Key Takeaways
Summary | |
Definition | Performance reviews are structured conversations used to evaluate employee performance and guide future growth. |
What to Avoid | Vague, personal, comparative, or misleading phrases can undermine trust and reduce the effectiveness of feedback. |
Common Mistakes | Focusing only on recent performance, relying on feelings instead of data, or introducing surprises during reviews. |
Best Practices | Use specific examples, measurable data, and behavior-based feedback to keep reviews fair and constructive. |
Purpose | Helps managers deliver clear, actionable feedback that supports employee development and strengthens team performance. |
When it comes to providing feedback that can inspire a high-performing team and advance your business, knowing what not to say in a performance review can be just as important as knowing what to say. We’ve put together this top ten list and answers to commonly asked questions to help guide your next round of annual performance reviews.
What not to say in a performance review
Once upon a time, I had 80 direct reports. Every year, that meant completing 80 different performance evaluations and then delivering those reviews to 80 different people.
That’s a lot of employee performance reviews.
I tried to provide the best feedback I could, to give thoughtful, insightful, specific ways people could improve — while staying focused and in the moment with each employee, and continuously generating new ideas and opportunities for growth.
But it was tough, especially at the end of a day when I was conducting my sixth or seventh evaluation.
And that was a real problem: To the employee who received an annual performance evaluation, the meeting was a big, literally once-a-year event.
To me, a manager responsible for a lot of employees, delivering annual evaluations felt like yet another task that I could do on autopilot.
Experience was a valuable — if hard — teacher. Just as I learned what not to say when firing an employee, I learned what not to say in a performance review.
Here are ten phrases to avoid in your next review conversation:
1. “Last month I noticed… Last week I noticed…”
When I was an employee, almost all the evaluations I received focused on my performance over the previous months, even if I performed well throughout the entire year.
A long evaluation period means the review is more likely to focus on recent performance. Focus too much on the near-term, and employees naturally start to play the “Oh yeah, my evaluation is coming up soon; it’s time to buckle down” game.
Keep records. Take notes. (I kept a folder for every employee and would periodically review my notes in each; if one had no recent additions, I knew I needed to pay better attention.) That way you can say things like,
“You did an incredible job on that project after your last review.” OR “You really turned your past performance around these last nine months.”
Not only will it be easier to provide a comprehensive view of each employee’s performance, but it will also ensure the review reflects their performance over the entire period. And it shows your employee that you do pay attention to what they do.
2. “I just feel like you aren’t living up to your potential.”
Never refer to an area for improvement without offering specific examples. In fact, never start a discussion in general terms, period. All you’re doing is providing negative feedback without clear direction.
Start with data and results.
Say something concrete like, “You missed your target by 50 percent.” OR “You surpassed your goals by 50 percent.”
When delivering a review, facts and figures are everything. Without data, whatever point you hoped to make is lost. (And so is your employee’s faith in the integrity of the whole process.)
3. “Your attitude hasn’t been great.”
Never discuss personality traits — especially negative ones. “Your attitude isn’t great” focuses on personality, not performance.
Maybe your employee does have a bad attitude. If so, instead of saying that, list examples of actual behaviors that led you to that conclusion. Something like:
“I heard you make a snide comment during our team meeting.” That way, you can discuss the exact behaviors your employee needs to change.
Always focus on behavior, not personality.
4. “Your numbers are nothing like Jen’s.”
Never say something like, “Your sales numbers are the worst on the team.” Don’t compare your employees to each other — even if your only intention is to inspire high-quality performance.
Comparisons aren’t fair and often lead to hard feelings. Instead, compare your employee’s performance to a standard, just as you would when you need to let an employee go based on subpar performance.
If your employee does have, for example, the lowest sales numbers, but is still meeting expectations, focus on providing constructive criticism and ways to improve.
Don’t say, “Here are some things Jen does that work well…” Instead, describe strategies, techniques, and tools — persistent networking, consistent follow-up, extremely detailed — that can benefit your employee’s performance.
Please, leave Jen out of it.
5. “While the results don’t reflect it, I think you’re doing great.”
It’s tempting to over-rate an employee in the hopes of motivating them. (“If I tell them they’re doing a great job, maybe that will give them the confidence boost to actually do a great job.”)
Occasionally, that may work. Some people can’t believe in their abilities until someone else believes in them first.
A boss once told me I was doing great. But I wasn’t. He knew it. More importantly, I knew it.
That not only made it hard to ask for ways I could improve, but when he did provide constructive feedback, it seemed odd.
I thought, “Why was he listing so many things I could do better when he just said I was great?”
A performance evaluation should accurately reflect performance, especially since reviews are often used to make promotion decisions.
Find other ways to motivate struggling employees besides puffing up their evaluations.
6. “Tell me how you would rate yourself.”
Asking employees to rate themselves is almost always a lose-lose proposition. Why?
A great employee who reviews themselves and feels like they do a fabulous job is left wondering why you asked (and why you didn’t rate them yourself).
A struggling employee is unlikely to rate themselves as such. That self-appraisal can quickly turn a constructive discussion into an argument.
