As of: 28 June 2026. An employee review may sound routine, but it often decides more than just a few notes in the personnel file. It's about performance, collaboration, goals, development, workload, further training and sometimes unspoken expectations. Those who go in unprepared only react. Those who prepare well can use the meeting to make their work more visible and agree on concrete next steps.
Especially in Austria, employee reviews are organized very differently. Some companies conduct them annually with a form and target agreement, others only on an ad-hoc basis. The AMS guide describes employee reviews as a dialogue between manager and employee, in which, among other things, collaboration, the work environment, leadership style, goals and development can be discussed. That's precisely why it's worth not just checking the meeting off as a mandatory appointment.
Preparation doesn't start at the meeting
The most important question is: What should be clearer after the meeting than before? That could be a new task, better prioritization, a more realistic goal, a request for further training, or feedback on collaboration. Anyone who just waits to see which points the manager brings up forfeits influence over the agenda.
The AMS recommends asking for sufficient preparation time. This is practically relevant if the appointment is scheduled at very short notice. Employees should at least know whether it's a regular annual review, a goal check, a development discussion or a specific issue. Which documents are appropriate depends on that.
A brief preparation is often enough: a task list, key projects, results, open problems, questions and two to three wishes for the coming months. Anyone who has collected numbers, examples or feedback can argue more factually. The conversation will then be less emotional and more comprehensible.
Make achievements visible without exaggerating
Many employees talk in performance reviews almost only about problems. That is understandable, but incomplete. Good work is often taken for granted in everyday life. Therefore, before the meeting one should note what has been achieved during the past period: completed projects, assumed responsibilities, resolved customer issues, improved processes, support for colleagues, or particular peaks in workload.
What's important is the link to impact. Instead of just saying "Project X completed", it's better: "Project X was finished two weeks ahead of the deadline, which allowed the team to test earlier." Or: "I took over onboarding of new colleagues, which made handovers stabilize more quickly." Such examples show contribution and benefit.
This is not self-praise for its own sake. It creates a fair basis when goals, development, or resources are discussed later. Those who only react to criticism make it harder for the other person to fully see their performance.
Ask for concrete feedback
A good performance review should not stop at general formulations. Statements like "going well", "more initiative" or "improve communication" are too vague if concrete steps are supposed to follow. Employees can ask: How would you notice that things have improved? Which situation do you mean specifically? What expectation applies for the next three months?
Such follow-up questions are not a defense. They make feedback usable. Those who receive criticism should first sort it: Is it about quality, speed, priorities, coordination, demeanor, expertise, or collaboration? Each of these points requires different measures. More overtime, for example, will not solve a prioritization problem if the tasks are fundamentally too many.
When feedback becomes emotional or unclear, a calm focus on examples helps. However, with real tensions in the team, a normal performance review is not always the right place. Then the contribution Addressing conflict at work: When a conversation really helps support preparing the topic separately and more objectively.
Only accept goals if they are controllable
Target agreements can be helpful if they are clear, realistic and within reach. They become problematic when employees are held responsible for results they can hardly control. A goal like "improve customer satisfaction" remains vague without a framework. It's better to clarify which specific metric, which process or which measure is meant.
Time and resources are also part of the target agreement. Someone who is to take on a new project may need fewer routine tasks, access to information, a decision loop or further training. The goal and the framework must fit together. The public sector provides, among other things, template forms with target agreements for employee discussions. This shows: goals are not just a sentence, they need structure.
Employees should therefore pay attention to three points: What exactly is the goal? By when should it be achieved? What support or decision is needed for it? If a goal is too large, an intermediate goal may be more sensible. That makes progress measurable and prevents it from only becoming apparent at the next annual review that expectations have diverged.
Address workload factually
Many employee discussions remain focused on performance, even though working conditions are decisive. If there are permanently too many tasks, frequent interruptions, unclear priorities or unrealistic deadlines, this should not be packaged as a personal time-management problem. The labor inspection points out that psychosocial risks in the workplace must be evaluated. This also includes work organization, workflows and social relationships.
