Inside Look: When to Use the Employee Self-Review in Your Performance Management Process

Introspection isn’t always easy, but it is worth it. Employee self-reviews can play a big role in driving alignment, engagement, and retention — but it can be easy to get them wrong.

For many employees, the self-evaluation is the part of the performance management cycle that feels like the biggest waste of time. And the truth is, self-reviews shouldn’t be about building an annual defense case, taking tedious notes on tasks, or wondering how many times you can tick ‘exceeding expectations’ without raising any eyebrows.

With a more thoughtful approach, the employee self-review can be a powerful tool for reflection and learning, helping managers and employees understand which actions have the biggest impact on shared success. Today, we’re shedding light on the ideal conditions for productive self-appraisals.

What is an employee self-evaluation?

An employee self-evaluation gives team members a chance to assess their job performance, reflect on accomplishments, and set growth goals. It’s a valuable tool for aligning individual strengths with company goals and helps managers lead conversations around professional growth, constructive feedback, and learning opportunities.

By encouraging employees to voice their thoughts, reflections, and suggestions, managers and human resources (HR) professionals can use the self-assessment as an opportunity to start a productive dialogue about progress, with the employee’s perspective as the starting point.

Types of self-assessments

There are several types of self-assessments that can play a role in your performance management process. Here are some of the most common:

• Traditional self-reviews: Employees reflect on their performance based on set goals and criteria, typically once per year as part of the annual performance review process.
• Skill-based assessments: Individuals evaluate their skills, competencies, and areas for development, often using data-driven assessments and aptitude tests. These tools are frequently used in the hiring process, but can also play a role in performance management and skills development.
• Behavioral assessments: Employees evaluate how their behavior aligns with company values. This could include personality assessments focused on understanding work style and team fit.
• 360-degree feedback assessments: Employee self-evaluations can also be found within 360 performance reviews where team members gather feedback from peers, supervisors, and direct reports for a holistic view of the team’s performance.

Goal-setting assessments: Employees review progress towards their goals and set new objectives for future growth.

What happens during a self-assessment appraisal?

During a self-assessment, employees get to take a “mirror moment” to reflect on their performance, skills, and the contributions they’ve made to the team. It’s a chance for them to celebrate wins, pinpoint areas for growth, and set the stage for an open discussion regarding future goals.

Whatever the format, there are typically three stages to an employee self-review: 

1. Preparation: Employees are given a self-evaluation form with clear criteria, for example: Personal Goals, Contribution, Growth and Aspirations.
2. Evaluation: Employees take time to reflect, rate their performance, and highlight key accomplishments and examples of their work.
3. Goal-setting: Employees are encouraged to share personal development and career goals with managers, who can help them set measurable goals at the individual and team level.

Employee self-assessments can be a powerful tool for building an emotionally intelligent workforce — but they’re only effective when managers and employees are on the same page about why you’re doing them in the first place.

Why are employee self-evaluations important?

Self-evaluations are crucial for a few key reasons. First, they prompt employees to reflect on their strengths and areas for improvement, fostering self-awareness and helping them gain a clear view of their performance.

But beyond that, self-evaluations encourage accountability at both the individual and team level by empowering employees to take ownership of their career development, while enabling managers to speak openly about performance blockers in a way that is positive and focused.

Here are just a handful of the benefits a strong self-review process can deliver.

1. Boosts self-awareness

Self-evaluations encourage employees to reflect on their strengths, achievements, and areas of improvement. It’s like a personal check-in, helping them gain a clear view of their job performance. With emotional intelligence ranking as one of the most sought after workplace skills today, it’s also a great way to build a resilient team culture.

2. Encourages accountability

With 93% of workers unable to take accountability for desired results at work, it’s time for an accountability revolution – and self-reviews are the starting point. Taking ownership of tasks, projects and career growth helps employees recognize they’re not just along for the ride – they’re steering the ship. ⚓ 

3. Improves communication with managers

Self-evaluation paves the way for open, valuable discussions between employees and managers. Plus, it creates a space where honest feedback can flow, helping everyone get on the same page. And with 71% of US workers claiming they’ve experienced toxic bosses, it’s well worth the time and effort.

4. Supports goal-setting

Reflecting on past performance is super helpful for employees to set realistic and motivating goals for the future. They can see what worked, what didn’t, and chart a clear path ahead. A huge win for the 70% of employees who say their sense of purpose comes directly from their work.

5. Boosts motivation and engagement

With 62% of employees reporting disengagement at work, self-assessments can help them see the value of what they bring to the table. Taking a moment to reflect can bring a genuine sense of accomplishment that leads to an organic increase in employee engagement.

When to use the employee self-review

A common gripe about self-reviews is that, like the annual review, they tend to feel pointless and arbitrary – more like a box-ticking exercise than an opportunity to sit down and talk.

To take self-evals out of the shadows, start by making them more frequent. Here are a few scenarios where a self-appraisal might make the difference.

1. Start a conversation with an employee who isn't meeting expectations

Giving negative feedback is always awkward, but it’s worse when it comes as a surprise. By using the self-review as a starting point, managers and employees can have a more open and understanding conversation. When the employee completes a self-review, it gives the manager an idea of how they see their own performance. This can help focus the conversation around clarifying expectations and sharing clear examples of what is and isn’t working, making it easier to work together to find ways to improve. 

