# Performance review examples: 80 sample phrases for managers

> 80 performance review examples for managers, by skill and rating, with areas of improvement, goals, a full performance review sample and a free template.

By Reuily team · Published 2026-10-12 · Guides

Canonical: https://reuily.com/blog/performance-review-examples

## Key points

- A good performance review comment names a specific behaviour, gives an example and says what it led to.
- Balance strengths with one or two areas to improve, and pair each area with a clear next step.
- Close every review with two or three goals you both agree on for the next period.
- Reuily has a free performance review form template that rates five areas and records strengths, areas to improve and goals.

Writing reviews for a whole team takes time, and vague comments like "good job this year" help nobody grow. These performance review examples give you clear sample phrases to start from.

They are sorted by skill and by rating, with a full performance review sample at the end. To keep every review in the same format, write them in the free [performance review template](https://reuily.com/templates/performance-review-form), which rates five areas and saves each review with its date.

## What is a performance review?

A performance review is a regular meeting and written record where a manager assesses an employee's work over a set period, often six or twelve months. It covers results, skills and behaviour, with strengths, areas to improve and goals for the next period. Most companies rate each area on a simple scale.

A performance review is also called a performance evaluation, performance appraisal or annual review.

## How to write a performance review

1. **Collect examples all year.** Keep short notes on wins and problems as they happen, so you are not relying on memory.
2. **Read the employee's self-evaluation.** It shows how they see their own work and what matters to them.
3. **Rate each area fairly.** Use the same scale and the same standard for everyone on your team.
4. **Write specific comments.** Name the behaviour, give an example and say what it led to.
5. **Balance strengths and improvements.** Most reviews need more strengths than criticism, with one or two clear areas to work on.
6. **Agree on goals together.** End with two or three goals for the next period that you both understand.

## Employee performance review examples by skill

Each skill has examples for strong performance and for areas to improve. Swap in your own examples and numbers.

### Quality of work

**Strong performance**

1. "Your work is accurate and complete. I approved almost every report you sent this year without changes."
2. "You check your own work carefully, which means the team can rely on what you hand over."
3. "Your designs consistently meet the brief the first time, which saves the team rounds of changes."

**Needs improvement**

4. "Several reports this quarter needed corrections before they could go to clients. Please use the checklist before you send each one."
5. "Your work is strong when you have time, but quality drops on rushed tasks. Let's plan big deadlines earlier."

### Job knowledge

**Strong performance**

6. "You know our product inside out, and the team often comes to you with questions they cannot answer."
7. "You learned the new system faster than anyone and then trained the rest of the team."
8. "You keep up with changes in our industry and share what matters with the team."

**Needs improvement**

9. "You still rely on others for pricing questions. Let's set up two sessions with finance so you can quote on your own."

### Communication

**Strong performance**

10. "Your weekly updates keep the whole project on track, and nobody has to chase you for news."
11. "You explain complex topics in simple words, which helps clients decide faster."
12. "You listen carefully in difficult conversations and stay calm, even with upset clients."

**Needs improvement**

13. "Your emails can be long, and the main point gets lost. Try putting your request in the first line."
14. "You have good ideas, but you rarely share them in team meetings. I would like to hear at least one each week."

### Teamwork and collaboration

**Strong performance**

15. "You covered for two colleagues during their leave without a single gap in service."
16. "You share what you know. Your guides on the shared drive help every new starter."
17. "You work well with other teams and helped design and sales agree on a simpler request process."

**Needs improvement**

18. "You tend to solve hard problems alone. Asking for input earlier would help the team find answers faster."
19. "Your updates to other teams sometimes arrive late. Please share changes on the same day you make them."

### Accountability and reliability

**Strong performance**

20. "You met every deadline this year, including in our busiest quarter."
21. "When you made a mistake in March, you raised it straight away, fixed it and added a check so it would not happen again."
22. "You own your projects from start to finish. I never need to follow up on your work."

**Needs improvement**

23. "Three deadlines slipped this quarter without warning. Please tell me at least two days ahead if something is at risk."
24. "You sometimes agree to more work than you can deliver. Let's review your workload together before you take on new projects."

### Initiative and problem solving

**Strong performance**

25. "You spotted the billing problem and fixed it before any client noticed."
26. "You found a way to cut our report time from two days to half a day, without being asked."
27. "When the system went down, you found a workaround within the hour and kept clients informed."

**Needs improvement**

28. "You do great work on the tasks you are given. Next, I would like to see you suggest improvements of your own."

