Masterlist

Take time each year to review how your team is doing and help them grow. Regular reviews improve performance, increase employee satisfaction, and give you documentation you might need later.

• Prepare for Each Review Meeting
  Gather information and plan what you'll discuss before sitting down with each employee. Preparation makes reviews more productive and shows employees you take this seriously.

  • Review Job Performance
    Look at each employee's work over the past year including quality, reliability, customer feedback, and any incidents or problems. Be specific with examples, not vague generalizations.
  • Check Attendance Records
    Review each person's attendance, punctuality, and sick day usage. Patterns of lateness or absences need to be addressed directly.
  • Gather Customer Feedback
    Pull together any customer comments, compliments, or complaints related to this employee. Customer feedback gives you concrete examples to discuss.
  • List Accomplishments
    Write down specific things this employee did well this year. Starting with positives makes the conversation go better and shows you notice good work.
• Conduct Review Meetings
  Sit down with each employee privately to discuss their performance. These conversations improve communication and give employees a chance to share their perspective.

  • Schedule Private Meetings
    Set up one-on-one meetings with each employee in a private space where you won't be interrupted. Give them a heads-up about the meeting so they can prepare.
  • Discuss Strengths First
    Start by talking about what the employee does well and the value they bring. Beginning with positives puts people at ease and shows you appreciate their work.
  • Address Areas for Improvement
    Talk about specific behaviors or skills that need improvement, using real examples. Be direct but respectful—sugar-coating problems doesn't help anyone.
  • Listen to Their Perspective
    Give employees time to share their thoughts, concerns, or challenges. Sometimes they'll bring up issues you didn't know about that are affecting their work.
• Set Goals and Development Plans
  Work with each employee to set clear goals for the coming year and plan how they can improve their skills. Clear expectations help people succeed.

  • Agree on Performance Goals
    Set 3-5 specific goals for the employee to accomplish over the next year. Make them concrete and measurable so you both know what success looks like.
  • Identify Training Needs
    Figure out what skills or knowledge would help this person do their job better. Maybe they need technical training, safety certs, or management skills.
  • Discuss Career Development
    Ask where they want to be in a few years and whether they're interested in taking on more responsibility. Good employees want to grow, not stagnate.
  • Create Action Plan
    Write down specific steps and timelines for achieving goals and getting training. Vague plans don't happen—specific plans with dates do.
• Document Everything
  Write down what you discussed and agreed to in each review. Documentation protects you legally and gives you a reference for next year's review.

  • Complete Review Forms
    Fill out your standard performance review form for each employee covering all the topics you discussed. Be honest and specific in your written comments.
  • Have Employee Sign Review
    Get the employee's signature on the review to acknowledge they've seen it. Their signature doesn't mean they agree, just that you discussed it with them.
  • File in Employee Records
    Put signed review forms in each employee's personnel file. Keep these records for at least 7 years in case you ever need them for legal reasons.
  • Note Follow-Up Items
    Put reminders on your calendar for any training, goal check-ins, or follow-up conversations you committed to. Following through shows you meant what you said.
• Handle Compensation Decisions
  Decide on any raises, bonuses, or changes to compensation based on performance. Fair pay keeps good employees from leaving for competitors.

  • Review Current Pay Rates
    Compare what you're paying each employee to market rates for similar jobs in your area. Underpaying people causes them to quit when they find better offers.
  • Determine Raises
    Decide who deserves raises based on their performance, tenure, and value to the company. Consider giving top performers more than cost-of-living increases.
  • Communicate Pay Decisions
    Tell each employee about any pay changes and when they take effect. If you can't give raises, explain why honestly rather than making excuses.
  • Update Payroll
    Give your payroll system or bookkeeper the new pay rates and effective dates. Double-check that raises actually show up in paychecks on time.