Performance Reviews for Administrative Assistants
Let’s be honest – most people dread performance reviews, especially when it comes to evaluating their assistant. Unlike sales reps with clear quotas or developers with measurable output, assistants work in a gray area that’s tough to quantify. How do you measure “being incredibly helpful” or “making my life easier”?
If you’ve ever sat across from your assistant with a blank evaluation form, wondering what exactly you’re supposed to assess, you’re not alone. Most leaders either wing it with generic feedback or avoid the conversation altogether. But here’s the thing: your assistant’s performance directly impacts your productivity, stress levels, and overall success. They deserve thoughtful evaluation and growth opportunities just like everyone else.
The good news? There’s a better way to approach performance reviews for administrative assistants that’s actually helpful for both of you.
Why Performance Reviews for Administrative Assistants Matter More Than You Think
Performance reviews aren’t just bureaucratic checkboxes – they’re especially crucial for assistants whose contributions often go unnoticed. Think about it: when was the last time someone publicly celebrated your assistant for preventing a scheduling disaster or handling a difficult client with grace?
Career Development in an Overlooked Role: Assistants frequently stay in the same position for years, not because they lack ambition, but because no one takes the time to discuss their growth. Regular performance reviews open doors to new responsibilities, skill development, and career advancement.
Retention of Gold-Level Talent: A great assistant is worth their weight in gold, but they’re also highly sought after. Companies that invest in meaningful performance conversations and development keep their best support talent longer.
Strengthening Your Working Partnership: The best assistant relationships feel like true partnerships. Performance reviews give you both a chance to discuss what’s working, what isn’t, and how to make your collaboration even more effective.
Here’s what happens when you get this right: your assistant feels valued and motivated, you get even better support, and your working relationship becomes one of those rare professional partnerships that actually make work enjoyable.
The 5-Category Framework for Assistant Performance Reviews
Forget generic evaluation forms. This framework focuses on what actually matters in support roles and gives you concrete ways to assess performance.
Category 1: Executive Partnership & Relationship
This is the foundation of everything else. Your assistant isn’t just completing tasks – they’re an extension of your professional presence.
What to Evaluate:
- How well they anticipate your needs and preferences
- Communication style and responsiveness
- Trust level and confidentiality handling
- Understanding of your priorities and goals
Step-by-Step Evaluation Process:
- Review the last month of interactions – Look at email exchanges, meeting prep, and daily touchpoints
- Ask yourself these specific questions:
- Do they often know what you need before you ask?
- When they communicate with you, is it at the right level of detail?
- Have there been any confidentiality concerns?
- Do they understand which tasks are urgent vs. important?
- Ask yourself these specific questions:
- Rate their partnership level using these indicators:
- Excellent Partnership: They consistently anticipate needs, communicate proactively about potential issues, and you trust them with sensitive information without hesitation.
- Good Partnership: They handle assigned tasks well and communicate effectively, but you usually need to provide direction rather than them anticipating needs.
- Needs Improvement: Communication feels reactive rather than proactive, or you find yourself double-checking their work or redoing tasks.
Category 2: Operations & Task Management
This covers the nuts and bolts of getting things done efficiently and effectively.
What to Evaluate:
- Time management and deadline adherence
- Quality and attention to detail
- Prioritization skills
- Problem-solving and resourcefulness
Step-by-Step Evaluation Process:
- Gather concrete data from the past quarter:
- Deadlines met vs. missed
- Quality of deliverables (emails, documents, event planning)
- How they handle competing priorities
- Examples of problem-solving or going above and beyond
- Use the 3-2-1 method:
- Three things they consistently do well operationally
- Two areas where they could improve efficiency or quality
- One specific skill or process they should focus on developing
Excellent Operations: Consistently meets deadlines, produces high-quality work, effectively prioritizes without guidance, and finds solutions independently.
Good Operations: Generally reliable with deadlines, good work quality with occasional minor errors, needs some guidance on prioritization.
