25 Peer Review Examples: How to Provide Feedback to Your Peers
Did you know that 65% of employees yearn for more guidance on how they're doing at work? A recent study from Zippia, '20 ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEE FEEDBACK STATISTICS [2023],' revealed this surprising fact. Even more eye-opening, nearly every one of us, 98% to be exact, finds our enthusiasm for work dims when feedback is lacking.
It's clear that without feedback, our engagement, sense of belonging, and interest in our jobs just aren't the same.
However, finding the right words can be tricky, especially if you want to give constructive peer review feedback that helps identify mistakes, keeps team members on track, and allows employees to grow professionally and personally.
Let's look at some helpful guidelines for giving feedback, and then we'll explore more than 50 peer review example phrases, both positive and negative, that you can use today.
5 Useful guidelines for giving feedback to peers
Whether you are writing peer performance reviews as an employee or as a manager, there are some essential guidelines and tips that you need to consider to make your feedback more effective.
1. Establish trust with your team member
Every employee needs to feel respected and have a sense of self-worth to show motivation and commitment at work.
When employees feel valued and trusted, they are more open to learning from feedback rather than immediately rejecting it. Before giving feedback, ensure you have a positive relationship with your colleagues.
In general, you need to have three to five positive moments with a peer before offering them constructive feedback. These moments form a basis of trust and positivity.
2. Be kind
Give feedback from a place of caring for your colleague’s learning and growth. Make sure you know why you are giving feedback. Provide valuable insights, strengths and weaknesses, and areas for improvement. If it comes from a place of kindness, feedback can help increase employee engagement.
Feedback and peer evaluation can only be effective when they catalyze learning and growth. Learn how to leverage peer feedback for growth and development.
3. Leave anger at the door
Many times, we give feedback out of sheer frustration or anger. If you feel these negative emotions, step back and reflect before giving the employee feedback.
Make sure the feedback relies on data and insight rather than negative emotions. Remember, feedback is about being someone’s advocate to help them learn and grow.
4. Listen to their reaction
Listening is one of the most powerful ways to build trust and improve communication. You need to listen to what someone is saying and pay attention to their body language, tone, and emotions.
Adjust based on the other person’s response. You want feedback to be a two-way conversation to improve the employee experience.
5. Be specific
Clarify the actions and behaviors you are providing feedback on and their impact. The more the individual can relate to the specific event, the more likely they will learn from your input.
Do not give feedback about a specific event months after it happens; give it as close to when the incident occurred as possible.
Giving and receiving feedback is not easy, but it is incredibly impactful when done thoughtfully.
For more guidance on employee feedback, check out the white paper "9 Tips for Giving Feedback (Without the Stress)" today.
25 Peer review feedback examples
Like a compass in the wilderness, effective feedback points you in the right direction and helps you improve. Peer review is a powerful tool in this journey, offering a mirror to see our strengths and areas for growth.
Whether giving constructive feedback or reinforcing positive employee performance, start by identifying your goal and the message you want to convey.
When you are ready to write, speak directly to the recipient, focus on the future, and provide peer feedback that supports areas of improvement and continuous development.
To help in the review process, here are some constructive feedback examples with key points that make them effective.
1. Positive feedback examples
When giving positive feedback, one thing you want to try and avoid is using unconditional terms such as 'always' or 'continuously' because they could make someone feel pressure to maintain the level of effort being recognized, especially when used repeatedly or alongside absolute terms like '100%' or 'never.'
You can start with open-ended questions such as 'How has your experience been this month with your peers at work?'
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Let's take a look at a few right and wrong ways to give positive peer feedback in a peer review:
- Correct: “You are a colleague/employee who inspires confidence as you carry out your tasks!”
- Incorrect: “You are always a colleague/employee who we can depend on to do the tasks the right way.”
- Correct: “Thank you for being a highly dependable coworker who is diligent when it comes to meeting deadlines on time!”
- Incorrect: “Thank you for being a highly dependable coworker who always meets deadlines on time!”
