- Creativity and Innovation Part 1
- Performance Appraisal Examples: Accountability Part 2
- Customer Focus and Customer Satisfaction Part 3
- Performance Review Examples: Additional Resources Part 4
Performance appraisal reviews are a form of feedback that helps employees and employers evaluate an individual’s job performance. Some companies prefer to conduct a formal review process once a year, whereas others may use smaller reviews throughout the year.
In this article you will find performance appraisal review examples for the following skills:
- Creativity and Innovation
Creativity is a skill that has the potential to elevate the quality of an organization and its products, as well as its employees’ quality of life. It can help in problem solving and innovation, and in this day and age innovation is a necessary and highly sought after skill in the workplace: in order to stay competitive, companies need to be able to produce new ideas. Innovators can help make decisions that impact the business and society as a whole. In addition, creativity and innovation can lead to increased productivity and satisfaction in the workplace. - Accountability
Accountability is an important skill in the workplace because it ensures that employees are performing their duties to the best of their abilities. When employees know that they are held accountable for their actions, it motivates them to work harder and improve their performance. Accountability also helps to maintain trust and confidence between employees and employers, which is essential in a cooperative work environment. - Customer Focus and Customer Satisfaction
Customer focus is an important skill in the workplace because it allows employees to understand and meet the needs of their customers. When employees focus on their customers, they are able to provide quality service and solve problems. This helps businesses stay competitive and attract new customers.
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
Creativity and Innovation
Meets or Exceeds Expectations
✓ He shows that he can develop creative solutions to solve problems.
✓ He is adept at facing difficult situations.
✓ He usually has insightful viewpoints, so whenever we need a fresh look at a problem, we know we can turn to him.
✓ He is expert at taking creative ideas and molding them into solutions.
✓ He can tackle common problems by creating new and innovative solutions.
✓ He encourages his teammates to create ideas which have form and provide more creative solutions.
✓ His creativity is very high. Specifically, he solved a problem with an extra creative solution. (Provide specific examples.)
✓ He thinks outside the box to find the best solutions to a particular problem.
✓ He is creative and finds ways to correlate ideas with actions.
✓ He skillfully adapts when presented with new information and ideas.
✓ He s always willing to directly challenge the status quo in pursuit of a more effective solution.
✓ He regularly contributes fresh ideas.
✓ He encourages coworkers to be inventive.
✓ He contributes innovative ideas in group projects.
✓ He regularly contributes suggestions on how to improve company processes.
✓ He constantly searches for new ideas and ways to improve efficiency.
✓ He creates an invigorating atmosphere for his team: one in which new ideas are rewarded and encouraged.
✓ He doesn’t accept “we’ve always done it this way” as a solution. He constantly reviews solutions to see if they are the most effective way of doing things.
✓ He encourages his teammates to think outside of the box and to be more creative with solutions.
✓ In meetings, he is very good at extracting unique ideas out of people, even those not normally considered as very creative people.
✓ He is a very creative innovator. He solved an on-going problem by looking for a solution from all angles.
✓ When we’re in crisis mode, he can be relied upon to craft a viable and inventive solution.
✓ She has a creative personality which allows her to suggest original ideas. She should continue to adopt this position in the company.
✓ He is an innovator at heart. His skill in inspiring new ideas is an asset to our team.
✓ He has an imaginative personality and is very resourceful in times of need.
✓ He has a creative touch in a sometimes monotonous role within our team. He adds an admirable inspiration to the day-to-day tasks he performs.
✓ He adds an artistic flair to everything he produces which makes his projects much more enjoyable than most.
✓ He creates breakthrough and helpful ideas in meetings – one of people you do not think to be creative employees.
✓ When we face difficulty, we are sure that we can rely on her for a helpful and creative solution.
✓ She has a creative ability which helps her develop unique ideas. She should utilize this to promote her position in the company.
✓ She uses her knowledge of technology and innovates to avoid mistakes.
✓ He constantly searches for new ideas and ways to improve efficiency.
