Home / Insights / Performance review template and questions
Guide · MUS
Performance review (MUS): template and questions for employee and manager.
A performance review (MUS, medarbejderudviklingssamtale) is a planned conversation between employee and manager about tasks, wellbeing, development and agreements for the period ahead. Here is a performance review template with questions for the preparation, an order for the conversation and a template for the agreements.
Updated 29 October 2026 · Sympact
About MUS
What a performance review is about
MUS is not set out in Danish law. Public sector employees usually have the right to an annual MUS through agreements and collective agreements, and in private companies it is a choice that most make, according to the Danish unemployment fund Ase (in Danish). The conversation is typically held once a year, with follow-up along the way.
A good MUS looks both back and forward: what has gone well, what takes up space, and what should happen in the coming period. Pay is usually discussed elsewhere, so the conversation can focus on development and wellbeing.
The employee
Questions for the employee's preparation
The preparation gives the conversation direction. Give the employee the questions one to two weeks in advance, so there is time to think.
- Which tasks have given you energy over the past year, and which have drained it?
- What are you most satisfied with having achieved?
- Where do you need help, sparring or different conditions?
- How does the collaboration work with your colleagues and with me as your manager?
- What would you like to get better at, and what might that take?
- Where do you see yourself in one to two years?
- Which agreements from the last MUS have been kept, and which should be raised again?
The manager
Questions for the manager's preparation
- Which strengths do you see in the employee in the current tasks?
- What expectations do you have for the coming period, and have they been stated clearly?
- Which development opportunities can the workplace realistically offer?
- What do you yourself need to hear from the employee?
- Which agreements from the last MUS are you responsible for following up on?
The MUS template
The order of the conversation
- Looking back. What has gone well, and what has been difficult since last time.
- Tasks and wellbeing. The balance between the tasks, the workload and what gives and takes energy.
- Collaboration and leadership. How the collaboration with colleagues and manager works, and what could make it better.
- Development and skills. What the employee wants to learn, and which routes lead there, for example new tasks, sparring or courses.
- The future. Where the employee would like to go, and what the workplace needs.
- Agreements. What you will do, who does it, and when you follow up.
Let the employee speak first on each point. That way the conversation is about what matters to the employee, and the manager's expectations come afterwards.
The agreements
Agreements you can follow up on
The agreements are what remains after the conversation. Write them concretely, so both of you can see whether they have been kept.
| Agreement | Who does what | When | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| More responsibility for client tasks | The manager finds two tasks, the employee takes them on | Before the end of the quarter | Short talk after the first task |
| Course in project management | The employee finds the course, the manager approves | Sign-up before 1 May | Status at the next 1:1 |
The examples are made up, so you can see how the fields are filled in.
A prepared conversation
When both arrive prepared
MUS often becomes a conversation about the year that has passed, because the preparation happens at the last minute. MUS+ gives the employee time to prepare in their own space and to choose what to bring to the conversation, and the manager can get a preparation for the reviews. After the conversation, MUS+ can draft the agreements, which both approve, so they are visible to both.
Questions and answers
Is MUS a legal requirement?
MUS is not set out in Danish law. Public sector employees usually have the right to an annual MUS through agreements and collective agreements. In private companies, the company decides whether to hold MUS, and most do, according to Ase. The conversation gives a fixed time to talk about development and wellbeing.
How often is MUS held?
MUS is typically an annual conversation. It can be a good idea to hold shorter follow-ups along the way, so the agreements are followed up while they are still relevant. The employee can also ask for a follow-up conversation when something changes.
What is the difference between MUS and GRUS?
MUS is a conversation between the individual employee and the manager. GRUS (gruppeudviklingssamtale), a group development review, is held with a whole team and is about the collaboration, the tasks and the wellbeing in the group. GRUS can be held before MUS, so the shared topics are covered before the individual conversations.
Should pay be discussed at MUS?
Pay is usually kept separate from MUS, so the conversation can focus on development, wellbeing and agreements. Pay negotiation has its own time. It can help to say this clearly in the invitation, so the employee knows what the conversation is for.
Who sees the employee's preparation?
The employee should decide that. The preparation is a place to think freely, and what is brought to the conversation is what the employee chooses to share. In MUS+ the employee prepares in their own space, and the manager sees what the employee brings to the conversation.
What do we do with the agreements after MUS?
Write the agreements down with who, what and when, and share them with both. Follow up during the year, for example at 1:1 meetings, so the agreements live on after the conversation. At the next MUS, start by looking at which agreements have been kept.
Let us look at your MUS round together.
In a short meeting we clarify your challenges and the solutions that fit. We deliver directly to companies and public organisations, or through a partner.