### Customer focus and customer service

**Strong performance**

29. "You solve most customer problems on the first contact, and your satisfaction rating is the highest on the team."
30. "You follow up after a problem is solved, and several customers mentioned you by name in reviews."
31. "You pass customer feedback to the product team every month, and two of your reports led to fixes."

**Needs improvement**

32. "Your replies are accurate but can feel rushed. Take a moment to acknowledge the customer's problem before you solve it."
33. "Response times slipped to two days during busy weeks. Let's aim for one working day, every time."

### Leadership

These suit managers, team leads and anyone who leads projects.

**Strong performance**

34. "You hold regular one-to-ones, and your team has the highest engagement scores in the department."
35. "You give clear feedback in the moment, so small problems never grow into big ones."
36. "You set clear goals for your team each quarter and share progress every two weeks."
37. "Nobody on your team left this year, and two people earned promotions."

**Needs improvement**

38. "You still take on too much yourself. Delegating one project each quarter would give your team room to grow."
39. "Your team is not always sure about priorities. A short weekly plan would help everyone focus on the same work."

## Areas of improvement examples

Constructive comments work best when they describe the behaviour, give a recent example and say what good looks like.

40. "Your reports are thorough, but two arrived late this quarter. Please plan time for review before each deadline."
41. "In team meetings you often wait to be asked. I would like you to share your view early in the discussion."
42. "Your technical knowledge is strong. Building your presentation skills is the next step, so you can explain your work to clients."
43. "You respond quickly to requests, which is great, but it pulls you away from bigger projects. Try setting aside focus time each morning."
44. "Your notes on client calls are hard for others to follow. Please use the shared template after every call."
45. "You are often the last to adopt new tools. Let's pick one new tool you will learn properly this quarter."
46. "Feedback to your team tends to come all at once at the end of a project. Small comments along the way would help them more."

## Goals for performance review examples

Good goals are specific, measurable and agreed on by both of you. Here are examples you can adapt.

47. "Grow your client list by 10% by the end of next year."
48. "Reduce your average response time to customer emails from one day to four working hours."
49. "Lead one project from start to finish, including the budget and final presentation, by September."
50. "Complete the project management course by June and use it to plan the summer launch."
51. "Present your team's results at two company meetings this year."
52. "Mentor one new team member through their first three months."
53. "Cut errors in monthly reports to zero by using the review checklist on every report."
54. "Learn our pricing well enough to send quotes without help by the end of the quarter."
55. "Hold a 15 minute check-in with each person on your team every week."
56. "Raise your customer satisfaction rating from 88% to 92% by the end of the year."

## Overall comments on a performance review

The overall comment sums up the review in two or three sentences. Here are examples for each common rating.

### Exceeds expectations

57. "You had an outstanding year. You beat every target, trained two new starters and became the person the team turns to for help. I would like to talk about your next step here."
58. "Your work this year went well beyond your role. Leading the system move while keeping all your clients happy was a real achievement."
59. "You raised the bar for the whole team this year. Your results and the way you support colleagues both stand out."

### Meets expectations

60. "You had a solid year. You met your main goals and your clients are happy with your work. Next year, I would like to see you take the lead on one larger project."
61. "Your work is reliable and accurate, and you are a strong part of the team. Building your confidence in client meetings is the next step."
62. "You delivered what we agreed, on time. With a bit more initiative on new ideas, you could have a standout year next year."

### Partly meets expectations

63. "You did good work on your main accounts, but missed two of your four goals. Let's agree on a plan and check in on it every month."
64. "Your quality of work is strong, but missed deadlines held the team back this year. Planning time is the main thing to fix next quarter."

### Below expectations

65. "This year has been difficult, and your results are below what the role needs. Together, we will set three clear goals and meet every two weeks to track progress."
66. "Your customer response times and accuracy have both fallen this year. I want to understand what is getting in the way and support you to turn this around."

## Mid-year and 90 day review examples

### Mid-year performance review examples

67. "You are on track for three of your four goals. The training goal slipped because of the system move, so let's book the course for August."
68. "The first half of the year was strong. In the second half, I would like you to take on more client calls on your own."
69. "Your sales are 5% behind target at the halfway point. Let's look at your pipeline together and find two new sources of leads."

### 90 day performance review examples

70. "You have settled in quickly. You learned our main tools, met every key client and took over the weekly report."
71. "Your first 90 days show a strong start. Next, focus on learning our pricing so you can quote without help."
72. "You are still building confidence with the system. Let's pair you with a senior colleague for two more weeks."

## Employee comments examples

Most review forms end with a box where the employee can add their own comments. These examples help employees respond clearly.

