40+ Best Performance Appraisal Comments: Tips and Samples

Approximately 77% of HR executives believe employee appraisals are inaccurate employee performance indicators. This is primarily so because when managers roll out reviews, they consider the outcome of the employee behavior to be of more significance than the behavior itself. While in reality, it's quite the opposite. The way an individual or a team acts, thinks, and approaches a goal carries more weight and says a lot about them. This is precisely what should be taken into account during performance appraisals. 

The concept of performance appraisal is crucial to effective management. Let's learn more about performance appraisal before diving into some outstanding examples of appraisal comments. 

What Is an appraisal? 

The appraisal process refers to evaluating and assessing an employee's work for a particular duration of time. This is an evaluation done to give the employee: 

• Constructive feedback 
• An idea of their future at the organization 
• Rewards for their consistently improving performance 

Through this assessment, a manager can evaluate the employee's performance, the recognition and rewards they deserve, the areas they need to improve, and much more. 

Further Reading: Top 10 Performance Appraisal Methods to boost Workplace Culture 

One of the essential forms of appraisals at work is self-appraisal. Self-appraisal is important when individuals want to put forth their thoughts about their own performance. Organizations that are sensitive to their employees’ views consider this form of appraisal as an important indicator of employee satisfaction and follow it as a mandatory practice. Self-appraisals not only help build accountability and strong work relationships but also strengthen communications and promote career growth. 

How To Write Effective Appraisal Comments? 

To write appraisal comments that are useful, here are some things to bear in mind: 

1. Understand why an appraisal is being written in the first place. Try and investigate the underlying motive and the benefits associated with it. 
2. Ensure that you have a constructive approach while writing approvals for others as well as yourself.  
3. Do not shy away from calling attention to negatives/flaws but don’t be excessively critical.  
4. Recommend actionable solutions. This is important because once the problems have been highlighted, it’s important to find solutions to them.  
5. Do not hesitate to ask more questions; they could be based on any improvements or challenges that are acting as roadblocks.  

 Additionally, below are some more points to keep a note of: 

Further Reading: 5 Tips To Improve Performance Appraisal Process 

List of 40+ Best Appraisal Comments  

Appraisal Comments For Managers  

Here are some appraisal comment templates that managers can use in the next appraisal cycle: 

Positive 

1. Your optimistic attitude about implementing new practices has a good impact on others around you. It may not seem like an inherent quality but something that you have worked on for years.  
2. You have an aptitude for collaborating with others to solve difficulties. If you stick with it, I'm confident you'll become an excellent team leader. 
3. I've never dealt with somebody with such a vivid imagination. You come up with novel answers to some of our most difficult situations. Keep up the good work but be on the lookout for new ways to improve.  
4. You have a remarkable ability to prioritize assignments based on their relevance and make the most of your time. Time management, especially in your field of work, is a key skill to have, and you have been rightly harnessing its power. 
5. Your go-getter attitude has always pushed your team members to follow in your footsteps, and that is a great trait to have. You should utilize this ability and take your team to the next level.  
6. I've noticed your commitment to your work, and it's inspiring to watch someone who is eager to learn and progress. If you follow my advice, you will be able to maintain this throughout your career since your enthusiasm has the potential to take you places. 
7. You serve as an exceptional role model by continually displaying a dedication to upholding business principles and encouraging others to do the same. You also effectively lead your team as necessary while holding people accountable for their responsibilities. 
8. It was admirable how you stepped in at the last minute and worked on the complete back end by yourself. I see a lot of potential in you, so I strongly advise you to take some courses in this field to expand your knowledge. 
9. On the rare occasion that you have missed work, you have provided ample notice and made arrangements to ensure your responsibilities are covered. 
10. You have always exhibited a professional approach to work, and I can always count on you for any new projects/approach that we take up. 

