Employee evaluation forms: Templates and how to use them
Boost employee performance and promote growth using employee evaluation forms.
Feedback is essential for employees seeking to enhance their performance and skills. Constructive feedback from managers can identify areas for improvement and foster positive change.
If frequent feedback is a priority for your organization, employee evaluation forms can facilitate constructive dialogue. In this article, we'll explain employee evaluation forms, the three common types of forms, and how to use them.
What is an employee evaluation form?
An employee evaluation form is a tool that employers use to provide feedback on employees' work performance.
Additionally, these forms are valuable for tracking performance trends, allowing for the observation of improvement or changes. They are essential to an organization's performance review, offering clear guidelines for future development.
Why use employee evaluation forms?
Employee evaluation forms play a crucial role in performance management and employee development.
Performance review forms offer a structured approach to identifying an employee’s strengths, weaknesses, and achievements. Employers can use these forms to document performance, enhance transparency, and establish clear employee expectations. Furthermore, they promote open dialogue between employees and their managers.
Employee evaluation forms are also valuable during discussions about career growth. This form's feedback can identify skills that need further development and pave the way for career advancement.
On an organizational level, employee evaluation forms promote fairness and consistency, fostering a culture of transparency, improvement, and accountability.
3 different types of employee evaluation forms
Organizations commonly use three main types of employee feedback forms: standard feedback forms, self-evaluation forms, and 360-degree feedback forms. Each type has distinct benefits and serves a different purpose. Let’s explore the key features of each type of feedback form.
1. Standard evaluation forms
Standard evaluation forms provide feedback to employees on their performance over a specific period. Administrators may use this feedback to measure goal progress, assess performance, and plan training programs.
For example, a Likert scale question may ask, “How satisfied are you with the employee’s ability to communicate effectively with other team members?” An ordinal scale of 1 to 5 or “Strongly satisfied” to “Strongly dissatisfied” can communicate the employee’s communication level.
Other questions that may be asked in a standard evaluation or employee performance form include:
- How effective is this employee at their job?
- How well does this employee collaborate with others?
- How well does this employee solve problems independently?
2. Self-evaluation forms
Some organizations use self-evaluation forms to allow employees to reflect on their roles and performance. This performance review form encourages self-reflection and accountability among employees.
These forms capture employee information for career development plans and to identify training needs. Self-evaluation forms also enable employees to highlight their achievements and recognize areas needing improvement.
Self-evaluation forms typically include questions such as:
- What growth areas have you identified during this review period, and how do you plan to address them in the next review period?
- How did you make progress toward your goals this review period?
- How have you demonstrated the company’s core values during this review period?
3. 360-degree feedback forms
A 360-degree feedback form collects evaluations from peers, supervisors, and sometimes clients to provide an assessment of an employee.
This gives employers a broad view of an employee’s contributions, capturing various perspectives on behaviors and competencies. They are also great for measuring interpersonal skills, leadership abilities, and overall workplace impact.
A 360-degree feedback form asks questions such as:
- How often is your coworker/supervisor/subordinate late to work?
- How willing is your coworker/supervisor/subordinate to admit mistakes?
- How well does your coworker/supervisor/subordinate communicate with others?
- How professionally does your coworker/supervisor/subordinate behave?
How do you write a good evaluation form?
With an understanding of the three main types of employee evaluation forms, you are likely ready to begin creating one. We will outline the steps necessary to write an effective evaluation form.
1. Identify the purpose
First, you must determine the purpose of the evaluation form. The purpose could be to assess employee performance, measure goal progress, or identify training needs. You can tailor the form to your organization’s needs by identifying the purpose.
2. Determine the audience
Next, you need to determine the audience for the evaluation form. Will managers complete the evaluation of an employee? Will employees use it to reflect on their performance? Or will peers review colleagues? By understanding your intended audience, you can ensure your questions are relevant.
3. Align with organizational goals
To ensure consistency, each evaluation form must align with the company's core values, mission, and strategic objectives. The presence of organizational goals in your evaluations reinforces their significance and guides evaluation criteria.
