20 Annual Review Templates & Examples for Year-End Reviews (2024)

Annual reviews are an excellent way for companies to gauge employees' existing contributions and relay future expectations for the benefit of the company.

If you’re looking to strengthen your brand's performance appraisal process, we suggest you use ready-made annual review examples and templates to get a head start. In this article, we’ll show you 20 of the best annual review templates you can find on the internet to effectively evaluate the performance of your employees.

Before we dive in, here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit annual review templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

Table of Contents

• What Is an Annual Review?
• How to Write an Annual Review
• 20 Annual Review Templates You Can Customize
• 3 Tips for Effective Annual Reviews

What Is an Annual Review?

An annual review, or year-end review, is the process of evaluating employee performance over the past year. Annual reviews are typically done by managers but can also be self-conducted.

Generally, an annual performance assessment includes:

• Tracking employee KPIs
• Identifying employee's strengths and weaknesses
• Measuring employee quality of work
• Providing feedback on potential areas of improvement

Needless to say, an annual review is a critical part of any successful business.

It helps businesses identify high-performing employees, boost employee engagement, relay expectations and foster a progressive environment of growth and progress.

On the other hand, employees can also use this time to communicate their future expectations to the company, whether it's their next year's KPIs, personal goals, monetary compensation, bonus structure breakdown, or expected promotions.

At the end of an annual review, managers evaluate whether the company's future goals align with employees' objectives and decide if they should be recommended for a raise or promotion in the coming year.

How to Write an Annual Review

When it comes to preparing for a year-end review, there isn’t any one-size-fits-all approach.

This is majorly due to the type of industry you’re in and the fact that every employee has unique goals for which they’re being evaluated. But that doesn't mean that you can’t create a generic layout for all performance reviews.

In this section, we look at some of the most common sections you can add to your annual review templates:

• Header. The header is the first thing that the reviewer and reviewee will notice on the annual review document, so it's a good idea to add your company’s name, logo and branding to give it an overall professional outlook. In Visme, you can upload your logo with a few clicks and add it to any project.

• Employee’s basic information. For identification and analysis purposes, it is also important that you add a section where the employee’s basic information can be written, including their name, ID and position in the company.
• Review period. To streamline the entire annual review process, it is critical that you add a section that states the period for which the review is being conducted.
• Tasks to be evaluated. This is the main section of the annual review template, so mention all the yearly goals for which the employee is being evaluated.
• Performance score rating. For each task mentioned earlier, make sure you leave adequate space where the reviewer can rate the employee's quality of work. You can do this through a 5-star review system, Likert scale or even by adding an empty box where reviewers can describe their evaluation. Some of Visme's templates come with a pre-designed rating scale you can use for your own company.

• Future goals and expectations. Once the evaluation phase is complete, you can now add a section where employees’ future expectations can be written down.
• Comments and feedback. An annual review process is incomplete without a feedback section. Add it to your template so the reviewer can comment on employees’ performance and recommend them for a raise or promotion.
• Signatures. Lastly, include a section where both parties can add their signatures and acknowledge the entire performance appraisal process.

If you're out of time and need to create your report quickly, Visme's AI document generator can help you create one. Simply input your prompt, choose your preferred style, and let the wizard produce stunning reports in seconds. You can customize every aspect of your document using our intuitive editor.

20 Annual Review Templates You Can Customize

Creating an annual review template from scratch can be a bit overwhelming. Our library of ready-to-use performance review templates that you can easily customize and use can help.

Here are some of the best annual review templates you can pick from:

1. Lawyer Performance Review Template

This lawyer performance review template has all the important sections you'd need, including an eye-catching header, a dedicated section for task evaluation and signatures.

This annual review template is ideal for businesses offering legal services, but it can also be customized for any other industry or business type. Amp up your annual business review template using Visme’s icons, stock photos and videos.

2. Temp Performance Review Template

Got a temporary employee working in your firm? Rate their performance with the help of this stunning performance review template.

