Best Examples of Positive Performance Review Examples for 2024–2025

Let’s skip theory and go straight into language you can actually write in a review today. Each example of positive feedback is written as if you’re speaking directly about an employee, and you can easily tweak names, roles, and metrics.

1. Examples of Positive Performance Review Examples for Communication

For clear, concise communication
“Jordan consistently explains complex topics in a way that teammates and stakeholders can understand. During the Q3 implementation, Jordan translated technical requirements into plain language, which reduced misunderstandings and helped the project stay on schedule.”

For active listening and empathy
“Carmen actively listens during meetings, summarizes what she’s heard, and checks for understanding before responding. This has reduced back-and-forth confusion and made cross-functional discussions more productive.”

For written communication
“Sam’s written communication is well-structured, professional, and easy to follow. His status reports highlight key risks, decisions, and next steps, which helps leadership make faster, more informed decisions.”

These are the kinds of examples of positive performance review examples that move beyond “great communicator” and show how the person’s communication benefits the team.

2. Best Examples of Positive Performance Review Examples for Teamwork

Modern performance reviews in 2024–2025 put heavy emphasis on collaboration, psychological safety, and cross-functional work. Here are a few best examples you can adapt.

For collaboration and support
“Taylor consistently offers support to teammates without being asked, especially during high-pressure periods. During the product launch, Taylor volunteered to help the support team handle a surge in tickets, which improved response times and customer satisfaction scores.”

For building trust and a positive culture
“Priya helps create a respectful, inclusive environment where teammates feel comfortable sharing ideas. She regularly invites quieter team members into the conversation, which has led to more creative solutions and better team decisions.”

For cross-functional teamwork
“Alex works effectively with teams across engineering, marketing, and operations. His ability to understand different perspectives and priorities helped align the Q4 roadmap and reduce last-minute conflicts.”

When you’re looking for the best examples of positive performance review examples for teamwork, focus on specific behaviors: offering help, sharing credit, and making space for others.

3. Examples Include Leadership and Management Feedback

Leadership isn’t just for people with a manager title. In 2024–2025, many organizations evaluate “leadership behaviors” at every level. Here are real examples of positive performance review examples that highlight leadership.

For people managers
“Maria sets clear expectations, provides regular feedback, and follows through on commitments. Her team reports high levels of clarity and trust, and her direct reports consistently meet or exceed their goals.”

For developing others
“Chris actively mentors junior team members, sharing knowledge and offering constructive feedback. Over the last year, two of his mentees have successfully taken on more complex projects, reflecting his investment in their growth.”

For informal leadership (no direct reports)
“Although Jordan does not manage a team, she regularly steps up to organize work, clarify priorities, and keep projects moving. Her peers look to her for guidance, and she handles this responsibility with maturity and fairness.”

These leadership-focused examples of positive performance review examples show not just results, but the impact on people and culture.

4. Example of Positive Performance Review Language for Results and Impact

Performance reviews still need to talk about outcomes: revenue, quality, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. The key is to be specific and, when possible, use numbers.

For meeting or exceeding goals
“Over the last review period, Malik consistently met or exceeded his performance goals. He closed 115% of his sales target while maintaining one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings on the team.”

For quality of work
“Lena’s work is consistently accurate, detailed, and requires minimal rework. Her attention to detail in financial reports has helped leadership make confident decisions and avoid costly errors.”

For efficiency and productivity
“By redesigning the intake process, Devon reduced average processing time by 25%, which allowed the team to handle more requests without additional headcount.”

Whenever you can, anchor your positive performance review examples in measurable outcomes. That makes the feedback more credible and more meaningful.

5. Examples of Positive Performance Review Examples for Problem-Solving and Innovation

Organizations are increasingly rewarding employees who can adapt, analyze data, and solve problems creatively. According to research highlighted by the World Economic Forum, analytical thinking and creative problem-solving remain among the top skills needed in the modern workplace through 2025 (source).

Here are some real examples of positive performance review examples that highlight those skills.

For analytical problem-solving
“When faced with a recurring system outage, Avery collected data, identified patterns, and worked with IT to implement a long-term fix. Her structured approach significantly reduced downtime and support tickets.”

For creativity and innovation
“Diego regularly suggests new ideas that improve both customer experience and internal processes. His proposal to introduce a self-service FAQ reduced support volume by 18% while improving customer satisfaction scores.”

For adaptability
“During the transition to the new software platform, Mia quickly learned the new tools and then created simple guides for the rest of the team. Her adaptability helped others feel more confident and shortened the learning curve.”

These examples include both the problem and the impact, which helps the employee see exactly what they did well.

6. Positive Performance Review Examples for Remote and Hybrid Work

Since 2020, remote and hybrid work have gone from rare to standard in many organizations. Performance reviews in 2024–2025 often look at how well employees communicate, manage time, and maintain boundaries while working remotely.

For remote collaboration
“Working in a fully remote environment, Eli keeps the team aligned by sharing clear updates, documenting decisions, and proactively raising risks. His thoughtful use of digital tools keeps projects moving smoothly across time zones.”

For self-management and accountability
“Riley manages her schedule effectively in a hybrid setting, consistently meeting deadlines and communicating availability. She rarely needs follow-up or reminders, which builds trust with both peers and leadership.”