✓ He creates an exciting atmosphere for his team: one in which new ideas are rewarded and encouraged.
✓ He encourages his teammates to think outside of the box and to be more creative with solutions.
✓ He is very good at extracting unique ideas out of people during meetings – some you might not consider as very creative people.
✓ He is an innovator at heart – his skill at inspiring new ideas is an asset to our team.
✓ Her has an imaginative personality and is very resourceful in times of need.
✓ In meetings, he often has new and interesting ideas about the issues discussed. It shows his creativity.
✓ He is a creative person. When problems occur, he is often the first person who thinks and finds the most effective solutions to deal with them perfectly.
✓ He is the person we rely on to deal with serious problems, He keeps a clear mind clear and think intelligently. He can give the most innovative and effective solutions.
✓ He has proven himself to be an innovator at heart.
✓ He has a talent for thinking outside of the box, and encouraging others to do the same.
✓ He consistently provides a new angle or way of thinking about things.
✓ He actively seeks new ideas and approaches.
✓ He is excited and innovative when faced with unexpected obstacles.
✓ He constantly searches for different and better ways to accomplish goals.
✓ He has launched creative initiatives such as [specific example].
✓ He is creative in finding ways to correlate ideas with action.
✓ He has become a constant well of fresh ideas.
Below Expectations
✗ He does not care about the creative side of her team and always ignores the innovate employees reporting to him.
✗ He does not encourage his team to find creative solutions.
✗ He appears to be a rigid manager, but if he thought in a more flexible way, it would do him well.
✗ He is unwilling to work on issues outside of her skill set. He should develop his troubleshooting ability and develop his career.
✗ He does not usually innovate and when he does, it is reluctantly.
✗ He cannot create new ideas.
✗ He is unwilling to consider new or interesting ideas, even when the run-of-the-mill ideas have been exhausted.
✗ He is not flexible enough to create new ideas when needed.
✗ He is not conducive to new ideas and innovations from his team.
✗ He demonstrates a lack of interest in contributing creative or innovative ideas.
✗ He is rigid and unwilling to adapt when presented with new information.
✗ He fails to properly attribute coworkers who contribute innovative solutions.
✗ He seems unwilling to take risks, even when there is a compelling reason and clear upside.
✗ He fails to incentivize peers to take creative and innovative risks.
✗ He is reluctant to find more effective ways to perform job activities.
✗ He discourages creative solutions from his team.
✗ He has a difficult time thinking “outside of the box” and creating new and untested solutions.
✗ He is creative but he has a tendency to act before thinking. This causes problems when an untested or unexamined idea is moved forward too quickly.
✗ He consistently takes a rigid and practical, stance about things without thinking how she could creatively solve a problem.
✗ He has shown a tendency to be a matter-of-fact manager, but in his position, thinking in a more resourceful manner would do him well.
✗ Whenever he runs into an obstacle, he has a tendency to stop and ask for help. We encourage him to develop solutions – or even recommendations – before asking for help.
✗ He does not research solutions deeply enough and often just compiles ideas found on websites. This does not help for many of the problems we run into.
✗ He rarely innovates and when he does, it seems forced.
✗ He fails to generate new ideas.
✗ He needs to work on being more resourceful on tasks and projects.
✗ He isn’t willing to take risks on creative ideas.
✗ He usually voices breakthrough and helpful ideas in meetings – even though he is not one of people you think of as a creative employee.
✗ He is a team member with advanced creative thinking. For example, he looked for a solution from different sides to resolve a current issue.
✗ When we face difficulties, we are sure that we can rely on him for a helpful and creative solution
✗ He has the creative ability to develop unique ideas. He should utilize this to promote his position in the company.
✗ He uses his knowledge of technology and his innovation to avoid mistakes.
✗ He has a creative touch in a sometimes monotonous role within our team. He adds inspiration to the day to day tasks he performs admirably.
✗ When a major problem arises, we frequently turn to him for his creativity in solving problems. The way he can look at an issue from different sides is a great resource to our team.
✗ Whenever we need a fresh look at a problem, we know we can turn to him for a novel perspective.