Don’t ask for informal self-evaluations. The point of reviews is to recognize hard work and discuss areas of improvement — not to argue about whose opinion is right.
7. “While we’re here, can you think of ways the business can improve?”
Employee evaluations are your employees’ “me time.” That means these one-on-one check-ins should focus solely on the employee. Definitely ask if they’re having any problems you can solve. Definitely ask if they have the right tools to do the job.
As a leader, helping your employees succeed is one of your primary goals. Save all other discussions for another time.
8. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but…”
A rule of thumb: Any sentence starting with “I probably shouldn’t tell you this…” is a sentence you probably shouldn’t say.
If you don’t have the information you need, say so — and follow up later.
It can be tempting to disclose sensitive information when you’re having a conversation. But don’t. Just be honest about your employee’s performance, and stop there.
9. “We might be able to make that happen.”
During the intensity of reviews, it can be tempting to make promises you can’t keep.
Effective appraisals review the past while looking to the future. So by all means share developmental or improvement plans, but keep in mind that when you say “possibly,” your employee might hear “definitely.”
Manage expectations. For example, if your employee asks to train with another person, don’t say, “That sounds like a good idea. We might be able to do that.” Say, “That sounds like a good idea, but I’m not sure if I can make that happen. Let me work on it and get back to you.”
If you aren’t 100% sure you can keep your promise, don’t say anything — or emphasize that a potential opportunity is only a possibility.
10. “I’m not sure if we talked about this last time…”
You may not remember everything you said last time you evaluated a particular employee, but they do. Repeating yourself makes it seem like you’re just going through the motions.
Take notes after an evaluation and include the following:
Concerns the employee raised and your responses
Your employee’s goals over the next evaluation period
Long-term goals they shared with you
Formal and informal development plans discussed
Action items (theirs and yours)
Then review those notes and the previous evaluation before the employee’s next performance review. It will help make it more productive for your employees and enable you to do a better job reviewing them.
Performance review FAQs
Q. Why is it harmful to use vague or generic feedback during a review?
Using performance review phrases that lack specificity can lead to a lack of clarity. Saying an employee “is performing well,” “needs improvement,” or “isn’t meeting expectations” leaves a lot of room for interpretation — or misinterpretation. This lack of clarity can cause uncertainty in what the employee needs to work on and what the expectations are going forward. Generic feedback can lead to frustration, miscommunication, and poor results.
Q. What are five common errors employers make in performance reviews?
Not providing specific examples. Performance review comments should be built on specific examples that support the feedback you’re giving so employees understand exactly what went wrong or right, and can identify next steps and areas of improvement.
Not using clear, measurable data. Don’t be subjective — using facts and metrics to guide your performance appraisals makes them more effective and credible. Point to things like productivity, number of errors, attendance, sales figures, and customers’ specific feedback.
Not creating actionable and appropriate goals. Unrealistic goal-setting can frustrate employees and impede productivity. Instead, make sure your employees have the tools, time, and skills they need to succeed.
Relying on personal bias. Don’t let your personal opinions or those of other team members, gossip, or hearsay factor into your evaluations. It can kill your credibility, create a toxic company culture, eliminate opportunities for teamwork, and put you at legal risk.
Bringing up an issue for the first time in the review. A performance review is not the place for surprises — it can kill employee engagement and trust. Also, if the first time an employee hears about an issue is months after the fact, your feedback will be less impactful, and changes will be more challenging to implement. Always be sure to provide feedback in real-time.
Q. Should managers avoid discussing personal issues in reviews?
As a general rule of thumb, performance reviews should stick to work-related performance factors. Crossing the line into personal matters can be uncomfortable for your employees, open you up to legal risk, and detract from the purpose of the review. An exception to this might be if the personal matter impacts their work performance.
Q. How can negative comparisons to other employees backfire in a review?
Peer comparisons can not only backfire with the employee you’re reviewing, but they can also create distrust among your team and lead to a toxic work environment. Even if the intention is to motivate, making comparisons among your team members can drive them against each other and ruin opportunities for collaboration.
Q. What words or tones can make feedback seem biased or unfair?
Effective communication can be dependent on the words you choose and the tone you use. For example, using absolutes such as “you never” or “you always” can impact your credibility and cause employees to disengage. Resorting to personal attacks on their personality or character, such as “you’re too emotional” or “you need to be more outgoing,” doesn’t address their performance and may be too difficult to change, causing frustration and withdrawal. Ensure your feedback is balanced by using both complimentary and constructive language, and maintain a calm and respectful tone throughout the conversation.
Q. How do managers keep feedback constructive without sounding overly critical?
The first step is maintaining a positive attitude and focusing on opportunities for employee development rather than on their shortcomings. Provide positive feedback along with constructive criticism, using specific examples to support your message. Convey your confidence in them by ending on a positive note with realistic goals, actionable feedback, and clear next steps.
Drive trust and performance with the right language
Performance evaluations are a key component of effective performance management. They can also be powerful opportunities to drive professional growth for your employees, create trust among your team, and develop your own leadership skills as a manager.
While your main goal is to help your employee improve, you should also be working to improve your expertise and communication skills in delivering constructive, useful, and productive feedback.
