In short
Performance review meeting notes should record the rating or outcome, the evidence discussed, the employee's own view in their words, agreed goals with dates, and any support promised. Let the employee read and correct them. Record only if both agree and policy allows.
Good performance review meeting notes record five things: the outcome or rating, the examples that were discussed, the employee's own view in their words, the goals agreed for the next period with dates, and any support promised. The employee should see the notes and be able to correct them. Recording the meeting is a separate question, and the answer starts with asking: both people agree, or it is not recorded.
This guide covers preparing, taking notes during the conversation, a template, and what to consider before anyone presses record.
How to take performance review meeting notes
- Agree the purpose in advance. Tell the employee what the meeting will cover and send any written assessment beforehand, so the meeting is a conversation rather than a reading.
- Decide who writes. The manager usually takes the notes. If HR attends, agree which of you is the record.
- Open with the notes. Say at the start that you are taking notes and that the employee will see them.
- Write the examples, not the adjectives. "Missed the Northwind deadline on 3 June and 17 July" rather than "unreliable".
- Write the employee's response in their words. Read it back if it matters: "Have I got that right?"
- Write the goals as they are agreed. Each with a measure and a date both of you can see.
- Finish the notes the same day. Send them to the employee with a date by which to reply with corrections.
- Keep the corrected version. Where you disagree, keep both views rather than editing theirs away.
A performance review notes template
# Performance review — <name> — <period> — <date>
**Present:** <names and roles>
**Notes taken by:** <name>
## Outcome
- <rating or overall assessment, as the process defines it>
## What went well (with examples)
- <specific example, date>
## What needs to change (with examples)
- <specific example, date>
## The employee's view
- "<their words>"
## Goals for the next period
| Goal | Measure | By |
| ------ | -------------------------- | ------ |
| <goal> | <how both sides will know> | <date> |
## Support agreed
- <training, time, resources — and who arranges it>
## Next review
- <date>
**Sent to employee:** <date> **Corrections by:** <date>
**Employee comments:** <added after they read it>If you are the employee: your own notes
You can take notes too, and it is worth doing. Before the meeting, write down the three or four pieces of work you want to be discussed, with dates and outcomes. During it, note the goals as they are agreed and anything the manager commits to. Afterwards, compare your notes with the manager's version when it arrives. Where they differ, reply in writing with the correction; a short, factual email is enough, and it becomes part of the record.
What belongs in the notes, and what does not
Belongs
- Evidence. Dates, pieces of work, outcomes. A goal missed is a fact; "lacks drive" is an opinion.
- Both sides. The employee's explanation is part of the record, not a footnote. If they disagree with an assessment, say so in the notes.
- Commitments from the manager. "Ana will arrange the course by 31 October" is an action item like any other, and the employee will remember if it does not happen.
Does not belong
- Health, family or other personal details the employee mentioned in passing, unless they are relevant and the employee agrees they go in. These are sensitive, and in many places data-protection law treats them with extra care.
- Comparisons with named colleagues.
- Your guesses about motives. Write what happened, not why you think it did.
Regular one-to-ones make reviews easier, because the examples are already written down. One-on-one meeting notes covers that habit.
Recording a performance review
A recording is sometimes suggested by either side: an employee who wants an exact record, a manager who wants to avoid a dispute about what was said. It can help. It also changes the conversation, and it is only appropriate by agreement.
If you are the employee
- Ask before the meeting, or at the start. "Would you mind if I recorded this so I can go back over the goals?" is a reasonable request.
- Accept a no. Ask for written notes instead, and a chance to correct them.
- Do not record quietly. Even where the law of your place might allow a participant to record, many employers treat covert recording as a disciplinary matter, and it can end the trust the review depends on.
If you are the manager or HR
- Check the policy first. Many employers have a rule on recording internal meetings; a meeting recording policy shows what one usually covers.
- Tell the employee in advance why it will be recorded, who will have access, and how long it will be kept.
- Give them a real choice where the policy allows one.
The law
Recording laws differ. Some places allow a recording if one person in the conversation agrees; others need everyone's agreement. At work, data-protection and employment law, and in some countries a works council or union agreement, add rules about notice, purpose and retention. Can my employer record meetings? looks at this from the employee's side. How to ask for consent to record has wording for asking.
How Notey fits into this
If both of you agree to a recording and your employer's policy allows it, Notey records on the Mac of whoever is running it, with the microphone and the call's audio on separate tracks, so in a video call each line is labelled with the side it came from. The audio and transcript stay on that Mac's disk. A red dot and an elapsed timer show while it records; they are for the person recording, and the other person knows only because they were asked.
In a review held in a room, both voices arrive on the same microphone, so the transcript does not tell them apart by track. If you have an account, you can ask Notey for a summary and action items, which are labelled as AI-generated. Check them against the transcript before they go into anything the employee will read; an AI note is a draft, not the record.
Most reviews do not need a recording at all. Written notes the employee has corrected are usually the better record, and they are easier to keep, share and delete when the retention period ends.
Common mistakes
- Notes the employee never sees. They cannot correct what they have not read.
- Adjectives instead of examples.
- Goals without a date or a measure.
- Leaving out the employee's disagreement. It belongs in the record.
- Recording without agreement. On either side.
Performance reviews are one of the meeting types where who was there and what was agreed matters most; types of meetings and the notes each one needs compares them.
Frequently asked questions
What should be written in performance review notes?
The outcome or rating, the specific examples discussed, the employee's response in their own words, the goals agreed for the next period with dates, and any support or training promised. Leave out opinions about personality.
Should the employee see the performance review notes?
Yes. Notes the employee has read and had the chance to correct are more accurate and more useful if they are ever needed later. Many employers make this part of the process.
Can I record my performance review?
Ask first, and accept the answer. Your employer's policy may cover it, and recording laws differ by place, with some requiring everyone's agreement. A recording made quietly can damage trust even where it is lawful.
Can my manager record my performance review?
That depends on your employer's policy and local law, which often require notice and a legitimate purpose. You can ask why it is being recorded, who will have access and how long it will be kept.
Who should take notes in a performance review?
Usually the manager, or an HR colleague if one attends. The employee can take their own notes too, and comparing the two afterwards is a good way to catch misunderstandings.