Needs Improvement: Frequent missed deadlines, work requires significant revision, struggles with prioritization, and often needs step-by-step direction.
Category 3: Communication & Stakeholder Management
Assistants are often the face of your office to clients, vendors, and internal teams. Their communication skills directly reflect on you.
What to Evaluate:
- Professional written communication
- Phone and in-person interaction skills
- Relationship building with stakeholders
- Conflict resolution and difficult situation handling
Step-by-Step Evaluation Process:
- Collect feedback examples:
- Recent emails they’ve sent on your behalf
- Feedback from clients, vendors, or internal teams
- How they’ve handled challenging situations
- Their role in maintaining professional relationships
- Assess their communication impact:
- Do people enjoy working with them?
- Are their emails clear, professional, and appropriately toned?
- How do they represent you and your department?
- Can they handle sensitive conversations diplomatically?
Excellent Communication: Stakeholders consistently give positive feedback, written communication is polished and appropriate, and they build strong relationships across the organization.
Good Communication: Generally professional interactions, clear written communication with minor areas for improvement, and maintains positive relationships.
Needs Improvement: Feedback suggests communication issues, written work needs significant editing, and struggles with difficult conversations or stakeholder management.
Category 4: Technology & Process Improvement
The best assistants don’t just use technology – they leverage it to make everyone more efficient.
What to Evaluate:
- Proficiency with required software and tools
- Ability to learn new systems quickly
- Process optimization suggestions
- Documentation and system organization
Step-by-Step Evaluation Process:
- Review their tech adoption:
- How quickly do they master new tools or software updates?
- Do they suggest ways to streamline processes using technology?
- Are their files, calendars, and systems well-organized?
- Have they created helpful documentation or templates?
- Look for innovation indicators:
- Times they’ve suggested better ways to do things
- Process improvements they’ve implemented
- How they organize digital information for easy access
- Their approach to learning new systems
Excellent Technology Use: Quickly adopts new tools, proactively suggests process improvements, maintains highly organized systems, creates helpful documentation.
Good Technology Use: Competent with required systems, generally well-organized, open to learning new tools when directed.
Needs Improvement: Struggles with technology adoption, disorganized systems, resistant to new processes, requires significant training on basic tools.
Category 5: Initiative & Professional Growth
This separates good assistants from great ones – the drive to continuously improve and take ownership.
What to Evaluate:
- Proactive problem-solving
- Professional development efforts
- Taking ownership of projects
- Initiative in improving their role
Step-by-Step Evaluation Process:
- Identify growth indicators:
- Times they solved problems without being asked
- Skills they’ve developed on their own
- Projects they’ve taken full ownership of
- Ways they’ve expanded their role or responsibilities
- Assess their growth mindset:
- Do they seek out learning opportunities?
- How do they respond to feedback?
- Are they interested in taking on new challenges?
- Do they contribute ideas for improvement?
Excellent Initiative: Consistently identifies and solves problems proactively, actively pursues professional development, takes full ownership of projects, regularly contributes improvement ideas.
Good Initiative: Generally proactive, shows interest in growth when opportunities arise, handles assigned projects well, occasionally offers suggestions.
Needs Improvement: Rarely takes initiative, requires direction for most tasks, shows little interest in professional development, doesn’t take ownership of outcomes.
The Step-by-Step Performance Review Process
Now that you know what to evaluate, here’s how you can conduct the review conversation.
Before the Review Meeting
3-4 Weeks Before:
- Start noting specific examples in each of the five categories
- Review any previous goals or development plans
- Gather feedback from others who work with your assistant
1 Week Before:
- Send your assistant a self-assessment form covering the same five categories
- Schedule 60-90 minutes for the actual conversation
- Choose a private, comfortable location (not your office if possible)
Self-Assessment Questions to Send Your Assistant:
- What do you consider your biggest contributions over the past [review period]?
