23 End of Year Review Tips for Employers and Employees
Conducting and participating in an end of year review offers a great way to reflect on the year and plan for a productive and successful upcoming year. End of year reviews notably offer employees the chance to set future goals and discuss ways to improve performance and the work environment.
Management can use end of year reviews to ensure employees are on track and boost morale by setting motivating goals. End of the year reviews also give management feedback that can be used to plan future strategy and improve company productivity and success.
Whether you're an employer conducting reviews or an employee with one coming up, these end of year review tips will help you get the most from your review meeting.
13 Employer Tips for End of the Year Reviews
Utilizing these end of year performance review tips will help you to have the most constructive review meeting possible. After the meeting, ensure that you take all the feedback from employees and act on everything you can. Using feedback to create a high-performing workplace with a healthy culture is highly important for employee morale and one of the top ways to attract and retain talent.
1. Review the Employee's Performance Throughout the Year
The first step of an end of year review is to review the employee’s performance before the meeting with them. Note things they have achieved, goals they have met, and other areas of strength and growth seen throughout the work year. Also, note things that could be improved or areas where you think they could grow.
2. Gather Feedback from Colleagues, Clients, and Other Relevant Stakeholders
It can also be a good idea to collect feedback from people that the employee works with closely. These parties can include managers and other higher-ups or clients if they work in a client-facing role. For the latter, you could contact clients directly or look at customer feedback submitted about the employee.
3. Familiarize Yourself With the Employee's Goals and Achievements
An important part of end of year reviews is creating a plan for employees to reach their goals in the coming year. You can also use these meetings to recognize achievements, which can help keep employees engaged and motivated.
Before the meeting, find out what goals the employee had for the year and which were met or exceeded. Also note if any KPIs were not met, find a reason why, if possible, and discuss it at the end of year review meeting.
Additionally, familiarize yourself with other employee work achievements not connected to goals and determine what their upcoming work year goals are. If you can’t find this out, it can be discussed in the end of year review meeting.
If the employee has been at the company for at least one year, you can also look at last year’s end of year review notes to see what goals and accomplishments they wanted to achieve this year. Discuss in the meeting if these were achieved or not and what can be done in the upcoming year to achieve them if they were not this year.
End of year reviews can boost productivity and job satisfaction in the new year.
4. Start the Review on a Positive Note
Having prepared for the review, you’ll now be ready to have a constructive meeting with your employee. Starting all end of the year reviews on a positive note is crucial, no matter how positive or negative the majority of the feedback in the meeting will be.
To do this, begin by acknowledging the employee's accomplishments throughout the year and focusing on other positive contributions to the company. Cover yearly goals set for them and recognize those that were achieved and even exceeded. You can ask if the employee faced any roadblocks in meeting these goals as well.
5. Highlight Examples of Their Contributions to the Team and Organization
Whenever you give positive feedback during an end of year review, give specific examples of successes and contributions. Instead of simply saying, “You were a great team player this year,” provide examples of when this contribution specifically stood out. You should also recognize both individual and team efforts, focusing on what the employee brought to a team success.
6. Provide Constructive Feedback
Having given positive feedback, you can then move on to constructive feedback. Again, ensure you offer specific examples of what needs to be improved and suggestions for how the employee can improve in these areas.
Always be honest with employees during an end of year review and emphasize a growth mindset. Highlight that the constructive feedback isn’t calling out the employee, but simply being brought up so that the employee can improve in these areas and grow as an individual in the company.
Don’t forget to ask for employee feedback on these constructive notes. What could be done in the company to help them improve in these areas? Is there a reason why these issues occurred?
If it appears the issues arose due to something out of the employee’s control, recognize that and create a plan to avoid a similar situation occurring in the new work year.
7. Discuss Career Development
Once feedback is covered, the next step in an end of year review is discussing employee development. Talk about the employee’s goals at the company and for their career in general. Identify areas where they can grow and how you can help them meet their goals, both short-term and long-term.
