Time sure does fly, especially during a hectic hiring season. But research shows that an employee's first 90 days can lay the foundation for future job performance, while increasing the likelihood that theyâll stay loyal.
Taking place (you guessed it!) 90 days after an employee is hired or moves into a new position, the 90-day employee review meeting is a critical checkpoint for new hires and existing employees transitioning into a new role.
Perfect your 90-day review process with the latest best practices, plus 9 sample questions to get you started. Letâs dive in.
What should a 90-day review include?
Itâs not enough to throw the handbook at new employees and expect them to hit the ground running. But what exactly should a 90-day review include? What kind of questions should you ask? And how do you know if youâre doing them right?
For an effective 90-day review, managers should prepare to:
- Assess the employee's performance against the goals and job responsibilities set during their onboarding process.
- Offer constructive feedback on the employee's strengths and any areas for improvement using specific examples of their work.
- Evaluate the employee's integration into the team and their understanding of the organization's culture and values.
- Share resources and available support to pave a path for continued growth.
- Clarify performance expectations, addressing any adjustments or new priorities based on the employee's initial work performance.
Provide an opportunity for the employee to share their perspective on their experience so far and ask for any additional support they might need.
Sample evaluation template for managers
Sample questions
- How has your experience been so far?
- What are your biggest wins, learnings, or takeaways in your first three months with us?
- What challenges have you encountered so far?
- Are there any additional resources you need?
- What training or professional development opportunities would you like to pursue in the future?
- How can we best support you in your role moving forward?
- Is there anything that feels confusing or unclear?
Benefits of the 90-day review
90-day reviews help employees get feedback early, address any issues, and build strong relationships at work. For managers, it's a chance to track progress, offer support, and ensure new hires are a good fit.
In the table below, we're breaking down the perks of 90-day reviews for both employees and managers.
Tips for leading an effective review
According to our research at Breezy, the top three employee retention challenges include limited opportunities for salary increases (41%), competition (35%), and limited opportunities for advancement (31%).
A strong 90-day review process can help you respond to these challenges by showing employees that you care about their contributions and are here to help them grow. Here are some of the top strategies for an effective 90-day employee performance review.
1. Prepare in advance
Planning is essential for any employee performance evaluation, but especially those that occur early in an employeeâs new role. But those first three months can pass faster than expected, so the minute you start onboarding, go ahead and schedule the review and start updating your performance review template.
âAttempting to hastily fill out employee appraisals the night before your meeting doesnât give managers the opportunity to approach them thoughtfully,â time management coach Elizabeth Grace Saunders explains in an interview with Fast Company. âThis can potentially lead to bias. The more sleep-deprived and stressed you are, the more likely you are to find anything a direct report does particularly frustrating.â
Performance review procrastination is real. So, start early. Take time to review the employee's performance at the 10, 30, and 60-day marks, gather feedback from colleagues, and document these details in one central location before the review meeting.
2. Create a safe and open environment
As with your annual performance reviews, 90-day employee reviews should be a two-way conversation.
Managers should work to encourage open communication and feedback during the review, allowing the employee to share their perspective without fear of judgment.
âWithout an environment where candor is welcome, itâs difficult for a team to perform at their best,â explains CEO coach Kim Scott in an article for Fast Company. âPsychological safety isnât about being comfortable all the time. Itâs about embracing the discomfort. When leaders are confident enough to solicit and reward feedback, this encourages employees to say what they really think and to be willing to hear the opinions of others in return.â
3. Offer constructive feedback
No matter which part of the performance appraisal form youâre filling out, keep your feedback constructive â especially, if itâs the employeeâs first interaction with your review process.
When presenting your thoughts, provide specific examples of the employee's performance, highlighting both their accomplishments and areas for improvement.
âAlways avoid giving feedback in the form of broad generalizations or criticisms of inherent personality traits. For example, a current colleague of mine, who at the time had undiagnosed ADHD, recalls being told by a former manager to simply âbe more detail-oriented.â Thatâs not helpful feedback, and feedback like that can do more harm than good,â growth marketing expert Misty Larkins explains.
Itâs not just about avoiding potential workplace claims â itâs about giving your employees feedback they can work with, and concrete ways to improve.
4. Set clear goals and expectations
The 90-day meet is an opportunity to get ahead of the annual performance review and actively coach new team members to do more of whatâs working and less of what isnât. Work with employees to establish clear goals.
âGet specific, adding subgoals. These should be SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Agreed Upon, Realistic, and Time-Based),â suggests Harvard Business School career coach Matt Spielman. âJust as leaders can create goals that ladder up to company-wide business objectives, they can make sure their teams have goals that ladder up to support these objectives.
âAccording to learning science consultant Julia Phelan, setting goals collaboratively gives you greater insight into your employeeâs strengths, skills, and competencies while helping them develop a sense of ownership in a new role.
5. Extend timeline if needed
Your employeeâs mental health is more important than a deadline. If there are extenuating circumstances at play, donât be afraid to push the 90-day performance review back.
âMy 90 day review period was extended,â writes one Reddit user. âThe reasons given for this are that I was going through some personal stuff (death and illness in the family) and they thought it would be fairer to extend the review period because I admitted this was affecting my performance.
âAfter rescheduling the review for a more doable date, the reviewee received actionable feedback and the grace period they deserved. The result? A better review process and a stronger relationship with the business.
6. Follow up
Employee development and support doesnât stop at 90 days. Schedule regular check-ins to track employee progress, address any challenges, and offer support as needed to ensure continued success.
âTake the opportunity to regularly talk with new employees about their role and their performance,â Phelan explains. âThese touchpoints are important for assuring new employees that they are on track, or letting them know if they are not, and providing clarity on how to close any gaps.
âWhether you work together to create a full development plan or simply target a few new skills to build, make time to support the employee's progress.
Once-a-year performance management isnât enoughÂ
Starting a new job can be overwhelming, but you have the power to help employees navigate the uncertainty.
The first 90 days set the tone for long-term success. By encouraging focus, adaptability, and thoughtful review feedback from the start, you can help new team members build the confidence they need to succeed in the company long-term.
Invest in employee success with Breezy Perform â the user-friendly employee review software that helps you engage, align, and stay in sync on team progress. Get started today totally free and start launching the right reviews at the right time.
