Annual reviews: the practice

• A. To determine employee salary increases only
• B. To assess performance over the past year and set goals for the year ahead ✓
• C. To replace ongoing day-to-day feedback entirely
• D. To rank employees against one another for termination decisions

Why: Annual reviews are designed to evaluate past performance, recognize achievements, identify development areas, and align future goals. While compensation may be discussed, it is not their sole purpose, and they complement rather than replace ongoing feedback.

• A. Waiting until the review meeting to gather examples of your work
• B. Reviewing your goals, accomplishments, and feedback received throughout the year ✓
• C. Focusing only on your most recent month of work
• D. Avoiding any self-assessment to remain objective

Why: Good preparation involves reviewing the goals set at the start of the period, documenting accomplishments, and gathering feedback from the full year, which gives a balanced and evidence-based picture of performance.

• A. Giving too much weight to recent events when evaluating performance over the full period ✓
• B. Preferring newer employees over long-serving staff
• C. Scheduling reviews more frequently than required
• D. Using outdated review templates

Why: Recency bias occurs when a reviewer overemphasizes the most recent events, such as the last few weeks, rather than considering the entire review period fairly. Keeping notes throughout the year helps reduce this bias.

• A. Only a numerical rating with no narrative
• B. A summary of achievements, areas for growth, and goals for the next period ✓
• C. Comparisons with unrelated colleagues in other departments
• D. A list of personal matters unrelated to work

Why: A strong annual review balances recognition of accomplishments, honest discussion of development areas, and forward-looking goals. A narrative alongside any ratings gives context and supports meaningful dialogue.

• A. It allows the manager to avoid giving any written documentation
• B. It lets the employee share perspective, ask questions, and contribute to goal-setting ✓
• C. It ensures the meeting runs shorter than scheduled
• D. It shifts all responsibility for performance onto the employee

Why: Annual reviews are most effective when they are collaborative. Employees who can share their perspective, raise concerns, and help shape their goals tend to be more engaged and committed to the outcomes agreed upon.

• A. It is vague so employees have room to interpret it
• B. It is specific and measurable so progress can be objectively assessed
• C. It is set entirely by the employee without manager input
• D. It focuses only on personal activities rather than outcomes

• A. Ambitious
• B. Adaptable
• C. Achievable
• D. Aligned

• A. So managers can avoid giving feedback during the year
• B. So employees have a clear understanding of what success looks like and can work toward it
• C. Because HR policy requires expectations to be hidden until the review
• D. So that goals can be changed retroactively to match results

• A. Be a good team player
• B. Try to answer customer calls quickly
• C. Resolve at least 90% of customer inquiries on first contact within the review period
• D. Work hard and show initiative

• A. Set goals once and never revisit them until the annual review
• B. Hold periodic check-ins to discuss progress and adjust goals as priorities change
• C. Let employees decide independently whether goals still apply
• D. Replace all goals at the midpoint of the year

• A. It allows the manager to avoid having any direct conversation with the employee
• B. It provides a more balanced and complete picture of performance than relying on a single viewpoint ✓
• C. It is required by law in every country for all employees
• D. It ensures the review can be completed in a single day

Why: Drawing on several perspectives, such as peers, direct reports, customers, and the employee's own self-assessment, reduces the influence of any one person's bias and gives a fuller view of the employee's work.

• A. Sarah is a very positive person to have around
• B. Tom seems to be lazy most of the time
• C. Maria delivered the client onboarding project two weeks early and reduced rework by 15 percent ✓
• D. James has a good attitude in general

Why: Specific evidence describes concrete actions, outcomes, and measurable results. Vague impressions like being positive or lazy are hard to verify and open to subjective interpretation.

• A. To create a longer paper trail for HR
• B. To avoid having to think about performance until the review
• C. To capture accurate examples while they are fresh and avoid recency bias ✓
• D. To increase the number of meetings each manager must hold

Why: Memory fades and people tend to overweight recent events. Keeping notes or collecting feedback as things happen gives a more accurate record across the whole review period.

• A. Ignore the feedback that is most negative
• B. Average the ratings without looking at the comments
• C. Look for patterns, seek specific examples behind each view, and explore the reasons for the differences ✓
• D. Choose the opinion of the most senior reviewer automatically

Why: Conflicting feedback often reflects different contexts or observed situations. Investigating the specific examples and patterns helps the manager understand the true picture rather than simply discarding or averaging the input.

• A. It replaces the need for manager observation entirely
• B. It gives the employee a voice, surfaces their own accomplishments and challenges, and can reveal perspectives the manager may have missed ✓
• C. It is mainly used to lower the employee's final rating
• D. It allows employees to avoid discussing their performance with others

Why: A self-assessment encourages reflection, ensures achievements the manager did not witness are included, and makes the review a two-way conversation rather than a one-sided judgment.

• A. Immediately present the employee's performance ratings
• B. Begin by inviting the employee to reflect on their own year and accomplishments ✓
• C. Discuss compensation changes before anything else
• D. Review every missed deadline in chronological order

Why: Starting with the employee's self-reflection sets a collaborative tone, surfaces their perspective early, and makes the rest of the conversation a two-way dialogue rather than a verdict.

• A. Unstructured discussion that follows whatever comes up
• B. Past performance, current strengths, development areas, then future goals ✓
• C. Compensation first, then personal life, then performance
• D. Only the manager speaks for the full duration

Why: Moving from review of past performance to strengths, then development areas, and finally forward-looking goals gives the conversation a logical arc that ends on a constructive, actionable note.