2. As part of a 360 review process

One of the biggest benefits of a 360 performance review is the complete picture you get of how each unique individual contributes to the entire team’s performance. By integrating the self-review as a standard part of the 360 review process, you can encourage a culture of self-reflection and empower managers to work with employees on continuous improvement and personalized action plans.

3. When team goals are consistently not being met

Every team is a sum of its parts and an employee self-review can help managers talk to employees when team goals aren’t being met. With the right evaluation questions, managers can get to the root of the issue and identify where employees need additional resources or support.

4. To increase manager engagement

Engaged managers lead engaged teams. But the reality is that just 3 in 10 managers feel involved and enthusiastic in their roles. By giving employees an opportunity to stop and reflect, the employee self-review helps take some of the feedback burden off the manager’s plate and opens the door for a productive conversation.

5. Reduce employee turnover

Employees’ long-term commitment to their organizations is the lowest it’s been in nine years. And according to the experts at Gallup, replacing managers costs around 200% of their salary, replacing employees in technical roles costs approximately 80% of their salary, and replacing frontline employees costs roughly 40% of their salary.

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With a repeatable process for employee re-engagement, costly turnover is preventable. Yet according to our research at Breezy, nearly 36% of employers still fall back on informal channels like Slack channels, Google Forms, and Excel sheets to manage employee performance and recognition. With a systematic approach to launching self-reviews, you can give employees more opportunities to feel heard – leading to increased satisfaction and loyalty.

Pros and cons of the employee self-evaluation

Now let’s take a closer look at the good and not-so-good aspects of self-evaluations. While they can be an effective tool for increasing manager and employee engagement, they are just as prone to bias and misunderstanding as any other type of performance review.

Sample questions for employee self-review

As with any performance review, much of your success comes down to the questions you ask. Depending on your process, it’s often a good idea to request a self-review from both employees and managers for a more complete understanding of team progress.

Select and customize the following sample questions based on what works best for your unique review cycle:

Self-evaluation questions for employees

• Describe the work or contributions you are most proud of in this review period.
• Was there anything you wanted to achieve but weren't able to?
• What are 2-3 ways you want to grow professionally or personally?
• What challenges have you faced in your job, and how did you overcome them?
• Which of our company values did you live best in the last few months?
• Can you think of anything that would enable you to improve your performance?
• Do you have the resources and support needed to further your skills?
• What project/goal(s) would you like to focus on in the next quarter/six months/year?

Employee-evaluation questions for managers

• Describe a meaningful contribution this employee has made since the last review.
• Which company value(s) have you seen this employee demonstrating well in the last few months?
• What are some areas of focus/values that could benefit this employee?
• What are some positive interactions you’ve noticed between this employee and others?

4-point rating scale for employees and managers

For years, employers have been using a rating scale as part of their employee self-review process. But the truth is, this is the source of pain for many employees and managers who don’t share the same definition of what “meets” vs. “exceeds” expectations.

If you’re going to take the ratings route, consider using the below scale to help employees and managers respond to differing perspectives in specific pre-defined areas (see list below): 

1. Opportunities to Improve
2. Consistently Meets Expectations
3. Often Exceeds Expectations
4. Almost Always Exceeds Expectations

Communication

• Articulates thoughts and ideas clearly and concisely in written or verbal form
• Actively listens, understands, and interprets non-verbal cues well
• Adapts communication style to suit different audiences

Teamwork

• Shares ideas and resources
• Takes on different roles and responsibilities
• Supports team members as needed
• Builds trust and rapport with colleagues
• Communicates effectively with the team
• Is receptive to feedback

Problem-solving & innovation

• Logically and systematically identifies root causes to problems
• Uses creativity to generate and implement effective solutions
• Demonstrates critical thinking, research, data analysis, and innovation

Time management

• Proactively plans, prioritizes, and organizes
• Stays focused and avoids distractions
• Seeks assistance or delegates tasks when appropriate

Leadership skills

• Provides direction and guidance
• Manages resources and people effectively
• Makes difficult decisions when necessary
• Fosters a positive and inclusive team culture

Adaptability

• Works effectively in diverse environments
• Flexes to changing priorities
• Learns new skills and systems quickly

3 employee self evaluation examples

Still not sure what makes a strong employee assessment form? Here are 3 brief examples of what a question and answer section could look like.

Example 1: Proud contributions

Question: Describe the work or contributions you are most proud of in this review period.

Answer: I’m particularly proud of leading the marketing campaign for our new product launch. It involved coordinating with multiple departments, and we exceeded our sales targets by 30%. Seeing the positive impact of our hard work and collaboration was incredibly rewarding.

Example 2: Growth opportunities

Question: What are 2-3 ways you want to grow professionally or personally?

Answer: I’d like to improve my public speaking skills by participating in workshops, as I want to feel more confident presenting in team meetings. Additionally, I’m interested in mentoring newer team members to develop my leadership skills while helping others grow.

Example 3: Company values

Question: In the last few months, which of our company values have you embodied most effectively?

Answer: I believe I embodied our value of “collaboration” during our recent project. I made a conscious effort to encourage open communication within the team, and I facilitated brainstorming sessions that led to innovative solutions, strengthening our teamwork.

Make stale performance evaluations a thing of the past

The self-assessment process should be about growth. Not paperwork.

With Breezy Perform, it’s easy to send and submit self-evals. Simply hit Review, answer each question, and click Save or Submit. Feedback and goals are displayed alongside reviews for easy reference during your next performance meeting.

For high-performing teams, reviews are business as usual. Keep it simple with Breezy Perform.