Have your say before the conversation

Who it's for

HR and managers, as the employee's half of the review. Send it a week before the conversation.

Who answers

The employee, about themselves. Two minutes, and they know their manager will read it.

What you'll see

• How people rate themselves on the same skills their manager rates them on
• Whether the workload is bearable, asked directly
• What would help them most, chosen rather than guessed
• Which skill they want to build and what they want to achieve next

How to get good answers

• Send it a week before the review, not the night before. People need an evening to think about the last six months.
• Tell them plainly that their manager will read it. Pretending otherwise gets you a polished version of nothing.
• The workload question deserves its own look. Somebody at the end of their rope will mark it here long before they say it out loud.
• Bring their answers into the conversation by name. A self-assessment nobody mentions is the fastest way to kill next year's.