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 on their professional development, just like any employee. According to SHRM, half of all employees feel their own performance would improve if their manager’s also improved, and 6 in 10 believe their managers need more training. And 84% believe poorly trained managers cause a lot of headaches and stress!
Feedback should be a two-way street. Yet managers typically don’t receive a lot of feedback via direct reports. A supervisor evaluation by employees can give them the input they need.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to conduct a great supervisor performance evaluation, including how to get started on the process. We’ll also address what to avoid. Then, we’ll share a sample supervisor evaluation in the form of a template with a variety of effective questions. Let’s start by taking a closer look at what a supervisor evaluation is.
Navigation
1. What Is a Supervisor Evaluation?
2. How to Conduct a Good Supervisor Evaluation
3. What to Avoid in A Supervisor Evaluation
4. Supervisor Evaluation Tools for 360 Performance Reviews and Direct Feedback
5. Supervisor Evaluation Template and Questions
What Is a Supervisor Evaluation?
A supervisor evaluation by employees asks how managers perform in key areas. According to Gallup, the following seven areas represent critical aspects of leadership:
- Building relationships
- Developing people
- Creating change
- Communicating effectively
- Inspiring others
- Thinking critically
- Taking accountability
A good supervisor performance evaluation provides a balanced view of each of these aspects of their performance.
You could expand your supervisor evaluation into a full 360-degree leadership review if you prefer. In this process, various people appraise the supervisor’s performance. It could include input from peers and clients as well as employees. Direct reports by employees would make up one central part of the review.
Main purpose:
A supervisor evaluation helps managers set personal improvement goals and helps them create a performance improvement plan. By asking for employee feedback, you also show employees that you value their input. Conducting supervisor evaluations affirms that your employees’ voice matters and that you are willing to make changes to become the best leader possible.
What it’s not:
A supervisor evaluation is not a forum for ranting about a manager’s character flaws. The goal is to gather candid but professional feedback. Employees should keep their focus on observed behaviours and not attempt to identify the causes of those behaviors.
How to Conduct a Good Supervisor Evaluation
A supervisor performance evaluation should follow several best practices.
Design a survey (or use a template such as Primalogik’s 360 Leadership Assessment Template) with behaviour-focused questions. This will give you the most objective input possible.
- Assure employees that you’ll keep their identifying information confidential.
- Explain how the information will be used (i.e., for personal development). They may fear giving feedback if they believe it could negatively affect their manager.
- Send out the survey, providing instructions on how to use the rating scale. Make sure everyone can complete it in private.
- If you include open-ended questions, give instructions on how to answer them. Ideally, respondents will avoid making judgments or generalizations. Urge them to focus on facts and observations.
- Interpret the information. Draw key conclusions that you’ll highlight to the supervisor. Find supporting points to illustrate ideas. If responses to open-ended questions sound judgmental, distill them into more helpful feedback.
For example, “She doesn’t care at all about how others are feeling” could be presented as, “You could show more empathy by asking about how employees are doing. Sometimes they may be afraid to speak up and say they’re struggling.” - Hold a meeting with the supervisor to discuss the findings. Together, you can create an action plan. (Either an HR leader or the supervisor’s boss can do this.) Taking action is a vital part of gaining feedback. It not only benefits the manager but shows employees the process benefits them!
What to Avoid in A Supervisor Evaluation
Avoid these serious pitfalls of manager evaluations. They can unintentionally sabotage the success of the process.
1. Accidentally creating bias
Don’t wait until after employee evaluations to do supervisor reviews. 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.
2. Leaving the supervisor to interpret the feedback.
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. Using a professional performance management software tool can help you simplify this part of the process. 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.
3. Unintentionally breaking confidentiality.
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.
4. Giving vague feedback.
Consider talking with employees to gain more detailed feedback if need be. Here are a few scenarios where that can prove helpful:
If they voice strong opinions in open-ended questions.
When their answers are vague.
If the answers are ambiguous.
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.
Supervisor Evaluation Tools for 360 Performance Reviews and Direct Feedback
Using the right tools will not just make the supervisor evaluation process easier. It will also help you collect more useful and balanced feedback.
Online performance reviews for supervisors, employees and managers
Professional online performance review software can help you manage reviews both of employees and of managers, including supervisors and other leaders. Our tool provides a structured evaluation guide and prompts you to take each step. It also includes an evaluation questionnaire template that you can customize.
360 feedback for all types of employees
If you plan on taking the process one step further and doing 360 reviews, a 360-degree feedback and review software tool will go a long way to helping you get the job done efficiently and effectively. A good tool will provide customizable questionnaires and walk you through the process. Plus, it will help you analyze the data.Use whichever of these two tools best meets your needs. Whether you are doing a full 360 review for your supervisor, or a more direct leadership assessment, the right employee performance management software will dramatically simplify the process. Book a demo today!
Supervisor Evaluation Template and Questions
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: ___________
Date: ________
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.
Building relationships
Shares appreciation for my work. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Encourages collaboration between team members. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Shows empathy when I experience challenges. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Demonstrates concern for my wellbeing. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Fosters a harmonious team culture. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Developing people
Supports my training and development. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Gives me regular feedback (i.e., at least several times a week). 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Asks about my goals and dreams. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Tailors my training to my ambitions. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Assigns me to projects that stretch my skills. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Creating change
Shares a clear vision with the team. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Encourages and praises creative problem-solving. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Convinces others to believe in a vision for change. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Prompts me and my team members to voice innovative ideas. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Brings team ideas to company leadership when appropriate. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Communicating effectively
Gives clear directions. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Articulates expectations candidly. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Seeks input from all team members. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Listens carefully when people speak. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Leads productive team meetings. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Inspiring others
Brings positive energy to the group, even in challenging times. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Tells engaging stories to illustrate ideas. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Emphasizes the importance of my work and our team’s work. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Serves as a role model for personal growth. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Models healthy time-management and work habits. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Thinking critically
Effectively guides the team in solving problems. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Bases decisions on solid evidence. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Skillfully shapes project plans. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Invites new and unexpected ways of doing things. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Draws connections between different perspectives and ideas. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Taking accountability
Welcomes constructive feedback. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Admits to mistakes quickly after becoming aware of them. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Takes action to remedy errors. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Strives to be transparent about issues that concern the team. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Works to tackle problems head-on. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
Open-ended questions
What does your manager do to support your development?
What behaviours does your manager engage in that are ineffective?
How else could your manager improve?
Thank you for your valuable feedback. We’ll reach out if we have any clarifying questions about your responses.