Employee appraisal: example with questions and answers

The employee appraisal is a key moment to look back on the past year, set goals for the coming period, and strengthen the relationship between managers and employees. As an important tool in everyday HR work, it contributes directly to the performance and further development of the company.

But how can an employee appraisal be conducted in a concrete and effective manner? The following guide uses a structured example to show which questions can be asked in an employee appraisal and what possible answers might look like.

The article in a minute

• The performance review serves to reflect on the past year, define new goals, and strengthen cooperation.

• It is divided into three thematic blocks: review, performance assessment, and outlook.

• A clear structure, a trusting atmosphere, and open questions are crucial.

• Tables help to clearly present goal achievement, skills development, and progress.

• The meeting makes it possible to identify successes, difficulties, training needs, and new projects.

• The conclusion serves to record the personal feelings of the employees and strengthen their commitment for the coming year.

What is an employee appraisal?

The employee appraisal is a structured exchange between managers and employees with the aim of assessing performance, reviewing the past year, and identifying potential for development.

As a rule, the employee appraisal is divided into three main topics:

• review of the past period to identify successes and challenges

• assessment of goal achievement and analysis of success factors and obstacles

• outlook for the coming year with the setting of goals tailored to personal ambitions and the corporate strategy

Unlike regular one-to-one meetings, the employee appraisal is planned, formalized, and follows a clear structure.

Example of a structured employee appraisal

Before asking specific questions, it is advisable to create a trusting atmosphere for the conversation with open-ended introductory questions.

• How are you feeling at the moment?

• Do you have any particular expectations for this meeting?

Then remind them of the framework of the employee appraisal to clearly distinguish it from other types of meetings such as one-on-one meetings or development reviews. This helps to make the objective of the exchange transparent.

Review of the past year

1- Are you satisfied with the general atmosphere in the company?

• Possible answers: very satisfied, satisfied, neutral, somewhat dissatisfied, or dissatisfied.

• Goal: If dissatisfaction is expressed, open follow-up questions help to better understand the causes:

• Were there any events or aspects of the collaboration that affected the working atmosphere?

• What do you think could be improved?

2 - Which successes of the past year are you particularly proud of?

• Possible answers: Achievement of defined goals, completion of a project, assumption of additional responsibility.

• Objective: Identify motivational factors and better classify expectations in terms of recognition, further development, or responsibility.

3 - What difficulties did you encounter during the year?

• Possible answers: Description of specific challenges using examples.

• Objective: Identify obstacles and jointly develop solutions to avoid similar situations in the future. Observations from regular discussions throughout the year can supplement this exchange.

Performance appraisal

1 - Which goals were achieved?

A tabular overview helps to present the achievement of goals in a structured way:

The focus is on a fact-based analysis of the results in order to classify both successes and inhibiting factors in a comprehensible manner together with the employees.

2 - How do you assess your development in the relevant competencies?

The following example shows a table that can be used to visualize employee development.

• It lists the technical competencies and soft skills relevant to the performance of tasks.

• Each competency is rated on a scale of 1 to 5.

Future prospects

1 - In which areas do you see room for improvement for yourself in the coming year?

• Possible answers: Organization, teamwork, technical knowledge, use of certain tools.

• Goal: To understand how employees perceive their own areas for development in order to offer appropriate support.

2 - Which projects would you like to work on in the future?

• Possible answers: cross-team projects, analytical tasks, creative projects.

• Goal: To promote engagement and link interests to ongoing or planned initiatives.

3 - What goals would you like to achieve in the coming year?

A joint definition of goals can also be recorded in a table:

Conclusion and feedback

At the end of the meeting, open-ended questions are a good way to create space for personal feedback:

• What would you like to improve or approach differently in the coming year?

• How did you find this meeting overall?

The employee appraisal is therefore not just a review, but a key tool for strengthening commitment and pursuing common goals in a targeted manner.