Are your employee evaluations effective? How do you create an evaluation that provides a return on investment for both you and the employee? Here are a few tips.

1. Avoid evaluations that go on for page after page. Instead, keep it short, with a few checkboxes and strong narrative about the worker's performance. This is key to providing useful feedback for the worker. The narrative helps add information to a worker's history. If a new manager is hired, that manager can then review a past evaluation to see how the worker has performed. For this to happen, enough information has to be there.

2. Set aside a block of time to go over each item in the evaluation with the employee. The worker should have a chance to explain poor performance or accept it, and to create a development plan.

3. It's a good idea to have 360-degree evaluations; that is, the employee gets to offer feedback on the manager's leadership style. If a worker is free to voice concerns, both good and bad, they are more likely to be loyal to the manager, and in turn stay with the company longer.

4. Conduct evaluations more than once a year. If it's done only once a year, then the worker's accomplishments will be forgotten over time. Instead, conduct evaluations on a more regular basis. This way, the quality of feedback will be improved and the manager, in turn, will become more efficient at the process.

5. Capture all aspects of worker development. Create goals, and personal and professional development plans for the future. The employee should write a short narrative discussing what they believe are their strengths and weaknesses, and thoughts on their future growth.

Evaluations are important for employee development. If the manager does not execute the evaluation properly, it will appear as if she does not care about the employee's performance.

Do share your tips with us on how to write effective employee evaluations.