Companies usually use some type of employee performance evaluation to assess successes and gaps in performance and convey these assessments to employees. Although this can be helpful, it isn't enough on its own. If you want your employees to be more engaged and productive, you need to understand their intrinsic motivations.
To do this, consider adding these questions to the employee performance review conversation. (Notice that we use the word "feel" a lot because it's the employee's emotions that should concern you.)
Questions to ask in reviews
- How do you feel about your job?
- How do you feel about the direction of the company?
- Do you feel that you have improved your skills over the last year?
- To what extent do you feel that you have grown as a person while working for us during the past year?
- What do you feel is the most valuable thing you do at work?
- Where do you feel you can add more value to the company?
- Out of curiosity, have you looked at other job opportunities or are you completely satisfied here? If not, what would it take to satisfy you?
- Do you feel you're being paid fairly? If not, what do you feel you should get paid and what do you base that on?
- Do you feel we have exhibited a management style that's caring and supportive? If not, how can we do a better job of this?
- Is there anything that we haven't spoken about that feels unfair to you and might get in the way of our working relationship or your success at this company?
- Is there anything else you would like to share that we haven't talked about?
These are brave questions to ask because many managers avoid diving into the emotional landscape, which is a mistake. As Daniel Goleman reminds us in Emotional Intelligence, it's often E.Q., not I.Q., that matters most for effective leadership and management.
Consider having this conversation outside your office where it might feel safer for the employee. For example: "Now that we've discussed your performance, I'd like to have a deeper conversation about your work here and I don't want to do it in the office. Where would you like to go talk about this?"
You don't have to adopt the whole approach at once. Test it: start with just one employee and frame it as a learning experience for both of you. You can also review practical steps in Preparing for Your Annual Performance Review to structure the conversation.
Conversations that surface feelings often reveal areas where benefits, support, or training could make a difference. For more on linking performance reviews to employee well‑being and benefits, see Employee benefits: performance reviews, vision care, long-term care, and workplace stress.
If you want help aligning compensation or benefits with this feedback, consider taking it to your HR team or talk to an agent.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I ask these emotional-focused questions?
Include a few of these questions during annual reviews and revisit them in one-on-one meetings or development conversations as needed.
What if an employee is uncomfortable answering emotional questions?
Offer alternatives like anonymous surveys or suggest meeting outside the office to create a safer setting for the conversation.
Can these conversations replace traditional performance metrics?
No. Emotional check-ins complement objective performance data and help managers understand motivation and retention risks.