A 30-60-90 day performance review is a set of three structured check-ins that a manager holds with a new hire at the end of their first 30, 60, and 90 days. It covers onboarding, role clarity, goal progress, and support needs, and it gives both sides a documented view of how the start is going. It works best as a coaching tool rather than a pass or fail test, and it does not replace everyday feedback or the annual review.
New hires form opinions quickly, and most companies do not onboard well. That is why these three conversations matter. Here is the short version.
- Day 30 focuses on onboarding quality, role clarity, tools, and team support.
- Day 60 focuses on goal progress, collaboration, and learning needs.
- Day 90 focuses on readiness, engagement, and longer-term development.
Below you will find the 2026 changes worth adopting, questions for each review, a filled-in example, a plan for off-track hires, and a free template.
What Has Changed for 30-60-90 Day Reviews in 2026?
The biggest change is that these reviews are no longer three isolated meetings. Strong teams now treat them as checkpoints inside a steady flow of feedback, with the manager clearly in charge of the experience.
Managers carry the onboarding experience
Gallup research on US employees found that when managers take an active role in onboarding, employees are 3.4 times as likely to say their onboarding was exceptional. That is a strong argument for putting the reviews on the manager’s calendar rather than leaving them to HR.
Feedback happens between the reviews
The three formal reviews work best when weekly one-on-ones feed them. If a 60 day review contains a surprise, the weekly conversations were not doing their job.
AI helps with preparation, not judgment
Managers can use AI tools to summarize one-on-one notes, draft questions, or turn feedback into a clear write-up. The rating and the message itself should stay with a person who knows the employee. Always check that AI-generated notes match what was actually said.
Reviews cover hybrid and remote realities
Time zones, meeting access, and tool comfort now belong in the conversation. See the remote section below.
What are 30-60-90 Day Reviews?
30-60-90 day reviews are an employee engagement and development strategy opted by various organizations for newly inducted employees. The process involves checking in with employees frequently and developing a standard practice to conduct reviews during the first 30, 60, and 90 days of an employee’s tenure in the organization.
During the reviews, managers can share their feedback with the employees and reflect upon their performance during the review period, using performance review examples to provide structured assessments. This helps in laying down a path for performance tracking and aligning employee goals with organizational objectives. Moreover, it also gives new hires an opportunity to discuss their career objectives and ambitions with their managers. Hence, these strategic reviews help in the learning and development initiatives of employees and carve out a career path based on their skill sets and organizational requirements.
30-60-90 day reviews help in laying out a standard procedure for employees to measure their performance against the set benchmark. This helps leaders and managers recognize the best talent and reward them for their excellence. It also leads to the development of action plans for employees with low performance and engagement. Moreover, during the annual appraisal process, managers can refer to the documented reviews and measure improvements and employee performance against the goals set up during the review period.
The added advantage of conducting 30-60-90 reviews is the measurement of the engagement level of the newly hired employees in the organization. Employee engagement is one of the most important aspects of retaining and nurturing talent. Through an effective and strategic review process, organizations can create an action plan for increasing employee engagement and productivity. Furthermore, it aids in reducing the turnover of the newly recruited employees.
What Do the Latest Statistics Reveal About 30-60-90 Day Reviews?
The numbers point to a gap between how much onboarding and feedback matter and how well most organizations deliver them. These are Gallup survey findings based on what employees say they experienced. They show why early, regular conversations are worth the effort, but they do not prove that a 30-60-90 review alone causes better results.
Onboarding statistics
Only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organization does a great job of onboarding, according to Gallup. In other words, most new hires start without an experience they would call great, which leaves plenty of room for a structured review process to make a difference.
The manager’s role stands out in the data. When managers take an active part in onboarding, employees are 3.4 times as likely to say their onboarding process was exceptional. That is one of the strongest arguments for having the manager, not only HR, run the 30, 60, and 90 day conversations.
Onboarding quality also shapes how ready people feel. Employees who strongly agree their onboarding was exceptional are nearly twice as likely to feel fully prepared to excel in their new role, according to a Gallup Panel study of US employees. They are also 2.3 times as likely to say their job is as good as or better than they expected.
Feedback and engagement statistics
Feedback frequency matters as much as the review itself. In seven Gallup studies covering 44,025 responses, about seven in 10 employees were highly engaged when they strongly agreed they had received meaningful feedback in the past week. That held regardless of team size, which is a useful reminder that a busy manager can still get this right with short, regular conversations.
