10 Useful Year-End Performance Review Email Templates
Your work performance matters – to you and your employers. A performance review is how you know your accomplishments and how close you are to meeting your goals. It is also how the employer knows your contribution and how closely aligned your goals are to the organization. While year-end performance reviews are primarily for the employer to evaluate an employee’s job performance and provide feedback, it is also to improve employee performance and identify any areas in which they need support and further learning to continue their growth. This blog is about giving employees constructive feedback and has a few email templates that are useful in making the year-end performance review smooth and positive.
The fundamental process of a performance review is two-pronged, i.e., to measure employee performance and accomplishments and to articulate your findings, so the employee remains motivated and engaged. Therefore, ensuring that all year-end performance reviews are carried out in a way that doesn’t dull the shine of the eagerness and enthusiasm of an employee is vital.
Tips for effective Year-End Performance Reviews
While annual performance assessments were a common practice that led to judgment calls towards promotions and compensation, they stopped short of looking at the broader picture. Performance reviews take evaluations further by exploring possibilities. There are a few tips for making a one-way assessment between the manager and the direct report into a more holistic review:
Inform the Employee in Advance
Not everyone is comfortable giving feedback, so they would like to do it as quickly as possible and tick the checkbox as a task completed. But this approach is unfair to the employee. Employees must feel safe and come to the review with an open mind receptive to the feedback. Feeling ambushed can lead to a communication breakdown and make employees hostile and defensive.
Two-way Communication
Two-way communication is the lynchpin to making a review positive and with desirable outcomes. The manager and the employee must have the opportunity to contribute. Honest and direct discussions on past performance, future goals, and identifying areas for improvement are part of the conversation. Additionally, communicate in private. One-on-one sessions are the key to ensuring that your employees don’t feel targeted in a group setting. It gives employees a safe space to listen to feedback and process it in their own time.
Make it a Learning Session
While organizational hierarchy makes one the manager and the other a team member, you are still in the same team and organization. Using the year-end reviews to be mentors instead of judges is the right approach. Furthermore, the manager has as much opportunity to learn something new. These reviews must stay removed from being judgmental and instead be about discovery.
Feedforward
Handing out critical assessments is easy. But, the art of giving feedback is based on how to go forward. And the way onward starts with actionable insights backed by data. Reviewing performance and setting new or revised goals for the future is the way to leave a year-end review with renewed focus and energy. Every review must end with clarity for the next step in employee growth. Review or feedback is only completed by documenting the accomplishments and areas that need attention in writing.
For each step of the performance review lifecycle, there are email templates. It starts with scheduling the review and continual follow-up to ensure employee success and growth.
Effective Year-End Performance Review Templates
A performance review email template is a helpful tool for employers and employees, requiring positive year-end performance review phrases. These emails help employers organize their thoughts and ensure that they cover all the essential points. It allows employees to prepare for their performance review and understand what their employer is looking for.
Here are a few email templates that help the performance review process become streamlined and efficient, removing the all-too-often sense of dread or annoyance. Moreover, having such templates at the ready by storing them in your performance management system makes it all too worthwhile. Let’s move on to a few examples of how to start and end your organization’s year-end performance review process.
Announcement email on upcoming Performance Reviews
This template is an excellent start to giving employees some notice before the review. We will start with the general announcement of upcoming performance reviews.
The announcement email will come from HR or the manager of a team (s).
Subject: It’s end-year performance review time.
Hi
It’s that time of the year again – performance review time! All employees who joined our organization before (Month/ Date) are required to participate in their self-evaluation before being evaluated by their respective managers.
Below are the timelines for each stage of the evaluation process.
- Deadline for employee self-assessment – (Date). All eligible employees should have submitted their self-evaluation forms to their respective team leaders.
- Managers are expected to review the self-evaluation forms of their direct reports by (Date).
- Deadline for the HR team to evaluate and consolidate all completed forms during performance review (Date).
For the self-evaluation, you will receive the forms directly in your inbox. Remember, completing and submitting your self-evaluation forms on time is in your best interests. If you have any questions or need clarity, please get in touch with your manager, or you can get in touch with HR directly.
