Annual performance review: a year-end appraisal by employees and managers

The annual performance review, a vital tool for professional development

The Annual Review template is a professional appraisal template for employees and their managers that can be used to review all the key moments of the year, such as the successes and the skills acquired, and also to identify areas for improvement, to express training needs or development goals.

Team management is not just about daily tasks, it’s also about taking stock of a certain period of time. And this is what the annual performance review is for.

In the first place, it’s important for the employee to prepare for their annual review. They should fill in the template individually: what they liked this year, what they disliked, their self-assessment of their skills and goals, their ability to work in a team etc. Then, they discuss this appraisal with their manager. They in turn comment on their answers, give their opinion and, together, they both set new goals.

What are you waiting for? Use this annual performance review template to set you on the path to seamless and effective management!

How to make the most of the annual performance review

The annual performance review has many benefits, both individually and collectively. As well as taking stock of achievements over the past 12 months, a well-conducted and well-prepared review is an opportunity for the employee and the manager to assess every aspect of the professional year together.

The manager can assess the employee’s progress while taking into account the business environment of the past year: team structure, economic climate, market etc. The results achieved by the employee are thus analyzed more accurately and fairly, which enables ambitious but achievable targets to be set.

What's more, the annual performance review gives a very broad and objective overview of the job being assessed because it covers numerous issues (skills, know-hows, goals, results, training). It's a time for employees to express themselves, which makes them feel valued and even keener to engage with their team, because they are not considered anonymous members of a group.

Finally, the annual performance review helps to identify the employee's needs and development goals. Here, good management must allow for continuous training for team members, which benefits both employee fulfilment and team performance because its members improve their skills every year.

So, listen to your employees and get the new year off to a good start together, thanks to the annual review!

Prepare your annual review with the Klaxoon template

Any performance review requires good preparation on both sides, from the employee and the manager. It's also possible for both of you to create a whiteboard from this template, in order to prepare items in advance. On the day of the review, we advise you to start with the Board filled in by the employee, and then add the manager’s comments and ideas.

On the whiteboard, we have added a color code to make the comments easier to read: 

• Yellow for the employee
• Blue for the manager

The employee starts by sharing the best moments of the past year, as well as any negative aspects. The “Top 3” is an opportunity to highlight the 3 major events of the year - projects, successes or favorites - anything that makes us proud.

The employee then spends time assessing their general skills (or soft skills) in the first chart of step 2, by selecting the yellow block and making it the right size for each item. The manager then does the same with the blue block as a comparison. Then, you assess technical skills (hard skills). In both cases, everyone can also add comments to clarify their feelings, and add details about what you said to each other. This means the discussions are fact-based and a record is kept of them.

The employee then reviews what kind of training they would like for the coming year, and summarizes the training they did in the past year. Together, use the Career Development insert to look at what they want in their day-to-day work in more detail.

Now all you have to do is take stock, together, of past and more importantly future goals. Be sure to clarify what you could improve as a team, as an employee and as a manager, and not just individually. Use the General Feedback area to keep a summary of this annual performance review, which will remain available on your shared whiteboard. It will serve as a reference to stay on track professionally!