The gap between annual and frequent feedback is wide. Gallup found that employees are 3.6 times more likely to strongly agree they are motivated to do outstanding work when their manager gives feedback daily rather than annually. For a new hire, waiting for an annual review to hear how they are doing means going a very long time without a clear signal.
What these numbers mean for your review plan
Taken together, the data supports three practical choices.
- Have the manager lead each review, since manager involvement is linked to a better onboarding experience.
- Hold weekly one-on-ones between the three formal reviews, so nothing in the 30, 60, or 90 day conversation comes as a surprise.
- Keep each conversation specific and short enough to repeat, rather than saving everything for one long meeting.
Let us look at why the first 90 days deserve this attention.
Why Are 30-60-90 Day Reviews Important?
The pandemic has caused a massive shift from traditional work setups to working from home or hybrid work environments. Most new employees are being onboarded virtually, and they miss the opportunity to physically interact with the team and human resource managers.
In such a scenario, it is increasingly difficult to understand the problems and concerns of the new hires. Therefore, to overcome this barrier, it is imperative to have a review mechanism that provides a platform for employees to have a discussion with managers.
Having a structured 30-60-90 day review process helps in checking in on employees at a fixed interval and giving them feedback on their performance. Let us discuss why it is important for organizations to have a review process in place.
Opportunity to Identify Gaps in the Onboarding Process
Employee onboarding is the first impression of an employer towards its employees. A report by Glassdoor states that strong onboarding practices can increase employee retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%. Therefore, it is important to support new employees in the initial 90 days of their employment.
Organizations with better onboarding practices utilize tools and technology to equip employees to succeed in their new positions. Furthermore, emphasizing assimilation and fostering employee socialization can boost employee confidence in the organization.
Employers can identify gaps in their onboarding process by having an employee review at the end of the first 30 days of employment. It is an opportunity to understand why the employee felt disengaged and left out during the onboarding process. Additionally, managers can also initiate a formal mentoring program to help employees acquire the skills required for task accomplishment.
Moreover, it helps employees build connections with other employees in different departments. Conducting reviews also helps in understanding the mental health of employees and creating measures for overall employee well-being.
Once the gaps in the process are identified, organizations can initiate corrective actions to improve the overall employee experience. For example, employee engagement and social connection can be improved by physically or virtually introducing employees to different team members and starting a buddy system for new hires. Formal mentoring and coaching sessions can be conducted for employee development and skill enhancement.
A Benchmark for Measuring Employee Performance
In addition to having a great onboarding experience, it is important to set up a benchmark for measuring the performance of new employees. As per a research, the productivity of employees in the first 90 days of employment increases as they adapt to the company culture and understand the various aspects of performance. In order to gauge and measure employee performance, managers must initiate 30-60-90 day reviews.
Managers can set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals for employees and measure performance based on goal achievement. Aligning these with structured OKRs and goals ensures clarity and alignment across teams. By having various checkpoints, it becomes easier to align employees towards organizational goals and provide them with guidance for improving their performance.
In addition, employees are also aware of the performance standards they are expected to achieve in order to create a strong foundation in the organization. Having a realistic timeframe helps with the smooth transition of new employees into the organization.
Building a Foundation for Employer-Employee Relationships
Conducting reviews goes a long way toward establishing a strong foundation for the employer-employee relationship. That’s why employee bonding and relationship building are rated as one of the most important aspects of engagement, productivity, and retention.
30-60-90 day reviews not only help managers reflect upon employee performance but also create a two-way communication channel to develop a connection with new hires.
Social connectivity is quintessential for employee engagement and development, especially for new employees. Therefore, human resource managers should collaborate with leaders to develop a well-defined review plan that supports social connectivity over multiple platforms.
Fostering connections and relationships are equally important for employees working from home and from the office. Therefore, leveraging virtual tools to conduct reviews can help resolve the challenges of geographically dispersed employees.
Understanding Employee Wellbeing & Mental Health
Employee well-being and mental health have gained prominence with the adoption of a hybrid work culture. The lack of human connectivity and social connections is a predominant factor in debilitating mental health. Mental health issues become a pressing issue when employees start feeling distant and neglected by their employers.