- Which aspects of your role do you find most challenging?
- What would help you be even more effective in supporting me and the team?
- What professional development goals do you have?
- How can I improve?
During the Review Conversation
Opening (5 minutes): Start with something like: “I really value our working relationship and want to make sure we’re both getting the most out of it. This conversation is about celebrating what’s working well and figuring out how we can make things even better.”
The 70/30 Rule: Spend 70% of your time on strengths and positive contributions, 30% on improvement areas. This isn’t about being artificially positive – it’s about keeping the conversation balanced and motivating.
Conversation Flow:
- Start with their self-assessment (15 minutes)
- “What did you identify as your biggest contributions?”
- “Tell me about the challenges you mentioned.”
- Listen more than you talk during this section.
- Share your observations by category (25 minutes)
- Go through each of the five categories
- Give specific examples, not general statements
- Ask for their perspective on your observations
- Discuss development opportunities (15 minutes)
- “What skills would you like to develop?”
- “Are there aspects of your role you’d like to expand?”
- Connect their interests with business needs
- Set specific goals together (10 minutes)
- Choose 2-3 specific, measurable goals
- Make sure they’re realistic and achievable
- Set clear timelines and check-in dates
Script Examples:
Instead of: “You need to be more proactive.”
Say: “I’ve noticed you handle everything I assign really well. I’d love to see you start identifying problems before they come to me. For example, last week, when the client meeting got moved, you could have proactively suggested rescheduling the prep call instead of waiting for me to realize the timing issue.”
Instead of: “Your communication is good.”
Say: “The email you sent to the Johnson client last week was perfectly professional and solved their problem quickly. That’s exactly the tone and approach I want representing our team. Keep doing more of that.”
After the Review
Immediately After:
- Document the key points and goals in writing
- Send a summary to your assistant within 24 hours
- Schedule your next check-in (monthly or quarterly)
Follow-Up Schedule:
- Monthly brief check-ins on goal progress
- Quarterly, more detailed progress reviews
- Annual comprehensive performance review
Documentation Template:
[Assistant Name] Performance Review – [Date]
Key Strengths:
- [Specific examples from your conversation]
Development Areas:
- [Specific areas with improvement plans]
Goals for Next [Period]:
- [Specific, measurable goal with timeline]
- [Specific, measurable goal with timeline]
- [Specific, measurable goal with timeline]
Development Opportunities:
- [Training, responsibilities, or skills to explore]
Next Check-in: [Date]
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Performance Reviews for Administrative Assistants
Comparing Them to Other Role Types
Don’t evaluate your assistant using the same criteria you’d use for sales reps or project managers. Their success looks different – it’s about enabling others to be more effective, not hitting individual targets.
Making It All About Weaknesses
If you spend most of the conversation on what’s wrong, you’ll crush their motivation. Focus on building from strengths while addressing improvement areas constructively.
Being Too Vague with Feedback
Instead of “You’re doing great!” or “You need to communicate better,” give specific examples. Vague feedback doesn’t help anyone improve.
Not Involving Them in Goal-Setting
Goals imposed from above rarely work. Ask them what they want to achieve and help shape those aspirations into measurable objectives.
What NOT to Say:
- “You’re just like [previous assistant who didn’t work out]”
- “This is just how things are done here.”
- “You should know what I need without me telling you.”
- “Everyone else manages to [do whatever task]”
- “I don’t have time to explain this.”
Sample Review Templates & Conversation Guides
Pre-Review Preparation Checklist
Data to Gather:
- Specific examples of excellent work from each category
- Areas needing improvement with concrete examples
- Feedback from others who work with your assistant
- Previous goals and their progress
- Any training or development opportunities available
Questions to Consider:
- How has their performance impacted my productivity?
- What would I want them to start, stop, or continue doing?
- How can I better support their success?
- What growth opportunities align with business needs?
