Employee review template: free PDF and Word downloads

This template guides you through four worksheets from preparation to a shared record: a personal preparation page each for the employee and manager, a page for the outcomes discussed, and a page for agreements and follow-up. Brief writing prompts, numbered topics and an example show which notes to prepare and what to record together later. Adapt the Word file to your process or print the PDF. Both downloads are free and available without registration.

The template is intended for annual reviews, feedback and development conversations. It is an editorially developed conversation aid, not a scientifically validated questionnaire or assessment instrument. If your organisation uses formal ratings, add the agreed criteria and follow the relevant process.

Employee review template

Four worksheets guide you from personal reflection to a shared record. Edit the Word file or print the PDF.

Download PDFDownload Word template

Free, with no registration. Four A4 pages per file.

Prepare your perspectives separately. Discuss your notes together, then jointly record the outcomes and next steps.

Page 1 · Employee

Personal notes

My preparation

Complete this page for yourself before the conversation. Brief notes are enough. You decide which points you want to raise.

• My name and role
• Meeting date / Review period

01What went well for me

Describe one specific example: the situation, your contribution and the outcome.

02What made my work harder

Which situation was difficult? What was missing and what was the effect?

03What I would like from our collaboration

What should continue or change? Note an example and a specific request.

04What I would like to learn next

Which task would you like to try? What support would you need?

My most important topic for the conversation

What happens in the conversation

Bring in the points you have chosen. After discussing them, record the outcomes on page 3 and agreed actions on page 4.

Page 2 · Manager

Personal notes

My preparation

Complete this page for yourself before the conversation. Use examples from across the review period and leave room for the other person's perspective.

• My name / Conversation with
• Meeting date / Review period

01Which contributions I observed

Which task or goal was agreed? Which example illustrates the person's contribution?

02What made the work harder

What changed? How did my decisions or a lack of support contribute?

03What I want to discuss about collaboration

Separate observation from interpretation. What would you like to recognise, clarify or change?

04Which development I can support

What learning opportunity can I offer? Ask about the other person's wishes too.

What I especially want to ask the other person

What happens in the conversation

Hear both perspectives first. Only record outcomes you have discussed on page 3. Different perspectives can remain different.

Page 3 · Both together

Shared record

What we record together

Complete this page during the conversation. Summarise together what you discussed. Personal notes are not copied into the record automatically.

• Employee and role / Manager
• Meeting date / Review period
• Purpose and jointly agreed focus

From a note to a shared record

Personal note: “Everything was unclear at the handover again.”

After discussing it together: “At the handover on 8 October, two responsibilities were unclear. Jamie will clarify them before the next handover.”

Fictional example, not a prefilled entry in your record.

Review and working conditions

From 01 and 02: Which contributions, outcomes and obstacles did we discuss together?

Collaboration and different perspectives

From 03: What should continue or change? Whose views differ, and in what way?

Development goal

From 04: Which skill or task do we want to develop? In which work situation?

Still open

What remains unresolved? Who will clarify it, and by when? Do not present disagreement as consensus.

From an outcome to an agreement

Record the actions you agreed together on page 4. An observation on its own is not yet an action.

Page 4 · Both together

Shared record

What we agree

Choose a few achievable actions. For each one, name the person responsible, the support needed and a due date.

• Conversation between / Date

Agreement 1

Next step

Describe a specific action.

Owner

Name one person.

Support

What is needed and who will provide it?

Due date

Enter a date.

Agreement 2

Next step

Describe a specific action.

Owner

Name one person.

Support

What is needed and who will provide it?

Due date

Enter a date.

Our follow-up conversation

When will we discuss implementation? Record the date and meeting format.

How we will recognise progress

Which specific outcome or work situation will we look at together?

Check together before finishing

• ☐The actions and responsibilities are clear.
• ☐Open questions and different perspectives are visible.
• ☐We have agreed who receives the record and when we will revisit it.

