340 Performance Appraisal Phrases for Effective Employee Performance Reviews

Periodic performance review can be challenging for both employers and employees.

Choosing the right words to offer useful and constructive feedback to others is not an easy feat. The best performance appraisal phrases help people understand their strengths and what they need to work on without terrifying them.

In today’s post, Camelo will share with you 340 performance appraisal phrases that you can use right away for annual reports or self-evaluations.

Performance Review Appraisal Phrases

Attendance and Punctuality

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. James always arrives at work on time.
2. Mary is always early for meetings and work.
3. John always sticks to the work schedule.
4. Patric is never absent without prior approval.
5. Robert meets the attendance standards of the company.
6. Jen achieves a perfect attendance this month.
7. Mike has an excellent attendance record this quarter.
8. Linda doesn’t violate the company’s attendance policy.
9. David exceeds expectations by arriving on time for work and meetings.
10. Barbara always adheres to the work schedule.

Needs Improvement

1. Joe is often late for work and meetings.
2. Jess doesn’t always adhere to the work schedule.
3. Tom was absent 3 times this month without prior approval.
4. Sarah doesn’t meet the attendance standards of the company.
5. Dan often comes back late from breaks.
6. Lisa violated the company’s attendance policy.
7. Chris didn’t meet the attendance goal this month.
8. Nancy has a poor attendance this quarter.
9. No-call, no-show 3 times this month
10. Don doesn’t attend all meetings.

Attitude

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Ken spreads a positive attitude to the whole team.
2. Donna is cheerful and polite to customers.
3. Kevin smiles a lot, plus a good sense of humor.
4. Cheryl cheers up the whole team by her positivity.
5. Brian is optimistic and enthusiastic in every circumstance.
6. Amanda is a delight to the team during stressful and tiring times.
7. Ron is reliable and trustworthy to coworkers and customers.
8. Betty helps create a comfortable atmosphere at work.
9. Jeff maintains a calm and inspiring attitude.
10. Cindy doesn’t let personal feelings or other people interfere with work.

Needs Improvement

1. Gary needs to control the negative attitude.
2. Amy often lets feelings affect attitude at work.
3. Eric is easy to get upset.
4. Angela needs to work on showing a more positive attitude to customers.
5. Steve needs to accept constructive feedback.
6. Helen sometimes lets negative emotions affect other team members.
7. Harry doesn’t deal with stress well.
8. Justin shows a poor attitude to customers.
9. Pamela needs to handle emotional changes better.
10. Scott can be angry sometimes, which makes other team members nervous.

Communication

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Nicky communicates effectively with managers, colleagues, and customers.
2. Brandon expresses ideas clearly in meetings and conferences.
3. Ben discusses issues enthusiastically and constructively.
4. Kate isn’t afraid to ask questions and discuss for better-quality work.
5. Alex connects well with anyone she talks to.
6. Debra is always polite, attentive and caring when talking to customers.
7. Jake makes conversations with customers and other team members comfortable.
8. Donna is always straight to the point and informative.
9. Dennis easily handles different viewpoints and opinions.
10. Janet is great at breaking the ice with new customers and employees.

Needs Improvement

1. Jerry hesitates to ask questions to clarify issues.
2. Tyler uses inappropriate language when communicating with others.
3. Nathan struggles to maintain conversations.
4. Tyler needs to express thoughts and ideas more clearly.
5. Peter tends to discuss irrelevant and unimportant things.
6. Christina needs to show more of a positive attitude when communicating with customers.
7. Kyle doesn’t share enough information with the team.
8. Lauren fails to keep information confidential.
9. Walter needs to improve foreign language skills to communicate more effectively.
10. Evelyn struggles to explain complicated topics.

Customer Service

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Carl goes beyond excellence at customer service.
2. Amanda helps customers understand the value of company’s products and make the right decisions.
3. Keith can deal with different types of customers, even the most difficult ones.
4. Frances is always patient and caring to customers.
5. Sean does a great job of understanding customers’ needs and recommends exactly what they need.
6. Ann always shows a calm and positive attitude to customers.
7. Austin always gets to know customers and ask questions to provide what’s best for them.
8. Teresa treats customers with respect and professionalism.
9. Joe makes customers feel cared about.
10. Sara finds creative ways to help customers, and discusses with teammates to find solutions for difficult customers.