Even for new employees, addressing personal challenges they encounter at the workplace or because of the business modus operandi is critically important.
Conducting reviews at frequent intervals can help managers keep track of employee well-being and mental health. Furthermore, fostering a supportive culture and encouraging employees to share their problems during reviews can help in identifying any underlying concerns.
While conducting reviews, managers can assure employees that their mental health is of prime importance to organizations. Such activities help in assuring employees that they are being cared for.
What Are the Benefits of 30-60-90 Day Reviews?
A report11 by Gallup on “How Millennials want to work and live”, highlights that 44% of employees feel more engaged when their managers hold regular review meetings with them. In contrast, only 20% of employees who do not meet their managers frequently are engaged.
The above statistics highlight the importance of conducting frequent reviews for employee engagement. By prudently implementing a 30-60-90 day review plan, organizations can transform their employees into a dynamic and self-driven workforce.
The benefits of conducting reviews extend to all the stakeholders involved in the organization. Let us understand how the application of 30-60-90 day reviews benefits both employees and employers.
Benefits For Employees
Employees can take advantage of the 30-60-90 day reviews and leverage the knowledge grasped during the process to improvise on their performance. Check out the list of benefits for employees below.
1. Personal and Professional Development
Conducting reviews in the initial phase of an employee’s journey goes a long way in their personal and professional development. During reviews, managers can highlight the strong and weak areas of employees and suggest a learning path for them to enhance their skills and productivity. In addition, employees can also discuss plans for their career progression with the managers. It helps them in envisioning their future roles in the organization.
The reviews are of great help in identifying personal development gaps that could lead to low performance by an employee. An extensive 30-60-90 day review plan also suggests interpersonal areas of an employee to improve upon.
2. Asking for Support
Every organization tries to foster a supportive environment for its employees. But not everyone can achieve it because of the challenges put forward by culture, hierarchy, and personal inhibitions of employees. One of the ways to achieve higher organizational efficiency is to have a respectable and supportive culture that allows employees to reach out for help.
Employee reviews give an opportunity to new employees to ask for support from their managers. Based on the discussion, managers can initiate mentoring and coaching sessions, 1:1s with employees, and other activities deemed necessary for employee support.
3. Boosts Employee Morale and Motivation
A self-driven and motivated workforce is the strongest asset of an organization. Finding suitable and dynamic employees requires hard work from the human resources department. But developing them into a performance-driven and committed workforce is far more challenging.
Employees are skeptical about the organization during their first 90 days of employment. In this phase, they are unsure about the culture and business environment, and require more than just formal training to assimilate into the organization.
Conducting planned and strategic reviews helps in boosting employee confidence and motivation. Frequent check-ins and 1:1s organized by managers make employees feel supported and cared for, which ultimately sets them in the right direction.
Benefits For Employers
Employee reviews directly impact the performance of employees and, thereby, the organization’s output. A well-structured and strategically laid-out review plan can benefit the organization in the following ways:
1. Reducing Employee Turnover
As per the statistics12, over one-third of all new hires leave within the first six months of their tenure. This is irrespective of the job role and position being offered by the organization.
The great resignation has further added to the woes of human resource managers. They are now battling with the problems of finding new talent and ensuring they stay committed for a long period of time. To contain the premature exit of employees, it is crucial for organizations to consider strategic ways to convert them into long-term employees.
Using 30-60-90 day reviews helps in understanding the challenges faced by employees and finding strategic solutions to them. Managers can pick up early warning signs during the review process and can take preemptive action to contain attrition. It may include training and incentive programs for employees. A well thought out 30-60-90 day review process can reduce employee turnover at all levels of the organization.
2. Increasing Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is one of the most important traits of a performance-driven organization. Engaged employees are likely to stay for a longer period in the organization and are more oriented towards business goals. Employee engagement is an organizational strategy that helps in achieving higher levels of performance, better retention, and better quality of work.
One of the benefits of conducting 30-60-90 reviews is that it increases employee engagement. Frequent reviews help employees understand their performance gaps and provide them with learning opportunities. Continuous real-time feedback further strengthens this process by enabling immediate course correction. Furthermore, managers can better assess the skills of new hires and align them to the respective projects where they can best utilize their skill sets.
