Performance and Retention Kit for Trades, Performance Review, Skills Matrix, Stay Interview, 14 Editable Word and Google Docs Templates

Your best installer just walked in and quit.

You didn't see it coming. The last real conversation you had

with them was three months ago, and it was about a job that

got reworked.

This kit is what would have caught that.

Most owners only have real conversations with their good

employees when something's wrong. The check-ins, the goal-setting,

the "where do you want to be a year from now" talks, the career

path conversation. Those don't happen, because there's no

structure for them. The annual review is too late and too

formal. The hallway "how's it going" doesn't count.

This kit gives you the structure. Plain English, built for the

job site, not the cubicle.

WHAT'S INSIDE

14 editable templates and guides:

✓ START HERE intro and how this kit works with the Manager

  Survival Kit

✓ 30 / 60 / 90 Day New-Hire Check-In Template. Catch issues

  early, before small things become big.

✓ Quarterly Crew Check-In Template. Annual reviews aren't

  enough for trades teams. This is the rhythm that works.

✓ Annual Performance Review Template. Built for field work,

  not desk work.

✓ Employee Prep Sheet. What the employee fills out before the

  review. No corporate self-evaluation language.

✓ Goal-Setting Worksheet for Hourly and Trades. Goals that work

  on a job site, not on a spreadsheet.

✓ Skills Matrix and Career Path. A worked example for a roofing

  and gutters crew (Helper, Installer, Senior, Crew Lead,

  Foreman, Superintendent) plus a blank template for any trade.

✓ Stay Interview Guide. Catch problems before someone quits,

  with a trigger list of when to do them.

✓ Performance Conversation Scripts. Four trade-specific scripts:

  the apprentice not progressing, the plateaued senior installer,

  the lead great with work and bad with people, and the top

  performer you're worried will leave.

✓ Informal Coaching and Performance Improvement Tracker. The

  log that bridges the gap between casual chats and formal

  write-ups.

✓ Reliability and Reset Conversation Template. The talk you

  have when attendance becomes a pattern.

✓ Review Meeting Prep Checklist. So you don't walk in cold.

✓ Manager Cheat Sheet. One-page reference for everything.

✓ Google Docs Access Links file.

WHO THIS IS FOR

→ Small business owners and managers in construction, roofing,

  gutters, siding, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, and

  home services

→ Owners who know they should be doing performance reviews but

  keep putting it off because no template feels right

→ Anyone trying to build a career path so good people don't quit

  for the bigger shop down the road

FORMAT

- 14 editable Microsoft Word (.docx) files

- Google Docs versions included. Click the access link, File

  then Make a Copy, edit in your own Drive.

- Instant digital download. No physical product ships.

- Print as many copies as you need for your own business.

- US Letter size, Arial, plain English, no corporate buzzwords.

WHY THIS IS DIFFERENT

Most performance review templates were built for office workers.

They want you to write "SMART goals" about increasing

"cross-functional synergy." That's not how field work happens.

This kit was built for hourly and trades teams where performance

means showing up, doing quality work, staying safe, taking care

of the customer, and growing into the next role. The Skills

Matrix is built around a real exterior crew progression. The

Goal-Setting Worksheet uses examples like "run a hip roof layout

start to finish by March." The Stay Interview Guide knows that

"when a teammate quits" is a stronger trigger than any calendar.

Field-tested language. Real scripts for real conversations.

Built from 20+ years of HR experience in construction, roofing,

gutters, and home services.

PAIRS WELL WITH

For the discipline side (write-ups, PIPs, terminations), see

the Manager Survival Kit in my shop. The Performance and

Retention Kit is the development path. The Manager Survival

Kit is the discipline path when development isn't working. They

hand off to each other.

For the foreman who has to run the crew day-to-day, see the

Crew Lead Survival Kit.

⸻

IMPORTANT

These templates are for informational and operational use only. They are not legal advice. Wage and hour rules — including overtime, meal/rest breaks, on-call compensation, reporting time pay, and final pay — vary significantly by state. California, New York, Massachusetts, Washington, and Oregon have particularly strict requirements. Before adopting any of these policies, have them reviewed by an employment attorney familiar with your state.

⸻

INSTANT DOWNLOAD:

Files are delivered the moment your payment processes. No waiting. No shipping. Open them in Word or save copies to Google Docs and edit there.

⸻

DISCLAIMER: These templates are provided for informational and operational use only. They do not constitute legal advice. Employment law varies by state, country, and situation. Before terminating an employee, finalizing an offer, conducting a background check, or handling a sensitive matter consult a qualified employment attorney or your HR/legal counsel.

⸻

ALL SALES ARE FINAL — digital downloads cannot be returned, but if you have any issue with your files, message me and I'll make it right.

⸻

Questions before you buy? Email me. I'm a real person and I read every message.