Assistant Self-Assessment Template
Executive Partnership:
- How well do you feel you understand my priorities and work style?
- What helps you anticipate my needs effectively?
- Where do you feel our communication could improve?
Operations & Task Management:
- What systems or processes work best for you?
- Which types of tasks do you find most challenging?
- How do you prioritize when everything seems urgent?
Communication & Relationships:
- How comfortable do you feel representing me/our team to others?
- What types of communication situations do you find most challenging?
- How do you handle difficult conversations or situations?
Technology & Process Improvement:
- Which tools or systems do you wish you knew better?
- Have you identified any processes that could be more efficient?
- What would make your daily work easier or more organized?
Professional Growth:
- What aspects of your role would you like to expand?
- What skills would you like to develop over the next year?
- What are your longer-term career goals?
Goal-Setting Worksheet
Goal: [Specific, measurable objective]
Why it matters: [Connection to business impact or personal development]
Success measures: [How you’ll know it’s achieved]
Timeline: [Realistic deadline]
Support needed: [Resources, training, or assistance required]
Check-in schedule: [When you’ll review progress]
Follow-Up Tracking Sheet
Goal 1: [Description]
Progress Updates:
- Month 1: [Status and notes]
- Month 2: [Status and notes]
- Month 3: [Status and notes]
Challenges encountered: [What’s getting in the way]
Adjustments needed: [How to get back on track]
Celebration moments: [Wins along the way]
Addressing Different Assistant Types
Not all assistant roles are the same, and your review approach should reflect these differences.
In-Person vs. Virtual Assistants
| Feature | In-Person Assistant | Virtual Assistant |
| Communication Focus | Face-to-face interaction skills, office presence | Digital communication, video call professionalism |
| Relationship Building | Internal office relationships, in-person client meetings | Remote relationship management, phone/email rapport |
| Task Management | Physical office organization, in-person coordination | Digital organization, remote project management |
| Technology Needs | Office equipment proficiency, in-person presentation skills | Advanced digital tools, remote collaboration platforms |
New Hires vs. Experienced Assistants
| Feature | New Assistant (0-6 months) | Experienced Assistant (6+ months) |
| Review Focus | Learning curve, adaptation, basic skill building | Performance optimization, growth opportunities |
| Goal Setting | Foundation skills, understanding preferences | Advanced projects, process improvement |
| Development | Training on systems and preferences | Leadership opportunities, cross-training |
| Feedback Style | More frequent, detailed guidance | Strategic direction, autonomy building |
Part-Time vs. Full-Time Support
| Feature | Part-Time Assistant | Full-Time Assistant |
| Scope | Priority tasks, specific project focus | Comprehensive support, relationship building |
| Goals | Efficiency and quality in limited hours | Broader impact and development opportunities |
| Communication | Structured check-ins, clear priorities | Ongoing partnership, flexible communication |
| Development | Skill-specific training | Career path planning, leadership development |
Turning Performance Reviews into Career Development
Performance reviews shouldn’t just evaluate the past – they should build the future. Here’s how to make your assistant’s review a launching pad for growth.
Identifying Career Paths for Assistants
Many assistants don’t see clear advancement opportunities, but there are more paths than you might think:
- Senior Executive Assistant or Chief of Staff roles
- Operations or Project Management positions
- Training and Development (teaching other assistants)
- Department coordination or team leadership
- Specialized roles (event management, communications, etc.)
Creating Development Opportunities
Cross-Training: Let them shadow other departments or learn new systems that interest them.
Project Leadership: Give them ownership of specific initiatives, from planning to execution.
Mentoring: Pair them with senior assistants or other professionals for guidance and networking.
External Learning: Support conference attendance, online courses, or professional certifications.
Expanded Responsibilities: Gradually add new tasks that stretch their skills and prepare them for advancement.
Making It Sustainable
The key to successful assistant performance reviews is making them regular, meaningful conversations rather than annual ordeals.