- Correct: “You motivate the team with your organization and ability to get things done promptly.”
- Incorrect: “We always count on you to do things on time.”
- Correct: “Your work on the last project was well researched, planned, and executed.”
- Incorrect: “Your work on the last project was 100% spot on because it was so well researched, planned, and executed.”
- Correct: “You are an extremely helpful coworker who does not mind taking some time off to help trainees in a meaningful way."
- Incorrect: “You are an extremely helpful coworker who always does not mind taking some time off to help trainees do things right.”
To help you get the ball rolling, here are some examples of leadership feedback -
- I like it when you do___, because it has the impact of___
- I have noticed you____
- I feel you are very good at ____, and I would love to see more of _____, because____
- I appreciate how disciplined you are about____
- I admire the way you communicate with peers about____. This makes them feel____
- Your communication skills are good. I see how you efficiently communicate____ with____
- I love that you took the initiative to (start a social club/plan a charity fundraiser/suggest some office enhancements)
- I can really see the positive impact of your work on (the team’s performance/our figures for this month)
- Your attitude to learning has helped all of us this quarter
- Your focus and problem-solving skills have a good influence on the whole team
- Our customers have given excellent feedback about you. It is clear why they love working with you
- I am impressed by your attention to detail and the way you tackled the challenge when____
- Thanks for your help with____. It helped me make things efficient, fast, and____
- You have shown excellent teamwork skills in this project. Good job!
- I really appreciate the (creativity/enthusiasm/determination) you bring to your work
- I notice the meticulous care you put into your work
- The work you do in your role makes my job smoother, too.
2. Negative feedback examples
Rather than thinking of this as negative feedback, it is best to take it as constructive feedback.
Regardless, giving this type of feedback and even receiving it can be tricky, making it important for feedback givers to pay attention to the tone and words they use to present the information. It is best to use real examples and data to back it up.
You shouldn't focus on the person's character when giving negative feedback. Focus on the behavior. Also, share recommendations/suggestions for improvement and use words like "consider" in your feedback moment.
Most importantly, give feedback from a place of caring for your colleague’s learning and growth and know why you are giving feedback.
Let's look at a few negative peer review feedback starters you can use in your next peer review:
- When you do (this behavior), it makes me think/feel____, and what I would like in the future is____
- I have some thoughts about how you could _____. Have you considered____
- What if we tried to _____?
- What other options can you think of that would achieve a different outcome?
- I noticed that you have been having some issues lately with____. How can we work together to find a solution?
- I see that you have had challenges with____. Can I suggest a solution?
- You have excellent problem-solving skills. I would like to see you contributing more of it at____.
- Can I offer some feedback for____? I think doing____ could help you get better results.
- I appreciate that you meet deadlines regularly. However, the quality of your work has declined recently. What can I do to help you with it?
- I admire your result-oriented approach. However, sometimes, it negatively impacts peers. Can I suggest some potential solutions?
- You are great at written communication during projects. However, working on oral communication during meetings will enhance your visibility. Can I suggest some ways?
- I understand that the project is challenging. However, to better tackle the issues, I recommend using positive language in meetings.
- I’ve noticed that teamwork dynamics can be a bit smoother. How can we enhance team collaboration?
- “Your attention to detail is great! Balancing this with big-picture thinking could really elevate your impact. How do you feel about expanding your focus?”
3. Improvement feedback examples
Good coworkers want their peers to succeed, so when you are addressing the improvement of a peer, make sure that you always mention the aspects that they have improved at.
Also, a good peer review will show them the impact of their improvement on the whole team, especially if you can support it with evidence.
I can see that your professional skills have improved recently, especially when it comes to your ability to communicate with other team members and complete all your assignments on time.
- I know you have been here for a short time and are still learning the ropes. Yet, your remarkable energy and eagerness to learn allowed you to reach some excellent milestones at breakneck speed. Keep up the amazing work.