3. Metrics for Performance Measurement
Employee reviews are a great way to assess the performance of new hires. Every employee has a unique set of skills and competencies, and utilizing them effectively is the key to increasing organizational efficiency. By measuring performance at regular intervals, managers can ascertain that employees are on the right track. It also helps in comprehending any challenges that are undermining the performance of employees.
Reports and data created at the time of conducting 30-60-90 day reviews help in recognizing the efforts of employees. Additionally, it is also used to identify low performing employees and help them improve. Leveraging talent analytics and mobility insights helps turn this data into actionable decisions.
4. Reward and Recognition
SurveyMonkey conducted a survey13 with over 1,500 employed Americans to find out how recognition at their organization helps them. Following were the key highlights of the survey:
- Around 82% of the employees felt that recognition is linked to happiness in the workplace.
- Over 32% of surveyed employees felt that recognition improves the way their colleagues interact with them.
- Public recognition, according to 68% of employees, increases their chances of getting a raise or promotion.
These above statistics highlight how important recognition is for employees. A reward and recognition platform supports employees in achieving their highest potential and thereby increasing organizational efficiency.
30-60-90 day reviews are a great way to identify potential employees and reward them suitably for their efforts. Effective utilization of such a review mechanism can help in building a skilled, performance-driven, and happy workforce that is ready to go the extra mile to achieve organizational goals.
5. Identify Training Needs
Learning capabilities and aptitude are different for every employee. Even after going through the initial level of training and induction, there might be scenarios where an employee needs more support.
To handle such challenges, it is important to organize reviews where employees can share their concerns regarding performance. Therefore, managers should create an open channel of communication during reviews that helps employees clearly state any obstacles in their learning process.
Performance metrics, such as quality of work, customer centricity, and productivity level collected during 30-60-90 day reviews help in identifying employees with training needs. Managers can create a training plan to improve the performance of such employees.
If multiple employees are struggling in the same learning areas, then it can be because of the wrong practices and systems being followed for the onboarding process. Such issues can be handled by identifying the loopholes in the system and initiating corrective actions.
6. Employee Development
The entire process of the performance management system revolves around employee development. Such development plans have to be built in collaboration with employees. It ensures that their skills, competencies, and expectations are taken into consideration while planning the activities.
A successful employee development plan involves conducting reviews to understand the current performance level of employees and setting SMART goals to help them achieve better results.
Managers usually inculcate employee development initiatives while creating a 30-60-90 day reviews plan. It offers a constructive and flexible way of reviewing new employees’ performance and motivating them to achieve more. 30-60-90 day reviews are a holistic approach to employee development.
How Can You Create an Effective 30-60-90 Day Review Plan?
Creating a review plan requires collaboration from multiple departments. Human resource managers must inform the team leaders/managers regarding the onboarding of new employees and arrange sessions to discuss the review plan. The process is highly dependent on the job position and role of the employee joining the organization.
By undertaking the below discussed best practices, human resource managers can create an effective 30-60-90 day review plan.
Step 1: Setting Realistic Expectations
The time spent between sharing a job post and getting someone onboarded can be too overwhelming for the organization. At this time, managers can be tempted to get a new employee rolling and take up the responsibilities for which they were hired. Instead of pushing them to a quick start and passing on innumerable duties, it is preferable to let them gradually transition into the organizational culture. Undertaking 30-60-90 day reviews helps managers understand employee strengths and weaknesses and strategically place them in projects.
To set the course in action, managers can select two or three prime responsibilities/goals for the new hires and explain to them the process to achieve them. Setting realistic, quantifiable, and focused goals should be the foundation of conducting reviews.
Step 2: Creating Milestones to Measure Performance
The first 90 days of an employee’s journey are full of twists and turns. In this period, they are assimilating into the organizational culture and understanding the intricacies of the new business environment. Furthermore, if they are working from home, it is comparatively difficult to understand the tools and technologies.
Setting milestones while conducting the reviews helps managers measure the performance of employees. Additionally, it ensures support and collaboration in the initial days of employees.
Highlighting accomplishments and achievements of milestones is equally important in the review process. Positive feedback in the initial phase goes a long way in building employee confidence and boosting productivity. Similarly, providing constructive feedback for performance improvement is equally important.
Therefore, managers must set milestones and measure performance to provide employees with clear and open feedback for improvement.
