Sample Performance Evaluation Comments

Performance evaluation or appraisals and reviews are an important part of any professional setting. The human resource department of a company in consultation with the employee's boss or department head is generally responsible for the evaluation of an employee's performance over a year's time.

While performance review is an annual affair in most companies, there are some firms that have reviews on a biannual basis to let the employee know his or her strengths and weaknesses. Every company makes use of different performance appraisal methods in order to evaluate the employee performance.

Some firms ask the employees to fill up a self evaluation form which enables the employer to know what he or she thinks about himself or herself. Performance evaluations are good ways of improving the morale of an employee by informing him or her about his strengths and also letting him or her know how they are an asset to the company.

As a human resource professional, on several occasions it becomes difficult to frame these performance evaluations correctly and without sounding overtly casual. It is here that sample performance appraisals come in handy, enabling them to draft effective phrases for performance appraisals properly. This article provides some sample performance evaluation comments for your use.

Performance review phrases need to maintain a fine line between a formal tone and being very casual. They also need to be written with authority but should not be written in a domineering tone. Always try to tone down the negatives mentioned in the performance appraisals by highlighting a few positives about the employee.

It is important that employee performance appraisals do not put down the morale of employees. There are many different key areas that are discussed in performance appraisals. Sample performance evaluation comments for five of these key areas have been given in this article. These aspects are time management and punctuality, stress management, professionalism, communication skills, leadership and team building.

Performance Evaluation Quotes on Time Management and Punctuality

• Has created a benchmark where punctuality and consistency related to work is concerned.
• Leading by example where punctuality is concerned has inspired his team and enabled to achieve team targets.
• Ensures that his team maintains proper schedules and does not take breaks outside the specified timings mentioned.
• Time management skills are extremely good and he is very efficient at judging the time required to complete scheduled tasks.

Performance Evaluation Phrases on Stress Management

• Handles stressful situations with great ease and is capable of coming up with solutions for these problems without much assistance.
• Never loses his temper or cool in even the most difficult situations.
• Works well under pressure and comes up with out of the box solutions even in crisis situations.

Sample Performance Evaluation Comments on Professionalism

• Develops and maintains professional relationships with people who would benefit the company.
• Behavior with fellow employees is extremely professional as is his attitude towards his work.
• Always works towards effective gathering of information to allow him to stay ahead of the curve and in tune with the demands of the market.

Sample Performance Evaluation Comments on Communication Skills

• Possesses the talent of frankly communicating with colleagues and team members without showing any disrespect. Gives proper feedback which has helped gain the respect of coworkers.
• Effectively thinks of solutions to problems and communicates the same to fellow workers
• A very good listener who cares about colleagues and listens to their problems giving them sound advise in case they need it. His ability to do so has earned him the respect of his colleagues.

Performance Evaluation Quotes on Leadership and Team building

• Inspires his team and builds their confidence by setting examples.
• Has the natural ability to make his fellow workers and customers feel at ease by solving the problems they have but never making them feel lesser than him.
• Appreciates the contribution of his team members, successfully raising team spirit by doing so.
• Is a natural leader who gets the amount of respect that he should due to the respect he shows to others in the company. This has helped raise team productivity.

These sample performance evaluation comments are complimentary performance appraisal phrases that you can use in your performance evaluations. Hopefully, they will enable you to draft your performance reviews well.

Customer Services Orientation

• A desire to help or serve others, to meet their needs. It means focusing one’s efforts and discovering and meeting the customer or client’s needs. The customer may be an “actual customer” or “end-user” within the same unit or organization.

• tasks personal responsibility to provide services for example by making one self fully available or easily accessible to the customer(s) when dealing with a difficult situation. Corrects customer services problem(s) promptly and taking extra effort to do so.

• knowing who the customer is and what they expect. Anticipating and responding to customer needs and requests. Seeking the  customer’s point of view and developing solutions for customer concerns or problems.

Teamwork and Cooperation

• A genuine intention to work cooperatively with others, to be part of a team, to work together as opposed to working separately or competitively.

•  Speaks of team leaders or members in positive expectations of others.

• Shows respect for and solicits other’s inputs, contributions and expertise, willing to learn from others especially subordinate(s); make others feel valued.  Develop positive working relationships with others and willing to co-operate in fostering effective teamwork and achieving team goals.

An Initiative

A bias for action and a preference for taking action. For example, a employee may do more than is required or expected in the job or look for new opportunities to improve performance or results.

• Shows persistence in taking action to overcome problems or obstacles and rejection by others. A resilient attitude of not giving up easily when things do not go as planned.

• Puts in extra effort or time as needed to solve problems or address current opportunities for immediate results.

World English Dictionary

— n

• the first step or action of a matter; commencing move: he took the initiative ; a peace initiative
• the right or power to begin or initiate something: he has the initiative
• the ability or attitude required to begin or initiate something
• government

• the right or power to introduce legislation, etc, in a legislative body
• the procedure by which citizens originate legislation, as in many American states and Switzerland

• on one's own initiative  without being prompted

— adj

• of or concerning initiation or serving to initiate; initiatory

Concern for quality and order

Concern for order and quality is the desire to see things done logically, clearly and well; it takes various forms: Monitoring and checking work or information, insisting on the clarity of roles and duties, setting up and maintaining information systems.


To what extent does the person pay attention to details and organize them?

1. Checks his or her own work and takes an interest in the overall quality of work in the unit: Tends to the quality of the information, services and systems at the level of her or his own personal work. Pays attention to the quality of work throughout the unit (ex. proofreading, data entry, client information, cable connections).
2. Monitors the general quality of the work and recommends improvements as his or her responsibilities allow: Ensures that procedures are followed and keeps clear, detailed records. Suggests improvements in other areas (ex. number of files processed, number of customers served to satisfaction).
3. Monitors systems, projects or information: Monitors the progress of a project or the efficiency of a system. Analyses data, pinpoints weaknesses or missing data, and seeks out information to maintain or even improve organization and priorities (ex. obtains progress reports from workers and team leaders).
4. Designs systems on his or her own: Tries to improve the quality of data and services by designing complex tools such as flow charts and engineering plans.

What is achievement orientation?

• A concern for working well, bias towards action competing against a standard of excellence. The standard can be one’s own performance, challenging goals set by the individual and comparing with the performance of others i.e. a keen sense of competitiveness, always striving to improve

• Works toward a standard of excellence, tries to do a job well and right.

• Works toward meeting a standard set by management (e.g. works within allocated budget, timely completion of assignment, meeting sales target.

• Works to improve own and other’s efficiency using for example, skills and techniques available in the organization.