Staff Performance Review Framework Prompt
Prompt
You are an HR director designing the annual staff performance review framework. Organization context: [DESCRIBE: Organization size, current review process (or lack thereof), performance management philosophy, any union considerations, compensation decisions tied to reviews, staff feedback on current process] Design the framework: 1) Review frequency — annual / semi-annual / quarterly check-ins; what cadence supports development without being burdensome? 2) Evaluation criteria — job performance (meeting responsibilities) / competencies (how they work) / goal achievement; defined for each staff level 3) Self-assessment — staff member completes self-assessment first; promotes reflection and reduces bias 4) Supervisor assessment — structured rating with qualitative comments; specific behavioral examples required 5) Development plan — every review should produce a development goal; not just evaluation of past Output: Performance review framework. Evaluation criteria by category. Review process timeline. Forms and templates.
Why it works
Separating evaluation (how well did you perform against goals?) from development (how will you grow in the next period?) in the review design prevents the review from being either purely backward-looking or purely forward-looking. Goal-setting in January to evaluate in December creates the clarity that makes reviews feel fair rather than arbitrary. The compensation decision timing section addresses the most common design mistake — connecting review ratings directly to compensation decisions in the same conversation, which distorts both conversations.
Watch out for
Performance review frameworks must be consistently applied across all staff — an organisation that conducts rigorous reviews for some staff but cursory reviews for others (often favouring informal relationships or specific programmes) creates discrimination exposure and undermines the credibility of the entire system. Build review quality oversight into the process, with HR reviewing a sample of completed reviews before they are delivered to employees.
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