Step 3: Collaborating With New Hires
New employees join the organization with some specific vision, expectations, and mindset. Even the business environment and culture can be new to them. In such a scenario, it is important to understand the personal goals and objectives of employees and help them align with the organizational goals.
In the first few weeks after joining, managers should talk to employees and try to comprehend their learning objectives. Based on the inputs collected from them, managers can modify the 30-60-90 day review plan. It will ensure that employees’ expectations and personal goals are also included in the plan.
It is also an opportunity to inculcate collaboration and teamwork while designing the review plan. The fresh perspective of new employees helps in bringing dynamism and strategicness to the review plan.
Step 3: Check-in Regularly
As the employees are getting accustomed to their new roles and responsibilities, it is important for managers to check in with them frequently in the initial days of their joining. It gives employees an opportunity to talk about their concerns and suggest any improvements to the current processes. Therefore, either organizing a daily catch up or weekly 1:1s will steer the employees in the right direction.
Through regular check-ins, managers can track the performance of their employees and can understand their strengths and weaknesses rather quickly. Furthermore, they can identify any persistent issues like difficulty in integrating with the team or in understanding the business dynamics and find solutions collaboratively.
Step 4: Measuring the Impact of the Plan
“You can’t improve what you don’t measure.” by Peter Drucker.
The objectives of a 30-60-90 day review plan should be quantifiable and measurable. Using SMART goals can help in making the plan more process-driven. The ultimate aim of conducting reviews in the first 90 days of an employee is to ensure their smooth transition into the business environment and help them align with the organizational objectives. Therefore, by setting measurable goals, managers have a fair understanding of employees’ strengths and weaknesses.
At the end of the review plan, it is easier to reflect upon employee performance against the set objectives. The insights collected from reviews help in creating further action plans for employees with low performance. It includes conducting formal mentoring and coaching sessions, skill development and enhancement, and buddy programs.
An Empathic, Compassionate, and Supportive Approach
Conducting reviews in the time of a pandemic is quite challenging. As the majority of employees have been working from home for months, it has become difficult to evaluate their performance. Managers face this dilemma of fairly conducting the review and also considering the impact of the COVID-19 crisis in their assessment.
Mark Mortensen, associate professor of organizational behavior at INSEAD, says that even in normal times, it is difficult for managers to conduct a performance review. Reviews are tense, stressful, and anxiety-inducing at times. Now, in the middle of the pandemic, it is much more difficult to assess an employee on performance parameters.
In such a scenario, managers must be empathic and compassionate towards their employees during the review process. They must first ask about their physical and mental health and ensure that their wellbeing is of utmost importance to the organization. Taking a compassionate approach can help employees overcome challenges and share their concerts with managers.
How Should You Conduct 30-60-90 Day Reviews?
Conducting frequent reviews of new employees lets them know that the organization has a vested interest in their growth and development. Moreover, it also helps in finding performance deficiencies and starting corrective actions to scale up employee development.
The learning curve of a new employee varies from three months to six months based on their job role and designation. Therefore, conducting reviews at the right time with the right assessing parameters is important to having meaningful employee reviews.
Communicating the 30-60-90 day review plan to the employees is the first step in preparing for the evaluation process. During regular 1:1s and check-ins, managers should substantiate the importance of reviews and lay out the detailed process to employees. It helps them to understand its effectiveness on their performance.
Below we have highlighted the details of the 30-60-90 day review process individually, along with the questions that managers should ask while conducting reviews. Please note that 30-60-90 day reviews are highly dependent on the designation and role of the employee upon joining the organization. Therefore, managers can alter the process and change the questions as per the requirements.
How Do You Run 30-60-90 Day Reviews for Remote and Hybrid Teams?
Keep the same structure, but adapt the logistics so remote employees get the same quality of attention as office-based ones.
- Pair every remote hire with a buddy for daily check-ins in the first two weeks.
- Schedule reviews at a time that works for both time zones, not just the manager’s.
- Use video for reviews so tone and reactions are visible.
- Send questions 48 hours ahead so the hire can prepare.
- Ask directly about tool access and comfort, not just performance.
- Confirm that remote participants can see shared screens and documents during the meeting.
What Are the Most Effective 30-60-90 Day Review Techniques for 2026?
