Unfortunately, not every company has the capability for high-achieving employees to move upwards in their careers, and it can be difficult to set goals for them that dont include something theyre already achieving. They can turn things around with a little effort and make a positive contribution. Here are 125 positive report card comments for you to use and adapt! So Im trying to go from good to great in these areas.. It might also work as an insulting term to show that someone has handed in subpar work. The boss wasnt happy with my first draft. Lists. These questions are similar to Whats your greatest weakness? but a little more open-ended (which means you can really run into trouble if you dont know how to answer properly). Instead, try something like, "I noticed you seemed pretty upset after the meeting today.". nouns. Martin holds a Masters degree in Finance and International Business. Discrimination can take many forms, including race, gender, age, religion, and sexual orientation. A generic performance review conversation can leave your employees feeling like you dont care enough to put in the time and effort into their development, which can be just as harmful to their performance as saying the wrong thing or being too negative in your review. I'll continue one-on-one or small group instruction support with _____ at least twice per week in (insert subject area), focusing on (insert student-targeted learning objective). "Peter has many options for improvement" is valid, but it has a connotation that you might not expect. Areas for continued development shows that someones work isnt done yet. When hiring managers ask interview questions about areas of improvement, they want to really hear something legitimate that youd like to improve and feel you could improve upon. We are working to help him/her feel good about what he/she accomplishes. When you use the active voice, youre saying that the person youre talking about performed an action, and youre centering the person. Connect to give feedback, ask questions, or book a product demonstration. Room for change is very similar to room for improvement. Both show that someone can change a few minor details to improve their work. sentences. We've included three "Positive" examples, and two "Needs Improvement" examples for each topic. phrases. By ensuring that you use the active voice, youre conveying through your language that you recognize the importance of your employee to a specific action, and youre giving them credit for that certain action happening in the workplace. Here are a few tips for how to tell an employee they need to be more positive: Avoid using "you" statements. Not only will their work suffer, but you'll also likely find them getting in the way of those trying to be productive. Here's how to follow up by email. In addition, arrogance can lead to conflict and disharmony within a team. needs to listen to directions fully so that he/she can learn to work more independently. Excels at Communication Danny keeps everyone on his team . Ive seen room for change. Finally, you could suggest some positive changes that they could make, such as smiling more or speaking in a more positive tone. 75% of employers rate teamwork as being extremely important in the workplace, particularly as research shows that strong workplace communities have the power to reduce employee turnover and improve internal communication. Whatever skill or weakness you say youre trying to improve and whatever answer formula you follow above you should talk about what youre working on right now to improve in this area. Has a positive, results-driven attitude Is able to make informed decisions based on considered research Areas of improvement: Struggles to achieve set goals and reach objectives because of xx Lacks understanding of xx and could benefit from xx Makes uninformed decisions based on assumptions and needs to consider more data Emphasize the importance of a positive attitude. Despite a 2010 survey finding that CEOs value creativity as the top marker for future success, only 35% of employees say that they can be creative multiple times throughout the year. However, in others, it may be a deliberate attempt to gain an advantage over others. This phrase is highly effective because it indicates progress and growth as well as the cause and effect relationship between work-related efforts. Check out our Needs Improvement Report Card Commentsfor even more comments! Thinking about areas for improvement should be a positive, growth-oriented experience . If youve handed it in thinking its complete, they might say its a work in progress to remind you that there are some things you could improve. Regularly check in with yourself to evaluate possible areas of improvement by writing out your challenges in the workplace. It shows that they are not fully satisfied with the work handed to them. Meanwhile, managers might struggle to give feedback that addresses the areas in need of improvement while also balancing coming across as constructive and positive. You might learn some valuable information. Other ways to say "room for improvement" are "opportunities for enhancement," "areas for continued development," and "improvements to be made." These are the best alternatives as they let someone know there is work still to be done before something can be submitted as a final draft. If you're short on time, you can download all 40 specific, meaning appraisal comments in a convenient PDF by clicking below. Either way, it is important to address dishonesty when it comes up. It works best when someone has accepted and reviewed your work but decided that more could be done. Always backs down during an argument or disagreement to appease the other person; Yells at colleagues when they give constructive criticism about one's job performance; Finds oneself taking a guess of what to say and having negative self-talk whenever handling a conversation In the following section, this article will cover both positive and needs improvement performance review phrases for each key skill. After reading this guide, you'll be able to start giving feedback effectively and improving your team's productivity. Related: 125 Report Card Comments for positive comments! Employees may become less motivated and less engaged in their work when they feel that their contributions are not being recognized. Nothing comes out the first time, so before you go on an interview, rehearse what you plan on saying when the interviewer asks, whats something you need to improve on?. Im not sure what else to do. Is the employee experiencing personal issues outside of work? As a manager, one of the most difficult challenges you may face is dealing with discrimination in the workplace. Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way. One way to do this is to avoid being critical or negative when telling employees they need to improve their attitude. However, every performance review conversation should cover the following key areas, which is why this article is focusing on those in terms of the best phrases and comments to use. This special skill can be extremely valuable for any business, so make sure it is documented and rewarded. So to conclude, name a real area of improvement, but make sure it wont create doubt about your ability to do the job. Its great to use when thinking about what to say instead of room for improvement because it shows that you want to help someone develop their work into better quality. If you need more help, subscribe to our automated ReviewBuilder, which includes 3000+ feedback phrases to get started. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Rather than just highlighting a negative, you can communicate the value you see in them by making a clear path for improvement. Here are some specific examples of what you've observed and how it's affecting the business: For example, you've noticed that they roll their eyes or comment negatively when others try to share ideas. A Beginners Guide, Saved the company $x through [specific task], Spearheaded [project] which resulted in [result], Used own initiative and suggested [project] which aims to [goal], Missed previously set target of [target] because of [reason], Needs further training in [process] because of [reason], Did not complete [task] because of [reason]. Some of these behaviors may be considered bad or inappropriate for the workplace. However, as mentioned above, you cant always tell whats going on with your employee behind the scenes. Let the employee know that you believe they have the potential to improve and be a valuable member of the team. As a manager, you may occasionally deal with an employee with less than a positive attitude. Clients like to work with [employee] because they always strive to do the right thing. I think you could do some work on these areas. is having difficulty writing stories. Naming something that isnt vital to your day-to-day job, Choosing something that youre already very good at but still want to improve, Naming an area for improvement thats a real weakness, Choose one specific area that youre actively working on improving, If youre going to mention being weak in a certain area, make sure that you do not say anything thats vital or crucial to the job youre interviewing for, Rather than naming a weakness, consider naming something youre already average or okay at, but wish to become much better, Sound humble, coachable, and willing to learn new things and take on new challenges when answering, Use your answer to show employers that youre self-motivated and actively looking for ways to improve your skills and value in your career, Give a genuine answer and never a generic answer like, well, sometimes I work too hard, so I need to learn to take more breaks, Practice your answer at home! Well, there are improvements to be made here. Not only can it erode trust between employees and employers, but it can also lead to theft, fraud, and other legal problems. If not, you could cost yourself the job offer! While all these words mean "to make more acceptable or to bring nearer a standard," improve and better are general and interchangeable and apply to what can be made better whether it is good or bad. In fact, thats a mistake thatll cost you many job offers. Youve come, The wiggle room is limited, but I think you can make the most of it. The learner is sensitive to the thoughts and opinions of others. Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance advance advancement enhancement breakthrough development innovation refinement discovery increase By addressing a bad employee's behavior early on, you can help to prevent the issue from escalating and becoming a bigger problem. It could include attending a training program or reading relevant articles. First, try to maintain a constructive and positive tone throughout the conversation. Schedule a meeting When you decide you need to speak to an employee about their performance, you can schedule an informal, one-on-one meeting. His constant cheer helps others keep their "enthusiasm" - both positive and negative - in check. Does not get involved with the company culture, Has been caught gossiping about other employees, which has resulted in [result], Regularly ignores the companys dress code, Regularly refuses to take on more challenging tasks, Sets a positive example for other employees by [example]. has a difficult time using the materials in the classroom in a respectful and appropriate manner. I wont beat around the bush. In this blog post, we've outlined seven ways to tell employees that their attitude needs improvement. It's report card time and you face the prospect of writing constructive, insightful, and original comments on a couple dozen report cards or more. Explain how a positive outlook can lead to better results both personally and professionally. Unfortunately, bullying is all too common and can take many forms. All employees are not created equal. Not only do employees legally have to be trained and/or qualified to operate certain forms of machinery, but some optional qualifications and training provided for software and other practices can improve performance. Refresh the page, check Medium 's. It also creates an opportunity for you to. We all need to exercise. While healthy competition can help to promote productivity and even collaboration, unfairly comparing one employee to another can create rifts in teams and even promote taking shortcuts on tasks to get ahead. No hiring manager will be impressed with that. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. He has been advising job seekers since 2012 to think differently in their job search and land high-paying, competitive positions. As a final recap, here are the ALL steps we covered in this article. It will help the employee understand what behavior you'd like to see change. is having a very difficult time understanding math concepts for his/her grade level. In other cases, there may be personal issues that are causing the tardiness. Management made easy. understands math concepts when using manipulatives, but is having a difficult time learning to ____ without them. A positive attitude is essential for any team to be successful. So why then say that is a negative and you need to not do so? adjectives. While this can vary from business to business, the following list will help you to steer your performance review in the right direction. is struggling with reading. Theres such a big difference between saying you need to improve something in the future, and saying youre doing it already. It works well to use this term because it shows that someone isnt far away from a perfect final version. While the phrase employees dont quit their jobs, they quit their managers is nearly a clich, its also true 79% of employees report leaving their job because of a lack of appreciation.