You’re not sure about which performance review questions to ask? Or maybe you’re looking for some fresh performance review question examples to save you from the tedium of using the same old tired performance appraisal questions year in and year out. Whatever the case is, we have you covered.
As you scroll down, you will find some of the best sample performance review questions our team could put together.
Each performance review question listed here serves a common goal. It is the same goal that every performance appraisal secretly serves: Strengthening the bond between employee and employer.
Whether that goes through accountability in the employee’s current role, performance review questions about career development, or simply asking questions on workplace culture, these sample questions are here to help!
So without wasting any more time on this long-winded introduction: Here are 45 sample performance review questions you should definitely start asking!
Fro anyone out there who simply have too many performance review questions and answers to handle but still want to respond to them personally effectively, using an AI writing assistant is a great way to go about it!
Teamflect’s digital performance review templates come with a built-in AI writing assistant that allows reviewers to enhance their review responses and comments with the help of AI! When responding to a performance review, you have the option:
Your review comments, as well as check for biased language! You can try this feature alongside customizable digital performance review templates right inside Microsoft Teams!
We all know that focusing on the future plays a huge role in conducting effective performance reviews. That being said, asking performance review questions based on the employee’s current position in the organization is an absolute must!
The employee performance review question examples below were designed to help leaders get a clear grasp on how the reviewee is handling their current role within the company.
Below, you will find sample performance review questions on the employee’s current responsibilities, accomplishments, perceived strengths & areas of improvement, goal progression, and employee engagement.
Remember that even with all the employee performance metrics under the sun, when you’re measuring performance, you are trying to measure a continuous process. We hope the performance review question examples below can help you with the daunting task in your hands!
When you are coming up with a list of employee evaluation questions or going through a bunch of sample performance review questions the way you are doing now, you should always know what purpose each performance review question serves.
Even simpler, you should always know the real purpose of performance reviews. Performance reviews aren’t just a way to hold employees accountable for their performance within the review period.
An effective performance review is a conversation and each conversation with your direct reports is an opportunity to get to know them better and to create further trust within the organization.
With each passing year, individuals grow less and less invested in the success of their organization. Gen-Z employees care less about what they can do for their company and more about what said the company can do for them.
And can you really blame them? When they look into the future, they see nothing but tech layoffs and uncertainty. Why do you think they are all quiet quitting?!
Asking the best performance management questions about career development and their future within the organization shows that you are invested in them just as much as you are expecting them to be invested in you.
Curiosity is an extremely strong tool that should be in the arsenal of every single leader. Show them that you care about their future by being curious about it:
Be curious, not judgemental.
Walt Whitman
Well-mapped-out performance review questions are like a swiss army knife: Multifunctional.
On a completely unrelated note: Who remembers the movie “Swiss Army Man”? What an unexpected treat that was, huh? Moving on.
You need to ask performance review questions that provide you with insights into the employee’s performance. Sure. That is a given.
While you’re at it, why not ask performance review questions that will give you a glimpse into what it feels like for someone to be a part of your organization? The data you receive from asking performance review questions can do so much more than help evaluate performance.
Your performance appraisal questions can help provide you with enough insight into your organization for entirely new strategies for employee engagement, creating a culture of empowerment, fostering workplace creativity, and more!
Managers shouldn’t be the only ones asking questions during performance reviews. Asking questions to your manager during a performance review isn’t just a trick to help you shift power dynamics (Although it certainly works).
As we said before in this article: Performance reviews are a conversation. Aren’t conversations far more enjoyable when both sides are equally curious? So here are some questions you should ask your manager during performance reviews:
When asking employee review questions in a 90-day performance review, it is extremely important to remember that the person you are talking to is still a relative newcomer to the organization. That is why the performance appraisal questions you ask should be welcoming and positive.
The performance review questions you ask have tremendous power. Do you know what else has a massive impact on your performance appraisals?
How you conduct them. For many organizations using excel performance review templates, word performance review templates, or pdf performance review templates seems to be the norm. Just because they are the norm, however, doesn’t mean they are the most effective way. In fact, they come with many different drawbacks:
The absence of real-time tracking is one of the main drawbacks of utilizing excel, pdf, and word for performance reviews. Since data must be manually entered into the system, it is challenging to track employee performance in real-time with excel, pdf, and word.
Hence, it is challenging to obtain an accurate and current picture of employee performance. Also, the absence of real-time tracking makes it challenging to recognize issues promptly and take necessary action.
Data organization is a challenge when utilizing Excel performance evaluation templates, which is another drawback. Large volumes of data cannot be stored and organized in Excel, PDF, or Word documents.
As a result, tracking performance over time and comparing performance across different personnel can be challenging. The manual data entry and document sorting required when utilizing excel, pdf, and word to track performance can also be time-consuming.
Finally, using Excel, PDF, and Word for performance reviews has the potential to be biased. It might be challenging to guarantee that all staff is evaluated objectively and consistently without the right tools. Manual data entry might result in inaccuracies or errors, which can further increase bias in performance evaluations.
If you are spending all this time coming up with performance review questions, then you need to make sure that those performance review questions are in the most effective platform possible. That is why using employee performance review software is the single best way to conduct performance evaluations.
Some core advantages that come with using top-of-the-line performance review software are:
While there are many different options available to consumers today, if you are part of an organization that uses Microsoft Teams, then the best option for you is:
Teamflect is an all-in-one performance management software, with one of the strongest performance review modules in the market today. Teamflect’s true strength lies in its seamless Microsoft Teams integration. Users can conduct entire performance review cycles with 360-degree feedback without even having to leave Microsoft Teams once.
