Performance Review Phrases

These free performance review phrases give managers a starting point for every comment on a review. There are 120 short phrases, grouped by skill and by rating level, each with room for a real example. Use them with any review form, including our free performance review template, to write comments that are specific, fair and easy for the employee to act on.

What you get

A five-page PDF and an editable Word file, sized for US Letter paper:

• Pages 1–3: phrases for eight core areas: quality of work, productivity, communication, teamwork, reliability and attendance, customer service, initiative, and leadership. Each area has five phrases at each of three levels: exceeds expectations, meets expectations and needs improvement.
• Page 4: phrases to avoid, with the reason and a better way to say it, plus summary phrases for the overall comment.
• Page 5: notes on writing the comments, keeping reviews fair, and keeping the record, with links to the sources.

Each phrase has a highlighted [placeholder] where you add a fact: a number, a date, a task or an example. The Word version lets you copy phrases straight into your own review form.

What a good review comment includes

• A behavior or a result. “Finished 6 of 10 assigned tasks on time” rather than “lazy”.
• One real example from the period. A date, a job, a customer or a number.
• Why it matters. Saved time, kept a customer, cost a day of rework.
• The same standard for everyone in the same job. It’s fairer, and easier to defend if a decision is ever questioned.
• Your own words. Edit each phrase so the review sounds like you, not a list.

How to write review comments with these phrases

1. Collect what you know about the whole review period: your notes, job or sales numbers, customer feedback, and earlier check-ins.
2. Decide the rating for each area first. On a 1–5 scale, exceeds is a 4 or 5, meets is a 3, and needs improvement is a 1 or 2.
3. Pick one phrase from the matching column. One good comment per area beats three generic ones.
4. Replace each [placeholder] with a fact. If you can’t think of an example, the phrase probably doesn’t fit.
5. Read the comment back and ask: could the employee act on this, and could I show the example if asked?
6. Check every comment against the phrases to avoid, then copy them into your review form.

Performance review phrases by skill

A sample from each area of the PDF:

• Quality of work: “Catches problems before they reach the customer.” Or, to improve: “Skips the final check on invoices, so errors reach customers.”
• Productivity: “Found a faster way to process returns, saving about two hours a week.”
• Communication: “Writes notes clear enough that anyone can pick up the job.”
• Teamwork: “Steps in to help coworkers without being asked.” Or, to improve: “Doesn’t hand over open orders at shift change, so the next person starts behind.”
• Reliability and attendance: “Arrives on time and follows the call-in procedure when absent.”
• Customer service: “Turns complaints into repeat business.”
• Initiative: “Spots problems early and brings a fix.”
• Leadership: “Coaches people one to one; Dana now handles opening alone.”

For job knowledge, describe what the person can do without help: “Handles every routine estimate alone; still learning commercial jobs.”

Phrases to avoid in a performance review

Two kinds of comment cause trouble. The first is anything about a protected trait. Federal law protects race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and transgender status), national origin, age (40 or older), disability and genetic information, according to the EEOC. So “lots of energy for someone her age”, “less focused since the pregnancy” and “hard to understand” all invite a claim. Family medical history counts as genetic information. Stereotypes about caregivers can be sex or disability discrimination, according to EEOC guidance.

Leave also needs care. If you are covered by the FMLA, FMLA leave can’t be used as a negative factor or counted under a no-fault attendance policy (29 CFR 825.220). Count only absences that aren’t protected.

The second kind is the vague label: “bad attitude”, “not a team player”, “too emotional”, “always late”. These feel personal, and they don’t tell the employee what to change. Replace each with what happened and when.

Phrases for the overall summary

End the review with two or three sentences that match the ratings: the main achievement, the one or two things to work on, and what happens next. For example: “A solid year in a demanding job. The next step is building estimates alone, and we will support that with two training sessions.” The summary should never surprise someone whose ratings say otherwise.

Before you give a low rating

If an employee links a problem to a medical condition, you don’t have to raise an accurate rating. But you should talk about whether an accommodation would help, according to EEOC guidance under the ADA. Pause and get advice if the employee has recently complained about discrimination, asked for an accommodation or taken protected leave. The EEOC lists a performance evaluation that is “lower than it should be” as one example of possible retaliation. For an employee who is struggling, a performance improvement plan is the better next step.

Want a second opinion on a tricky review, or on what your state adds? That’s what hrsupport.io is for: HR answers for your state, with the law behind every answer.