✗ He doesn’t rely on typical methods to solve a problem, but addresses each situation with a innovative viewpoint.
✗ He finds it difficult to develop breakthrough ideas and submit untested solutions.
✗ He is inventive but he usually acts without thinking. This will cause problems if an unchecked or untested idea is implemented as soon as it is thought of.
✗ He has a lot of creative ideas but he finds it difficult to bring them to fruition. He should learn how to marry creativity with practice.
✗ He does not want to refer to different solutions or ideas except the ones that he is using. This reduces the creativity of other member of the team.
✗ He discourages creative solutions from his team.
✗ He has shown a tendency to be a matter-of-fact manager, but in his position, thinking in a more resourceful manner would do him well.
✗ He does not research solutions deeply enough and often just compiles ideas found on websites. This does not help for many of the problems we run into.
✗ He rarely innovates and when he does, it seems to be reluctant.
✗ He needs to work on being more resourceful on tasks and projects.
✗ He can be a creative person with many interesting ideas but he cannot successfully to tap into it. He should promote and develop his potential is getting the balance of being pragmatic and creative right.
✗ He often applies his personal ideas to problem solving without any thought to other people’s alternatives or opinions. This stifles the team’s creativity.
✗ He shows a lack of communication and interaction with her team members. This prevents her from finding new ideas.
✗ His team feels discouraged as he often “shoots down” creative ideas without any explanation. He should be more willing to listen to ideas before he rejects them outright.
✗ He does not tap into the creative side of his team. He consistently overlooks the innovate employees reporting to him.
✗ He is a creative employee but he has a tendency to act before thinking. This causes problems when an untested or unexamined idea is moved forward too quickly.
✗ He needs to find more ways to take creative risks.
✗ He is unable to find more than one way to achieve a difficult task.
✗ He can too often fall into the role of “naysayer.”
✗ He needs to be more resourceful in accomplishing goals and tasks.
2000+ Performance Review Phrases: The Complete List
Part 2
Accountability
Meets or Exceeds Expectations
✓ His willingness to assist team mates in completing their tasks demonstrates his sense of responsibility.
✓ His is fully accountable for his actions and never shirks responsibility.
✓ His character trait of recognizing and complying with his responsibilities is remarkable.
✓ He has an accountable attitude.
✓ The quality of his work is highly consistent.
✓ His work is always submitted in a timely fashion.
✓ He respects his work timescales fully.
✓ He is highly punctual on arrival to work and also meetings.
✓ He meets deadlines without needing to be reminded.
✓ He fully complies with departmental leave and absence procedures.
✓ His status reports are accurate, correct and on time.
✓ He demonstrates commitment to the company in both words and actions.
✓ He submits all assigned work accurately and on time.
✓ He submits paperwork related to his job accurately and on time.
✓ He ensures his responsibilities are appropriately covered while on leave.
✓ He maintains an open attitude to change in order to successfully complete the job.
✓ He accepts change readily.
✓ He responds to change ensuring it is implemented in a positive way to enhance the success of the business.
✓ He treats confidential material with the appropriate care.
✓ He never publicly makes negative comments.
✓ He completes projects ahead of schedule without compromising quality.
✓ He presents a positive public image of the agency to others.
✓ He copes with new situations, unusual demands, emergencies or other critical incidents very well.
✓ He maintains a business-like demeanor.
✓ He avoids participating in gossip and rumors.
✓ He actively seeks new or additional on-the-job training opportunities to obtain mastery over tasks, expand personal knowledge and add value to the work group.
✓ He demonstrates initiative consistent with job expectations to improve his performance.
✓ He performed his standard duties throughout the year and in addition took on several large projects and some smaller ones that had a significant positive impact on the department.
✓ He completes work within established time lines.
✓ He completes work well in advance of deadlines, allowing sufficient time for it to be reviewed.
✓ He demonstrates the professional job-specific skills necessary to provide the appropriate quality of work.
✓ He takes the initiative to learn skills that enhance his ability to contribute to the organization.