It even has a rating system added to it that shows what each number means. For example, a rating of 5 means the performance is excellent, 4 means good, 3 is fair and so on.

3. Sales Annual Review Template

Review the performance of your sales staff using this professional annual review template.

It includes data visualization to represent the individual and overall performance score of the employee and has plenty of space for feedback and comments for each task.

4. Customer Service Annual Review Template

Figure out the strengths and weaknesses of your customer service employees with the help of this fully-customizable annual review template.

The template uses a 3-star rating system to evaluate employee performance and even includes a legend for what each colored star represents.

Share the performance review with your team using an online link or download it in PDF, PPTX, MP4 and HTML5 format. Track how many people have viewed or taken action on your review using our Visme analytics tool.

5. Agency Performance Review Template

Review the performance of your partner agencies using this professional annual review template. It uses data widgets to represent agency scores for their tasks and also has a dedicated comments section at the end for potential future goals. You can also use it to track year over year growth your agency may have encountered as well.

Easily navigate the Visme editor using the shortcut feature. Simply tap the forward slash (/) key and a search bar will appear, enabling you to find anything you want.

6. KPI Performance Review Template

Stay on top of your sales team's performance by using this KPI review template. It features a colorful design with high-quality vector icons that sets this template apart from others. If you're working on the review with members of your team, tap into Visme's workflow feature to manage roles, tasks, progress, deadlines, and corrections all in one place

7. Food Service Annual Review Template

Running an online food delivery business?

Identify high achievers with this performance review template. The template has ample space to record employee information and even has a rating scale for ease of evaluation.

The upside of using this template is that you can work on it alongside your team members without limits. Team members in your workspace can tag each other, leave feedback, draw annotations and more.

8. Student Internship Year-End Review Template

Evaluate the performance of student interns in your firm with this colorful annual review template.

The best part about this year-end review template is it features plenty of space for comments and feedback. Supervisors can use this to recommend work-related improvements.

Not sure how to start writing your review? Visme's AI writer can fuel your creativity, helping you generate drafts in just a few seconds.

9. Nurse Performance Review Template

This multi-paged annual review template is an excellent pick for medical professionals looking to evaluate the performance of their staff.

It comes with a legend for a 5-star rating scale and a list of goals on which medical staff is evaluated. Incorporate your branding elements into the template and make it your own. With our AI-powered Brand Wizard, you can easily make your business year in review template fit your branding.

10. Tech Shop Performance Review Template

Measure the accomplishments of your sales managers with this professional annual review template. It features high-quality icons and data widgets to represent employee ratings.

This visual annual review template is a great pick for all business types — simply add your company logos, images, colors and fonts to this template to make it your own.

11. Team Leader Annual Review Template

If you’re looking to dive deep into the performances of your employees, then this yearly review template is perfect for you.

It features plenty of space to write down employee goals and even comes with a rating scale that supervisors can use to rate the work of team leaders.

12. CEO Performance Review Template

Assess the performance of your company CEO with this stunning annual review template. It features high-quality icons, a rating scale for ease of evaluation and space for feedback.

13. Clinical Psychologist Annual Review Template

Keep track of your staff performance with the help of this annual review template. It comes with a rating scale, a list for goal evaluation and dedicated space for comments and feedback.

14. Internship Performance Review Template

Got an intern working for your firm? Evaluate their performance with the help of this colorful annual review template.

It features four different sections to conduct a SWOT analysis of the intern and a star rating system to rate their work.

15. Manager Performance Review Template

Measure the performance of managers at your firm with the help of this stunning annual review template.

It uses creative data widgets to evaluate performance scores and has a bulleted list underneath to mention the goals for which the manager is being evaluated.

16. Executive Director Annual Review Template

Ensure that all your company staff is on the same page by using this professionally-designed annual review template.

It has a simple yet effective design that ticks all the boxes for a well-rounded performance appraisal template. Simply add your brand kit to the template to make it your own.

17. Teacher Performance Review Template

Evaluate the strengths, weaknesses and general quality of work of your teaching staff with this creative performance review template.

