goals of the past review period met?

    Single choice
    • Not met
    • Partly met
    • Fully met
    • Exceeded
    • No goals had been agreed
  6. 6

    What went particularly well in the past period?

    Please anchor this in concrete situations where possible.

    Long text
  7. 7

    Where were there difficulties, and what caused them?

    External conditions may be named here too, not only personal points.

    Long text
  8. 8

    Which development goals should apply for the next period?

    Phrase them so they can be checked — the next review will refer back to them.

    Long text
  9. 9

    What support is needed for that?

    For example training, time, tools or changed responsibilities.

    Long text
  10. 10

    Is there anything else that should come up in the meeting?

    Long text

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Frequently asked questions

Who completes the form — manager or employee?
Both, separately and before the meeting. The template includes a role question at the start. The value comes from the comparison: where both rate similarly the matter is settled; where they diverge lies the actual topic. Having only the manager complete it produces a grade, not a conversation.
Why behaviour-based statements instead of traits?
Because trait judgements cannot be checked. "Is committed" can neither be evidenced nor disputed — it stays a matter of taste and systematically favours people similar to the assessor. "Takes on tasks beyond their own role" describes something that either happened or did not. That makes ratings more comparable between managers and conversations more concrete.
Can appraisals be collected anonymously?
No — a performance appraisal is personal data and must be attributable, otherwise it cannot serve its purpose. That distinguishes it fundamentally from an employee survey, which must be anonymous to elicit honest answers. Mixing the two is a common and consequential mistake: putting appraisal questions into an anonymous survey loses both.
What requires works council involvement?
In Germany, appraisal principles are subject to works council co-determination (§ 94(2) BetrVG) — this covers the form itself, not merely its use. Agree the template before deploying it. This is not a formality: a form challenged after the fact makes the appraisals collected with it contestable. This is general orientation and does not replace legal advice.
How do I avoid everyone ticking the middle?
The template uses a four-point scale without a neutral midpoint so a tendency becomes visible. Clear scale labelling helps too: when steps are named rather than merely numbered, the retreat to the middle drops noticeably. Keep one scale direction throughout — reversing it mid-form mainly produces errors.
How do we analyse this across many employees?
Two perspectives are useful: the individual appraisal as a basis for the conversation, and the cross-department analysis as an organisational picture. The latter shows where competencies are missing and whether managers rate systematically differently — a pattern only visible in comparison. Watch minimum group sizes so an aggregate analysis does not become a de facto individual appraisal.

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