8. Set Clear Goals for the Future
Collaboratively set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals for the next year. This can be done during the end of year review or in a subsequent meeting. Ensure these are achievable and that they align with organizational goals.
Setting goals for the upcoming year that meet the employee’s career goals is one of the best ways to boost employee morale and motivation in the new year.
Always discuss the employee’s career goals before setting targets for the new year.
9. Encourage Two-Way Communication
When giving both positive and constructive feedback, encourage the employee to communicate their thoughts and feelings on the feedback. Additionally, dedicate a portion of the end of year review to letting the employee share feedback on their goals and successes, plus feedback or concerns about the organization, company processes, and their team.
After receiving additional feedback from the employee, address concerns and create a plan to fix any issues where possible.
10. Acknowledge Challenges and Learning Opportunities
When giving and receiving feedback during an end of year review, always acknowledge the challenges the employee has faced. Discuss how they handled this adversity and what can be done to ensure similar problems don’t occur in the new year.
You should also emphasize the importance of continuous learning and improvement. Highlight that the company wants to help the employee with this.
Acknowledging difficulties and helping the employee develop solutions is a must for fostering strong employee morale and motivation. Consistently addressing these kinds of issues is also one of the best ways to reduce employee turnover, making it beneficial to both the employee and the organization.
11. Discuss Compensation and Recognition
Discuss any changes in compensation, bonuses, or promotions that the employee will be getting. If the employee is not due any of these currently, mention when they will be eligible and what they can do to ensure the promotion or salary increase is achieved.
12. Document the End of Year Review
Once your end of year review discussion is complete, document the key points of the review. Go over the employee’s goals for the year, what will be done to fix any problems they’ve encountered, and an overview of compensation or role changes. Ensure the employee is on board with all of them.
Shortly after the meeting ends, provide a written summary of the discussion to the employee, including all goals and action items.
13. Follow-Up with the Employee Throughout the New Year
The last step of an end of year review is to schedule follow-ups through the new year. Your company may already initiate monthly or quarterly employee reviews, where you can cover the end of the year meeting and discuss progress toward goals and the like with the employee.
If you don’t already do this, consider setting up reviews throughout the year, even if it is only once every six months. Being available for ongoing feedback and support throughout the year is also important.
End of Year Review Questions
One of the most crucial parts of conducting end of year reviews is asking the right questions that will make the employee feel heard and gather information to advance the company and the employee’s career.
The following are some of the most important questions to ask during end of the year reviews. Remember to also ask more specific questions tailored to the employee and craft personalized questions based on the responses you get from them.
An end of year review needs to be an open and honest two-way communication, focused on the employee, their goals, and helping them succeed within the organization.
Performance Assessment Questions
How would you assess your performance over the past year?
In what areas have you shown improvement since last year?
What goals were you set for the year and how did you achieve them?
What have been your biggest accomplishments and contributions?
What challenges did you face in the past year? How did you overcome them? How can the organization help you overcome them?
Feedback and Collaboration Questions
Did you receive sufficient feedback from higher-ups? How do you feel about the feedback? Could feedback be given in a more effective way?
How did you work with your team members? What were your biggest successes together? Could anything be improved?
Can you share examples of how you collaborated with others to achieve common goals?
Do you have any specific feedback about your role, team members, or the organization as a whole that you would like to share? Is there anything your manager or the organization can do to help you succeed?
Goal Setting and Development Questions
What are your professional goals for the upcoming year?
How do you see your role evolving? What steps can the organization take to support your career growth and development?
Do you have any specific skills you would like to learn in the upcoming year or responsibilities you would like to be given?
Did you participate in any training and development this year? Is that something that could benefit you in the upcoming year?
Planning questions in advance will ensure you get all the information you need from the review.
10 Employee Tips for End of the Year Reviews
End of year reviews aren’t only about looking at past performance. They also allow you to plan for your future success and growth within the company.
