50+ Essential Employee Evaluation Questions

It is good to hear that 83% of employees really appreciate receiving feedback about their work.

It means that companies can confidently invest more time and energy in curating employee evaluation questions that help improve the work environment and the company culture as a whole.

In this blog, we'll cover what employee evaluation is, along with some example questions on the topic.

Employee assessment, often known as performance feedback or performance review, is a formal technique for employers to assess employee performance. This method evaluates and gives feedback on the work of an employee This will assist the person and the company in identifying strengths, shortcomings, and opportunities for improvement. Organizations must evaluate their employees to see if they're fulfilling their respective performance criteria. This involves assessing how much work was done and how effectively it was done, how well the employees collaborated, and how well they followed corporate policies.

A good employee evaluation system provides clear, measurable goals for each employee. In other words, a good employee evaluation gives employees S.M.A.R.T goals. Company goals should match these aims, which can then be used to assess performance. This technique requires regular check-ins and feedback meetings to keep employers and employees communicating. Review feedback benefits employees in several ways. Positive feedback supports effective performance, motivating employees and also improving the work environment. When appropriately done, positive feedback helps employees learn and grow professionally. Feedback sessions let them express issues, discuss professional aspirations, and seek career guidance.

The purpose of performance review questions for employees is to evaluate different parts of their work, behavior, and services to the company. These questions help employers and employees have productive conversations about performance, set goals, and find ways to grow or improve.

1. What are your goals for next year?
2. Could you name your biggest accomplishment of this quarter?
3. Did you achieve your goals? What were the ones you couldn't achieve?
4. What motivates you to do your work everyday?
5. How can I improve your job satisfaction?
6. Where are you most productive at work?
7. What was the best thing you did at work?
8. How did you fare last year with goals, duties, and responsibilities?
9. What accomplishments from this review period make you proudest and why?
10. Your review period challenges—how did you overcome them?
11. Do you wish you'd done anything differently? If so, why?
12. How can I make your job more engaging?
13. How well does your career fit your skills and interests?
14. What is your biggest work obstacle and why?
15. Does your job satisfy you?
16. Do you require any tools to improve your work?
17. Are there any ideas for improving the processes or efficiency of your current role?
18. Which was the quarter you were least proud of?
19. What are you planning to improve next time?
20. In three months, what two or three specific things will you improve?
21. Do you need help reaching your goals faster?
22. How could you improve your current path?
23. What's the hardest thing about your job? Are there any mishaps this year due to these issues?
24. What abilities or competencies would you like to learn to improve your job performance?
25. Can we help you with your pain points?
26. Are there any recent projects or events that went wrong? What changes are you planning to make next time?
27. What feedback from colleagues or clients may suggest you need improvements?
28. Have you observed how these employees help the team?
29. What projects or tasks did this employee take initiative or solve problems on?
30. Are there any work or teamwork traits this individual may enhance in your collaboration?
31. How does this particular coworker handle criticism? Please give examples.
32. Can you describe how this individual enhanced teamwork?

Managers can ask employees questions during annual performance reviews to gain a yearly overview of how things have been. These are often known as "employee annual review questions." These questions can reveal the employee's successes, strengths, weaknesses, and alignment with the company's goals in the past year. 

1. What do you think of your last-year goals? Were they achievable and were you able to meet them?
2. What are your biggest team/department contributions during the previous year?
3. Can you describe your professional growth and learning activities this year?
4. How did you lead within your job or projects?
5. How would you rate your communication abilities in team and customer situations?
6. Describe your teamwork experience. How did you boost teamwork?
7. Can you describe your significant project contributions and their impact?
8. Have you innovated or solved problems well?
9. If appropriate, how did you handle client or customer relations? Any notable achievements or challenges?
10. How have you applied performance evaluation or other feedback to your work?
11. Share times you had to adjust to workplace or corporate strategy changes. How did you manage them?
12. Examine your time management abilities. Did you fulfill deadlines and prioritize tasks?
13. Do you have instances of ethical behavior and corporate policy compliance?
14. How well did you keep work schedules and attendance last year?
15. Consider your coworker connections. How did you preserve good working relationships?
16. Share your stress and pressure management strategies from the year. What tactics worked best for you?
17. Discuss your training and skill gains from the year.
18. How did you balance work and life? Did you think this balance might be better?
19. What areas should you improve in the following year?
20. Future professional ambitions and aspirations? How can the company help you improve next year?

Performance evaluation questions for employees are questions that bosses or companies ask to judge how well an employee is doing on the job. These questions are usually part of an official review or evaluation process that happens on a regular basis, usually once a year.

1. How would you evaluate your review period success from 1 to 5?
2. Can you describe your review period successes?
3. How have you helped the team and department achieve their goals?
4. You may have had problems in the past few months. How did you overcome them to succeed?
5. How successfully did you communicate with your supervisor, teammates, and others throughout the review?
6. Can you describe any new ideas or modifications you made to enhance work or results?
7. How did teamwork affect projects or tasks? How well were you able to work with others?
8. Did you seize career advancement opportunities? If yes, how did such opportunities improve your skills?
9. Please describe how you lead and when you've taken charge or displayed leadership.
10. How did you handle positive and negative evaluation comments?
11. You may have had to adjust to new tasks, ambitions, or the workplace. You accomplished that; how?
12. How successfully did you manage time and meet project deadlines?
13. What did you do to respect corporate policy and conduct ethically throughout the evaluation?
14. How often did you follow your work plan and attend meetings last year?
15. Tell me how you maintain client and colleague relationships.

At the end of the day, an effective review happens when a manager puts in the time and effort to ask the questions by framing them the right way. Here are some performance review examples:

• Abigail routinely reached or exceeded review targets. She completed the project, which contributed to the team's success, demonstrating her dedication to goals.
• John struggled to reach the first targets. However, he took advice, used the feedback given, and improved tremendously.
• Alex produced high-quality work year-round. In certain assignments, he accomplished better than expected work, demonstrating his quality and attention to detail.
• Sam mainly followed instructions, but he made several blunders. Fixing these infrequent mistakes should be one of his growth goals this year.
• Jess's people skills made the workplace more open and collaborative. Her excellent communication helped her accomplish the project seamlessly.
• Annie struggled to communicate complex thoughts to coworkers. Better communication, especially in groups, could help her become better at teamwork..
• Kelly was an excellent team player who collaborated well, improving team performance. Her teamwork skills helped our team succeed in more ways than one.

Who, What, When, and Where

Employee evaluation is an art, and asking the right questions is a skill. ThriveSparrow has mastered this art as we offer a wide range of surveys packed with the most creative and novel questions to help you understand your employees and ultimately enhance the level of employee engagement. After all, a great organization starts with its employees.