✓ He positively influences the behavior of other employees.
✓ He displays through a supportive and optimistic approach to daily activities within the work environment.
✓ He readily assists coworkers in response to fluctuations in workloads.
✓ He offers assistance to others without needing to be asked.
✓ He readily volunteers assistance even when it would not normally be expected.
✓ He is empathetic to the needs of others.
✓ He strives to create a positive atmosphere in the work place.
✓ He shows awareness of the environment external to the organization and its needs.
✓ He routinely uses his time efficiently.
✓ He is always open to receiving feedback on his work.
Below Expectations
✗ He often tries to offset responsibility onto others.
✗ He is very reluctant to acknowledge his failures.
✗ He doesn’t accept responsibility well.
✗ He frequently looks for excuses for failure instead of accepting responsibility.
✗ He blames processes and policies for his own shortcomings.
Related: Accountability: Performance Review Examples (1 – 5)
2000+ Performance Review Phrases: The Complete List
Part 3
Customer Focus and Customer Satisfaction
Meets or Exceeds Expectations
✓ He is able to work with clients’ objections, cope with them and convince the customers of the merits of his point of view.
✓ He can find the right approach with any client, even the most critical one.
✓ He is always polite and friendly with his customers. He never interrupts them during a conversation.
✓ He cannot afford to disappoint his client. If he has promised to do something, he will fulfill his promise.
✓ He always cares about the clients’ comfort and convenience.
✓ He always tries to take into account the customers’ interests while shaping a commercial offer.
✓ He always finds a way to inform the client about any unexpected changes if any of occur during the work process.
✓ He always tries to provide the customers with detailed information on any specific issue which they are interested in.
✓ He implements all contract arrangements and fulfills all obligations to his clients.
✓ His good attitude towards clients makes them use the company’s service again and recommend it to others.
✓ He always goes above and beyond his job requirements to satisfy his customers.
✓ He works well with customers. He can deal with furious customers with a calm and rational attitude.
✓ His peers, managers, and customers rate his handling of customer service situations as very good.
✓ He is one of our most proficient customer service trainers. His ability is demonstrated when working in customer care.
✓ He understands how to listen to customers and find out the details which make a big difference when dealing with our clients.
✓ His customers always rate him highly and give him high marks on on his customer satisfaction surveys.
✓ He understands how to make sure that customers are satisfied. He does everything necessary to retain customers.
✓ He works well with clients. His clients never complain about him
✓ He is good at keeping customers happy. He successfully up-sells to them at the same time
✓ He solves customer complaints with a calm attitude. He handles difficult situations with customers very well.
✓ He demonstrates how providing excellent customer service has a lasting effect on customer relationships and customer retention.
✓ He works effectively with clients.
✓ He creates a strong rapport with those he interacts with.
✓ He clearly enjoys the people related aspects of the business.
✓ He is pleasant and projects a friendly tone over the phone.
✓ He has become a linchpin with clients.
✓ He consistently spearheads effective customer relations.
✓ He Is empathetic when faced with customer issues.
✓ He Is helpful and direct in dealing with customer concerns.
✓ He displays an effective cadence when working with clients on projects. His manner is effective without being not overbearing.
✓ He artfully helps customers overcome objections.
✓ He deals with difficult customers with grace.
✓ He handles customer service situations well. He is rated well by his peers, managers, and customers.
✓ He understands how to listen to customers. He can extract the details which make a big difference when dealing with our clients.
✓ He deals with customer complaints with a calm demeanor. He is very good at handling difficult situations with customers.
✓ He works with customers very well. He is very good at dealing with irate customers in a calm and rational manner.
✓ He takes great pride in his work.
✓ He skillfully overcomes client objections.
✓ He has consistently high marks on his customer satisfaction surveys.
✓ He understands the latitude to ensure customer satisfaction. He does everything necessary to retain customers.
✓ He always keeps appointments and returns calls.
✓ He is approachable and responsive to customers and others.
✓ He shows appropriate patience with complaining customers and employees.
