Microsoft Word Performance Review Templates: 10 Great Templates You NEED to See!

Microsoft Word performance review templates! For as long as I can remember, the standard method for creating performance reviews has been to use Microsoft Word and Excel. In fact, this is still the case for most companies today.

These templates are essentially pre-formatted documents with fields for entering the necessary information about an employee’s performance, such as strengths, areas for improvement, and objectives for the next review period.

However, relying solely on Word performance review templates has its limitations and drawbacks, which we will explore in the following sections.

Performance reviews are a critical aspect of any organization’s HR strategy, as they provide an opportunity for managers and employees to reflect on the latter’s work and set goals for the future. That is why it is important to conduct them in the absolute best possible manner.

While we have listed some of the best word performance review templates we could find in the ocean of performance management content, our hooks caught more than just helpful templates. We caught an incredibly large fish that belongs to the “Over-Reliance on Traditional Methods to a Potential Point of Detriment” family.

Integrate Your Performance Review Templates into Microsoft Teams

While we love helping you out by providing you with these performance review templates, we just have to say that Word and Excel performance review templates are the reasons performance reviews get a bad reputation. Conducting your performance appraisals over a digital communication & collaboration platform such as Microsoft Teams is the far better option.

That is why we want to offer you the chance to try the best Microsoft Teams performance review software for absolutely free. No sign-up. No time limits. No payment. Try Teamflect’s customizable Microsoft Teams performance review templates out once and see if you can ever go back to conducting your appraisals manually.

In short, we do believe in the helpful nature of the templates we listed below for you. That being said, we do know that there is a much better way to conduct performance reviews than using word performance review templates. Last week, we tackled Excel performance review templates. So without further ado, here are:

10 Word Performance Review Templates

Word Performance Review Template 1

Performance Reviews should be conducted at least twice a year. That means a mid-year performance review at the six-month mark and an annual performance review at the end of the year. This word performance review template is great for the latter of the two, highlighting all the important areas and hitting all the right notes for an annual employee performance review.

Word Performance Review Template 2

Self-evaluation is an absolute must in all employee performance reviews. That is why using a word performance review template focused on self-evaluation is a godsend. The color coding and wide open spaces for long-winded answers is another plus for sure!

Word Performance Review Template 3

The three templates listed above form a useful and colorful trio. They follow the same structure with a color scheme utilized to differentiate between the templates in terms of function and purpose. The first template is for annual performance reviews, the second is for self-appraisals, and the third is for a mid-year performance evaluation. The use of open-ended performance review questions in these templates put the employees in the driver’s seat, letting them express themselves freely!

Word Performance Review Template 4

The employee evaluation form here mixes simple and widely accepted rating criteria with an open-ended section for examples and further elaboration. It is the best of both worlds when it comes to mixing measurable data and open-ended input. While we would’ve liked the comments and examples space to be a tad larger it is still a very well-designed word performance review template.

Word Performance Review Template 5

Another template that mixes rating criteria and explanations, this performance competencies template makes the rating scale even more dependable and detailed by taking the number of potential grades from four to six! We especially appreciate the fact that the lowest possible rating also has the option “New”, letting newcomers to the organization off the hook!

Word Performance Review Template 6

This simple performance review template is great for short reviews that will give you insight about your team. We recommend using this template as a 90 day performance review template since it might be a little short and shallow for your long-term employees.

Word Performance Review Template 7

Our next template is an introductory performance review template for newcomers. If you’re looking for a quick way to review your new hire’s performance in their first week or so, try this template! With its sleek design and small but dependable scaling, this Microsoft Word performance review template is the best choice for small businesses.

Word Performance Review Template 8

If you’re using OKRs as a progress tracking method in your organization, this performance review template’s got you. We love that this template mentions both objectives and accomplishments since it’s really important to point out the achievements of your employees during performance evaluation.

Word Performance Review Template 9

The reason we chose this Word performance review template is that it emphasizes the specific actions, decisions or projects that your employees showed their high performance. You can show that your employees have a solid background for their success with these solid examples that you will consider when filling out this template!

Word Performance Review Template 10

And last but not least, we have a peer review template for your employees! Peer reviews are the most important part of any performance review period, and this template is a great way to start. You can easily fill in the 1-5 scale with the non eligible option for new employees.

The Drawbacks of Using Word Templates

Limited Customization

An extremely problematic issue with Word templates is their limited customization options. Word performance review templates can be a bit too rigid for you to tailor the template to your organization’s specific needs or preferences, leading to a generic and potentially unhelpful review process. Word templates may not offer a wide range of formatting choices, which can make it difficult to create a visually appealing and easy-to-read document.

No Way to Analyze Data

Word performance review templates do not offer any advanced features for tracking and analyzing review data. You will have to manually gather and organize the data, which can be challenging and error-prone, especially if you are dealing with a large number of reviews. At that point, is it really that much better than using printed-out performance review forms and wrestling with mountains of paperwork?

Difficult to Create

Microsoft Word performance review templates aren’t just difficult for their users. They are also very hard for the people that design them. Using a Word performance review template can be a time-consuming and tedious process, especially if you are starting from scratch. You will need to spend time creating a new document, formatting it to match your organization’s branding, and inputting the relevant information about the employee’s performance. This can take up valuable time that could be better spent on other HR tasks or activities.

A Microsoft Word performance review template may seem like the easiest way to create these documents, but they actually perpetuate outdated methods. Not only are they rigid and inflexible, but they also force you into creating a lengthy process from scratch every year—a tedious task that can be simplified by using software that works with your existing HR data.

Using Performance Review Software

Performance review software such as Teamflect are powerful tools that can greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your performance review process no matter the size of your organization. Here are some of the key benefits of using performance review software:

Customizable templates

Performance review software typically comes with a range of customizable templates that allow you to tailor the review process to your organization’s specific needs and preferences. This means you don’t have to spend time creating and formatting a review document from scratch, as you would with a Word template. Teamflect’s performance review template gallery offers an extensive library of highly customizable templates for almost every situation!

Real-time tracking

Performance review software enables you to track the progress of the review process in real time, making it easier to stay on schedule and avoid delays. You can also set reminders and notifications to ensure that all parties involved in the review process are kept informed and up-to-date.

If the performance review software of your choice has strong integrations into communication tools, such as the integration between Teamflect and Microsoft Teams, you can make continuous feedback an essential part of your day-to-day operations.

Data analytics

One of the major benefits of performance review software is its ability to provide insights and data analytics on employee performance. You can easily view and analyze data on factors such as employee productivity, goals achieved, and areas for improvement, helping you to make informed decisions about employee development and training.

Self-assessment and 360-degree feedback

Top-of-the-line performance review software such as Teamflect includes self-assessment and 360-degree feedback tools, which enable employees to reflect on their own performance and receive feedback from multiple sources, including their managers, peers, and even customers. This results in a more rounded view of an employee’s performance and identifies areas for improvement.