In a typical performance evaluation, the manager reviews the employee. But in a supervisor evaluation, the opposite takes place. A supervisor evaluation by employees shows managers how to improve. Doing them regularly will give managers vital insights into their performance.
Why is this important? Supervisors need to continuously work to develop, just like any employee. Half of all employees feel their own performance would improve if their supervisor improved, SHRM says. 6 in 10 believe their manager needs more training. And 84% believe poorly trained managers cause a lot of headaches and stress!
Gaining feedback should be a two-way street. Yet managers typically don’t receive a lot of feedback from direct reports. A supervisor evaluation by employers can give them the input they need.
We’ll discuss how to conduct a great supervisor performance evaluation. We’ll also address what to avoid—and helpful tools for getting started. Then, we’ll share a sample supervisor evaluation template and questions. But first, let’s more thoroughly define what a supervisor evaluation is.
Navigation
A supervisor evaluation by employees asks how managers perform in key areas. According to Gallup, the following seven areas represent critical aspects of leadership:
A good supervisor performance evaluation provides a balanced view of these areas.
You could expand your supervisor evaluation into a full 360-degree review if you prefer. In this process, various people appraise the supervisor’s performance. They may include peers and clients as well as direct reports. Direct reports’ evaluations would make up one central part of the review.
The supervisor evaluation will help managers set personal improvement goals. This feedback will inform them in creating a performance improvement plan. It also brings one important additional benefit: showing employees you value their input. Conducting supervisor evaluations affirms that their voice matters.
The supervisor evaluation is not a forum for ranting about a manager’s character flaws. Rather, you’re looking for candid but professional feedback. Stick to a focus on behaviours. Further, respondents shouldn’t analyze the causes of managers’ behaviours. The evaluation should simply ask them about what they’ve actually observed.
A supervisor performance evaluation follows several best practices.
Avoid these serious pitfalls of manager evaluations. They can unintentionally sabotage the success of the process.
Don’t wait until after employee evaluations to begin this process. That could lead to biased results—whether overly positive or negative. Instead, collect employees’ evaluations before their own performance reviews occur. You might then deliver this feedback to supervisors after employee reviews conclude.
Or, conduct the supervisor evaluation at a completely different time of year.
Don’t just hand the supervisor a pile of evaluations at the end of the process. Like any employee, they need help synthesizing the information. Plus, organizations often want to keep identifying information confidential. This will help the manager avoid developing bias toward individual employees.
An HR staff member should compile the results and keep names confidential. They can share the overall findings of the evaluations at the end of the process.
Say you’ve protected employees’ identities. But when discussing the findings with the manager, you mention a story an employee shared. The manager knows it could only pertain to one employee. Guess what? You’ve inadvertently broken confidentiality. To avoid this situation, don’t relay details that the employee may have shared in confidence.
Try to distill these anecdotes into the key issues they highlight.
Consider talking with employees to gain more detailed feedback if need be. Here are a few scenarios where that can prove helpful:
Try to dig deeper if possible by meeting with them one on one. You may gain more nuanced, specific feedback that way.
Now let’s examine several tools that can enhance your supervisor evaluations.
Using the right tools will not just make the supervisor evaluation process easier. They’ll also provide more useful and balanced feedback.
Use whichever of these two tools best meets your needs. Either will dramatically simplify the process if you choose a user-friendly module.
Supervisor evaluation questions should focus on observations. They can either be phrased as questions or as statements. Include a rating scale with at least 5 points (e.g., a Likert scale).
Here is a sample supervisor evaluation.
Supervisor’s Name: _____________
Reviewer’s Name: ___________
Years with Manager: ___________
We are seeking feedback on your manager’s performance to assist in personal development. Your honest feedback will help your manager improve. Your input will remain confidential. We will only share the combined results from all employees with your manager.
Please rate how well your manager does each of the following supervisor evaluation scale of 1–6.
Thank you for your valuable feedback. We’ll reach out if we have any clarifying questions about your responses.
Wondering what type of questions to include in your supervisor evaluation? This template includes over 35 questions to ask during a supervisor evaluation. Download our free template today.
SHRM offers a 360-degree supervisor appraisal template (which helped to inform the layout above). This supervisor evaluation form can be used by direct reports. You can also have a broader range of people complete it. While it mainly includes rating questions, it shares several open-ended questions too.
Here is another sample supervisor evaluation form from Columbia Gorge Community College. We find it to be another straightforward and comprehensive resource.
Refer to the supervisor’s job description to customize your questions. Make sure your supervisor evaluation questions cover the key responsibilities stated on it. The supervisor’s boss may have valuable input on key topics.
By conducting supervisor evaluations, you’ll enhance managers’ skill sets. The constructive feedback you receive will benefit their long-term growth. And hearing positive feedback will give them a morale boost! Again, remember to act on the feedback by nurturing their growth.
By creating a plan tailored to their needs, you’ll ensure continuous improvement.
Want to learn how to use a performance review module in evaluations? Demo our product!