Constructive 

1. You have always been prompt with your work on presentations during the meetings, but I want to urge you to speak up in team meetings so that you can get the respect and attention you deserve. You can begin slowly and gradually, and I'm confident it will come to you naturally over time. 
2. You should be aware that other members of your team may have viewpoints that are different from yours. As vital as it is to be heard, true leadership is about ensuring that other team members have the opportunity to do so. Going forward, I'd like to see you become more receptive to other people's viewpoints. 
3. You have frequently been late for work. I understand that there may be delays owing to traffic or the fact that the workplace is open a little earlier than usual, but you'll need to start arranging your commute accordingly. 
4. I've seen a decrease in the timely delivery of your work recently. Even though the job appears to be excellent, you should work on being more prompt. 
5. You might benefit from concentrating more on your year's precise goals and attempting to attain them without being sidetracked. You will be more likely to succeed if you have a clear goal in mind; otherwise, you may become disoriented. 
6. Although I value the work you do on a daily basis, it is also critical that you take pauses. Working longer hours can lead to burnout, which will have a negative impact on the quality of your work and, over time, lower your caliber. 
7. When dealing with stakeholders from other teams, consider making an effort to communicate your point of view in less technical words. Technical jargon can be difficult to comprehend. 
8. You and your team might benefit from a greater readiness to share expertise and collaborate. 
9. You have a tendency to be biased in certain instances, which makes employees hesitant to seek your assistance. 
10. There's one trait of yours that you can work really hard to improve. I've rarely seen you seeking assistance to address a problem, and that always lands you far behind others. You should seek help whenever possible, and we're all here for you. 

Self-appraisals 

Employees can use the following self-appraisal comment templates in the next appraisal cycle: 

Positive 

1. I communicate pertinent information and updates on a regular basis to keep my colleagues and management informed of significant and minor events and to stay on the same page. 
2. It brings me great pleasure to report that I have exceeded my performance targets for this quarter.  
3. I make it a point to keep stakeholders, coworkers, and consumers informed about any progress or adjustments. 
4. I am proud of my colleagues' accomplishments and do not hesitate to congratulate them. 
5. I ensured that our website's bounce rate was as low as possible, while at the same time, the click-through rate was going up.  
6. I promote a team-oriented work environment by including all team members. 
7. I am skilled at convincing and maintaining composure when dealing with difficult and hostile consumers. 
8. In all scenarios, I honor my promises and make every effort to complete work on schedule. 
9. I am devoted to continuing my professional development, and I have enrolled in training courses focused on the abilities in which I recognize a need for improvement. 
10. I am a self-taught learner who picks up new talents from others. 
11. I look for ways to interact with and learn from other brilliant people in my field. 

Constructive 

1. I have decent communication skills, but I need to improve my public speaking skills because interacting with large groups can be tough at times. 
2. Despite my best efforts, I have recently discovered that I am not always clear in my conversations. I intend to devise a strategy to improve my communication abilities. 
3. I avoid having uncomfortable talks because I understand how important it is to have them with a positive attitude. 
4. I usually think positively, but some people find it difficult to communicate with me, and I'd like to dispel this myth. 
5. I have a natural talent for customer service, but I know I need to follow up more frequently, and I'm working on it. 
6. I don't always share my thoughts during interactions, which results in more passive team discussions. 
7. I tend to be guided by what works best for me, but I also intend to try new and different techniques. 
8. People have the tendency to mistake me for being arrogant and unpleasant, despite the fact that I am a happy-go-lucky person. Even while I appreciate my peers, I can come out as distant at times. 
9. Managing many deadlines at the same time can be difficult for me. By successfully managing my time and priorities, I am consistently working toward getting everything in order. 
10. I sometimes forget to probe and solicit feedback, preferring to work alone; this is an area where I need to improve and become more proactive. 

Conclusion  

In order to optimize performance, it's critical to tailor appraisal comments for each employee. This list of appraisal comments isn’t meant to be a one-size-fits-all solution, but they can be a good starting point! Feel free to use this for your upcoming appraisal meetings and make the most of it! We are sure when your next review cycle comes along, these samples can simply serve as inspiration for your appraisal comments.  

Also, if you are looking to know more about Performance management, here’s a helpful article.