5 questions to ask your employees during performance reviews this year

Employee reviews are frequently a source of stress for employees, and for good reason. Most of the time, bosses and managers are not comfortable giving feedback to their employees when what they have to share is negative. A lot of businesses have replaced the traditional yearly employee performance evaluation with continuous feedback loops. But many businesses still use the annual performance evaluation system to measure the work of employees.

The ability to construct a well-structured performance evaluation is proof of your strength as a manager. No matter your management style, these five open-ended questions will help you conduct a thorough performance review for your employees:

1. What accomplishments are you most proud of this year?

Getting the performance review started on a good note with your employees is important. Any question that allows your teams to ponder on their wins is a great starting question. You will get a better understanding of what motivates your employees. You will also get an idea of which kind of work invokes a passion in each of your team members.

2. What are two to three things that I could do differently to better manage you?

A good manager is always a good listener. You could do a dozen things differently to serve your subordinates better. Asking your employees what they would like to change with the way you handle things will make the performance review go both ways. Not only will you get an insight into what affects your employees negatively, but also you will get an idea of which management skills of yours to work more on in the future.

3. What changes would you like to make to your current job?

Your employees may look happy behind their desks. But there will always be one or two things about their jobs with which they are not happy. If your employees have to climb down a floor every time they want a printout or if they have to share a meeting room with five other departments, their productivity levels and efficiency will be affected. Identifying what you can do to make their jobs easier will help your employees perform better and be happier at their jobs.

4. What are your career goals for the coming year (or quarter)?

Just like you, your employees too will have different career aspirations during the year. During the performance review, find out the areas of their professional lives that your employees want to improve. This will help you create and offer customized training and development programs for your workers.

5. What questions do you have for me about the feedback you’ve received today?

The performance review will give your employees a ton of new information to ponder. Most employees will have a question or two for you at the end of a performance evaluation. However, everyone processes information differently. Some team members will need to take time to pose a question of their own about what was discussed during the review. Therefore, you should tell your employees that you are open to discussing their performance review in the future, especially if they don’t ask questions during the review.