For employees this means: strain is easier to discuss when it is described concretely. Which tasks conflict? Which deadlines are open at the same time? How often do unplanned additional tasks arise? Which decision is missing? Whoever documents their working time and overtime in a traceable way has a better basis for the conversation. This is complemented by the article "Recording working hours: Why keeping a record on the job matters.
What's important is not just to say, 'It's too much.' Better is: 'If Project A has priority, I need a decision about whether Task B should be postponed.' Or: 'I can take on the extra cover if we reduce reporting obligations this week.' That way, what feels like an overload becomes a manageable issue.
Make development and training concrete
An employee review is also a good place to raise development. It doesn't always have to be a promotion. It can be about new expertise, more responsibility, job rotation, mentoring, project work, digital tools, customer contact, or a technical specialization. The key is to link the desire to the benefit for the work.
Instead of saying generally 'I want to develop further,' a concrete proposal helps: 'I would like to be more involved in data analysis next quarter and attend training on Tool X for that.' Or: 'I want to assist with customer presentations at first and later take on smaller meetings myself.' Such proposals are easier to evaluate.
When discussing further training, you should also clarify the framework: costs, working hours, study time, the objective of the measure, and how it will transfer into everyday work. It's important not to confuse this topic with already established special arrangements like dedicated training time. In the employee review, the focus is often first on company development and concrete next tasks.
Don't hide salary as an aside
Some employees also want to talk about salary in the employee review. That can be appropriate if performance, responsibility, and market value are already on the agenda. But it should not be allowed to slip in casually between feedback and goal setting. Anyone who wants to raise salary needs a clear justification and should know whether the company has a separate process for this.
A sensible approach is to separate: first clarify performance and development, then address salary as its own topic. For example: 'Based on the additional responsibility, I would also like to discuss my job classification and further salary development. Can we set a framework for this today or schedule a separate meeting?' That keeps the conversation professional.
When a job offer or a change is on the table, that's a different situation. Then the article helps "Don't rush an acceptance: How applicants evaluate a job offer, to assess salary, benefits and working hours more broadly.
After the conversation, follow-up is what counts.
An employee appraisal without follow-up quickly loses its effectiveness. At the end, the most important points should be clear: Which goals apply? Which responsibilities will change? Which professional development is being considered? By when will there be feedback? Who will take which next step?
The Chamber of Labour of Upper Austria provides templates related to employee meetings for preparation, meeting minutes, and agreed objectives. Even if not every company uses such forms, the idea behind them is important: agreements should be recorded. A short email after the meeting can suffice if it factually summarizes what was decided.
Anyone returning to work after a longer absence or illness should be especially realistic when setting goals. In such cases, the question of a gradual return may also be relevant. The article "Back to work: How part-time reintegration helps explains when a separate framework is necessary for this.
Checklist for the employee review
- Clarify the meeting type: annual review, feedback, goal review, or ad-hoc meeting.
- Note your own successes, projects, and contributions with concrete examples.
- Prepare open questions about priorities, resources, and expectations.
- Ask to have feedback specified: situation, expectation, next step.
- Only accept goals if responsibility, deadline, and support are clear.
- Discuss workload with facts and possible prioritizations.
- Formulate training or development steps as a concrete proposal.
- Summarize agreements in writing after the meeting.
Conclusion: A good conversation needs its own agenda
An employee review is not an interrogation or a mere box‑ticking exercise. It is an opportunity to discuss work, expectations and development in a structured way. Employees should therefore not only react but bring their own agenda: What went well? What is holding things back? What should change? Which goals are realistic? What support is needed?
Those who prepare concrete examples, clear questions and feasible suggestions make the conversation more useful for both sides. The most important step is simple: don’t try to keep everything in your head, but sort it out in writing beforehand. That way a mandatory appointment becomes a conversation that can actually improve everyday work.
Sources and further information
- AMS: Employee review, tips and checklists
- Chamber of Labour Upper Austria: Employee review
- Public Service: Employee review (MAG)
- Public Service: Guide to employee review and teamwork meeting (PDF)
- Labour Inspectorate: Evaluation of workplace psychological stress
- Labour Inspectorate: work-related mental illnesses
