Employee evaluation is a regular assessment of a worker's performance, behaviour and development against previously agreed expectations. For it to make sense, the expectations must be specific and known in advance – evaluating against criteria the employee sees for the first time at the review meeting damages trust. A combination that works well is short interim conversations throughout the year plus one summary evaluation with conclusions for pay and development. The conversation should be two-way, that is, it should also include feedback on management and working conditions. A common mistake is mixing performance evaluation with a pay conversation in a single meeting, because the employee then hears nothing except the number. The output should be a written record of agreed steps that can be followed up on at the next evaluation.
See also: Employee development plan, Exit interview, Employee onboarding.