It comes with a pre-designed rating scale that peers and supervisors can use to evaluate performance and a dedicated section for task lists and signatures.

18. Self-Evaluation Performance Review Template

Evaluate your own work performance with the help of this fully customizable, personal annual review template.

It features an eye-catching design with the top half dedicated to employee details and the bottom half for task evaluation and feedback.

19. Quarterly Employee Performance Review Template

Stay on top of your employee goals throughout the year by using this quarterly performance review template. It features a simple design that’ll help you conduct your evaluations quickly.

Upload your brand elements to the template, or create a branding kit from scratch in Visme to make this template your own.

20. Mid-Year Employee Performance Review Template

Effectively track your employee performances by using this mid-year performance review template.

It features a beautiful design with an eye-catching color combination, vector icons for main headings and a dedicated section for comments at the end. Each section of the template is fully editable, so with just a few clicks, it can easily be ready for any business type.

3 Tips for Effective Annual Reviews

If a year-end performance appraisal is done right, it can help the company identify its high achievers so they can be guided on a path of sustained personal and professional development.

Here are 3 key tips to ensure your annual reviews yield maximum positive results:

1. Make it a two-way communication.

The last thing you want in an annual review is to have one-sided communication, without any room for dialogue for growth and exchange of creative ideas.

So make sure you listen to everything your employee has to say and then share your own goals and ideas to reach a common ground.

2. Offer actionable feedback.

The best performance reviews are ones where the managers don’t just evaluate employees' past performances but also relay expectations for the future.

But make sure your employees are invested and determined to reach their goals for the next year.

3. Continuous follow-up.

Year-end reviews shouldn’t be a once-in-a-while occurrence. Instead, you should be tweaking your appraisal strategy to conduct reviews on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis instead.

This gives you the opportunity to track employee performances all year round and reach your company-wide goals more efficiently.

Annual Review FAQs

Q. What is an example of a year end review?

The specific details and structure of a year-end review may vary depending on the organization's policies and practices. But here’s what a standard year-end review may look like:

• Performance Evaluation: The employer or manager reviews the employee's performance throughout the year, assessing their accomplishments, contributions and adherence to goals and objectives
• Goal Assessment: They discuss whether the employee achieved or exceeded their goals, fell short, or encountered any obstacles.
• Strengths: The employer or manager highlights the employee's strengths, acknowledging their key skills, competencies and positive contributions to the organization.
• Areas for Improvement: They also discuss areas where the employee can improve, providing constructive feedback and guidance on how to enhance their performance or develop specific skills.
• Performance Feedback: The employer or manager provides specific feedback on the employee's behavior, communication, teamwork, problem-solving and other relevant aspects of their work.
• Development Opportunities: The employer or manager discusses potential growth opportunities and professional development initiatives for the employee. This may include training programs, workshops, mentoring, or additional responsibilities that can enhance their skills and contribute to their career advancement.
• Goal Setting for the Coming Year: The employer or manager collaborates with the employee to set goals and objectives for the upcoming year.
• Recognition and Rewards: The manager may provide recognition, rewards, or incentives to motivate and reinforce positive performance. This can include bonuses, promotions, public recognition, or other forms of appreciation.
• Open Dialogue: The year-end review provides an opportunity for the employee to share their perspective, voice concerns and ask questions.

Q. What should a manager write in an annual review?

Here are some key points and areas that a manager can include in an annual review:

• An opening statement that acknowledges the purpose of the review and sets a positive tone.
• Employee's performance evaluation
• Strengths and areas for improvement:
• Evaluate skills like communication, collaboration, problem-solving, decision-making, leadership
• Assess the employee's commitment to continuous learning and professional growth
• Collaborate with the employee to set meaningful and challenging goals for the upcoming year.
• Offer ongoing feedback, guidance and resources to help them achieve their goals
• Summarize the main points discussed in the review.
• Reiterate your confidence in the employee's abilities and express appreciation for their contributions.

Q. How do you write a good review example?

We recommend using annual performance review templates.