Teamflect’s performance review module comes loaded with an extensive library of performance review templates, each with great sample performance review questions of their own.
The performance review questions within the templates are fully customizable, letting users cherry-pick their favorites and replace the ones they don’t like with performance review questions of their own.
Teamflect automatically integrates data such as goal completion, tasks completed within the review period, and kudos received within the review period into performance reviews. Can you imagine entering all that data into an excel performance review template manually? We know. That is our hell too.
Teamflect’s performance review templates include but aren’t limited to:
Let’s go through a quick demonstration of just how you can use Teamflect to go through performance reviews inside Microsoft Teams.
The first step si rather simple. All you have to do is go into the “Reviews” module by clicking on it on the left side bar, before selecting “New Review”.
This module is both a central hub as well as an archive for all the performance reviews you conduct in your organization.
The next step would be to select the right performance review template for you. Teamflect has a massive library of performance review templates that can be applied to any situation. Teamflect users can customize these templates completely.
Some of the ways you can customize Teamflect’s review templates include:
Once the review template has been sent out, the reviewee will receive both an e-mail alert, as well as an adaptive card inside Microsoft Teams, leading them to their performance review. Once both parties fill out the necessary information, the review is concluded.
The example we walked through was the manual way of setting these reviews up. Depending on the review type, you might want to consider the option to automate your performance reviews, streamlining the process. For performance appraisals conducted in regular intervals such as year-end or quarterly reviews, this is a far safer option. Teamflect allows for many different custom automation scenarios for you to set up.
How to answer performance review questions? Well, the simplest answer is: Be honest but not humble. Make sure to be well-organized as well. In order to make a strong impression, have specific examples to back up your arguments. When addressing appraisal questions and answers, ensure that you are giving examples from projects you've proactively taken part in.
If you wish to focus on questions to ask employees during performance revews then focus on clarifying expectations or career paths in order to give a well-structured and impactful answer. The key is to be prepared in advance for review season in order to navigate performance review questions meaningfully.
Here are a few questions and answers to give you a better idea of how to go about them.
1. What accomplishments are you most proud of?
"I'm especially proud of leading the project to implement our new customer relationship management system, which improved client interaction efficiency by 20%. It involved extensive planning, coordination with multiple departments, and training sessions to ensure smooth adoption."
2. What challenges did you face, and how did you handle them?
"A major challenge was adapting to shifting project timelines due to supply chain issues. I handled this by collaborating closely with the supply team and adjusting project schedules to mitigate delays, maintaining 95% on-time project delivery."
3. How do you think your performance aligns with the company’s goals?
"My performance aligns well with the company's goals, as I have consistently contributed to revenue growth by spearheading client outreach campaigns that resulted in a 15% increase in new contracts."
4. What areas do you think need improvement in your work?
"While I’m confident in my project management skills, I recognize that improving my knowledge of data analytics could further enhance decision-making and project efficiency. I’m currently taking an online course to strengthen this area."
5. What have you learned in the past 90 days?
"In the past 90 days, I’ve focused on developing stronger negotiation skills, which helped me secure better terms in supplier contracts. This directly contributed to reducing costs by 10%."
6. What goals do you have for the next review period?
"My main goal is to lead a cross-functional project that enhances our digital marketing strategy, aiming for a 20% boost in user engagement. I also plan to mentor junior team members to support their career development."
7. How do you handle feedback, both positive and negative?
"I value feedback as an essential part of growth. Positive feedback motivates me to maintain high standards, while constructive feedback helps me identify blind spots. I actively seek feedback to refine my work processes and contribute effectively."
What questions to ask during a performance review? Whether you are looking for performance review questions for managers or employees, the three critical categories of performance review questions are:
You should ask performance appraisal questions that cover these three areas.
Self-performance review questions are designed to help you reflect on your achievements, strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement over a specific period. Avoid exaggerating your accomplishments or downplaying your mistakes. Be specific and straighforward when answering performance evaluation questions.
You can always use STAR method. What is the STAR method? The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is an effective way to structure your responses. It helps provide a clear picture of your achievements and the impact they have had on the organization. Show self awareness with data-based information if possible and demonstrate your commitment towards the future with an attitude of looking forward when addressing performance review questions and answers.
Here's a quick rundown for you!
Avoid making assumptions about what your manager or colleagues think or feel. Instead, ask for clarification and feedback.
Self-review has always been a tricky aspect of performance evaluations. When conducting your own self-appraisal, nothing works better than a bit of self-reflection and introspection. Channel your inner yoga guru and you’ll be set!
What a beautiful journey this has been! We set off with some of the best smart performance questions you can find online, before answering the internet’s most asked questions about performance reviews.
If you’ve stuck with us through the entirety of this article, we just want to remind you that no matter which questions you ask during performance appraisals, or whichever performance review frequency you choose to go with, you should always treat your performance evaluations as an opportunity to form a stronger bond with your team, as opposed to a box you need to tick.
We here at Teamflect, pride ourselves in providing our users with the best performance review experience available for Microsoft Teams or Outlook users.
Since Teamflect has a free plan with full functionality for up to 10 users, you can always schedule a demo and experience the difference Teamflect makes in performance appraisals for yourself!
An all-in-one performance management tool for Microsoft Teams