An adaptable conversation aid. Agree separate criteria and a process in advance for formal assessments.

How to use the template

Before the conversation: Agree on the purpose, period and focus. The employee uses page 1 and the manager page 2. Both prepare separately and finish by choosing their most important topic or open question. Brief notes about specific work situations are enough. The manager should also consider what support they promised and what was actually available.

During the conversation: Avoid simply combining the two preparations into a ready-made judgement. Ask about each person's context and use the third page to record what you discussed together. An unresolved question can remain open. Different assessments can be recorded alongside each other.

At the end: Choose a small number of next steps and record them on page 4. Each needs an owner, the necessary support and a due date. Also agree on a follow-up date and how you will recognise progress. The closing checklist helps you review the actions, open questions and handling of the record together. Do not automatically copy all personal preparation notes into the shared record.

Our guide to preparing and conducting an employee review provides a fuller sequence and suggested wording. For additional prompts, select from our 20 questions for employee and development conversations.

A completed employee review example

The following example is entirely fictional. It illustrates possible entries, not expected model answers or a customer case.

Conversation details: Alex is a project coordinator. Jamie is their manager. Their conversation on 16 October covers project handovers over the past three months and a next development step.

Alex's preparation: “The last two handovers took place on time. After the Linden project meeting, several questions came back because ownership of open tasks was unclear. I would like to facilitate handovers more clearly. I need an agreed list of the people involved.”

Jamie's preparation: “Alex organised both meetings and provided the documents. For Linden, I decided who would take on the outstanding tasks only the day before. My contribution is to clarify ownership earlier. I want to understand what other information Alex was missing.”

Shared conversation note: “Both see unclear ownership as an obstacle. Alex wants to collect questions earlier; Jamie will confirm the participants before the next handover. It is still unclear whether everyone understood the documents. Alex will ask the two receiving teams for specific examples.”

Development goal: “Alex will facilitate the next two project handovers using an agenda agreed in advance. Open questions and owners will be named at the end. In the following one-on-one, Alex and Jamie will use the feedback to review what was clear and what needs changing.”

This example connects skill development to a specific work situation. It also makes the support responsibilities visible. The template does not assume that every difficulty reflects a personal development deficit.

Include the employee's perspective

Participation in appraisal is associated with more positive reactions, particularly satisfaction. This does not establish a causal improvement in performance (Cawley et al., 1998). Separate preparation is our practical application of that perspective; the study did not test this template.

Ask about topics missing from your own preparation. Adapt the order and fields to the purpose of the conversation. Feedback about a single situation may require only part of the template.

What the meeting notes should record

A useful record distinguishes what was discussed from what was agreed. Separate specific observations from interpretations and decisions. For example, write “Two responsibilities were unresolved at handover” rather than “Alex is disorganised”. Where people disagree, record their respective perspectives and a next step for clarification.

Agree which information you will document together, who can access it and how long it is needed. For organisational processes, our article on a transparent rollout with privacy and works council involvement provides further orientation.

Connect the document to ongoing development

In longitudinal studies of multisource feedback, improvements in later ratings by others were generally small. This does not establish the effectiveness of individual annual reviews or this template (Smither et al., 2005). We therefore recommend revisiting agreed actions in day-to-day work and discussing their implementation concretely.

When HR wants to connect templates, formal reviews and subsequent development, riteful supports that process with employee review software for annual reviews and development. The free document template can be used independently. Our comparison of annual reviews and continuous feedback explains how the two levels of conversation complement each other.

References

Cawley, B. D., Keeping, L. M., & Levy, P. E. (1998). Participation in the performance appraisal process and employee reactions: A meta-analytic review of field investigations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(4), 615–633.

Smither, J. W., London, M., & Reilly, R. R. (2005). Does performance improve following multisource feedback? A theoretical model, meta-analysis, and review of empirical findings. Personnel Psychology, 58(1), 33–66.