Employee Performance Review Goals Examples

Why Clear Performance Review Goals Matter

Well‑written performance goals give employees direction, motivation, and a measurable way to track progress. When goals are specific and aligned with business objectives, reviews become constructive conversations rather than vague feedback sessions.

Core Goal Categories with Sample Phrases

Punctuality and Attendance

• Arrive on time for all scheduled meetings to respect colleagues’ time.
• Maintain a 98% on‑time arrival rate for daily shifts.
• Notify the manager at least 30 minutes in advance of any unavoidable delay.

Building Diversity and Inclusion

• Seek out and incorporate at least two new perspectives from team members with different backgrounds each quarter.
• Participate in the company’s diversity‑training program and apply learned techniques in client interactions.

Initiative and Ownership

• Identify one process improvement opportunity each month and propose a solution.
• Volunteer to lead a cross‑functional project that extends beyond the current job description.

Effective Communication

• Provide concise status updates to the manager at the start of each week.
• Ensure all project stakeholders receive a summary email within 24 hours of major decisions.

Positive Attitude and Professionalism

• Demonstrate respectful body language and tone in all client and colleague interactions.
• Maintain a solution‑focused approach when faced with challenging situations.

Creativity and Innovation

• Generate at least two new ideas for product or service enhancements each quarter.
• Collaborate with teammates to prototype a creative solution to a recurring problem.

Customer Service Excellence

• Resolve 90% of customer issues on the first contact.
• Gather feedback from unsatisfied customers and implement at least one improvement per month.

Strategic Planning and Execution

• Develop a detailed project plan with milestones before starting any new initiative.
• Review daily tasks each morning and prioritize based on impact.

For a deeper dive into attracting and keeping high‑performing talent, see our guide 101 Ways to Attract & Keep Top Talent. To strengthen customer‑service skills, explore 101 Ways to Boost Customer Retention & Loyalty. Align these goals with your organization’s strategy using the Balanced Scorecard and Strategy Map Toolkit.

Industry‑Specific Goal Examples

Retail Front‑Line Staff

• Achieve an average checkout time of under 2 minutes per customer.
• Increase upsell conversion rate by 5% each month.
• Maintain a customer satisfaction score of 4.5/5 or higher.

Technology & Software Teams

• Deliver code reviews within 24 hours of submission.
• Reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR) for bugs by 20%.
• Contribute at least one reusable component to the shared library each sprint.

Healthcare Providers

• Document patient encounters within 30 minutes of the appointment.
• Achieve a 95% compliance rate with hand‑hygiene protocols.
• Participate in at least two continuing‑education workshops per quarter.

Performance Review Goal Worksheet

Use the table below to turn each goal into an actionable plan. Fill in the “Target Metric”, “Action Steps”, and “Deadline” columns during the review meeting.

Download a printable version of this worksheet, fill it out with your employee, and revisit it quarterly to track progress.

Next Steps

Start crafting specific, measurable goals today. The 101 Ways to Attract & Keep Top Talent guide offers additional phrasing ideas and strategies to keep your workforce motivated and aligned with business objectives.