4. Define measurable categories
In your evaluation form, you can categorize job performance into several areas.
- Job knowledge: How effectively does the employee carry out their responsibilities?
- Work quality: Is the employee consistently delivering high-quality work?
- Teamwork: How well does the employee collaborate with others?
- Communication skills: How effectively does the employee communicate with colleagues and clients?
These can help identify areas for improvement and provide a standard structure for benchmarking purposes. By defining categories, the evaluation process becomes more objective and actionable.
5. Include both qualitative and quantitative measures
When creating an employee evaluation form, it is essential to include qualitative and quantitative measures. Balancing objective rating scale questions with open-ended questions allows evaluators to provide free responses.
For example, here are some open-ended questions you could ask:
- What are the employee’s key strengths?
- Has the employee achieved anything worth noting during this review period?
- What areas of improvement should this employee focus on in the next review period?
Here are some objective rating scale questions to consider:
- On a scale of 1-5, how effectively does this employee communicate with others?
- On a scale of 1-5, how proficient is the employee with the tools, tech, and systems required for their role?
- On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate the employee’s problem-solving and decision-making skills?
Key components to include
There are several key components you should include in your evaluation forms that help ensure effectiveness and keep everything organized.
- Employee and reviewer information: Include sections to enter the employee's name, job title, and department. Also, provide space for the evaluator to identify themselves, so it is clear who conducted the review.
- Review period and date: It's important to note the review period and the evaluation date for effective record-keeping and progress tracking. Ensure you list the review period and the date the evaluation took place. This allows managers or HR professionals to refer to previous evaluations to monitor improvements or identify ongoing performance issues.
- Performance metrics and rating systems: Performance metrics like job knowledge, work quality, teamwork, communication skills, and more should be clearly defined. Use a consistent scale or rating system to create measurable and comparable data.
Tips for effective language and structure
- Explicit language and a logical structure are crucial to an effective employee evaluation form. Use concise and easy-to-understand language to ensure all users understand how to complete the form. Avoid using jargon or overly technical phrasing to avoid confusing any user.
- Ask highly specific questions instead of general questions to glean better insights. Instead of asking, “How good is the employee’s performance?” ask, “How consistently does the employee meet project deadlines?” The more specific and granular you get, the richer data you can gather.
- Group related criteria into sections. For example, you could divide the form into sections such as “Job skills,” “Collaboration,” and “Work quality.” Additionally, be sure to include clear instructions for the evaluator on how to complete the form.
- Leave room at the end of the evaluation form for the reviewer to leave comments or feedback. This captures qualitative insights that can inform actionable steps for employee improvement, which ratings alone cannot provide.
- Use a structure that flows logically. Begin with basic details such as the reviewer's name, the assessed employee, and the review period. Next, proceed to performance-related questions, concluding with a summary or a development plan with specific action items.
Common mistakes to avoid
When crafting an employee evaluation form, there are several mistakes to avoid. These common mistakes include:
- Using ambiguous or vague language: You can expect better feedback by maintaining simplicity and consistency. Use measurable criteria that will provide actionable insights.
- Using inconsistent rating scales: Sticking to one rating system, such as the Likert scale, can help prevent confusion and errors. It also makes results much easier to analyze and compare.
- Focusing solely on areas for improvement: You shouldn’t only focus on an employee’s weaknesses or areas for improvement. Instead, let the reviewers highlight noteworthy achievements or progress toward a goal. This balance ensures that feedback is constructive and not demoralizing.
- Lacking open-ended questions: Employers can gather in-depth reasoning and context behind the ratings by allowing open-ended feedback.
Streamline employee evaluation form creation with SurveyMonkey
Employee evaluation forms are highly effective feedback tools employers can use to measure employees' performance over time. These forms help identify an employee’s strengths, accomplishments, and areas for improvement.
SurveyMonkey offers customizable employee evaluation form templates ideal for employee evaluation. Don’t see a template you like? No worries! You can build your own online form from scratch. Start measuring employee performance and track goal progress with SurveyMonkey.
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