- It is easy to see that you have been settling in nicely here at [company name]. You are doing very well for a beginner, and you have shown excellent attention to skills and the ability to learn quickly and adapt to new responsibilities. We are thrilled to have you on the team.
4. Feedback examples for poor communication
One of the best ways to make it easier to give feedback on things like poor communication skills is to start with another skill your peers are good at.
This way, it would seem that you are asking them to improve their communication skills so that they are on the same level as the others.
- You're doing a great job building relationships, but sometimes you struggle to get your point across. I'd consider taking the time to explain what you are trying to say in more detail or break it down into simpler phrases.
- You are a hard worker who does well under pressure, but sometimes, I feel like we're not on the same page. What if you communicated with me directly regarding changes in plans?
- Your emails are prompt, but please make sure that you give them a thorough read before sending them, as they can sometimes be a bit unclear.
- I think you have good ideas, but you could be more assertive during meetings so everyone can learn about them and grow as a team.
5. Review examples of missing deadlines
Missing deadlines can happen for various reasons, so you must specify whether being late is a common occurrence or if it has recently become an issue.
Also, suggest a good solution to the problem, like in example 3, to make the feedback more approachable to your peer.
- Despite your highly skilled work, I noticed that you frequently miss deadlines, especially in the last few months, which affects your final product. If there is anything I can help you with, do not hesitate to contact me.
- Your work quality is strong, but you often fall behind on deadlines, which puts all other team members in a crunch. Being more mindful of deadlines and dependencies sets everyone up for success.
- Sometimes, when you work on projects associated with [aspect or certain clients], you tend to take a little longer than usual to deliver. One tip I use here to avoid running late on these projects is to break the project down into smaller objectives, each with its own deadline. This way, I am never getting overwhelmed with how much work I need to do.
6. Peer review feedback for negative attitude
An effective way to have a conversation about a colleague's attitude is to highlight a specific situation when the coworker displayed this negativity.
You can also give actionable advice and clarify the behavior so they know how to act moving forward.
- Being supportive and cooperative with other team members helps the team reach its goals faster and allows everyone to participate in a positive work environment. Consider looking for areas of common ground with team members to build better relationships.
- I am concerned that you have been getting into a lot of personal conflicts with some of your colleagues recently, which can negatively impact the whole workplace. Accepting different points of view keeps the workplace healthier and more productive.
How do you write peer reviews?
Companies with a healthy feedback culture are likelier to thrive and maintain their employees longer. Peer reviews are slowly replacing performance evaluationsÖffnet in einem neuen Tab a more reliable method to assess workers’ capabilities.
As such, it is essential that you know how to compose a good peer review. Here is a step-by-step guide that shows you how to write an effective peer review:
- Start by figuring out all the necessary aspects you need to discuss, whether you want to commend your colleague, provide constructive criticism, or both.
- Make sure that you arrange everything you want to discuss and prioritize major points and issues.
- After rounding up all the necessary points to address, summarize your overall impression and try variations of the text.
- Choose your tone carefully. If you are praising a coworker's skills, consider using an active voice in your speech. However, if discussing a major issue, stick to a passive voice to tone down the aggression.
- Make sure that the text is respectful and does not have any major errors or mistakes. Even better, you might want to support your claims with facts or performance statistics. You can also consider type: entry-hyperlink id: 2kReY3X34Otl1vlS8oEX9V, which helps highlight unconscious bias.
- Avoid straying too far off-topic while using a supporting example, but make sure that you are thorough with your review.
- Have a quick look at the final peer review and make any necessary modifications where you see fit.
Consider using a tool that helps you with feedback, such as Workhuman’s ConversationsⓇ solution.
20 Effective performance review phrases
Now that you know how to write a good peer review, you can use it effectively. Here are some additional feedback phrases for peers that you can adjust to convey your review clearly and easily -
- One of the things that I appreciate about you is [mention a positive remark]____
- I think you did an excellent job when you [insert positive actions]. It showed that you had____
- It would be great to see you do more of [insert an action that needs improving] as it relates to [impact on the workplace or productivity]____
- You are doing great when it comes to [mention positive actions], but beware of [mention negative remarks]____
- Your technique of handling [mentioned good skill] was excellent because it [show impact]____
- I noticed that you have been [mention negative remark], so make sure that you work on that in the future____
- Thank you for your excellent work on the last project. I hope that you continue your great performance in future projects as well.