With regards
[Your Name]
Scheduling Performance Reviews
Specific requests to employees follow the above general announcement once the managers have updated calendars and available slots. Some of the slots may need shuffling. But, once the email request goes out and each team member has confirmed, the performance review process can begin.
Subject: Performance Review Request
Hi [Employee Name],
I want to schedule a performance review with you. Are you available for a meeting on [date] at [time]? Please let me know if that time suits you or if you have other questions.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Giving employees time to prepare
It is only fair to give employees a chance to prepare for the review. While the points mentioned in the below template cover the overall ground, there is still room to add other issues for discussion.
Subject: Performance Review Preparation
Hi [Employee Name],
As scheduled, your performance review will take place on [date] at [time]. To help you prepare, reflect on the past year and make a note of the below points. Wherever possible, include data, such as concrete examples on your performance:
- Your accomplishments over the past year
- Areas in which you feel you could improve
- Goals for the coming year
If you have any other issues for discussion, please add them, too.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Document the performance review
Once the review is over, remember the part about documenting the discussion. It helps the employer and employee have a reference point to stay on track with a mutually agreed upon action plan.
Subject: Performance Review Summary
Hi [Employee Name],
I am providing a summary of our performance review meeting from yesterday. Below are the main points that we discussed: [Summary of discussion points]
Thank you for your time and honest feedback. I look forward to working with you to help you grow and develop in your career. Please feel free to let me know how I can help.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Add a positive note to the review summary
It doesn’t hurt to add a few lines on the employee’s past accomplishments when sending a simple email with the review summary. So, instead of a generic summary letter, you could send a more specific one, like the one below:
Subject: Performance Review Feedback
Hi [Employee Name],
Thank you for spending some time with me yesterday. First, I want to commend you on your progress in [area of accomplishment]. You have made great strides, and I am pleased to have you on my team. I also want to provide some constructive feedback about areas where you could improve. In particular, it would be beneficial for you to focus on [area of improvement]. With some additional effort in this area, you have the potential to be a top performer in the organization. Let us work together to ensure you grow and continue to meet your career goals. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Propose an action plan
While it is a good practice to document the performance review session, it is equally crucial to put the action plan or a revised set of future goals in writing. Here’s how:
Subject: Performance Review Action Plan
Hi [Employee Name],
As we discussed in our meeting, I would like to develop an action plan to help you improve your performance in [area of improvement]. Below is a proposed plan of action: [Action plan]
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about this plan. I am committed to helping you improve your performance and reach your goals.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Revise existing goals or set new ones
Subject: Performance Review Goal Setting
Hi [Employee Name],
As we discussed in our meeting, I would like to set some goals with you for the coming year. It would be beneficial for you to focus on [goal 1], [goal 2], and [goal 3]. Do you have any questions or comments about these goals?
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Follow up after the performance review
As with all forms of review, whether quarterly, bi-annually, or annually, it is vital to follow up after a performance review. You can initiate this by email and setting up a one-on-one session to review progress.
Subject: Follow-Up to Performance Review
Hi [Employee Name],
I’m following up with you about our performance review meeting from [date] at [time]. First, thank you for your openness and honesty during our discussion. I appreciate your receptive attitude and willingness to learn. Second, I want to reiterate my commitment to helping you grow and develop your career.
You have great potential, and I am confident that you will be able to reach your goals. Let me know if there is anything I can do to support you. I am also open to scheduling our next one-on-one session to discuss your next steps. Let me know if [date] at [time] will work for you.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Once the performance review process is complete across the organization, the cycle is best ended with a thank you note from the employer. After all, the process required active participation, time, and effort from every employee.
To conclude
A well-executed performance review process has several steps, and each step must be meticulously followed. A sound performance management system handles the process efficiently by automating routine tasks such as sending emails, scheduling one-on-ones, and senTips For Tracking Year-End Performance Reviewsding reminders to employees on the expected timeline. Annual review templates and a modern performance management system make the entire process painless and leave performance reviews on a positive note.
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