✓ He treats the customer with respect and courtesy.
✓ He provides consistent, quality service to all customers.
✓ He is available to the customer and provides accurate, consistent, and honest information
✓ He listens to the customer and provides feedback that will benefit the customer in the future
✓ He understands who the customer is.
✓ He strives to satisfy customers’ needs.
✓ He offers appropriate and innovative solutions to customer problems.
✓ He demonstrates a courteous and professional attitude in handling customer complaints.
✓ He responds promptly to requests for information or assistance.
✓ He meets customer expectations in a timely manner. He delivers what has been promised.
✓ He follows up with customers in a timely manner.
✓ He responds to telephone and e-mail messages within four hours.
✓ He anticipates the future needs or problems of customers. He takes action to meet future customer needs or solve problems in advance.
✓ He makes an extra effort to keep customers accurately informed.
✓ He understands the customer from their point of view. He has a thorough knowledge of the customer’s world and is able to anticipate customer’s requests.
Below Expectations
✗ He often criticizes rivals in order to convince customers to use the services of his company,
✗ He strives to satisfy his customers’ needs in any situation, even if the company may suffer financially.
✗ He focuses on satisfying wide audience need where an individual approach to each client is needed.
✗ He spends too much time communicating with clients over the phone.
✗ He tries to clients’ questions immediately but neglects direct professional duties in the process.
✗ He always goes beyond his responsibilities in trying to support his clients in every situation,
✗ He sometimes treats his clients in an over-familiar manner. He crosses the line of the company’s corporate ethics.
✗ His emotional state is negatively impacted by an inability to take his mind off his work due to being available to clients at any time.
✗ He spends a lot of time and effort on creating good relationships with the clients, but the working environment leaves much to be desired.
✗ If he has any doubts about his own company, he recommends a rival company in the interests of his client.
✗ He sticks to the phone script rigidly and inflexibly. He needs to handle customers more creatively and flexibly.
✗ He can deal with the everyday customer service situations, but with complex issues, he is not flexible and does not know what action to take.
✗ His average time per call is too high. He needs to reduce the average time per call. He needs to deal with customers efficiently.
✗ He can deal with customers on the phone very well, but he does not handle face to face customer contact very well.
✗ He cannot maintain relationships with his customers well.
✗ His customers always give him low marks in the customer satisfaction surveys.
✗ He does not understand how to to solve problems with customers and gives up easily.
✗ He does not always listen to his customers well.
✗ He has not understood completely why customer service training is important. He is late to class frequently and sometimes does not take part at all.
✗ He consistently receives substandard comments from customers.
✗ He appears uninterested in helping customers with their challenges.
✗ He does not manage customer expectations, especially in tough situations.
✗ He consistently passes challenging issues to others instead of tackling them himself.
✗ He misses opportunities to further educate customers about other products or services.
✗ He uses inappropriate language with customers.
✗ He appears to become frustrated by clients who ask questions.
✗ He displays sarcasm when dealing with client challenges.
✗ He does not understand how to deal with a difficult customer. He passes difficult customers to his supervisor frequently.
✗ In most areas of customer service he does a good job, but when it comes to difficult situations, Harry does not understand how to calm the customer down and follow the script.
✗ He has consistently shown he does not listen to his customers well.
✗ He can handle the run of the mill customer service situation, but the more complex issues seem to cause her to freeze and not react.
✗ He fails to follow up with customers as requested.
✗ He has consistently low marks on his customer satisfaction surveys.
Related: Customer Service Skills: Performance Review Examples (1 – 5)
Part 4
Performance Review Examples: Additional Resources
Learn more:
How to Give Performance Feedback? Techniques and Examples (Positive, Negative, STAR Feedback)
How to Identify and Handle Employee Underperformance?
(5 Steps) Effective Performance Management: How to Coach Employees?
See also: 142 Employee Performance Evaluation Examples (Initiative, Flexibility, Proactiveness)
More Performance Review Examples
Here you can find more performance review examples: click to open 2000+ Performance Review Phrases: The Complete List