- Appraisal Comments for Initiative, Proactiveness, Creativity Part 1
- Performance Evaluation Phrases for Goal-Setting Part 2
- Performance Evaluation Examples for Flexibility Part 3
- Additional Resources Part 4
Employee performance evaluation is a process used to assess an employee’s job performance and to make recommendations for improvement. Evaluation results should be used to help the employee and/or supervisor improve their working relationships. There are several different types of employee evaluations, but all share the common goal of enhancing the individual’s effectiveness and productivity.
The evaluation process typically begins with an evaluation plan, which sets forth objectives, methods, and criteria for evaluating employee performance. After reviewing the results of an employee’s past evaluations, a manager should develop a reasonable expectation for future performance based on these results. This expectation should be documented in an annual review or other appropriate document. Evaluation criteria can vary depending on the position and evaluation results can be used to identify any areas in which training or development may be necessary to create an action plan.
Employee self assessment is an important part of the annual performance review process. It allows employees to reflect on their accomplishments throughout the year and gives them the opportunity to provide self evaluation of their performance. Therefore, these performance evaluation phrases and examples can also be used by employees to help guide employees in creating meaningful self assessments that accurately reflect their work and contributions to the team.
In this article you will find performance review examples for the following skills:
- Initiative, Proactiveness, Creativity
Initiative is one of the most important skills a person can have in the workplace. It is an essential part of being able to take initiative, be creative, and problem solve. These are all qualities that are essential for success in any position or field. When employees have initiative, they are more likely to be proactive and take action on tasks or projects. This leads to better productivity and overall higher levels of satisfaction in the workplace. - Goal-Setting
Setting goals is one of the most important skills an individual can have. Good goal-setting skills help individuals stay focused and on track, manage their time more effectively, and achieve their goals. When individuals know what they want and set manageable short-term and long-term goals, they are more likely to succeed. Setting goals helps individuals stay motivated. When an individual has a clear vision of what they want to achieve, it can be extremely motivational and help them push through difficult times. Good goal-setting skills predict employee satisfaction and retention. - Flexibility
Flexibility is an important skill in the workplace because it allows employees to be adaptable and responsive to changes in their work environment. When employees are able to shift their focus and work effectively within a changing environment, they are more likely to be successful.
Each section below contains positive (“Meets or Exceeds Expectations”) and negative (“Below Expectations”) examples for the skills listed above. If you are looking for more performance review examples and phrases for different skills, check our main article here (click to open 2000+ Performance Review Phrases: The Complete List)
Part 1
Initiative, Proactiveness, Creativity
Meets or Exceeds Expectations
✓ He doesn’t wait for instructions. He shows the initiative to find new tasks himself.
✓ He requires minimal supervision. He shows initiative on his own.
✓ He s a goal-oriented person. He sets his own priorities to accomplish his job.
✓ He is a very creative person. He is skilled in finding the best ways to get a job done.
✓ He has a high sense of responsibility to his job. He tries to perfect his performance without prompting.
✓ He never feels satisfied with his performance. He always seeks new ways to improve himself.
✓ He is supportive of new ideas, goals and working methods no matter where they come from.
✓ He is always ready to take over new tasks whenever needed.
✓ Has excellent communication skills. He gets the job done through the best use of people.
✓ He is flexible and has the ability to adjust to any situation. He shows willingness to do whatever is necessary to get the task done.
✓ He always seeks ways to enhance his abilities and better himself.
✓ He always takes responsibility for his team and its performance.
✓ He always looks for new challenges and makes the work environment better.
✓ He always takes initiative in overcoming obstacles and finding a resolution that meets everyone’s needs.
✓ He fulfils his duty is by finding new challenges for himself.
✓ He does not need guidance. He always carries out his assignments without waiting to be told.
✓ He is a responsible staff member. He always performs his assignments through initiative without supervision.
✓ He explores new opportunities without being pushed to do so.
✓ He requires minimum supervision.
✓ He is always pursuing ways to further development or better himself.
✓ He always takes responsibility for his area and their actions.
✓ He is always challenging the way it has always been done and seeks to improve the environment.
✓ He champions new ideas, objectives or tools.
✓ He seeks and takes on any new opportunity that might present itself.
✓ He often thinks that his performance is not as good as everybody says. He always wants to try to improve his performance as much as possible.
✓ He is considered as the best person in the group because of his innovative ideas, critical goals and effective working methods.