Needs Improvement

1. Ann sometimes shows a patronizing attitude when serving customers.
2. Harry isn’t patient enough when dealing with difficult customers.
3. Rick struggles to find out what customers need and to recommend the right products for them.
4. Henry sometimes treats customers in an overly-friendly way.
5. Anna often shows impatience by talking to customers in a hurried and rushed manner.
6. Adam needs to understand company’s products to provide necessary information to customers.
7. Ron lets personal feelings interfere with his work by showing frustration when talking to customers.
8. Vicky struggles to manage difficult customers and often asks for teammates’ help.
9. Oliver doesn’t take time to listen to customers and figure out what they need.
10. Luke sometimes criticizes and argues with customers in an unprofessional manner.

Dependability

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Jim is reliable in all circumstances, even the most difficult ones.
2. John is willing to work hard and get his job done.
3. Alex always complete tasks in a timely manner.
4. Monica is a trustworthy and dependable member of the team.
5. Fred is always committed to finish tasks on time.
6. Emma works hard no matter how much work and difficulty are involved.
7. Lucas is committed to deliver the best performance at work.
8. Harper is willing to get her hands dirty in order to complete the projects successfully.
9. James always demonstrates that he is reliable and dependable for the job.
10. Evelyn is an inspiring example of a dependable employee.

Needs Improvement

1. Sophia isn’t willing to deal with difficulties in her job.
2. Noah often delivers poor performance at work.
3. Amelia’s performance at work is quite inconsistent.
4. Olivia’s dependability at work is questionable.
5. Ethan doesn’t seem to be willing to do what it takes to finish his tasks.
6. Mia used to be reliable, but her work results seem to be inconsistent lately.
7. Ben’s performance at work is too inconsistent and needs to be reviewed too often.
8. Bella doesn’t cooperate with other staff to finish tasks in the most efficient way.
9. Liam often violates company’s standards regarding dependability and reliablity.
10. Ava doesn’t show concern for other team members and newbies.

Flexibility

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. James adapts easily to the situations, no matter how difficult they are.
2. Mary comes up with creative solutions to various unexpected problems.
3. John copes well with other team members and supports them to finish tasks efficiently.
4. Patricia adapts to new environments quickly.
5. Robert accepts constructive criticisms and feedback from others and make changes willingly.
6. Jennifer isn’t afraid of urgent changes at work.
7. Mike adapts well to flexible schedules and encourages other team members during inconsistent times.
8. Linda handles changes with ease and makes suggestions to better the process.
9. Will often finds efficient and innovative approaches to solve problems at work.
10. Beth delivers excellent work performance no matter what the circumstances are.

Needs Improvement

1. David often hesitates to try new approaches when solving problems at work.
2. Barbara doesn’t handle constructive criticism and feedback well.
3. Richard often shows confusion and frustration if plans don’t work out.
4. Joe struggles to adapt to big changes at work.
5. Jess is unwilling to accept new tasks and trainings.
6. Tom sometimes gets depressed when work doesn’t turn out the way he wants.
7. Nancy always sticks to traditional approaches instead of using innovative ones.
8. Chris is hesitant to take on projects that require flexibility.
9. Daniel struggles to control innovative and modern equipment.
10. Lisa tends to avoid tasks that are unclear.

Cooperation

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Charles always updates the progress with team members when working on a project.
2. Beth willingly assists others to get the job done efficiently.
3. Anthony creates a positive and helpful atmosphere for the whole team.
4. Kim cooperates well with managers and coworkers.
5. Paul always helps colleagues out when he’s done with his work.
6. Jane is willing to lend a hand when someone’s in need.
7. Steve brings the team together during difficult times.
8. Emma coordinates well with other members to deliver the best results.
9. Kevin always provides adequate follow-through to ensure the success of the project.
10. Carol loves working with others to find out the best solutions for work-related issues.

Needs Improvement

1. Josh tends to avoid helping coworkers out, even when he’s done with his tasks.
2. Melissa doesn’t discuss issues with her team members to figure out the best solutions for work.
3. Ed prefers to work alone most of the time and refuses to cooperate with his coworkers.
4. Laura doesn’t share adequate information with the team, which causes misunderstanding and confusion sometimes.
5. Ron often finds his own way to do the job without discussing with other members beforehand.
6. Kate often complains about other team members and teamwork.
7. Ryan is afraid of confrontation in teamwork.
8. Amy struggles to refuse to help others, even when she’s busy with her tasks.
9. John often argues with coworkers and creates a tense environment.
10. Brenda keeps important information to herself instead of sharing with coworkers to help out.