• A. Describe the specific behavior and its impact, then ask for the employee's perspective ✓
• B. Make a general comment that they need to try harder
• C. Compare them unfavorably to a colleague
• D. Avoid mentioning it so the review stays positive

Why: Specific, observable behavior tied to concrete impact is fair and actionable, and asking for the employee's view invites problem-solving instead of defensiveness.

• A. End abruptly once the ratings have been delivered
• B. Summarize agreed next steps, confirm commitments, and schedule follow-up check-ins ✓
• C. Tell the employee to read the written review and reply by email
• D. Leave the future plan open-ended to avoid commitments

Why: A clear summary of agreed actions and follow-up timing ensures both parties leave with shared understanding and accountability, which turns the review into an ongoing development process.

• A. Compensation is never relevant to performance
• B. Employees may focus on pay and miss the developmental feedback, or view feedback as a justification for pay decisions ✓
• C. HR policy forbids discussing both in the same meeting
• D. Feedback should always be delivered in writing only

Why: When pay is discussed alongside feedback, the employee often fixates on the number and tunes out coaching content, so separating the two (when feasible) keeps the development conversation focused.

• A. Relying mainly on the most recent few weeks of work
• B. Referring to specific, documented examples of work against agreed objectives
• C. Comparing each employee to the team's strongest performer
• D. Basing the rating on overall impressions of personality

• A. Giving extra weight to employees who have been with the company the longest
• B. Overweighting events from the most recent period and forgetting earlier performance
• C. Rating employees higher when they share the manager's interests
• D. Assigning ratings based on the average of the team's scores

• A. It makes the review process shorter for managers
• B. It prevents personal preferences from distorting ratings and supports consistency
• C. It ensures every employee receives the same salary increase
• D. It removes the need for individual development goals

• A. A manager rates an employee lower because of one minor mistake
• B. A manager rates an employee highly across all criteria because of one strong achievement
• C. A manager asks the employee to self-assess before the meeting
• D. A manager uses a standardized rating scale for all staff

• A. Decide the rating first and then look for supporting evidence
• B. Consult colleagues only if the employee has complained
• C. Review the evidence against the criteria and check for possible bias in their own judgment
• D. Average the employee's rating with last year's rating regardless of performance

• A. To justify a salary decision made earlier in the review
• B. To agree on specific actions that will help the employee build skills and progress toward their goals ✓
• C. To formally document disciplinary concerns for HR records
• D. To rank the employee against colleagues for the next budget cycle

Why: A development plan turns review discussions into concrete, agreed actions that support the employee's growth and future goals, rather than serving disciplinary or ranking purposes.

• A. It is vague, such as 'be better at communication'
• B. It is specific, measurable, and time-bound, such as 'lead two team presentations within the next six months' ✓
• C. It is set entirely by the manager without employee input
• D. It covers every skill the employee could possibly improve

Why: SMART-style goals with clear measures and deadlines are easier to act on and to check progress against, which is why they are preferred in development planning.

• A. The manager alone, since they hold the authority
• B. HR, so that the plan is kept on file
• C. Both the employee and the manager, with shared responsibility for follow-through ✓
• D. No one, since plans are only reference documents

Why: Development works best when the employee drives their own growth while the manager supports it through resources, feedback, and check-ins.

• A. Because regular check-ins allow progress to be tracked and priorities adjusted as circumstances change ✓
• B. Because company policy requires quarterly reporting to senior leadership
• C. Because the annual review cannot legally be completed without mid-year meetings
• D. Because employees are not permitted to update their own goals

Why: Periodic check-ins keep the plan relevant, help catch obstacles early, and allow goals to be adjusted when business needs or the employee's situation shift.

• A. End by summarizing the agreed actions, owners, and timelines so both parties leave with the same understanding ✓
• B. End by asking the employee to email their own summary the following week without further discussion
• C. End without addressing development, focusing only on past performance ratings
• D. End by assigning a long list of goals to ensure nothing is missed

Why: Summarizing agreed actions, owners, and timelines confirms shared understanding and creates clear accountability for the next steps.

• A. A list of every conversation held during the year
• B. Agreed actions, owners, and target dates for follow-up ✓
• C. A verbatim transcript of the review meeting
• D. The clinician's personal impressions unrelated to the patient's care

Why: Clear documentation of agreed actions, who is responsible for each, and when they should be completed is what makes an annual review actionable and allows follow-up to be checked.

• A. To reduce the length of the clinical record
• B. To show the patient's priorities so that the plan reflects what matters to them ✓
• C. Because the law requires patients to set their own diagnoses
• D. So the notes can be shared with insurers without edits

Why: Recording the patient's goals and concerns ensures the follow-up plan is person-centred and that progress can later be judged against what the patient actually wanted.

• A. Wait until the next annual review to see whether anything changed
• B. Set a recall or reminder for a specific date and check the agreed actions were completed ✓
• C. Leave it to the patient to remember and raise concerns if needed
• D. Mark the review as complete once the meeting ends

Why: Scheduling a defined recall or reminder and checking progress against the agreed actions closes the loop, catching problems early rather than waiting a full year.

• A. By deleting records older than one year to save storage
• B. By auditing the records periodically to spot patterns such as missed follow-ups or incomplete documentation ✓
• C. By using only the most recent review and ignoring earlier ones
• D. By reducing the number of reviews offered to patients

Why: Regular audit of review records highlights recurring gaps, such as missed follow-ups or incomplete notes, which can then be addressed through changes to process, training, or templates.

• A. The care plan should remain unchanged so the record stays consistent
• B. The care plan should be updated to reflect the outcomes and agreed changes from the review ✓
• C. Only the clinician's notes need updating, not the shared plan given to the patient
• D. Updates should be made only if the patient requests a written copy

Why: The care plan must reflect the current agreed status and changes from the review so that everyone involved works from the same, up-to-date information.