73. "Thank you for the feedback. I agree with the goals, and I would like extra time with the sales team to work on new client calls."
74. "I am proud of this year's results. I would like to discuss a path to a senior role at our next check-in."
75. "I understand the concerns about deadlines. Much of the delay came from the system move, and I have a plan to stay ahead next quarter."
76. "I would add that I also trained two new starters this year, which took a lot of my time in the first half."

## Bad performance review examples to avoid

These comments are vague, personal or unfair. Each one has a better version.

77. "You need to be more of a team player." Better: "You missed three team meetings this month. Please join each week or send an update."
78. "Your attitude is a problem." Better: "In the last two meetings you interrupted colleagues. Let others finish before you respond."
79. "Great job this year!" Better: "You closed 42 new accounts, 15% above target. That result made a big difference to our year."
80. "You are always late with everything." Better: "Two of your five reports were late this quarter. Let's plan review time before each deadline."

## Performance review sample: a full written example

Here is a complete performance review sample for an account manager. It follows the same order as Reuily's performance review form.

- **Who are you reviewing?** Sam Taylor, account manager
- **Which review is this?** End of year
- **Quality of work:** 4 out of 5. "Sam's client reports are accurate and clear. Only one needed changes this year."
- **Communication:** 5 out of 5. "Sam's weekly updates keep clients and the team informed, and clients often praise them."
- **Teamwork:** 4 out of 5. "Sam covered two colleagues' accounts during their leave without a gap in service."
- **Reliability with deadlines:** 4 out of 5. "Sam met every client deadline. Two internal reports were a few days late during the system move."
- **Progress on goals:** 3 out of 5. "Sam beat the renewal and upsell goals but won five of the eight new clients we planned."
- **Overall rating:** Meets expectations
- **Main strengths:** "Keeping clients happy. All ten of Sam's largest accounts renewed, and four grew."
- **Where they can improve:** "Winning new clients. Sam relies on existing accounts and could build more referrals."
- **Goals for the next period:** "Win eight new clients, run one referral campaign by June, and join two sales calls a month with a senior colleague."

## Run your reviews with a performance review template

A form keeps every review consistent. Each manager answers the same questions, and every review is saved in one place with the date.

1. **Start from the template.** [Open the performance review form template](https://reuily.com/form/from-template/performance-review-form) in Reuily. It rates quality of work, communication, teamwork, reliability and progress on goals from 1 to 5, then asks for an overall rating, strengths, areas to improve and goals.
2. **Edit the rating areas.** Add your company values or the skills each role needs, and change the rating labels if you use your own scale.
3. **Ask for self-evaluations first.** Send the [employee self-evaluation form](https://reuily.com/templates/self-evaluation-form) a week before reviews, so you can compare both views.
4. **Review the results.** Every completed review lands in your Submissions. Export them, or connect [Google Sheets](https://reuily.com/help/integrations/google-sheets) to keep a record for HR.

Preview every question on the [performance review template](https://reuily.com/templates/performance-review-form) page before you start.

## Next steps

Want to help your team write better self-evaluations? Share these [employee self-evaluation examples](https://reuily.com/blog/employee-self-evaluation-examples) with them before review season. For other HR forms, such as a [time off request form](https://reuily.com/templates/time-off-request-form), browse all [free templates](https://reuily.com/templates).

## Frequently asked questions

### What should I write in a performance review?

Write about the employee's results, how they work with others, their main strengths, one or two areas to improve and their goals for the next period. Give an example for every point, so the employee knows exactly what to keep doing and what to change.

### What are some positive performance review phrases?

Strong phrases are specific, such as "Your weekly updates keep the whole project on track" or "You solved the billing problem before any client noticed." Name the behaviour and its effect, rather than using general praise like "great job".

### How do you write areas of improvement in a performance review?

Describe one behaviour, give a recent example and say what good looks like. For example, "Two reports were late this quarter. Next quarter, flag any risk to a deadline at least two days ahead." Keep it about the work, not the person.

### How long should a performance review be?

Most written reviews fit on one or two pages. Two or three sentences per rated area, a short summary, and two or three goals is enough. The conversation matters more than the length of the document.

### How often should you do performance reviews?

Many companies run a full review once or twice a year, with a short check-in each quarter. New starters often get a review after their first 90 days. Regular check-ins mean nothing in the yearly review comes as a surprise.

### Should employees write a self-evaluation before their review?

Yes, it helps. A self-evaluation shows you how the employee sees their own year, and comparing it with your review makes the meeting more balanced. Ask for it about a week before you meet.

Tags: Performance reviews, Management, HR, Templates