A performance review (aka performance appraisal, performance evaluation, or employee evaluation) is a method to evaluate and document an employee’s job performance and behavior in a given period – typically six or twelve months.

Discussing performance in a structured review is a cornerstone of many organizations’ employee feedback and development processes. Keeping a formal record of employees’ performance can also be a compliance requirement.

In modern feedback cultures, performance reviews are just one of many events in which recognition and constructive feedback are shared. The annual or bi-annual review supplements ongoing feedback conversations – like 1:1 meetings – and provides a clear path forward.