Key Takeaways

  • Performance review comments should be specific, balanced, and actionable to help employees grow.
  • Using consistent phrasing across categories—like communication, leadership, and teamwork—ensures fair evaluations.
  • Strong review comments highlight both achievements and improvement areas with measurable examples.
  • Categories like problem-solving, collaboration, and innovation enhance feedback comprehensiveness.
  • Constructive feedback paired with goal setting increases employee engagement and performance outcomes.

Performance Review Comments: Everything You Need to Know

Professional performance review comments tell an employee what they did well, and what needs improvement. If done as an approach for improving rather than criticizing, such performance reviews can offer good feedback to workers and managers. If done wrong with the latter approach, it can lead to discrimination and harassment lawsuits.

According to Fast Company, a well -known website for progressive business leaders, 74 percent of younger workers leave reviews without understanding the level of their performance. A 2017 Employee Engagement Report stated 79 percent of employees do not believe review processes to be helpful.

In any work situation, many issues stem from other departments and employees, communication issues, and distribution problems. A performance reviews recognizes those facts and classifies those issues in a manner that gives a more honest view of the state of the company.

As such, performance reviews are not just reviews of an employee, but also of the entire company, its policies, and implementation of programs. 

Performance Review Phrases

Performance reviews need to have standardized language of common comments so that the process may be more efficient. Performance review comments may be about teams, not just individuals. In face to face meetings, the comments need to have detailed explanations that an employee can use to improve. Writing consistent and detailed employee reviews, as well as learning to use language that facilitates improvement takes training. Beginning with a concrete example in a performance sets the tone so that it is evident the comments are about the work rather than the person. The following is a set of questions that you could use to help with your performance review processes.

  • Does the company use goals to start a work process?
  • What portion of the work done is significant?
  • Can the work be measured in increments?
  • Was the work assigned attainable at the time?
  • Did the employee have the resources necessary to do the job?
  • Was the work assigned a reasonable request?
  • What quality assurance program measures the product or service offered?

In most cases, the issues with an employee need to be obvious for it to be addressed. Supervisors and managers need to balance a performance review between positive and negative feedback. Comments by supervisors need to be specific, short and matter of fact. Management must admit where they need to improve. Otherwise, it comes out during litigation. The following areas need coverage:

Types of Review Comments and Their Purpose

Review comments are not just about evaluation—they’re about promoting growth and accountability. Effective feedback should:

  • Reinforce positive behavior: Recognize what employees are doing right to encourage consistency.
  • Identify improvement areas: Address skill or behavior gaps with clear, solution-oriented suggestions.
  • Align with business objectives: Connect employee performance to organizational goals.
  • Support career development: Use constructive comments to outline development opportunities.

Examples of effective review comment categories include:

  • Productivity and time management: Recognize meeting deadlines and efficient multitasking.
  • Problem-solving and decision-making: Acknowledge innovative solutions or risk assessment abilities.
  • Teamwork and collaboration: Highlight communication, reliability, and contribution to group success.
  • Leadership and initiative: Praise mentoring, motivation, and ownership of tasks.
  • Adaptability and learning: Note flexibility and openness to feedback or new tools.

These categories ensure review comments remain structured, measurable, and valuable for long-term growth.

Achievement

Optimal levels of work need to have a reference within that industry for that particular company to have its accomplishments measured. It must be evidenced-based. Create a list of strategies that helped and a list of strategies that did not perform as expected with a possible reason and numbers to support. Participation in program development needs to be listed and what part the employee took part in.

Example:  Improved production by Y% with task MNOP              

Goal Setting and Results-Oriented Comments

Achievement-based review comments should connect performance outcomes to measurable goals. Managers should cite data or KPIs when possible. Examples:

  • “Exceeded quarterly sales targets by 20% through proactive outreach and client retention strategies.”
  • “Delivered project milestones ahead of schedule by optimizing resource allocation.”
  • “Set clear personal goals and consistently exceeded performance expectations.”

When employees fall short, frame the feedback constructively:

  • “Results did not meet expectations this cycle. Let’s identify barriers and develop a support plan to meet future goals.”
  • “Needs to prioritize key objectives to align better with team targets.”

Goal-oriented feedback focuses on results without discouraging employees, fostering accountability and improvement.