✓ He never minds taking on new tasks. He always takes on even the most difficult tasks to develop himself.
More performance evaluation examples for creativity: 242 Performance Appraisal Examples for Creativity, Accountability
See also: 169 Performance Review Feedback Phrases for Leadership Skills and Management Style
Below Expectations
✗ His experience and knowledge doesn’t reflect that listed in his application.
✗ He must be closely supervised if he is to his work.
✗ He is lethargic and lacks the desire or volition to learn new skills or develop his qualifications.
✗ It seems too difficult for him to do his job on his own.
✗ He won’t improve if he continues to neglect the opportunities in front of him.
✗ He does not seem to be adaptable. He is unable to perform consistently under pressure or thrive on constant change or challenge.
✗ He typically thinks inside the box and is afraid to risk doing anything in a new way.
✗ He is indecisive. He is unable to make quick decisions, take action or commit himself to a project’s completion.
✗ He does not seem to be an ideas person. He is not ready to generate or recognize new solutions when performing a task.
✗ He has poor abilities to establish priorities and courses of action for himself. He lacks the skills in planning and following up to achieve results.
✗ He does not use his experience and knowledge to its full potential.
✗ He needs close supervision when he is performing his assignments.
✗ He does not want to pick up any new techniques or skills.
✗ He finds it difficult to perform his duties without assistance or supervision.
✗ He lacks the excellence and skills detailed in his application.
✗ He needs constant guidance in order to accomplish his assignments.
✗ He does not actively want to learn new skills or techniques as or to improve his qualification.
✗ He doesn’t apply himself as much as he could given his experience and knowledge.
✗ He requires constant supervision to get his work completed.
✗ He doesn’t appear to want to learn any new techniques or skills.
✗ He has trouble doing his tasks without help or supervision.
✗ He doesn’t seek out opportunities to learn and grow within his role.
✗ He fails to think out of the box and prefers to do things the way they have always been done.
✗ He always has issues when he has to deal with tasks alone.
✗ He often neglects unexpected opportunities and loses the chance to improve himself.
✗ He often works in an unprofessional manner. He never risks doing anything innovatively.
Related: Initiative: Performance Review Examples (1 – 5)
Part 2
Goal-Setting
Meets or Exceeds Expectations
✓One of his strengths is his ability to design achievable goals. He ensures those goals are all met on time.
✓He is effective at goal-setting and challenging himself.
✓He clearly communicates goals and objectives to coworkers.
✓ He takes responsibility for the performance of his staff members. He ensures the achievement of the goals as planned.
✓ He defines clear goals and expects the right performance from his group.
✓ He knows how to keep his staff focused on a plan. He assigns suitable duties to each of them.
✓ He knows to assign suitable duties to each staff member. He urges his staff to give him the results he expects.
✓ He gives frequent feedback to his staff members. He coaches them to perform as required.
✓ He constantly strives to be the best he possibly can be.
✓ He sets concrete and measurable goals.
✓ He sets aggressive targets to meet business objectives.
✓ He creates clearly defined goals aligned with the company’s mission.
✓ He proactively shares progress towards goals.
✓ He usually shares his knowledge with his staff to help them perform their duties better.
✓ He takes responsibility for his team’s work and goals.
✓ He assigns the right duty to the right staff and instructs them how to perform their assignments well.
✓ He always gives each staff member the right assignment. His staff reward his expectations in their performances.
✓ He ensures his staff understand their job responsibilities. He holds his staff accountable for their responsibilities.
✓ He clearly communicates objectives, and what is expected from them to his team members.
✓ He consistently shares feedback with his staff regarding their progress.
✓ He holds himself accountable for his team’s performance objectives and goals.
✓ He sets clear and measurable performance expectations.
✓ When working in a team, he always pays attention to the goals set. He monitors his staff’s achievements.
✓ He focuses on setting clear and achievable goals. He judges the right performance level from his group when doing their tasks.
✓ He has a strong vision for the future, both personally, and for the company.
✓ He develops actionable goals and plans how to meet them.
✓ He implements plans swiftly and effectively. He adjusts plans when something is not working.
✓ He works to promote the company’s mission and vision.
✓ He contributes to the company’s larger goals.
✓ He needs to set goals that are more challenging.
✓ He constantly pursues opportunities for growth and learning.
Below Expectations
✗He struggles to set goals that align with company objectives.
✗ He is ineffective at pursuing his goals.
✗ He is easily distracted at work. He fails to focus on his goals, resulting in failure.
