What is a performance appraisal form?
A performance appraisal form is a tool used by people managers and HR teams to evaluate the performance of employees during a specific timeframe. An appraisal form helps simplify the documentation of review processes and streamline performance appraisals. A well-structured appraisal process enables efficient benchmarking across teams and divisions to identify staff career development opportunities and areas for improvement.
What to include in a performance appraisal template
Whether used by supervisors, the people team, or employees themselves, performance appraisal forms feature standard elements that help facilitate a complete review process. Here are the three fundamental fields of an appraisal form including their examples:
A rating system
Supervisors, and even employees themselves, rate or measure employee performance for a specific timeline using key team and business metrics. Attendance, productivity, quality of work, the achievement of targets, etc, are examples of items being rated.
Example:
Assessment Areas | Rating Guidelines |
Attendance | 5 = No late for work or absence record, willing to take urgent duty at short notice 4 = No late for work or absence record during the appraisal period 3 = Less than 3 times of late for work or absence record during the appraisal period 2 = 3 times of late for work or absence record during the appraisal period 1 = More than 3 times of late for work or absence record during the appraisal period |
Job knowledge and skills | 5 = Substantially exceeds job requirements 4 = Exceeds job requirements 3 = Meets job requirements 2 = Partially meets job requirements 1 = Does not meet most job requirements |
Quality of work | |
Initiative and motivation | |
Teamwork | |
General conduct | |
Discipline | 5 = No disciplinary record, always follow supervisor’s and working instruction 4 = No disciplinary record 3 = Less than 3 times of disciplinary record 2 = 3 times of disciplinary record 1 = More than 3 times of disciplinary record |
Feedback
An appraisal sheet can include sections for qualitative feedback from peers or supervisors mentioning employee commendations or opportunities for improvement.
Here’s an example using the rating guideline above:
Attendance | |
Score | 5 |
Feedback | Jones has no record of tardiness. She manages to plot all her leaves and extend work hours if needed. |
Job Knowledge and Skills | |
Score | 4 |
Feedback | Jones is willing to take a big leap in her skills. She manages to finish tutorial modules and apply them to her tasks |
Acknowledgment
The ratings and contents of employee appraisals need to be acknowledged or confirmed by both employees and supervisors. Appraisal forms typically include the signatures of both employees and supervisors to confirm the validity of the appraisal.
Performance appraisal examples
To ensure performance appraisals are effective, they must be based on factual information and include clear action steps for areas requiring improvement. Below are some examples of performance appraisals that can help guide successful regular review processes.
Positive performance appraisal examples
Positive work appraisals include:
Your ability to handle complex tasks with minimal supervision is commendable.
Your attention to detail and proactive approach have significantly improved team efficiency.
Your leadership skills have helped the team meet all quarterly goals, often surpassing targets.
You are a strong team player who’s always willing to collaborate with colleagues to achieve shared goals.
You go out of your way to assist team members which contributes to a collaborative and supportive work environment.
Critical performance appraisal examples
Meanwhile, performance appraisals where improvement is needed can be along the lines of this approach:
You have struggled with meeting deadlines consistently which has impacted the overall progress of our projects. In the next quarter, let’s prioritize additional training on task management to help counter these.
You’ve made strides in leading small projects but need to work on providing consistent feedback to team members and improving conflict resolution skills.
While you’ve been a dedicated leader, you had difficulty delegating tasks to team members, often taking on too much yourself, which has led to burnout and at times, missed deadlines.
To give you a better understanding, we’ve created a filled-out example of an appraisal form using a digital staff performance appraisal checklist template. This form can be used digitally or as a PDF, while the completed performance appraisal reports can be exported as a web link, PDF, or Microsoft Word document.
Staff performance appraisal form PDF example
Performance appraisal format
Performance appraisals can be a daunting task because of how tedious the entire process can be. Choosing the right appraisal format can help make it easier for all stakeholders to efficiently carry out appraisals as hassle-free as possible. Listed below are the two most common types of performance appraisal forms you can try implementing in your workplace:
360-Degree
A 360-degree performance review is probably the most comprehensive appraisal format, as it entails feedback not only from your direct manager and team members, but also from your peers and, in some cases, from department heads. Sample 360-degree appraisal format questions include:
Are this employee’s solutions to problems clear and effective?
Does the employee take the lead on projects or assignments?
Do you believe this employee is honest, ethical, and trustworthy?
Management by objectives
Management by Objectives (MBOs) is an appraisal format, where at the beginning of each period such as quarterly, biennially, or annually and upon the approval of upper management, both the employee and his/her manager set objectives and key results aligned with the overall company goals. At the end of each period, they will evaluate the employee’s performance and provide a pay increase based on meeting set objectives.
MBOs is ideal for small- to medium-sized companies as it can still be easily monitored and followed through for continued professional and business growth. The two most common types of MBOs with examples are:
Performance objectives
Increase mobile app downloads by 15% through carrying out at least 5 experiments that improve user experience
Reach 10,000 more customers who use our product at least once a week by integrating it with a new feature
Personal development objectives
Master Mitti (by SafetyCulture) analytics by knowing exactly how I can get the data I need on my own
Develop better work relationships by participating in our team lunch time every Wednesday
How to fill a performance appraisal form
When filling out performance evaluation forms and other performance appraisal forms, employees and management can use the following reminders as a guide:
For managers and supervisors
Identify assessment criteria by reading the instructions carefully before scoring
Review the employee's goals and objectives to determine whether they were achieved
Collect relevant information, including records of projects completed, client feedback, and performance metrics
Provide specific examples that demonstrate employee strengths or areas for improvement
Evaluate strengths and achievements, then address areas for improvement with clear action steps
Establish SMART goals for the employee for the upcoming assessment period
Maintain a professional and respectful tone throughout the form
For employee self-evaluation
Read the instructions carefully to understand what's being assessed and how you'll be scored
Reflect on your goals and objectives from the previous period and honestly assess whether you met them
Gather supporting evidence such as completed projects, received feedback, and personal performance metrics
Highlight specific achievements and acknowledge areas where you'd like to develop further
Be honest and constructive — balance recognizing your wins with identifying genuine growth opportunities
Propose SMART goals you want to work toward in the next review period
Keep your tone professional and avoid overly self-critical or self-promotional language
Using Mitti (by SafetyCulture), the team introduced monthly branch report cards to track performance through checklist scores, completion rates, and flagged items. These insights supported promotion decisions by highlighting top performers.
Still looking for a checklist?
Search, filter, and customize 60,000+ templates across industries and use cases.