Monthly Check-Ins (15 minutes):
- Quick goal progress review
- Any immediate concerns or needs
- Upcoming priorities and support needed
Quarterly Progress Reviews (30 minutes):
- Deeper dive into goal advancement
- Skill development discussion
- Relationship and process fine-tuning
Annual Comprehensive Review (60-90 minutes):
- Full performance evaluation using the five-category framework
- Major goal setting for the coming year
- Career development planning
Performance Reviews for Small Businesses
If you’re running a smaller operation, you might be thinking, “This all sounds great, but I’m a 10-person company, not a corporation.” The good news is that the five-category framework and thorough review process work just as well for small businesses – in fact, some aspects are actually easier to implement.
Your assistant deserves the same thoughtful evaluation and development planning regardless of company size. The structure and depth of performance reviews shouldn’t change, but how you implement and follow through on them will look different.
Small Business Advantages:
Immediate Implementation: No bureaucracy or approval chains mean you can act on feedback and suggestions right away. If your assistant identifies a process improvement during the review, you can implement it next week instead of waiting for corporate approval.
Direct Decision-Making Authority: You often have the power to immediately approve raises, new responsibilities, or role change discussions that come out of performance reviews. This makes goal-setting more meaningful because you can actually deliver on development opportunities.
Broader Growth Opportunities: Small businesses naturally offer more diverse experiences. Your assistant might grow into operations management, client relations, marketing support, or project leadership – all within the same company. Performance reviews can explore these cross-functional development paths.
Visible Impact: In a smaller organization, your assistant can directly see how their improvements affect the bottom line, client satisfaction, and team efficiency. This makes performance discussions more concrete and motivating.
Direct Professional Relationships: Without layers of corporate hierarchy, you can have more straightforward, honest conversations about performance and career development. This directness often leads to clearer expectations and more actionable feedback.
Creative Development Solutions: While you might not have a corporate training budget, you can get creative with development opportunities. Cross-training with other team members, attending local networking events, or taking on special projects can be just as valuable as formal courses.
Small Business Implementation Differences:
Resource Allocation: Instead of formal corporate training programs, you can be creative about development opportunities. Consider:
- Online courses or certifications in relevant skills (project management, software proficiency, communication)
- Industry conferences or local professional development workshops
- Cross-training within your own team on different systems or processes
- Special projects that stretch their current skill set
Documentation Simplicity: You don’t need complex HR systems. A simple shared document or email summary captures everything you need for legal and practical purposes.
Flexible Career Pathing: Large companies often have rigid promotion tracks. Small businesses can create unique roles that grow with your assistant’s strengths and interests. Performance reviews can explore what their ideal expanded role might look like.
Faster Feedback Loops: With fewer people involved in decisions, you can provide more immediate feedback and course corrections between formal reviews.
The Same Framework, Different Context:
Use the same five-category framework, same conversation structure, and same goal-setting approach. The difference is in how you follow through:
- Large Company: “I’ll submit a request to HR for that training program.”
- Small Business: “Let’s find a local workshop or online course that covers that skill.”
- Large Company: “We’ll need to get approval to expand your role.”
- Small Business: “Let’s try having you take on client communications for our smaller accounts.”
- Large Company: “Your promotion will go through the standard review process.”
- Small Business: “Based on how you handle these new responsibilities, we can discuss a title change and salary adjustment.”
Making It Work for Your Scale:
Don’t let the informal nature of your business fool you into thinking performance reviews are “too corporate.” Your assistant’s growth and development are just as important in a 5-person company as they are in a 500-person company.
The key is maintaining the same level of intentionality and structure around the conversation while being more flexible and creative about implementation. Your assistant will appreciate the investment in their development, and your business will benefit from their continued growth and engagement.
Remember, in a small business, every team member’s performance has a significant impact on overall success. The closer attention you can pay to developing your assistant’s skills and satisfaction, the more it will pay dividends for your entire operation.
