Performance Review & Development Dialogue 2026/2027 – Discussion Template, Competence Plan & Excel | Word/PDF

Employee appraisals and performance reviews – complete template in Word, PDF and Excel

Do you want to conduct a professional employee appraisal and document clear expectations, skills development, and follow-ups? This package contains an editable performance review template, preparations for employees and managers, a skills development plan, and a follow-up template – along with a formula-based Excel register.

15 delivery files: 7 Word (DOCX), 7 searchable PDF (A4), and 1 Excel (XLSX) with nine tabs. The five main documents are in Swedish. A Swedish user guide and a separate English User Guide are included. The 2026/2027 edition is a version designation and does not constitute a guarantee of future legislative changes.

What is an employee appraisal?

An employee appraisal, often called a performance review, is a structured dialogue between a manager and an employee regarding work tasks, development, priorities, and support. These meetings can be linked to good work environment efforts and skills planning, but a specific standard form or annual performance review is not generally a statutory requirement for all employers. The employer's collective agreement, local agreements, and organizational policy may impose additional requirements.

How to use the templates – from preparation to follow-up

1. Establish the purpose: explain that the meeting is a development dialogue and how the documentation will be used.
2. Inform about personal data: clarify the purpose, legal basis, access, storage, and rights.
3. Send the preparation sheet: give the employee the opportunity to submit their own proposals and views.
4. Prepare the manager's questions: use a consistent structure and concrete, relevant work observations.
5. Conduct the meeting: address work tasks, cooperation, workload, resources, and development.
6. Agree on goals and initiatives: choose measurable and reasonable goals, resources, responsibilities, and timelines.
7. Document the plans: use separate templates for skills development and goal follow-up.
8. Register limited administrative tasks in Excel: use internal IDs, dates, and status.
9. Verify follow-up: distinguish between planned activity and actually completed initiatives and verified results.
10. Protect and purge: follow the organization's access control and documented retention routines.

Excel: administrative overview in nine tabs

Overview, Employees, Meetings, Goals, Skills, Measures, Follow-ups, Data, and Read me. The overview shows the number of registered meetings and goals, verified completed measures, and training costs. There are status options, table filters, and formulas for time margins and overdue measures. No automatic performance or personal assessment is made.

Excel is an administrative aid, not an HR system with built-in access protections. It is better to store pseudonymized references in the workbook and keep more sensitive personnel documents in the organization's access-controlled system.

GDPR, discrimination, and work environment

According to IMY, employers must have a legal basis and a clear purpose, inform employees, and minimize personal data. Notes should be factual, relevant to work, and not contain offensive or disparaging comments. An employee's signature on meeting minutes does not automatically constitute consent under GDPR. Read IMY's guidance.

AFS 2023:2 deals with organizational and social work environments, such as workload and organizational prerequisites. The Discrimination Act, Chapter 3, covers, among other things, active measures for equal opportunities for training and other skills development. An employee appraisal does not replace the employer's other obligations and is not a disciplinary warning or a formal labor law measure.

Relevant templates and guides at Mallbutiken

• Job description and skills matrix – define roles and qualification requirements before the meeting.
• Salary policy and salary review – separate process for salary discussions, salary criteria, and salary decisions.
• HR and labor law – document templates.

FAQ

Is the employer required by law to hold annual performance reviews?

Not generally solely under Swedish law. However, there may be requirements in collective agreements, local rules, job positions, and the organization's steering documents.

Can I use the employee appraisal template ahead of a salary review?

Yes, for work-related development goals as one of several inputs, but salary setting and the documented salary process should be handled separately and in accordance with applicable agreements and criteria.

Is an individual development plan included?

Yes, a separate skills development plan with goals, initiatives, timeframe, employer support, and follow-up is included in Word/PDF.

Does Excel automatically calculate how "good" an employee is?

No. The dashboard only compiles registered administrative statuses and costs. Results should be assessed by responsible persons based on factual documentation.

Are the templates translated into English?

The five main templates are in Swedish. The package includes a Swedish user guide and a separate English User Guide, not English versions of the main templates.

Can sensitive personal data be entered into Excel?

It is not recommended. Use minimal administrative data and store detailed documentation in an access-controlled system after your own GDPR assessment.

Sources and version

• IMY – basic GDPR principles for employers.
• IMY – monitoring and control of employees.
• Swedish Work Environment Authority – AFS 2023:2.
• Swedish Parliament – The Discrimination Act (2008:567).

Document edition: 1.0 – 2026/2027. Source review: October 18, 2026. The template package is editable working material in accordance with Swedish law. It is not government-approved, externally lawyer-reviewed, or proof that the employer fulfills all obligations.