- “My feedback is that you need to stop [negative behavior], as it creates unnecessary stress for other members of the team.
- I encourage you to [insert a helpful tip] before a meeting starts so you come prepared and avoid slowing down the progress of the team.
- You will save your team members a lot of time and effort when you [insert a helpful tip], as it will help you avoid [mention negative remarks]____
- When you publicly supported my idea while brainstorming, it gave me all the confidence I needed to keep on advocating for my project.
- It is not easy to find a person who strikes an excellent balance between X and Y, but you have managed to make it look very simple to all of us.
- I admire your proactiveness and the positive workplace energy you brought to our team because it helped everyone prioritize their work.
- Your communication skills were excellent at harboring and building strong ties between the team members.
- I appreciate that you could quickly recognize when you need to seek help understanding some points of the project, which helps us all avoid any lost time or effort.
- Your ability to take care of problems and help other coworkers, even when you are busy with many projects, sets a remarkable example to everyone in the company.
- It would be a good idea for you to take notes during our meetings so that you do not miss out on any tasks in the following weeks.
- As a newer member of the team, I appreciate your help in getting on board with all the necessary aspects to do my job properly.
- You make working with you very easy, thanks to your [insert positive remark].
- I would highly appreciate it if you could be more open to remarks regarding your [mention a skill that needs improvement]. Taking care of such an issue will make our work communication a lot more seamless.
How do you give peer review feedback to remote teams?
Peer reviews vary significantly depending on the nature of the workplace. Working with a remote team will add a lot of emphasis on some aspects while ignoring others that are not necessary for productivity.
If reviews are only conducted annually, there can be a decrease in performance by 5%. For example, while meeting deadlines is necessary for any healthy workplace, it becomes critical to frequently reinforce its importance for the organization.
The lack of face-to-face contact between coworkers in remote companies makes it very easy to misinterpret some of the other people's actions. As a result, aspects like attitude, communication skills, and punctuality become even more critical when it comes to remote teams.
On the other hand, the lack of contact also means that aspects like office gossip and interpersonal conflicts should not be a problem among workers.
Here are some tips while giving peer review feedback to remote teams:
- Base your remarks on aspects necessary for the success of remote work.
- Pay extra attention to your tone to make up for the lack of physical connection between peers.
- Make sure that you utilize webcams and technology to be present and convey your body language (if possible) to avoid misunderstandings.
- Tie the feedback to expectations and results rather than speculations and impressions.
- Avoid being overly critical and try to incorporate their strengths as much as possible.
- Do not discuss the peer review with others without permission.
Peer review phrases for remote employees
Here are some examples of what a peer review for remote workers could look like:
- Your communication skills are great, and you write succinct emails that convey your point.
- You show excellent leadership when you own up to errors and mistakes in projects sent, and you fix them quickly and meet the deadlines on time.
- Thank you for your great work on the last project. However, it would be better if you kept track of your email frequently so that you could respond to inquiries as soon as possible.
- I admire how you have transitioned into a remote working model and kept your performance and communication on point. Would you like to give recommendations to all of us in the team?
- You stay calm and composed under pressure during remote meetings. I appreciate your skill and patience.
- You display a strong work ethic and set clear goals for your remote team, which has increased their job satisfaction and helped us meet deadlines. Good job!
- You have shown excellent time management during remote work. However, we should look at how we can support our team to do the same. Let us discuss.
- Your ability to adapt to new tools and platforms for remote work has been impressive.
- I appreciate how you manage to maintain a work-life balance while working remotely
What should you do after a peer review?