When Your Assistant Isn’t Receptive to Performance Reviews
Not every assistant embraces feedback and growth opportunities. Here’s how to recognize when someone might not be the right fit for your support role.
Red Flags During Performance Reviews:
Body Language and Behavior Signals:
- Crossed arms, minimal eye contact, or defensive posture
- Not taking notes during the conversation (or pretending to while writing nothing meaningful)
- Interrupting to justify everything instead of listening
- Becoming noticeably cold or distant after reviews
- Avoiding follow-up conversations about goals or development
Response Patterns That Signal Problems:
- Self-assessments that are repetitive, surface-level, or clearly rushed
- Dismissing feedback with excuses rather than exploring solutions
- Agreeing to everything in the moment but making no actual changes
- Showing no curiosity about improvement or learning opportunities
- Treating the review as something to “get through” rather than a valuable conversation
The Growth Mindset Test:
Ask yourself these questions after a few review cycles:
- Do they ask clarifying questions about feedback?
- Have they implemented any suggestions from previous reviews?
- Do they bring their own ideas for improvement to the conversation?
- When they make mistakes, do they focus on learning or on defending themselves?
- Are they genuinely interested in developing new skills?
What to Do When They’re Not Receptive:
First, Examine Your Approach: Before assuming it’s entirely their issue, make sure you’re creating a safe environment for feedback. Are you being too critical? Are your expectations unclear? Sometimes resistance comes from feeling attacked rather than supported.
Have a Direct Conversation: Address the pattern you’re seeing: “I’ve noticed you seem uncomfortable during our review conversations, and I haven’t seen progress on the goals we’ve discussed. Help me understand what’s getting in the way.”
Set Clear Expectations: Make it explicit that growth and receptiveness to feedback are part of the job: “Being coachable and continuously improving are essential parts of this role. I need to know you’re committed to working on the areas we discuss.”
Give One More Chance with Clear Stakes: “Let’s try this again with our next review. I need to see genuine engagement with the feedback process and progress on our agreed goals. If that doesn’t happen, we’ll need to discuss whether this role is the right fit.”
Know When to Make the Tough Decision: Great assistants want to grow and improve. If someone consistently shows no interest in development, takes feedback defensively, or makes no effort to implement changes, they’re probably not suited for a role that requires adaptability and partnership.
The truth is, you need an assistant who sees your success as their success. Someone who’s resistant to feedback or unwilling to grow will ultimately hold you both back. Don’t let loyalty or the fear of starting over keep you stuck with someone who isn’t invested in being the best support they can be.
Making Performance Reviews a Regular Practice
The goal isn’t just to get through one performance review – it’s to build a culture of ongoing feedback and development that makes both of you more successful.
Start Small: If you’ve never done formal reviews before, begin with a simple monthly check-in format. Build the habit before diving into comprehensive evaluations.
Be Consistent: Whatever schedule you choose, stick to it. Cancelled or postponed reviews send the message that your assistant’s development isn’t a priority.
Focus on Partnership: Frame every review conversation as “How can we work together even more effectively?” rather than “Here’s what you’re doing wrong.”
Document Progress: Keep notes between reviews so you have concrete examples to discuss. This makes conversations more productive and shows you’re paying attention to their contributions.
Remember, your assistant’s success directly impacts your success. Investing time in thoughtful performance reviews isn’t just good leadership– it’s good business. When you help your assistant grow and improve, you’re investing in your own productivity, effectiveness, and peace of mind.
The best working relationships are built on clear communication, mutual respect, and shared goals. Performance reviews give you the structure to nurture all three. Your assistant wants to do great work – these conversations help ensure they know exactly what that looks like and how to get there.
Ready to transform your next performance review from a dreaded obligation into a powerful partnership tool? Start with the five-category framework, use the conversation guides, and remember: the goal isn’t perfection, it’s progress. Both of you will be better for it.
