Email template · Performance and feedback
Self-evaluation reminder email
In short
A self-evaluation reminder email prompts employees to finish their self-assessment before the performance review deadline. It states the due date, links to the form, says how long it takes and explains why it matters to their review. Below are templates for a first reminder, a final-day nudge, an overdue notice and a manager prompt.
When to send it: Send the first reminder about halfway through the self-evaluation window, a second two days before the deadline and a last one on the due date. Overdue notices go out the next business day.
Self-evaluation reminder email: 4 versions
Midpoint reminder
SubjectYour self-evaluation is due [Due Date]
Hi [First Name], A reminder that your self-evaluation for the [Review Period] review is due by [Due Date]. You can open it here: [Form Link]. Most people need about [Time Estimate]. A few tips that make it more useful: - Pull up your goals from [Goal Source] before you start. - Give one or two specific examples for each rating, with numbers where you have them. - Be honest about what didn't go well. [Manager Name] will read it before your conversation on [Review Meeting Date]. Questions about the form? Reply here. [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
Final day
SubjectToday: self-evaluation deadline
Hi [First Name], Today is the last day to submit your self-evaluation for [Review Period]: [Form Link]. If you've started but not submitted, your draft is saved. Just open it and click Submit. If you can't finish today, let [Manager Name] know directly so your review meeting can be planned around it. Thanks, [Your Name]
Overdue
SubjectYour self-evaluation is overdue
Hi [First Name], Your self-evaluation for [Review Period] was due on [Due Date] and we haven't received it yet. [Manager Name] is scheduling review conversations this week and uses your self-assessment to prepare. Please submit it by [Extended Deadline]: [Form Link]. If you're on leave or something is stopping you from completing it, reply and we'll sort it out. [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
To managers: team status
Subject[Number] of your team still need to submit self-evaluations
Hi [Manager Name], Self-evaluations for [Review Period] are due [Due Date]. These people on your team haven't submitted yet: [List of Names] A quick word from you in your next 1:1 or team huddle usually does more than another email from HR. Review meetings should be held by [Review Completion Date]. Thanks, [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
Subject line ideas
- Your self-evaluation is due [Due Date]
- Reminder: [Review Period] self-assessment
- Two days left to submit your self-evaluation
- Today: self-evaluation deadline
- Your self-evaluation is overdue
- [Time Estimate] to finish your self-review
- Before your review with [Manager Name]: your self-evaluation
SMS and WhatsApp version
Hi [First Name], reminder from [Company] HR: your [Review Period] self-evaluation is due [Due Date]. It takes about [Time Estimate]: [Form Link]. Your draft saves automatically.
Placeholders to replace: [First Name], [Review Period], [Due Date], [Extended Deadline], [Form Link], [Time Estimate], [Goal Source], [Manager Name], [Review Meeting Date], [Review Completion Date], [Number], [List of Names], [Your Name], [Title], [Company]
A reminder schedule that gets completions
Self-evaluation completion tends to follow the same curve every cycle: a burst in the first two days after the performance review invitation email, a long quiet middle, then a rush on deadline day. Reminders should match that curve rather than arrive every day.
For a typical two-week window:
- Day 0: launch email with the form link, deadline and purpose.
- Day 7: midpoint reminder, only to people who haven't submitted.
- Day 12: two-days-left reminder.
- Day 14: deadline-day reminder in the morning.
- Day 15: overdue notice to the employee and a status list to each manager.
Always filter reminders to non-submitters. Sending "please complete your self-evaluation" to someone who finished it last week is the fastest way to teach people to ignore HR email. Most form tools and HR systems can segment by status automatically.
What makes a reminder worth reading
- The due date in the subject line. Many people will never open the email, but they will see the date.
- A direct link to the form, not to a portal home page three clicks away.
- A time estimate. "About 30 minutes" gets more starts than silence. If you don't know the time it takes, ask five people from the last cycle.
- One practical tip on writing a better self-assessment.
- What happens next, such as when the review meeting is.
If your self-assessment form is long, say whether drafts are saved. People abandon long forms when they think they must finish in one sitting. Our self-evaluation form is built to take 20 to 40 minutes for most roles.
Frontline and hourly teams need a different approach
In a contact center, warehouse or retail chain, many employees don't have a work email they check, and some don't use a computer during their shift at all. Email reminders alone will get low completion. What works better: a text with a mobile-friendly link, a QR code on the break room board, and 15 minutes of paid time set aside during a shift to complete it. Non-exempt employees must be paid for the time they spend on a self-evaluation, so build that into the schedule rather than expecting it to be done off the clock.
For large frontline groups, keep the self-assessment short: three to five questions, mostly ratings plus one or two short text answers. A 15-question form that works for engineers will produce blank or one-word answers from agents on a 10-hour shift.
Tone: firm on the date, easy on the person
A reminder should never read like a reprimand. Late self-evaluations are usually about workload, not attitude, especially during quarter-end or peak season. Be specific about the deadline and what depends on it, and give a way out for real problems: people on leave, people who started recently, people whose manager changed mid-cycle. Employees on protected leave such as FMLA should not be chased or penalized for missing the window; pause their reminders and adjust their review timing.
Leave consequences to managers. HR reminders that threaten an "incomplete" rating or a missed raise create anxiety and complaints without improving completion much. If late submission really does affect the review, it belongs in the review policy, stated up front.
Mistakes to avoid
- Reminding everyone, including people who already submitted.
- Sending all reminders from a no-reply address, so questions go nowhere.
- Skipping managers. A manager's nudge outperforms HR's third email.
- Running self-evaluation and [360 feedback requests](/hr-email-templates/360-feedback-request-email/) in the same week without a combined calendar; people get five review emails a day and stop reading.
- Setting the deadline on a Friday or a holiday weekend. Midweek deadlines get better completion.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write a reminder email for a self-assessment?
Put the deadline in the subject line, link directly to the form, say how long it takes and add one tip for writing it well. Close with what happens next, such as the review meeting date, and send it only to people who haven't submitted.
How many self-evaluation reminders should I send?
Three is enough for most cycles: one at the midpoint, one two days before the deadline and one on the deadline day. Add an overdue notice and a manager status list after the deadline passes.
What should a performance review deadline reminder include?
The due date, a direct link, the time required, who will read it and when the review conversation happens. For managers, include the names of team members who are still outstanding.
Should I copy the manager on self-evaluation reminders?
Not on every reminder. Send managers a separate status list of their team members who haven't submitted. Copying them on each employee reminder feels like escalation and clutters their inbox.
Do hourly employees get paid for completing self-evaluations?
Yes. Under the FLSA, time non-exempt employees spend on work tasks such as a self-assessment is generally compensable work time. Schedule time during the shift for it.