Creativity

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Justin’s creative solutions make him an important asset to the team.
2. Kate adds creative and inspiring touches to the team’s day.
3. Frank often looks at things from different perspectives and proposes creative solutions.
4. Janet thinks of new ideas and methods to help improve work efficiency.
5. James has an innovative mind which supports the team tremendously.
6. Mary is an innovator who helps the team get through difficult times.
7. Tyler thinks outside the box and comes up with numerous creative ideas.
8. Julie often completes her projects with creative and artistic touches.
9. Adam doesn’t rely on traditional and conventional methods to get his job done.
10. Kelly inspires coworkers to be more creative and inspirational.

Needs Improvement

1. Chris always relies on conventional approaches instead of thinking about innovative ways to get the job done.
2. Kylie is always comfortable with what she already knows and doesn’t try to improve it.
3. Kyle always accepts assumptions instead of challenging and questioning them.
4. Walter often ignores creative and innovative people in the team.
5. Megan is afraid of the risks when applying unconventional methods to the workflow.
6. Carl often insists on old methods even when there are other creative solutions.
7. Hannah doesn’t encourage others to come up with innovative ideas.
8. Terry prefers the tried-and-true approaches and hesitates to try out new methods.
9. Cindy needs to improve her creativity as she often proposes unimaginative ideas.
10. Austin lacks ingenuity, which makes creative tasks difficult for him.

Interpersonal Skills

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Joe can get along with everyone quickly.
2. Alice discusses matters respectfully even when there are opposing opinions.
3. Bryan seeks for win-win solutions rather than trying to be the winner.
4. June always makes people feel comfortable to be around.
5. Dylan knows how to give constructive feedback and accepts constructive criticisms.
6. Judy is a positive influence and inspiration to the team.
7. Alan always talks in a thoughtful and respectful manner.
8. Brittany controls her emotions and handles conflict well.
9. Vincent lightens up the atmostphere with his smart sense of humor.
10. Rose knows how to listen to others and responds actively.

Needs Improvement

1. Jack can’t accept constructive feedback from others.
2. Rudy has a strong personality which sometimes causes conflict with coworkers.
3. James has a low patience and tolerance level when dealing with difficult situations.
4. Sophie isn’t willing to sustain positive relationships with others.
5. Louis bashes others’ opinions when he disagrees.
6. Kayla is inconsiderate of other people’s feelings.
7. Bob doesn’t listen actively when discussing with other team members.
8. Jen needs to work on establishing trusting relationships.
9. Ben doesn’t know how to start and carry conversations.
10. Beth doesn’t ask questions when she doesn’t understand something.

Improvement

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Jim constantly works on himself to be a better staff.
2. Ann always tries to better her communication skills.
3. Bob focuses more on what can be done to improve the situation rather than what can’t be done.
4. Mary has improved her customer service skill tremendously this month.
5. Math always seeks better solutions to further improve efficiency.

Needs Improvement

1. Natalie struggles to work on her weaknesses.
2. Jay needs to focus more on her communication skills.
3. Sophie finds it hard to maintain professional relationships.
4. Roy doesn’t receive constructive criticism well and never tries to improve.
5. Jen often shows a “can’t-do” attitude.

Learning Ability

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Ann is eager to learn new things/methods/techniques/knowledge.
2. Ben is a quick and smart learner.
3. Mary often takes learning opportunities to improve her knowledge and skills.
4. John inspires other team members to learn and improve themselves.
5. Sara is always willing to learn from her mistakes.

Needs Improvement

1. Andy is afraid to learn new knowledge, especially in areas he isn’t familiar with.
2. Billie shows a negative attitude towards complicated trainings and knowledge.
3. Jordan rarely updates his skills to fulfill today’s work demands.
4. Gloria isn’t fully committed to learning new things.
5. Noah struggles to learn new techniques and adapt to new situations.

Leadership

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Tim always instructs and helps new team members.
2. Therese always creates a comfortable atmosphere for team members to share their thoughts.
3. Todd always shows recognition and appreciation to his staff.
4. Anne understands coworkers well and knows how to delegate tasks effectively.
5. Austin takes into consideration the suggestions of his staff.
6. Andrea encourages staff to find creative solutions to work-related problems.
7. Arthur always motivates team members to reach their full potential.
8. Martha knows how to lead the team and keep them on track.
9. Carl tries his best to create a learning, understanding, and inspiring environment.
10. Megan gains respect from other members without showing a superior attitude.