If you want to make the most out of peer reviews, you must follow them up regularly. HR professionals agree that performance reviews are accurate when they adopt more frequent reviews and practices like peer feedback.
This shows that peer feedback can enhance the perceived accuracy of performance evaluations.
In this section, we will walk you through what you need to do after submitting a peer review:
Set learning and development goals
This one is more related to managers and business owners than peers and colleagues. After assessing the peer reviews of your work team, you must set certain goals that act like a guide for the coworkers based on the results of the peer review.
For example, if many coworkers reported that there is a problem in communication between the team, you should set up a communication training seminar to improve engagement between team members. Also, you might want to lay out clear guidelines to make it easier for team members to understand each other.
Use feedback as check-in topics.
Additionally, make sure that you keep a record of all the previous peer reviews and make them topics for future check-ins. For instance, if a certain coworker has a problem regarding meeting punctuality and deadlines, you should begin the next follow-up with questions regarding the actions taken by him or her to improve their time management skills.
Ask for feedback on your feedback
Lastly, no matter how accurate your peer review is, there’s always room for improvement. Additionally, when you ask for feedback on your feedback, it will set an example for your coworker to accept constructive criticism.
360° reviews
A 360-degree approach provides holistic peer feedback on professional performance and behavior, applicable to everyone, including managers, peers, and subordinates.
This peer review method is a signature of every strong feedback culture and could accompany the quarterly performance review process or be a standalone activity.
It consists of open-ended questions with long answers and close-ended questions with multiple choices. Plus, it's great for increasing self-awareness and identifying blind spots to act on.
Here are some examples of 360-degree feedback:
- Maria's creative problem-solving skills make her a great asset to our team. Her unique perspective is a game-changer that has helped us achieve remarkable results.
- John's attention to detail is second to none. The level of attention and focus he brings to the numbers in our monthly reports and work in general is commendable.
- Kamila’s high energy and positive attitude lifted the morale of the whole team and inspired us to go beyond the call of duty.
- Mike has shown the spirit to lead the team as a cohesive unit, which inspires peers to help each other toward a larger goal that aligns with that of the company. His guidance and support to subordinates is an example of true leadership. Excellent job!
Notice that none of the 360-degree reviews is about specific work examples but about self-awareness and reflection on behavior.
FAQs
How do you give positive feedback to peers?
While giving positive feedback to peers, make sure that you always stay specific about the skills they are good at so that the feedback does not come out as empty praise.
During the feedback sessions, explain how their work and skills are making a positive impact on the workflow and productivity of the whole team. Focus on strengths and cover the constructive feedback after this.
How do you give negative feedback to peers?
Negative feedback is usually a sensitive topic, so it is usually recommended that you share it privately. Remember that negative feedback is to help employees grow, not to criticize or vent.
Always make sure that your peers have a chance to respond to your feedback, and try to keep emotions and personal opinions under control while giving the feedback. You should also make the feedback specific and explain how it impacts the workflow.
How do you respond to peer review feedback?
First, make sure that you listen to or read the feedback carefully and assess all the points mentioned, then wait some time before reacting to the feedback, especially if it is negative (you may request some time).
While responding, make sure that you manage the initial response, thank your peers for their time, create a plan with visible improvements over time, and follow up later.
Conclusion
This wraps up the guide on peer review examples that will help you give constructive feedback to your peers and employees.
As you can see, giving the right feedback will help your peers boost their performanceÖffnet in einem neuen Tab on both professional and personal levels. The 360-degree peer feedback examples ensure holistic growth for the employees.
Remember to always keep the review professional by staying on point and tying it back to the impact on workflow.
Attention to detail and a culture of feedback with the right phrases to use enhance positive performance and highlight areas where employees need improvement. The key is to stay calm under pressure and provide feedback with a willingness to help others.
About the author
Ryan Stoltz
Ryan is a search marketing manager and content strategist at Workhuman where he writes on the next evolution of the workplace. Outside of the workplace, he's a diehard 49ers fan, comedy junkie, and has trouble avoiding sweets on a nightly basis.