Administration

Policies and procedures needed to run a business or a task in the business done by an employee are considered administrative. Does the employee establish effective systems of communication and information retrieval for their position? Does the employee file and keep documents organized? Does the employee improve the administrative systems in place?

Example: Developed successful administrative process for xyz task which resulted in % documents filed appropriately

Organizational and Time Management Comments

Administrative review comments should evaluate how effectively an employee manages organizational processes, time, and accuracy. Strong performers often:

  • Develop streamlined systems that reduce inefficiency.
  • Maintain accurate and accessible records.
  • Manage competing priorities with minimal supervision.

Examples:

  • “Consistently organizes and prioritizes tasks to meet all deadlines.”
  • “Developed efficient filing systems that improved departmental access to information.”
  • “Needs to enhance attention to detail to reduce minor administrative errors.”

This type of feedback keeps administrative excellence measurable and actionable.

Coaching

Behaviors that share knowledge, create good work relationships, and make positive work environments classify as coaching. The social aspects of work such as interest in employees, amount of support given, giving advice, and respect can be harder to measure.

Example: Implemented a continuous improvement model with five-minute sharing of issues discovered with the work that day. Summarized to 3 key points with a solution given the next day.

Leadership and Mentorship Comments

Effective coaching review comments assess how well an employee leads, mentors, or develops others. Leadership-focused reviews should highlight communication style, empathy, and the ability to inspire.

Examples of strong leadership comments:

  • “Encourages open communication and fosters a culture of continuous learning.”
  • “Provides constructive feedback that empowers team members to improve performance.”
  • “Serves as a dependable mentor, helping new employees integrate effectively.”

For growth areas:

  • “Should delegate more effectively to promote skill development within the team.”
  • “Would benefit from adopting a more consistent coaching schedule.”

Strong leadership review comments help build high-performing, motivated teams.

Communication

Communication centers around business goals, expectations, and issues. It also deals with company policies, maintaining appropriate work environment, and keeping employees communicating about the work.

Example:  Employee L used three-point question technique to remain on CDE issue

Other areas to cover in performance reviews include cooperation, creativity, delegation, innovation, or planning. It depends on the industry and work which classifications you need.

Interpersonal and Collaboration Comments

Communication review comments should reflect how employees share ideas, resolve conflicts, and collaborate with others. Positive examples include:

  • “Actively listens and provides thoughtful input during team discussions.”
  • “Communicates complex information clearly to cross-functional teams.”
  • “Encourages collaboration and respects differing perspectives.”

Constructive feedback may read:

  • “Needs to ensure clarity and completeness in written communications.”
  • “Should work on managing tone during high-pressure situations.”

Effective communication review comments foster stronger teamwork and better alignment with organizational values.

Appraisal Consistency

The goal remains to improve the work environment overall by helping each employee reach their potential in the framework of the company goals. Those giving the review must consistently rate each employee’s tasks. Standardize the comments to the major tasks and leave room for individualized facilitation. After the performance review ask the individual to come up with their individual goals for the year and turn that in.

Using Review Comments to Drive Employee Growth

Consistent review comments enable fair performance evaluations and help employees understand exactly how to improve. Use a standardized framework—such as rating scales or competency models—to compare performance across teams.

Best practices include:

  • Documenting examples: Support feedback with real events or outcomes.
  • Encouraging two-way dialogue: Let employees share their perspective and self-assessment.
  • Following up on goals: Schedule mid-year check-ins to monitor progress.
  • Recognizing improvements: Acknowledge even small wins to reinforce motivation.

By maintaining consistency, companies build a culture of trust and accountability while minimizing bias in evaluations.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What makes review comments effective?
    Effective review comments are specific, balanced, and actionable—focusing on behaviors and outcomes, not personality.
  2. How often should performance review comments be given?
    Feedback should be ongoing, not limited to annual reviews. Continuous feedback improves engagement and goal alignment.
  3. How do you write constructive negative comments?
    Use supportive language that identifies the issue, explains its impact, and suggests a clear improvement plan.
  4. Should employees comment on their own performance?
    Yes. Self-assessments encourage accountability and provide valuable insights into how employees view their performance.
  5. Can review comments help prevent legal risks?
    Yes. Well-documented, consistent comments reduce potential bias and protect against claims of unfair evaluation or discrimination.

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