Sample Email to Announce/Re-introduce Performance Evaluation Process

2 min read

Below is an email that you (the head of HR, Chief of Staff, or ED/CEO) can send to all staff to announce (or even re-introduce) a performance evaluation process.

Hi everyone,

I’m excited to announce that we’re rolling out a performance evaluation process. This is part of our ongoing effort to grow our impact, support staff development, and promote fairness and transparency. Here’s what you need to know:

Each year in December and January, all staff will go through the process of self-evaluation and being evaluated by their manager on how well they met expectations around outcomes and core competencies for the previous year. These assessments will focus on the bigger picture of your performance—the “what” (how successful you were at meeting your goals and what results you delivered) and the “how” (the skills, mindsets, and values you used to get there). They are an opportunity for self-reflection, feedback, and getting aligned with your manager on next steps and expectations for the coming year.

We hope this process will provide:

  • Clarity about opportunities for development and advancement
  • An opportunity for managers and staff to deepen alignment around expectations
  • Insight for leadership on how we’re doing as a team towards meeting our organization’s mission and goals

Specific deadlines will vary based on what works best for you and your manager, but here is the general timeline:

  • December 15th: Evaluation forms will be available to everyone. If you have any questions about the form, ask your manager or contact HR.
  • January 15: Deadline for all evaluations (including self-evaluations). Managers should fill out their evaluations before reviewing self-evaluations. We also recommend setting aside ample time to get input from others to inform your evaluation.
  • January 31: Deadline for holding evaluation discussion meetings and sending completed forms to HR.

Other things to keep in mind:

  • If you manage someone, your manager will reach out to your direct report(s) to get feedback.
  • While we want to have things on paper, we want you to focus on the conversation. Use your evaluation discussion meeting to reflect, share feedback, and look ahead.

Since this is our first time rolling out this process, we anticipate that there might be some bumps along the way and we know we’ll learn a lot from this process. If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback, you can direct them to your manager or get in touch with me directly.

Best,

[Name]

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