Annual business review template provides a standardized structure and format for performance reviews. This ensures that all employees are assessed and evaluated using a consistent framework, promoting fairness and reducing bias in the review process.

Visme empowers HR teams and businesses of all sizes with a robust collection of business year in review templates. You’ll find templates spanning a wide range of industries, roles and use cases. The best part is that these cover all relevant aspects of an employee's performance and include guidance and instructions for managers, helping them navigate the review process effectively.

Templates serve as a framework but should still allow room for individualization and meaningful discussions during the review process. With Visme’s easy-to-use editor, you can customize the design, content and structure of your annual business review template.

Q. What not to say in an annual review?

During an annual review, it's important to be mindful of what you say to ensure a productive and respectful conversation.

Personal Attacks or Insults: Avoid making personal attacks or using derogatory language. Focus on constructive feedback and specific behaviors rather than attacking the employee personally.

Biased or Discriminatory Comments: Ensure that your feedback and comments are fair and unbiased. Avoid making any remarks that may be perceived as discriminatory based on race, gender, age, religion, or other protected characteristics.

Overgeneralizations or Exaggerations: Provide specific and accurate feedback based on observable behaviors and evidence. Avoid making overgeneralized statements or exaggerated claims that cannot be substantiated.

Unrealistic Expectations: While it's important to challenge employees, setting unrealistic expectations can be demoralizing and counterproductive. Ensure that your expectations align with the employee's role, capabilities and available resources.

Vague or Ambiguous Feedback: Be specific and provide examples when offering feedback. Vague or ambiguous statements can leave the employee confused about what they need to improve or continue doing.

Comparisons to Other Employees: Avoid comparing one employee to another directly during the review. Each employee has unique strengths and areas for improvement and comparisons can create unnecessary competition and tension.

Dismissive or Disengaged Attitude: Be present and engaged during the review process. Show genuine interest in the employee's progress, growth and concerns. Being dismissive or disengaged can negatively impact the employee's morale and motivation.

Promises You Can't Keep: Be cautious with promises or commitments you make during the review. Ensure that any promises, such as training opportunities, promotions, or salary adjustments, are realistic and can be fulfilled.

Blaming or Shaming: Instead of focusing on blame, take a constructive approach to address performance gaps. Use the review as an opportunity to collaborate and find solutions together.

Closed-Mindedness: Be open to feedback from the employee and be willing to listen and consider their perspective. Avoid being defensive or dismissive of their input.

Q. What are respectful performance review phrases?

Here are some examples of respectful phrases you can use in an employee performance review:

• “You consistently go above and beyond to deliver high-quality results.
• "Your technical expertise and problem-solving abilities are highly commendable."
• "You have shown exceptional leadership skills, inspiring and motivating your team."
• "Your strong work ethic and reliability make you a valuable asset to the organization."
• "Your initiative in implementing [specific idea or process improvement] led to significant improvements in efficiency."
• "Your ability to work well with diverse team members strengthens our collective efforts."
• "You have shown great improvement in [specific skill or competency] over the past year."
• "Your proactive approach to seeking out learning opportunities demonstrates your commitment to self-improvement."
• "To further enhance your performance, I encourage you to focus on [specific area for improvement] and suggest [specific action or development opportunity]."

Q. How honest should I be in an annual review?

It's important to be honest in an annual review, but it's also important to be tactful and constructive with your feedback. Focus on specific examples and provide suggestions for improvement rather than just criticizing. Remember, the purpose of the review is to help the employee grow and develop, so your feedback should be geared towards that goal.

Improve Employee Performance With Annual Reviews

Annual reviews are great for measuring the yearly performance of team members. They help relay expectations, improve communication, progress and growth and more. In this article, we've shared 20 year-end summary examples to get you started.

To streamline the performance appraisal process and improve the internal communication of your brand, check out Visme’s tailored solutions and materials for HR teams.

There are tons of stunning annual review templates and features to take advantage of and you can easily add your brand elements and make any template your own.