28 of February, 2025

The Human Resources department is one of the main ones in charge of analyzing the productivity of our staff. To do this, they can use certain resources such as the work performance test.

Knowing the performance of our team is fundamental for the company’s growth. Hence, HR should know how to conduct a work performance test and how to apply it correctly. With it, there will be a vision about the entity to make the appropriate decisions.

If you want to learn more about how to use the performance evaluation in your company, here we explain how to do it successfully. Don’t miss it!

Work performance evaluation test: What is it?

When we talk about a work performance test, we refer to the evaluation that the company makes on an employee’s performance.

It does not only measure their productivity, but also the quality of the work they have done during a certain period of time. These can include different points such as:

Objectives, whether general or specific.
An evaluation that details the situation in writing, as well as a numerical score.
A table to check both professional and personal skills that are expected in the position. They can have different levels of analysis.

The work performance evaluation test not only addresses performance issues but can also take into account other factors such as promotion prospects or the overall job satisfaction of the staff.

Advantages of conducting a work performance evaluation test

Before we start explaining how to conduct a test to evaluate performance, you need to know what it is for and what advantages it has. Through this test, we can assess the productivity and the quality of the work that an employee has done over a period of time. This generates a series of advantages such as:

Possibility of knowing our workers better and, therefore, managing HR more favorably.
Ability to identify potential training needs to gain a competitive advantage.
Similarly, it enhances the final service to clients, by increasing production and organization.
It allows to detect who is more committed to our company and why. Also, it helps to keep employees motivated.
At the same time, while reinforcing the company’s productivity, the work performance test manages to reduce staff abandonment and turnover rates.
It helps to place each employee in the position that best suits their profile and to understand what tasks can be assigned to them. In this way, the processes of the organization are coordinated and overall business productivity is improved.

Steps for conducting a work performance test

Drafting a work performance test may seem complicated, however, with Sesame HR’s software for writing surveys and sending them to employees, this process can be simpler. We tell you how to do a work performance test in your company step by step here:

1. Define the objective of the assessment

As with any test, the first thing that needs to be established is the objective of such an evaluation questionnaire. For this, we should ask ourselves why are we conducting this test?

These objectives should be in line with the mission, vision, and corporate values of the entity. In other words, with our corporate culture.

Once it is known, the staff should be informed, explaining the reason for its implementation. In this way, they can respond more honestly, getting greater involvement from the personnel.

2. Choose the evaluation criteria

In addition to the objective, it is necessary to determine what the criteria are for conducting such evaluation. These criteria should facilitate the achievement of the company’s strategic objectives.

On the other hand, it identifies the key areas of our organization and those within each department. For each area, a series of productivity indicators.should be established

If you do not know how to find out the criteria for your work performance test, you can ask yourself the following questions, among many other issues:

What do our employees need to remain more competitive in the market?
What skills or criteria are essential for each person to reach their full potential?

3. Write the questions clearly and carefully

When drafting the questionnaire you should look for the appropriate questions for each position, area, or department. The functions of a customer service employee are not the same as those of a social media worker. Therefore, the test to evaluate performance must be different.

Customizing surveys not only gives more reliable results, but it also makes workers have a higher confidence in the company. The choice of questions is a key moment and should be done carefully.

How to write these questions? Here are some tips:

The survey must be short and simple.
The company logo and corporate colors should be used.
Use a simple language and avoid possible technical terms or words that create confusion.
Combine open and closed questions, although the latter should be the center, as they allow for better analysis of results.
Choose a grade scale: for example, from 1 to 5, or 10, or the degree of agreement.

4. Data collection and analysis

Once the work performance test questions have been designed, the test is carried out, collecting the necessary data. For this, various types of questionnaires can be chosen such as self-evaluations, 360 evaluations, etc.

Once data has been obtained, an analysis must be conducted to identify possible recurring patterns or aspects that need improvement. One way to do this is by comparing the results with the pre-established objective performance indicators.

These results will be shared with the staff so they are aware of the aspects to improve, encouraging them to get involved.

How to use a work performance test

Now that we have the results of the questionnaire, how do we use the work performance test and its conclusions? Here are some key points for good use of the results.

Share the results with the employees and provide individual feedback. This should always be done emphasizing the positive aspects and providing the necessary recommendations so they understand how to take advantage of their valuable skills.
Develop career plans to encourage them to reach their maximum potential. To do this, the areas for improvement are established and the necessary resources are provided.
Monitor and control these training programs to see if they have served their purpose or not, making adjustments if necessary.
Use it to recognize patterns and trends in your staff, being able to detect issues or identify outstanding employees.
Make decisions based on results, for example, redistributing responsibilities, adjusting the organizational structure or promoting employees.
Encourage self-evaluation, inviting workers to acknowledge their actions and the effects they have on the company.
Give them the opportunity to make proposals to know how they would increase their work performance or what tools they need.
Follow up with one-to-one meetings, involving the team more.

Has this article on how to conduct a work performance evaluation test in your company been useful? We hope so. To learn more about our HR software, get different templates or guides, stop by our resources section.

Customer-oriented, both internally and externally, specializing in the definition and implementation of HR policies, as well as talent management, recruitment, and retention. Strong leadership, communication, negotiation, organization, and team coordination skills. Over 12 years of experience in Human Resources.

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iriserrador

HR Content Specialist

How to use a work performance test for employees from HR