An appraisee performance and feedback summary should record what the employee was expected to do, what evidence shows they did, what they said about their performance, and what both sides agreed to do next. Keep it specific, balanced, and tied to the role—not a collection of personality labels. There is no single universal form; use your organization’s process and applicable local requirements.
What to include in an appraisee performance summary
Use a structure that lets the employee and manager understand the review period, the evidence considered, and the actions agreed. This outline is a practical synthesis, not a legally prescribed form.
- Review details: employee name, role, manager, review period, and meeting date.
- Expectations: agreed objectives, performance standards, and relevant development plans for the period.
- Evidence and outcomes: specific work, results, examples, or measures connected to each expectation.
- Strengths and contributions: effective work and its impact, supported by examples.
- Development needs: observable results or behaviors that need to change, the expected standard, and how progress will be assessed.
- Employee perspective: the employee’s comments, relevant context, and any barriers or resources that affected the work.
- Agreed support: training, coaching, resources, or work adjustments, with the person responsible for providing them.
- Next-period objectives: measures of success, owners, and target dates.
- Follow-up: the next check-in date and confirmation that the discussion and actions were recorded and shared.
Choose or adapt a form to fit the purpose. Acas provides distinct forms for objective-based appraisal, self-appraisal, promotion assessment, and other uses; CIPD offers a performance-improvement template that covers standards, monitoring, and support. Neither source establishes one form as mandatory for every workplace. Acas performance-management guidance; CIPD performance-improvement plan.
How to write clear, evidence-based feedback
Connect examples to expectations
For each objective or standard, state the expectation, describe the relevant evidence, and explain its significance. Distinguish what you observed from your interpretation. For example, replace “great communicator” with a specific contribution, such as “Sent the project update before the agreed deadline, which let the team resolve the supplier issue before launch.” Use only details that are accurate and appropriate to share.
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Make improvement points actionable
A useful development point identifies the result or behavior that needs to change, the required standard, available support, and a way to review progress. Avoid unsupported labels such as “lazy,” “brilliant,” or “not a team player.” Describe the work-related evidence and impact instead, then state what needs to happen next.
Include the employee’s view
Ask the employee how they assess the period and whether workload, resources, training, or other barriers affected their work. Record relevant context and agreed support alongside the manager’s assessment. Share the written summary with the employee so both parties have a record of the discussion and actions.
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Acas advises regular informal conversations alongside formal reviews. A formal summary should not be the first time an employee hears about a material concern; raise and discuss issues during the review period. Acas performance-management guidance; CIPD performance reviews factsheet.
Set fair objectives and agree follow-up
Write next-period objectives so the employee can tell what success looks like and when it will be reviewed. Acas recommends objectives that are fair and reflect the employee’s usual tasks and workload. Its SMART framework means objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Acas performance-management guidance.
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- Define the result or standard to be achieved.
- Specify how progress or completion will be measured.
- Check that the goal is achievable and relevant to the role and workload.
- Set a target date and a check-in date.
- Agree who is responsible for the work and for any promised support.
- Confirm the employee has the time, authority, training, and resources required.
Monitoring is part of the process, not an end-of-period exercise. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management describes planning, monitoring, development, rating, and reward as connected parts of the performance-management cycle; its guidance is for U.S. federal practice. OPM performance-management cycle. For broader workplace practice, CIPD discusses structured reviews alongside regular performance conversations. CIPD performance reviews factsheet.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Keep the summary in the right context
Review frequency, forms, and employment obligations depend on the organization, employment status, and jurisdiction. Acas guidance is UK-oriented; OPM’s cycle guidance covers U.S. federal performance management, not every U.S. employer. Acas says regular reviews are appropriate and that at least annual reviews are a good idea, but that is not a universal legal rule. Check the applicable process and local requirements. Acas performance-management guidance.
Gallup reported that 80% of employees who said they received meaningful feedback in the past week were fully engaged, in workplace data discussed in an article updated in 2024. This is an association reported by Gallup, not proof that feedback alone causes engagement. Gallup on employee feedback.
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