Needs Improvement

1. Jen doesn’t respect team members’ opinions and suggestions.
2. Mike hardly ever shows recognition and appreciation to his staff.
3. Susan doesn’t provide a clear execution plan for the team.
4. Rick doesn’t take the time to get to know his staff, so he can’t delegate tasks efficiently.
5. Jess shows a superior attitude towards her team members.
6. Dan creates a tense and stressful atmostphere rather than an inspiring environment for everyone.
7. Margaret doesn’t cooperate with her team to establish a well-designed development path.
8. Matt doesn’t fully support his team to complete projects effeciently.
9. Ashley doesn’t recognize the signs of her employees’ burnout.
10. Paul doesn’t provide enough guidance and support for team members, especially the new ones.

Performance

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Don’s performance at work goes beyond expectations in this quarter.
2. Michelle’s performance is consistent and reliable.
3. Dan always aims to deliver the best results.
4. Carol works with attention to detail and achieves high quality results.
5. Josh always wants to go beyond expectations rather than just meets them.
6. Amy is an asset to the company’s overall performance.
7. Larry puts 100% focus into his work.
8. Brenda’s work performance is always above and beyond average.
9. Frank achieves and maintains high standards of work performance.
10. Rachel does her best to minimize mistakes in her performance.

Needs Improvement

1. Heather’s performance doesn’t meet the goals of this month.
2. Henry doesn’t try to further improve his skills and performance.
3. Cheryl lacks self-discipline, which reduces her performance significantly.
4. Jeremy’s work performance has been inconsistent during the last few weeks.
5. Jen doesn’t take initiative when working.
6. Jake sometimes fails to carry out his required duties.
7. Brenda lacks focus, which affects her performance.
8. Mike made no attempt to improve his performance.
9. Susan can’t develop strategies to boost her performance.
10. Larry fails to show his interest in his job.

Potential

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Carl knows how to set and achieve attainable and challenging goals.
2. Amy devotes herself to complete her tasks and achieve the team’s goals.
3. Jeremy has a clear vision of his future goals and does his best to turn it into reality.
4. Jess shows her confidence in her ability to get her job done.
5. Bob seeks learning and improving opportunities to achieve his full potential.
6. Carly manages her time well and always finishes her job in a timely manner.
7. Ben sets and meets all personal and business goals this quarter.
8. Annie knows how to establish relationships at workplace to make the workflow as efficient as possible.
9. Austin helps his coworkers when he’s finished with his tasks to make the team’s operation process smoother.
10. Emma spreads a positive and enthusiastic energy to the whole team, encouraging other members to reach their full potential.

Needs Improvement

1. Matt fails to set attainable and realistic work goals.
2. Carol demonstrates little potential to perform challenging tasks.
3. Daniel isn’t committed to do his best to achieve the team’s goals.
4. Chloe often jumps between projects and doesn’t accomplish the set goals.
5. James doesn’t respect his coworkers and managers, resulting in a reduced work efficiency.
6. Jen’s attitude creates a rift between coworkers.
7. Ben sometimes refuses to cooperate with other members to achieve company’s goals.
8. Jane’s workflow is chaotic and inefficient.
9. Austin is hesitant to take trainings and learning opportunities to improve his ability.
10. Holly overlooks constructive feedback about her potential.

Problem-Solving

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. John discusses actively with other members to seek clarification on complicated issues.
2. Sarah does a good job of evaluating possible solutions and chooses the most effective ones to solve problems.
3. Joe communicates his ideas clearly to make sure the problems are clarified.
4. Tom always finds the pros and cons in every solution to come up with the best one.
5. Lisa analyzes problems intelligently and logically.
6. Betty is willing to change tactics if the situations change.
7. Rick has a highly inquisitive mind. He always observes and analyzes things.
8. Amanda is decisive and is willing to stick to her decision.
9. Ed always raises issues and asks relevant questions to better the work outcomes.
10. Laura cooperates well with other members to find the best solutions to problems.

Needs Improvement

1. Jake needs to work on his ability to accept others’ opinions and ideas.
2. Shirly struggles to present problems in an understandable manner.
3. Nick needs to improve his ability to cope with difficult problems.
4. Steve prefers to solve problems in his own way rather than actively listening to other members.
5. Ruth can’t manage problems with customers effectively, resulting in customer’s dissatisfaction.
6. Alex is indecisive when it comes to making big decisions.
7. Mary decides on solutions too quickly without evaluating them carefully.
8. Adam doesn’t handle situations that require urgent and fast attention well.
9. Joan often solve problems with ineffective methods.
10. Peter fails to monitor his solutions to make sure that they actually work.