Multi-Modal Review Approaches
Traditional one-on-one conversations are evolving to include:
1. Video Reflection Assignments
- New hires record brief video updates on their progress
- Managers provide video feedback for more personal connection
- Creates valuable documentation for future reference
2. Peer Integration Assessments
- 360-degree feedback from team members
- Collaboration effectiveness evaluations
- Team chemistry and cultural fit assessments
3. Skills-Based Micro-Reviews
- Weekly 10-minute check-ins focused on specific competencies
- Real-time project-based evaluations
- Continuous learning pathway adjustments
Digital-First Review Formats
Virtual Reality Onboarding Reviews
- Immersive environment simulations for role-specific scenarios
- Safe space practice for high-stakes situations
- Enhanced engagement through interactive experiences
Gamified Progress Tracking
- Achievement badges for milestone completions
- Leaderboards for team integration activities
- Point systems for skill development progress
Conducting a 30 Day Review
As soon as the new employees are inducted into the organization, they are assigned tasks to learn the product, understand the business culture and environment, and get an overview of the business dynamics. During the first few weeks of employee onboarding, managers should communicate frequently with the employees to give them an understanding of their job roles and responsibilities.
Providing supporting material like product documentation, departmental inductions, technical guides, and historical data will help employees ramp up the processes. It is good practice to introduce employees to the team members that they will be working closely with. Make sure that things don’t get too overwhelming and that there is no information overload for employees.
Conducting frequent 1:1s in the first month is helpful in understanding the skill set of the employee. It guides the manager in defining and communicating performance expectations and employee goals for the first 30 days. The frequency of 1:1s can be adjusted once the employee is well versed in the job role.
A 30 day review is conducted at the end of the first month of the employee’s tenure. The review involves a detailed discussion between the employee and the manager. Managers must ensure that they convey information regarding the review well in advance. It helps employees to prepare their responses for the process.
Questions to Ask in a 30 Day Review
The following questions will help you get better insight into the initial 30 days of the employee.
- How is your overall wellbeing and mental health?
- Please rate the overall onboarding process.
- How would you rate the first 30 days of your employment?
- Are the job responsibilities in tandem with the expectations you had before joining?
- Do you require more clarity about the job role and responsibilities?
- Do you feel any challenges with the current role?
- What does the best day at work look like to you?
- What do you like the least about your current role?
- Do you have sufficient tools to deliver on your job responsibilities?
- Is the company culture congenial and growth-oriented?
- Do you feel welcomed and supported by your team?
- Have you achieved your 30-day goals?
- What goals do you have for the next 30 days?
- Do you have any feedback for your manager and the team?
Conducting a 60 Day Review
The first 30 days of the employee’s journey are usually about learning the product and business culture. In the next 30 days, also known as the development phase, the actual growth of an employee begins. Now that the employee is accustomed to the business practices and company policies, it is time to check on their performance and also collect feedback on their day-to-day activities.
A 60 day review helps in gaining insights regarding the performance and development of employees. During these 60 days, employees must have had an opportunity to interact with the clients, resolve customer/client queries, and provide resolution to internal issues. Therefore, it is important to collect employee feedback at this interval to understand the following:
- The process structure and its efficiency
- Overall job satisfaction of employees
- Speeding up employees to their job responsibilities
- Identify any challenges in the current job role
- Providing them with actionable performance insights
A 60 day review is the right time to assess the contribution of employees to the achievement of short-term team goals and organizational objectives. It also gives an opportunity to discuss the long-term career vision of the employees and offer them managerial insights into their performance.
Questions to Ask in a 60 Day Review
The following questions will help in conducting a 60 day review effectively.
- Did you face any challenges in adapting to the organizational culture and values?
- Did the training sessions conducted in the first 30 days prepare you for the job responsibilities in the next 30 days
- Is there anything that you would like to change about the onboarding process conducted so far?
- Are the job responsibilities the same as per your expectations?
- Have you got sufficient training sessions to perform the current job role?
- Do you believe your job role is in line with the organization’s values and mission?
- What would you like to learn more about in your current job role and how can the organization help in achieving that?
- Is the organization’s culture and business dynamics the same as shared during the interview process? Is there anything you would like to improve in the overall process, from interviewing to onboarding?
- Do you get enough support from the supervisor?
- Do you enjoy working with your team?
- How do you generally collaborate with team members for work?
- Have you completed your 60 day goals?
- What challenges did you face while working on the goals?
- What goals do you expect for the next 30 days?