✗ He devolves responsibility for deadlines and objectives to employees instead of accepting them as supervisor.
✗ He is ineffective at setting achievable goals.
✗ He is inconsistent in defining goals and objectives.
✗ He assigns tasks to his employees without providing any information or feedback to keep them on the track.
✗ He sets performance goals that are out of touch with reality.
✗ He struggles to communicate when deadlines will be missed.
✗ He leaves peers struggling to understand the status of a project.
✗ He refuses to delegate to others. He attempts to do all the work by himself.
✗ He is unwilling to accept responsibility for missed goals.
✗ He is easily distracted. He is uninterested in focusing on achieving performance goals.
✗ He does not assign his staff effectively. His ineffective assignments mean he cannot reach assigned goals.
✗ He does not achieve goals or objectives because he does not focus on his performance.
✗ He will shift responsibility onto others for unaccomplished deadlines or goals.
✗ He sometimes does not reach the set goals.
✗ He often assigns his members duties without giving them information or feedback. The lack of information means team members do not know what they should do.
✗ He rarely achieves goals due to his inability to assign the right duties to the right person.
✗ He doesn’t always communicate the right information to his staff to ensure they are successful with their tasks.
✗ He fails to achieve the goals because he doesn’t delegate to his staff effectively.
✗ He gets distracted and doesn’t reach his goals or objectives.
✗ He will blame others for missed deadlines and objectives.
✗ He sets goals that sometimes are not achievable.
✗ As a supervisor but he doesn’t accept responsibility is shared with his staff. He believes his employees should accept all responsibility for deadlines, objectives and results.
✗ His goal-setting ability is not good. He sometimes asks his staff to complete unachievable goals.
✗ He should strive to aim a little higher when setting goals.
✗ He would benefit from reigning in goals and vision to something more achievable.
✗ He needs to set goals that more accurately match his talent level.
Related: Goal Setting: Performance Review Examples (1 – 5)
Part 3
Flexibility
Meets or Exceeds Expectations
✓ He is ready to improve and develop necessary skills to make his job more effective. He participates in trainings and other corporate events.
✓ He never gets stressed in unexpected situations. He never complains about innovations introduced at the workplace.
✓ He is ready to make a new and carefully considered decision if the situation has changed and the previous actions have become inappropriate.
✓ He is ready to work extra hours if urgent and essential issues must be solved by the end of the day.
✓ He is always ready for business trips when necessary for his job and for improving relationships with clients.
✓ He is strong and confident but at the same time open-minded. He is always ready to consider proposals from colleagues.
✓ He is always stays aware of market changes to be able to react immediately. This awareness helps the company develop and flourish.
✓ He always takes opposite and conflicting views into account to develop proper compromise solutions.
✓ He tries to find an individual approach to each person, colleague and customer. He optimizes his work and get benefits for the company.
✓ He constantly identifies more efficient ways of doing business.
✓ He is a flexible manager and always tries to understand and respect his employees’ situations. He creates a positive working environment.
✓ He readily accepts constructive criticism.
✓ He is a well-versed team player. He is capable of handling a variety of assignments.
✓ He is calm under pressure.
✓ He is a calming influence, especially within his peer group.
✓ He shows initiative, and is flexible when approaching new tasks.
Below Expectations
✗He does not excel at activities which require a high degree of flexibility.
✗ He cannot refuse his colleagues’ requests. He excessively takes on extra work and additional problems.
✗ He always adapts to production changes by trying to please his manager. Standing on his own would be better.
✗ He fails to focus on his main task because he tries to gain more and more additional skills at his work.
✗ His employees abuse his willingness to allow them to work from home in case of necessity.
✗ He tries to perform several tasks simultaneously to finish work faster instead of setting the right priorities.
✗ He always accepts too many tasks and cannot cope with the huge amount of work in result.
✗ He can change his point of view without analyzing or defending it. He should be more certain about his proposals.
✗ Due to his high levels of responsibility, he cannot afford to relax and enjoy some time out of work.
✗ He tends to resist activities where the path is unknown.
✗ He appears uninterested in new duties.
✗ He becomes uptight when the plan changes.
Related: Flexibility: Performance Review Examples (1 – 5)
Part 4
Learn more:
How to Give Performance Feedback? Techniques and Examples (Positive, Negative, STAR Feedback)
More Performance Review Examples
Here you can find more performance review examples: click to open 2000+ Performance Review Phrases: The Complete List