After reading these end of year performance review tips for employees, you’ll be able to approach the meeting with a positive and forward-looking mindset. If you focus on what you have to give and want to achieve in the organization, you should leave the review motivated for the new work year.
1. Conduct a Self-Assessment
The first thing to do when preparing for your end of year review is to conduct an honest self-assessment. Reflect on your achievements and the goals you met as well as challenges you faced throughout the year.
Write down a few specific examples of successes and contributions to the organization. This is especially important if you are looking to negotiate a raise or promotion during your end of year review.
If you have any areas for improvement, develop a few ideas about how you could improve in the new year. Be prepared to discuss any unmet goals and the reasons behind them.
2. Review Your Career Goals
When preparing for an end of year review, you’ll want to look at two sets of goals: the ones you were set for the current year and the ones you would like set for the upcoming year. Having conducted a self-assessment, you should have already noted which goals you achieved or exceed and which you didn’t and how you can achieve them in the future.
Additionally, create a list of some suggested goals for the new year. These can include increases on current goals (for example, a higher sales amount) or new goals that relate to your career growth and development goals.
3. Collect Feedback
It may also be a good idea to gather feedback about your performance from co-workers. This can help you to get a well-rounded understanding of your performance across the year before discussing this with a higher-up in your end of year review. Use this feedback to identify strengths and areas for improvement to add to your self-assessment notes.
4. Come to the End of Year Review Prepared
Always come into a review meeting as prepared as possible. Bring your self-assessment list and any other supporting documentation you may need. This could include reports connected to your efforts, such as sales or marketing campaign reports, or pieces of work that show your strengths.
Anticipate questions during your end of year review and be ready to discuss your contributions, challenges, and goals.
5. Highlight Your Achievements
Having done sufficient preparation work, you can easily highlight your successes during your end of year review. Clearly communicate these accomplishments and the impact they had on your team and the organization as a whole. Use specific examples that you should have gathered during the preparation stage.
Review your performance before the meeting and come prepared to discuss what you want to achieve next year.
6. Discuss Challenges
Once you have discussed successes, cover the challenges and setbacks you have faced. If you have had challenges related to output or meeting goals, this will likely be brought up by your reviewer. If they are discussed, calmly explain why the issues occurred and what you can do to remedy them.
You should also bring up challenges or issues you faced not related to performance. Explain how these issues affected your work and motivation and discuss solutions.
7. Get Feedback and Be Open to Suggestions
In an end of year review, you will likely be given feedback, both positive and constructive as part of the meeting. However, always ask for additional feedback if needed and always be open to suggestions on how you can improve and grow. Simply showing that you are willing to learn and improve can make up for any shortcomings you had throughout the year.
8. Set Future Goals
Having given and received feedback, collaborate with your manager to set clear and achievable goals for the upcoming year. You may even discuss and plan longer-term goals.
Ensure that any goals set align with your career objectives and capabilities. Don’t take on overly unachievable goals that are too far outside of your experience level (unless you truly believe you can reach them) as this could result in you having many unaccomplished goals at your next end of year review.
However, don’t accept goals that are below your experience level or will make you stagnate as this can lead to career dissatisfaction and even burnout.
9. Create a Development Plan
Along with setting goals, discuss an overall development strategy for you within the organization. Mention tasks you would like to take on, skills you would like to learn, and roles you would like to move into. Your manager should then be able to help you plan a path to meet these career development milestones.
10. Follow Up
After your end of year review is complete, you should receive a written outline of the things you discuss from your manager. However, it’s also important to send an email yourself, thanking your reviewer for their time and summarizing what was talked about. Reiterate your commitment to your goals and growth within the organization and express enthusiasm for the upcoming year.
In Conclusion
End of year reviews are highly important for both employers and employees. Together, you can recognize strengths, work out issues, and create a plan that benefits the growth and development of the organization and the employee.
After reading these end of year review tips, you should be fully prepared to successfully go into your end of year review, whether you’re the reviewer or the one being reviewed.
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