30 smart performance review questions for employee development

Research indicates that only 46% of employees feel satisfied with their career development opportunities at their current organization, highlighting a significant gap between employee expectations and what is provided.* These findings reinforce the need for organizations to prioritize structured performance reviews with actionable feedback that facilitates ongoing development and career progression.

Yet, the “feedback gap” is real. Leapsome research found that while 70% of managers think they gave constructive feedback in the past week, only 37% of individual contributors agree.** Plus, a Gallup report uncovered that only 20% of employees feel their company’s performance practices motivate them to do great work.***

To bridge this gap, HR leaders and managers must rethink their approach to performance management, ensuring employees receive the guidance and encouragement they need to thrive. But how?

To gather meaningful feedback, you need to ask meaningful questions. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of 30 impactful performance review questions so managers can better understand employees, deliver more helpful feedback, and help their reports grow and thrive.

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*Gartner, 2024

**Leapsome’s Workforce Trends Report, 2024

***Gallup, 2022
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30 effective performance review questions

A thoughtful way to conduct a smooth employee assessment is by asking specific, targeted questions across different areas.

We’ve divided our questions into the following categories:

• Overall performance
• Employee strengths
• Current role
• Areas for improvements
• Future growth
• End-of-year reviews
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Performance review questions about overall performance 

By starting with overall employee performance, managers and reports can discuss the big picture of the given evaluation period. Team leads will get an idea of what the individual contributor is most proud of, which goals they worked toward, where they encountered issues, and more.

Here are a few performance review questions managers can use to initiate conversations about overall employee performance:

• What accomplishments have you been most proud of since our last review?
  
  
• Which goals did you achieve? And which were challenging?
  
  
• What motivates you to perform at your best?
  
  
• How can we enhance your work experience?
  
  
• What do you want to accomplish before our next performance review?

After, ask follow-up questions to gain deeper insights into the employee’s performance.In contrast, avoid vague, directionless questions like:

• What are your goals?
• What are your achievements?

💡 Want to ask more impactful performance review questions?

We can help! Our free template is packed with best-practice questions for employee, 360°, and leadership reviews.

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Performance review questions about employee strengths

Not many people have the opportunity to showcase all their skills at work. As a result, there’s a chance you’re not fully aware of your report’s potential. That’s why managers should dive deep into employee strengths in the performance review process.

Doing so allows you to explore areas where your report excels —  and you’ll also be able to use these insights to give them the space to showcase these qualities.

“We rolled out our performance evaluation system in mid-year of 2021 with one expectation: All employees were asked to record one professional and one personal goal.

At the end of the year, we asked them to answer four positive questions that provided a self-review of their performance. It gave our employees a chance to shine. It also helped leaders and employees have great dialogue during the yearly review.” 

— Debby Routt, former Chief People Experience Officer at Marathon Health, for Forbes

Here are some performance review questions you can customize to learn more about employee strengths:

• What core strengths help you excel in your role?
  
  
• Are there skills you haven’t yet been able to showcase at work?
  
  
• What type of work energizes you the most?
  
  
• Which tasks do you find come most naturally to you?
  
  
• How can we leverage your strengths more effectively?
  
  

Don’t ask overly broad or “yes/no” questions to learn more about employee strengths:

• Are you the right fit for your position?
  
  
• Do you have hidden skills?
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Performance review questions about an employee’s current role

Asking performance review questions about an employee’s current position allows you to discuss what they like (or dislike) about their role. This information will help you ensure they get to work on projects they enjoy whenever possible — a crucial priority, considering one in three employees currently want to quit their jobs. Potential questions to ask include:

• What aspects of your role do you enjoy the most??
  
  
• Which tasks do you find least enjoyable, and why?
  
  
• What do you enjoy about working at [company name] the most?
  
  
• How do you feel your role aligns with your career aspirations?
  
  
• What would you change about your current responsibilities?

Once again, avoid questions that are vague or can be answered with just a word or two, like:

• Are you happy in your current position?
  
  
• Do you like your job?
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Performance review questions about areas for improvement

A critical function of performance reviews is identifying what may be holding people back from performing at their full potential. This section could trigger someone’s defense mode, as you’ll ask questions about their “misses.” To mitigate that, frame your questions so employees feel comfortable discussing what they need help with moving forward.A few great questions about areas of improvement are:

• What challenges have you faced at work recently?
  
  
• How can we help you overcome these challenges?
  
  
• Is there any feedback you received since the last review that you’d like to discuss?
  
  
• Which areas do you want to focus on to grow and develop in the next [period]?
  
  
• How can we assist you in achieving your development goals?

Questions like the ones below aren’t ideal, as they may come off as harsh and accusatory: 

• Is there anything holding you back from unlocking your full potential?
  
  
• Why did you miss so many deliverables this year? 

🚀 Want to run rewarding performance reviews?

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Performance review questions about an employee’s future growth

According to our 2024 Workforce Trends Report, lack of career growth is one of the top reasons why people leave their jobs. So, team members’ professional development should be at the top of your priority list. As discussed, performance reviews aren’t only about evaluating past performance — they’re also meant to focus on progression, helping employees expand their skill sets and advance in their careers.Asking growth-oriented questions will also help you build a career progression framework and determine whether someone is ready for a promotion. Potential career growth-focused questions:

• What are your professional goals for the upcoming [period]?
  
  
• What position would you like to aim for next, and why?
  
  
• What learning opportunities interest you the most?
  
