Working Life > Employee Interview > Performance Review

Performance Review

Definition, Explanation

When an employment relationship is terminated, the former employee is given an employment certificate which is a future evidence of his occupational activity documenting the employee’s qualities, abilities and behaviour. Therefore, it is a major criterion for a new boss viewing an application.

While the employment certificate is given at the end of the employment relationship, or cancellation, there is another certificate that can be asked for during the employment and that is useful on some occasions, namely a performance review, or performance appraisal (German Zwischenzeugnis, interim report).

While an employee is entitled to be given an employment certificate only from the last day of the employment, the legally enforced entitlement to be given a written performance review results when it is contracted in a collective agreement or when there is a sensible reason. Sensible reasons are:

• A cancellation agreement. While negotiations might be done, you can demand a performance review
• The employment has been running for a longer time without there being given a performance review and without a regular periodical appraisal system
• Further education activities for which a performance review is required
• Outsourcing, respectively transferring of a company or part of a company or bankruptcy
• The employee is going to start a longer leave, e.g. Sabbatical, military or alternative service, parental leave or childcare leave
• Change in the employee’s responsibilities, also e.g. exemption for works council activities
• Advancement or transfer
• Performance review is required for authorities or court
• Employee starts to work in a project
• Employee is going abroad
• Cancellation, dismissal. Since only after the last day of the employment, the final employment certificate is made, it can be useful to have a performance review filed just after the cancellation, in order to be able to apply elsewhere. In such cases, the information that the employment is ending is included in the performance review
• Cancellation with exemption. Here, already during the final exemption period, the final employment certificate can be given. The same certificate, then, will be re-dated and filed again as the regular final employment certificate of the last day of the employment

Employer’s motives for handing out a performance review:

• Motivating the employee by positive feedback and maintaining a good working atmosphere
• Leaving boss wants to leave good memories to employees
• Praising less beloved employees to ease their leave

Requirements for a performance review:

• Headline “Zwischenzeugnis”
• No sign-off standard phrase, rather the reason(s) for giving the performance review
• Should be formulated in present tense, since the employment is a continuing one
• The reason for giving the performance review should be named, e.g. for a transfer. Otherwise, readers might tend to suspect that the employee is being “praised away”

Structure of a performance review:

• Employment duration
• Activity description
• Performance appraisal
• All-up rating
• Social behaviour
• Gratitude for done work

Comprehensive performance review (Qualifiziertes Zwischenzeugnis) vs. plain performance review:

• A plain performance review only states duration and kind of activity
• A comprehensive performance review also includes an explicit activity description and appraisal of performance and behaviour

Tips, Checklist

• When you are changing to another company for outsourcing, you can demand a final employment certificate
• If you cannot state a sensible reason, and the collective agreement does not contain any regulations on performance reviews, you should think twice whether you want to demand a performance review. Your demanding one could be interpreted in such a way that you wish to quit the employment or that you are discontent with your job. Also, not for every application will you need a performance review right away. Normally, your CV and activity description suffice
• Use your opportunities of getting a performance review. Normally, performance reviews turn out better than final employment certificates do. Try to find an appropriate time for a performance review
• Write a draft performance review yourself, if your personnel management or boss do not have the time, or do not respond other than talking
• Talk to your boss pointing out that you would like to get a performance review and that you have drawn up a draft
• An employee who gets good ratings in an interim performance review, is likely to find similar appraisal in a final employment certificate. If it does not turn out this way, then the employer must be able to explain that to you, or you will have the right to have the final employment certificate changed accordingly
• Be sure not to demand performance reviews all the time just for no reason
• If you do not agree to contents of a performance reviews, you can suggest an alternative version
• A review must be done in written, on principle. A standard company letterhead and company paper must be used
• There is no legal entitlement to be given an interim performance review at any time, like the entitlement to a final employment certificate at the end of the employment. It is, though, considered a side-obligation of the employer
• A performance review can be made at any time, except during the first months of an employment, or in a probation period
• Consider that in performance reviews, just as in any evaluating certificate writings, people use the common “coded” formulations which may say things in a dissembling fashion. To get real feedback from your boss, after all, you should have a committed talk, e.g. as an official employee’s talk
• If you are actually looking out for a new job, you should talk to your boss as well about what chances of development you have in this company

Last update: 03/01/2010