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Great teams grow through honest conversations, and mid-year reviews are the perfect place to start.
Mid-year reviews give employees and managers time to step back, reflect, and set meaningful goals that connect personal growth to business priorities. They also help teams stay connected, especially in remote, international settings where face time is limited.
In this guide, we’ll explain how to conduct effective employee mid-year check-ins, from asking the right questions to delivering constructive feedback that drives action and ensures progress.
What is a mid-year review?
Mid-year reviews create space for managers and employees to discuss challenges and future priorities. These one-on-one conversations allow teams a chance to reflect on recent work and set goals for the months ahead—focusing on long-term impact, not just daily tasks.
Companies often pair mid-year with year-end reviews to track performance, adjust priorities, and outline clear steps for employees’ continued development.
Benefits of mid-year reviews
Mid-year reviews go beyond telling employees what they’re doing right or wrong. They build motivation and strengthen engagement, whether teams work in one office, remotely, or across multiple locations. Reviews also surface problems early, making it easier to set clear benchmarks for success by recognizing what’s working and where to improve.
Here's a closer look at what makes mid-year reviews worth the time and effort for your staff and your business in general:
Drive engagement and motivation
Mid-year performance management appraisals do more than address issues or offer praise. They focus on progress and build engagement by connecting feedback to specific opportunities for growth, like learning new skills, expanding responsibilities, or pursuing continuing education. When employees see the company investing in their professional development, they tend to feel more engaged and motivated.
Support early course correction
Without regular check-ins, small issues often turn into bigger problems. By meeting every six months for a formal review, teams can take action. They’re able to reset expectations and agree on next steps before issues start to slow progress or impact performance.
Encourage continuous growth
Identifying problems early is only part of the mid-year review process. The real value comes from turning those challenges into opportunities to learn, improve, and move forward. Taking a proactive approach helps managers and employees work together to boost productivity and strengthen collaboration.
Reinforce company culture
Well-structured mid-year reviews allows managers to highlight the values the company wants to see in action. Moving beyond surface-level questions encourages employees to contribute to company culture. This is especially important for distributed teams working across different cities and countries. Without regular conversations about mission and purpose, company culture can be hard to define, let alone bring to life.
Essential questions for a successful mid-year review
Successful mid-year reviews are all about knowing what to ask. Thoughtful, open-ended queries open the door to two-way conversations where employees feel comfortable receiving feedback, sharing insights, and feeling heard. Here are some mid-year review questions to guide the conversation:
- What do you see as your strongest professional skills?
- What are the biggest obstacles you’re currently navigating?
- Are there any skills or expertise you feel aren’t being fully used?
- What are the most valuable lessons you’ve learned recently?
- In what ways do you feel your work contributes most to the team’s success?
- Can you share a recent accomplishment that you’re especially proud of?
- How do you see your role evolving in the coming months?
- What resources or support would help you continue growing in your career?
- What comes to mind when you think about our company’s culture?
- How could you help strengthen the company’s culture and build connections across teams?
The framework of a mid-year review
A great mid-year review feels natural but still stays on track. Here’s how to strike that balance with a simple structure that keeps the conversation productive:
Preparation and agenda-setting
Mid-year reviews fall flat when they feel rushed or unplanned. Managers set the tone by looking back at past goals and showing up ready to dig into what’s working well and what could work better.
Employees need time to do the same. Giving advance notice helps them gather their thoughts, reflect on their experiences since the last review, and bring meaningful input to the table.
Review of current performance
A strong review starts with what’s happening right now. Celebrate wins, address challenges, and take time to connect individual performance to the bigger picture. Showing employees how their work has supported company goals so far makes it easier to set priorities for what’s next.
Goal setting for the next six months
Once managers and employees align on what’s working, it's time to set clear goals for the months ahead. Together, they define measurable benchmarks and outline any company support, like training or resources, to set employees up for success.
Documentation and follow-up
After the meeting, managers should document the discussion, including employee mid-year review comments and agreed-upon next steps. Sharing a summary with employees reinforces that the review was meaningful and not just a formality. It also provides a clear action plan for the next six months.
Tips for delivering a mid-year review
Performance evaluations shouldn’t feel stressful or intimidating. Instead, they open the door to honest conversations and future growth. Here are a few ways to make mid-year check-ins more meaningful, productive, and employee-centered:
Create a comfortable environment
Whether the mid-year review takes place in person or virtually, set the tone with a private and welcoming space where employees feel comfortable sharing concerns, asking questions, and providing thoughtful, constructive feedback.
Use performance criteria for objective assessments
Be specific and connect feedback to real outcomes. Move beyond general praise or criticism by highlighting the actions that made a difference. For example, improving a specific process might have saved time, reduced errors, or helped another team work more efficiently. Showing the impact of someone’s work makes the review clearer, more meaningful, and easier for employees to connect with.
Balance strengths and opportunities for improvement
Keep employees motivated by recognizing both wins and areas for improvement. Balanced feedback reinforces expectations while showing appreciation for what’s going well. It also makes the next steps feel achievable, showing that growth doesn’t mean starting over but building on existing strengths.
Adopt a continuous feedback culture
Leave room for employees to share their thoughts, ask questions, and offer their own feedback. Invite them to reflect on what’s helping them succeed and what’s holding them back, whether it’s their role, team dynamics, or the review process itself. Making the conversation into a two-way exchange builds trust and keeps engagement high. Also, let employees know they can check in anytime to revisit goals, share progress, or ask for support.
Clarify next steps and growth opportunities
Turn your notes into a clear action plan that outlines both manager and employee expectations, defines what success looks like, and details the support and resources the company will offer to help them move forward. Share the draft with the employee and invite them to contribute before finalizing it together.
Streamline mid-year reviews for a stronger global team
Mid-year reviews do more than check a box—they're key to building the connected, future-ready culture your international team needs to succeed. But moving from conversation to action isn’t always easy, especially when you operate across borders.
Oyster removes the logistical hurdles of global employment, so you can focus on helping your people be their best—and keep getting better. With Oyster’s employer of record (EOR) services, it’s easy to hire, pay, and support talent while staying compliant in 180+ countries.
Book a demo to learn more.
About Oyster
Oyster is a global employment platform designed to enable visionary HR leaders to find, engage, pay, manage, develop, and take care of a thriving distributed workforce. Oyster lets growing companies give valued international team members the experience they deserve, without the usual headaches and expense.
Oyster enables hiring anywhere in the world—with reliable, compliant payroll, and great local benefits and perks.