  
• What skills do you want to strengthen in the coming months?
  
  
• What type of career growth is important to you (e.g., managing a larger team; growing as an individual contributor; exploring other areas)? 

The following examples are weaker because they have too many possible answers, making them hard to answer meaningfully:

• Where do you see yourself in five years?
  
  
• What are your goals?
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End-of-year performance review questions

While many companies still conduct performance reviews only at the end of the year, the most effective organizations embrace ongoing feedback. Regular check-ins ensure employees receive timely guidance, feel supported in their development, and stay aligned with company goals.

As Vanesa Cotlar, VP of People & Culture at PolicyMe, puts it: “Performance reviews aren’t the moment to give new feedback. They’re the moment to reflect on what’s been accomplished over the last six to twelve months.”

If your company conducts end-of-year reviews, use them as a moment to reflect on the ongoing feedback and development conversations that have taken place throughout the year. This review should be a structured opportunity to consolidate insights from regular check-ins, recognize growth, and refine goals for the future.

Sample end-of-year review questions:

• What are you proudest of achieving over the past year?
  
  
• Looking back, when did you feel most creatively challenged or intellectually stretched??
  
  
• How do you feel about our company and team culture? What improvements would you suggest?
  
  
• What lessons have you learned over the past year, and how have they contributed to your growth?
  
  
• How did you feel supported by the company and your colleagues this year? How could we support you more next year?

💡 Pro tip: If your company only runs end-of-year reviews, consider introducing continuous feedback to fully support your people and prevent surprises during annual evaluations.

How to use automation & AI for quicker, more effective performance reviews

AI plays an increasingly central role in performance management, with 36% of HR teams wanting to automate it in 2025. Advanced HR tech solutions like Leapsome AI enable People teams to streamline evaluations while enhancing the employee experience. For example, Leapsome AI allows you to:

• Turn performance review notes into unbiased comments with learning-oriented recommendations
  
  
• Summarize performance evaluation conversations and get suggested action plans
  
  
• Generate detailed competency frameworks (get a free template here!) and career paths in minutes
  
  
• Create OKRs and development goals in just a few clicks
  
  
• Analyze performance trends and suggest personalized action plans
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Many HR teams are also using generative AI solutions like ChatGPT. Here are some examples of ChatGPT prompts you might use to enhance your performance discussions:

• Name five questions that support individual reflection on performance and future goals.
  
  
• Analyze this feedback and summarize three of the person’s biggest strengths.
  
  
• Do these personal goals align with our organization’s overall objectives?
  
  
• List up to 10 actions we should take to make our employee performance reviews more constructive.
  
  
• Identify five ways to deliver more meaningful feedback to employees.
  
  
• What are the best practices for creating a performance improvement plan (PIP) that focuses on employee support and hitting targets?
  
  
• What steps can we take to increase participation in employee engagement surveys?
  
  
• Describe an effective strategy for conducting unbiased performance reviews for part-time employees.

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💡 Use ChatGPT and other public large language models (LLMs) with caution, as they can invite potential cyber security and data privacy threats.

To harness AI in HR to generate personalized recommendations based on your internal HR data, consider adopting a safe and compliant solution like Leapsome Reviews.

Get the most out of your performance reviews with Leapsome

Managers spend over 210 hours a year on annual performance reviews. That’s a significant amount of their working time — especially considering that the number of direct reports per manager has increased by 61% since last year.

However, management doesn’t need to dedicate so much time to the administrative part of appraisals. By tapping into a powerful HR and employee enablement platform like Leapsome, People leaders can streamline and simplify the modern performance review process, helping managers and employees save precious time and deliver meaningful feedback.

“Done right, a performance review is one of the best opportunities to encourage and support high performers and constructively improve your middle and low-tier workers.”

— Kathryn Minshew, Founder & CEO at The Muse

Leapsome’s customizable review templates, 360° feedback capabilities, and integrated competency frameworks and learning tools come together to streamline and enrich your performance evaluations.

Leapsome Reviews even leverages automation and AI to handle the administrative burden of launching review cycles and help managers give more meaningful, actionable guidance.

🚀 Want to simplify the performance review process?

Thousands of teams worldwide use Leapsome’s performance review software to drive growth.

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FAQs about performance review questions

What are good performance review questions?

Good performance review questions have a clear intention and purpose. If you’re asking a question, know why you’re asking it and what you want to achieve with the answer — so be specific. 

Avoid negative questions like “Why did you fail to achieve [x]?” as these can make employees defensive. Instead, use follow-up questions to explore challenges, gain context, and encourage open discussions.

While performance evaluations allow managers to assess employee performance, development should be another high-priority objective. Identify strengths, areas for improvement, and growth opportunities to understand if a team member needs more training, can take on more responsibilities, or even might be better suited for a different role.
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How should I prepare for the performance review process?

Preparation is key to a productive performance review — begin by setting clear goals for the evaluation. For example:

• Evaluating the employee’s performance in [given period]
• Determine the best next steps for their professional development

Once you’ve established your objectives, the next step is putting together your performance appraisal form or employee evaluation questionnaire. Your organization may have a standard set of queries or a list of questions you can pick and choose from, or you may have to create a new review framework. Whatever the case, make sure they all have a clear intention and purpose and divide them into categories, as we did above.Once you’ve prepared this, send the self-assessment questions to the employee so they can reflect on those and complete the self-evaluation. Then, you can focus your evaluation conversation on discussing their responses, your assessment, and any peer review feedback.