- Do you need any additional support to complete your next 30 day goals?
Conducting a 90 Day Review
The end of 90 days usually marks the completion of the probation period for most of the employees. At this time, employees have undergone extensive training to understand the products, have a fair understanding of their job roles, and are prepared to take on responsibilities like other team members.
A 90 day review serves a major role in collecting intelligent insights about the extensive onboarding process followed by the organization. The feedback collected at this stage will help in making the processes better aligned to employee growth and development.
Managers need to perform a thorough check of the employee’s performance in the review to understand their competencies, engagement and productivity levels, collaboration with team members, and collect any feedback pertaining to their managers, team members, and organizational processes.
Questions to Ask in a 90 Day Review
The following questions resonate with the 90 day review process. Please note that questions regarding job responsibilities can be changed as per the designation and role of the employee.
- Did you complete your training sessions organized to understand the product/process, organizational culture, and business dynamics?
- Please share your feedback regarding the onboarding process.
- What would you like to change in the current learning process of the organization?
- Did you receive enough support from the colleagues? Who has been the most helpful to you so far?
- Do you have any particular questions related to your job roles and responsibilities?
- Do you feel comfortable asking for help from your team members?
- Is your manager approachable and helpful in discussing personal and professional matters?
- How would you rate the leadership of the organization? Is there any suggestion for the current leadership?
- Has your manager conveyed the expectations the organization has from you?
- What are your long-term goals for the organization?
- How was your experience with the extended onboarding process implemented by the organization? Are there any suggestions to make it better?
What Should You Do If a New Hire Is Off Track?
Talk to them early, be specific about the gap, and agree a short, written plan before anything formal. Most early gaps come from unclear expectations, missing training, or poor fit with the tools, not from effort.
- Check your own side first. Were the goals clear, was the training complete, and did they have access to what they needed?
- Name the gap with an example. “Three of your last five reports missed the deadline” works better than “you need to be more reliable.”
- Agree a two to four week plan with one or two measurable targets.
- Add a weekly check-in and write down what was agreed.
- Involve HR if the plan is not working, especially before any formal step.
Probation rules, notice periods, and documentation requirements differ by country and contract. Check with HR or legal counsel before making any employment decision. This article is not legal advice.
What Should a 30-60-90 Day Review Template Include?
The downloadable template is a ready-to-use employee performance evaluation toolkit that will help in strategizing the first three months of new hires. Managers can use this template to understand their employee’s overall performance and provide actionable feedback to them.
We have also included an employee performance evaluation form in the 90 days review tab to help gauge the achievement of employee goals. To understand the development of employees on various parameters the template is segregated into different sections
What Does a Completed 30-60-90 Day Review Look Like?
Here is a sample for a customer support specialist, using a four-point scale where 1 means needs support, 2 means developing, 3 means on track, and 4 means ahead.
| Review | Goal | Evidence | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 30 | Finish product training and shadow 15 live tickets | Training checklist complete, 15 shadowed tickets logged | 3 |
| Day 60 | Resolve tier 1 tickets independently | Quality score on peer-reviewed sample, first-response time against team target | 3 |
| Day 90 | Own a ticket queue and improve one help article | Queue handled for two weeks, article updated and published | 4 |
The rating is only half of the review. The written comments should name one strength, one gap, and one agreed next step. For example, “Strong product knowledge, still slow on billing tickets, will shadow the billing lead twice next month.”
Avoid giving a rating at day 30 if the role has a long ramp-up. A “ready to learn” note is often more useful than a score.
Download the Free 30 60 90 Day Reviews Template
Final Thoughts
Many organizations have reaped the benefits of a well-defined and structured 30-60-90 day review process. By building a standard process for extensive reviews, organizations can achieve higher productivity, engagement, and low employee turnover.
Moreover, it helps employees form a strong connection with their colleagues and organization, thereby making them more loyal and committed towards the employer.
With the advancement in the technical landscape, organizations have started utilizing performance management software to manage their workforce. These people enablement platforms like Engagedly offer deeper insights about employee performance.
Through features like SMART goals setting, real-time feedback, ongoing check-ins, and 30-60-90 reviews, organizations can keep track of employee activities and offer innovative solutions to help engage, enable, and empower their workforce. If you’re looking to streamline and scale your review process, it’s worth requesting a demo to see how it can be implemented effectively.