Productivity

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Kyle applies smart strategies to boost his productivity at work.
2. Eve is among the most productive and efficient employees of the company.
3. Ethan has doubled his productivity this quarter.
4. John is devoted to finish his job productively.
5. Andrea accomplishes her personal and work goals without sacrificing her productivity.
6. Alice never shows procrastination and misses deadlines at work.
7. Noah is always fully focused on his job and doesn’t waste time on unneccessary things.
8. Janice fully complies with the team’s standards of productivity and efficiency.
9. Bruce works well with other members to ensure the team’s productivity.
10. Diana often makes good suggestions to improve the team’s productivity.

Needs Improvement

1. Randy spends too much time on unnecessary and distracting things.
2. Natalie struggles to meet the team’s productivity goals.
3. Sophia often asks for deadline extension, which affects the team’s productivity negatively.
4. Phillip does just enough to get by. He doesn’t strive to exceed his potential and productivity.
5. Bob is unwilling to take on tasks that require a high level of productivity and learning.
6. Charlotte can’t comply with the team’s productivity requirements.
7. Brad multitasks all the time, and doesn’t show a high efficiency at work.
8. Bella prefers to finish her job the conventional ways instead of adopting more productive and innovative methods.
9. Randy doesn’t seem to care about improving his productivity.
10. Rose often distracts her coworkers with small talks.

Teamwork

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Jacob always respect other team members’ opinions and ideas.
2. Amy always participates enthusiastically in team activities.
3. John has always been a supportive and encouraging team member.
4. Melissa is willing to discuss matters with the team to find all the best feasible solutions.
5. Harry always presents his opinions and ideas clearly so that everyone in the team can understand and give feedback.
6. Anna knows how to build a good rapport with team members.
7. Scott always shows respect and appreciation towards his team members.
8. Frank often helps his coworkers to make sure the project completes on time and efficiently.
9. Rachel handles team conflicts well and glues everyone together.
10. Jerry gives constructive feedback and inspires others to improve themselves.

Needs Improvement

1. Zach doesn’t receive constructive feedback well and easily gets upset.
2. Lauren doesn’t appreciate other team members’ efforts.
3. Keith is hesitant to take part in activities and discussions with the team.
4. Martha can’t control her feelings when communicating with her coworkers.
5. Carl often causes conflicts in the team.
6. Jeremy doesn’t often contribute actively to team’s projects.
7. Megan often holds back her ideas and opinions from the team.
8. Roger sometimes takes credit from other people’s work, which causes disagreements and conflicts at work.
9. Ann sometimes refuses to cooperate with other members to come up with the best solutions.
10. Terry wants things to be done his way instead of listening to his coworkers.

Time Management

Meets and Goes Beyond Expectations

1. Liam always completes assigned tasks on time.
2. Olivia is able to deliver urgent tasks without sacrificing the quality.
3. Noah looks for time-saving and efficient strategies to finish tasks effectively.
4. Emma makes the best use of her time to deliver high results.
5. Oliver knows how to prioritize tasks and doesn’t dwell on unimportant details.
6. Ava can use helpful tools to complete work faster.
7. Will can estimate the time required for projects and can complete them on time.
8. Sophia is always committed to meeting all deadlines.
9. Ali knows that time is money and always makes the best use of it.
10. Bella minimizes the turnaround time, which pleases customers.

Needs Improvement

1. James often misses deadlines, which affects the performance of the team.
2. Charlie struggles to estimate the time required for projects, thus missing many deadlines.
3. Ben needs to work on his time management and task prioritization skills.
4. Amelia often rushes, resulting in low-quality work results.
5. Lucas can’t manage his time effective and can’t catch up with other members.
6. Mia usually makes excuses for her late deliveries.
7. Mason is often overwhelmed by miscalculating his time and taking on too much work.
8. Harper doesn’t have specific plans for her time and lets tasks pile up.
9. Ethan can’t cope well with emergencies and urgent tasks.
10. Amy finishes her tasks fast, but her quality of work doesn’t match the team’s requirements.

Conclusion

Performance review is a great way to encourage and exchange constructive feedback to employees. It’s also a powerful tool to boost employee engagement.

We hope 340 performance appraisal phrases above can make the review process easier and quicker for you, whether you use them in your reports or evaluation forms.

If you’re looking for more tools to manage your employees, the Camelo app is a wonderful choice. It enables you to schedule shifts, track time and availability, communicate with your team, and manage tasks right on your phone.