For maintaining well-being while performing strongly
“Even during busy periods, Jae models healthy boundaries and encourages others to take breaks and use time off. This balanced approach has helped the team maintain high performance without burnout.”

If you’re looking for the best examples of positive performance review examples for remote workers, focus on communication habits, reliability, and how they support team well-being.

7. How to Turn These Real Examples Into Personalized Feedback

Copying an example of positive performance review language is a good starting point, but the real value comes when you tailor it. Here’s a simple way to adapt any of the examples above:

Think in three parts:

• Behavior: What did the person actually do? (Not just “worked hard,” but “created a new template,” “led weekly check-ins,” “mentored a new hire.”)
• Context: When or where did this happen? (During a product launch, while covering for a colleague, during a system migration.)
• Impact: What changed because of their actions? (Fewer errors, faster response times, higher revenue, happier customers, less stress on the team.)

Then shape your sentence around that pattern. For example:

“During the busy tax season (context), Jamie created a shared checklist and trained the team on how to use it (behavior), which cut filing errors by 30% and reduced last-minute overtime (impact).”

That one sentence is an example of positive performance review feedback that is specific, encouraging, and useful for future development.

8. Trends Shaping Positive Performance Reviews in 2024–2025

If your organization is updating its performance review process, it helps to know how the landscape is changing.

More frequent feedback, fewer surprises
Many companies are moving away from once-a-year reviews toward quarterly or even monthly check-ins. Research from organizations like the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) shows that regular feedback is linked to higher engagement and better performance.

Focus on skills and growth, not just ratings
Modern reviews often include development plans, learning goals, and discussions about career paths. Positive performance review examples now highlight not only what someone achieved, but what skills they built along the way.

Emphasis on well-being and psychological safety
The conversation around burnout and mental health has become far more open. Guidance from sources like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages employers to create healthier workplaces. That’s starting to show up in reviews as recognition for employees who support team well-being, not just output.

This shift means the best examples of positive performance review examples will often mention collaboration, learning, and well-being alongside traditional metrics.

9. Putting It All Together: Sample Full Paragraphs You Can Adapt

To make this even easier, here are a few full review paragraphs that combine several strengths at once. These are real examples of positive performance review examples you can lightly edit and drop into your own documents.

High-performing individual contributor
“Over the past year, Morgan has consistently delivered high-quality work while actively supporting team goals. She exceeded her individual targets by 12%, maintained excellent accuracy in her reports, and took initiative to streamline the intake process. Morgan communicates clearly with stakeholders, responds promptly to questions, and willingly shares her knowledge with new team members. Her combination of reliability, collaboration, and continuous improvement makes her a strong contributor to the department’s success.”

Emerging leader in a hybrid team
“Although Kai is not in a formal leadership role, he has become a go-to person for guidance and coordination. He organizes weekly check-ins for the hybrid team, ensures everyone understands priorities, and follows up on action items. Kai listens carefully, incorporates feedback, and helps quieter colleagues share their ideas. During the rollout of the new system, he created simple training materials that reduced confusion and support requests. His steady presence and proactive communication make him a key influence on team morale and performance.”

People manager with strong coaching skills
“Under Dana’s leadership, her team has grown stronger and more confident. She sets clear expectations, provides timely feedback, and recognizes individual contributions in a way that feels authentic and specific. Over the last review period, two team members she has coached have taken on expanded responsibilities with strong results. Dana also advocates for her team’s workload and well-being, encouraging reasonable boundaries while still delivering on commitments. Her coaching-focused approach has improved both performance outcomes and engagement scores.”

Each paragraph is an example of positive performance review language that balances praise with detail and gives the employee a clear sense of what they’re doing right.

FAQ: Common Questions About Positive Performance Review Examples

What are some strong examples of positive performance review examples I can reuse?

Strong examples are specific, behavior-based, and tied to impact. For instance: “During the website migration, Lee coordinated tasks across design, engineering, and marketing, which kept the project on schedule and reduced last-minute issues.” That sentence names the context, the behavior, and the outcome—all the ingredients of a powerful, positive review comment.

How do I write an example of positive performance review feedback that doesn’t sound generic?

Avoid vague words like “great” or “nice job” without explanation. Instead, describe what the person did and why it mattered. For example: “Nia consistently follows through on commitments, updating stakeholders when timelines shift. This reliability has built strong trust with clients and reduced escalation requests.” The more concrete the behavior and impact, the less generic it sounds.

Can I use the same positive performance review examples for every employee?

It’s fine to start from templates, but you should always customize them. Change the project names, metrics, and behaviors so the feedback reflects the person’s real work. Employees can tell when feedback is copy-pasted, and personalized examples of positive performance review examples build more trust and motivation.

How many positive examples should I include in a performance review?

Aim for several specific examples that cover different areas: communication, results, collaboration, and growth. You don’t need to cover everything the person has ever done, but you do want enough real examples to show a pattern of strengths. Typically, three to six detailed examples across the review are more helpful than a long list of vague compliments.

Where can I learn more about giving effective performance feedback?

You can explore resources from:

• The U.S. Office of Personnel Management on performance management and feedback: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/performance-management/
• Harvard University’s resources on feedback and leadership development: https://pll.harvard.edu/subject/leadership-management
• The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) on performance reviews and employee engagement: https://www.shrm.org

These sources offer research-backed guidance to help you go beyond examples of positive performance review examples and build a healthier, higher-performing workplace.