Free performance review template

How to fill it in

Do the paperwork before the meeting, not during it. Pull the job description, last period's review, and any notes you kept during the year. A review written from memory the night before tends to reflect the last six weeks and little else.

• Fill in the review details. Write the exact start and end dates of the review period, because every example you give must fall inside it.
• Copy the main duties from the current job description into section 3. If the job has changed and the description has not, fix the description first.
• Rate each responsibility and competency on the 1-5 scale. Write an example for each one. The form requires one for any 1, 2, or 5.
• Score last period's goals honestly. If a goal was dropped because priorities changed, say so in the comments rather than marking it "Not Met."
• Draft three goals for the next period. Make each one measurable and give it a date.
• Give the employee the draft, or at least the ratings, a day or two before the meeting so they can prepare their own comments.
• After the meeting, add the employee's comments, then send the form for both signatures and give the employee a copy.

Writing ratings and comments that hold up

Comments are the part of a review people actually read later. A rating of 2 with no explanation tells a future reader nothing. "Missed the filing deadline for three of the twelve monthly reports, in March, June, and September" tells them exactly what happened. Write observed behavior and results, with dates and numbers where you have them. Leave out guesses about attitude, personality, or what is going on in the employee's personal life. Two traps show up constantly. The first is grade inflation: managers rate everyone a 3 or 4 to avoid an awkward meeting, and then a year later want to terminate someone whose file says they meet expectations. If performance is short of the standard, the review is where that has to be written down. The second is recency bias. Keep a short running note of wins and problems through the year, even a few lines a month, and the review mostly writes itself. One more rule: rate attendance and reliability only on absences the employee was not legally entitled to take. The Department of Labor's FMLA regulation (29 CFR 825.220(c)) says employers cannot use the taking of FMLA leave as a negative factor in employment actions such as promotions or discipline, and cannot count it under no-fault attendance policies. Leave given as a disability accommodation does not belong in a reliability score either.

What the employee's signature means

Employees often refuse to sign because they think signing means agreeing. On this form it does not, and the acknowledgment says so directly: the signature confirms receipt and discussion only. Say that out loud in the meeting too. If the employee still declines, do not argue. Note the refusal and the date in section 11, have the manager sign, and file the review as delivered. A second witness from HR can add a note, but it is not required. The employee also gets room to respond. Section 10 holds their comments, and they can attach a written response within the number of days you set. In some states the law requires it. Under the Illinois Personnel Record Review Act (820 ILCS 40/6), if an employee disagrees with information in their personnel record and the two sides cannot agree on a correction, the employee may submit a written statement, the employer must attach it to the disputed portion of the record, and it must go along whenever that portion is released to a third party. In California, Labor Code section 432 requires an employer to give an employee, on request, a copy of any instrument the employee signed relating to obtaining or holding employment, as summarized by the state Labor Commissioner. Give the copy without being asked and you never have to think about it.

Keeping reviews: personnel files and retention

A signed review is a personnel record, and federal and state rules govern both how long you keep it and who can see it.

• Federal retention: EEOC regulation 29 CFR 1602.14 requires employers to keep personnel or employment records, including records about promotion, demotion, pay, and termination, for one year from the date the record was made or the personnel action taken, whichever is later. For an employee who is involuntarily terminated, the records must be kept for one year from the termination date.
• If a discrimination charge is filed under Title VII, the ADA, or GINA, the same regulation requires keeping all relevant personnel records until the charge or lawsuit is finally resolved. That covers the charging employee's file and those of employees in similar positions, so do not purge reviews on a schedule while a charge is open.
• California: under Labor Code section 1198.5, current and former employees can inspect and copy the personnel records that relate to their performance. The Labor Commissioner's guidance says the employer must allow this within 30 calendar days of a written request, and that an employer who fails to comply can owe a $750 penalty.
• Illinois: under 820 ILCS 40/2, an employee can make a written request to inspect and copy documents used to decide their qualifications, promotion, pay, discharge, or discipline. The employer must grant at least 2 requests a calendar year and respond within 7 working days, with 7 more calendar days if it can reasonably show it needs them. The Act covers employers with 5 or more employees, not counting the employer's immediate family.
• Other states have their own personnel-file laws and some have none. Check your state labor department before you adopt a retention or access policy.

Reviews, discrimination, and retaliation

A performance review is often the first document pulled in an employment dispute, because it shows what the employer said about the employee before anyone was arguing. Inconsistent reviews are the usual problem: years of good ratings followed by a sudden termination "for performance" invite the question of what really changed. Timing matters as well. The EEOC's Enforcement Guidance on Retaliation lists "negative or lowered evaluations" among the actions that can count as retaliation when they follow protected activity, such as filing a discrimination complaint or taking part in an investigation. If an employee has recently complained, have a second person review the evaluation before it is delivered and make sure every lower rating has dated examples behind it. Disability is the other area to get right. The EEOC's guidance on applying performance standards to employees with disabilities says an employer does not have to lower a production standard as an accommodation, and that a rating should reflect actual performance. It also says an accommodation may be needed to help the employee meet the standard. If an employee raises a medical issue in the review meeting, treat it as a possible accommodation request and bring HR in, rather than debating it across the table.

Performance review vs. write-up vs. improvement plan

These three documents get mixed together, and using the wrong one causes problems. A performance review is scheduled and broad. It covers the whole period, the good and the bad, and it happens whether or not anything went wrong. An employee write-up documents one specific incident of a performance or conduct problem, close to when it happened. A disciplinary action form or performance improvement plan carries a formal consequence: specific targets, a deadline, and what happens if they are missed. Keep them separate. Do not turn a scheduled review into a disciplinary notice by adding a warning at the bottom, because the employee will reasonably read every rating as part of the discipline. If the review reveals a problem serious enough for a formal plan, finish the review, then issue the improvement plan as its own document after the meeting. And do not use this form for a departing employee's feedback. That is an exit interview, and it serves a different purpose.

Running the meeting and when to get help

Book 45 minutes to an hour in a private room or on a video call where the employee can speak freely. Start by asking for the employee's own view of the period, then go through the ratings, then spend the last third on goals for next time. Most people remember the opening and the end, so do not bury good news or a hard message in the middle. Send the form for signature after the meeting, once the employee's comments are in, rather than asking for a signature on the spot. Get HR or an employment lawyer involved before the meeting if the employee has recently complained about discrimination, harassment, or pay; is on or returning from protected leave; has asked for an accommodation; or is likely to be terminated in the next few months. In each of those cases the review may later be evidence, and an hour of advice now is far cheaper than defending a poorly worded file.