Action Projects

Performance Management

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Institution: University of St. Francis

Submitted: February 16, 2004

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Planned project kickoff date:

Target completion date:

Actual completion date:

Develop a Performance Management process for non-faculty staff.

To develop and implement a fully documented process for timely performance feedback to administrators and support staff, allowing for integration with a reward system for encouraging superior individual and team performance.

Primary Category: Valuing People

In the past performance evaluation has been spotty at best, with no coordination between departments. Pay raises have been across-the-board annually. There is a concern held by many that employees have not been held accountable for high standards of performance.
The new President, the Board of Trustees, and the staff have all recognized a need for better evaluation of employee performance and possibly a “pay for performance” system.

A new employee performance management program will affect every university department, since all administrators and support staff will be included. Faculty are not directly affected, as they already have a detailed and formal review process in place.

• Training for supervisors once the new system is designed
• Annual (or more frequent) formal performance evaluation, including a written evaluation and a supervisor-employee interview.
• Employee preparation for performance evaluation.
• Supervisor preparation for performance evaluation.
• Joint goal setting by supervisor and employee.
• Periodic, timely informal feedback from supervisor on employee performance and/or employee progress toward goals.
• Filing, maintenance and tracking of written performance evaluations by the Human Resources department, including reminder notes.
• If 360 degree feedback is adopted as part of the program, an additional process is written performance feedback by peers and subordinates

As the design phase progresses, periodic feedback will be presented to the Cabinet. Administrators and staff will be kept up to date through periodic emails concurrent with presentations to the Cabinet. The President will keep the Board of Trustees advised at their regular quarterly meetings.

Employee feedback (administrator and staff) incorporated into the design of the system

Are all supervisors trained before implementation of the program?
After implementation, are employee performance evaluations completed on time and forwarded to HR?

Task Force is appointed and convened to design the system. Methods of formal evaluation are determined, likely two systems, one for administrators and one for support staff . (These models are considered: narrative essay, behavioral checklist, critical incidents, rating scales, 360 degree feedback.)

Performance evaluation forms are designed.All supervisors are trained in the new system. The system is implemented initially in one department, then university-wide.As the Pay for Performance project is begun, the performance evaluation system is tweaked to accommodate that system.

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Last Action Project Update: September 1, 2005

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The starting point for this update is September 2004. At that time the task force had gathered input from employees and begun the design phase of the project.

Using the “Assumptions and Choices” developed by the task force and approved by Cabinet, the task force developed two instruments, a Supervisor's Appraisal form and a Self-Appraisal form. The forms were presented to Cabinet and approved with minor revisions.

Next, a program summary and training guide was developed and titled “PAR (Performance Appraisal Review) Supervisor Guidelines. It includes the following sections:

• Introduction
• Purpose of Performance Management
• Finding Time for Performance Management
• Performance Management Appraisal Timing
• Administration of Appraisal Performance
• Appraisal Forms- Step-by-step instructions for each section
• Best Practices and Pitfalls of Performance Management
• Reviewing the Reviewers
• 360 degree feedback

Four training sessions were scheduled for supervisors in May 2005. Through endorsement from the President and extensive follow-up, 100% of supervisory staff participated. Two similar presentations were given for all staff, outlining how the new program will work.

Supervisors were asked to meet with their employees by June 1, 2005 to set employee goals for the coming year. For departments that have had no performance review in the past, the first reviews will be in March 2006, based on the goals set in 2005. For other departments, that were already doing performance reviews, they may be able to simply change forms and use the new program for 2005 reviews.

The task force that manages and implements this ongoing project is an interdisciplinary group that represents a broad range of departments across the university. Group presentations and other communication methods were used with the management group (Cabinet) all supervisory personnel, and all other employees.

Fiscal Year 2006 Plans

• Monitor the first annual cycle of performance reviews done by all departments with the newly developed instrument appraisal instruments. Evaluate feedback and make improvements as necessary.
• Implement the web-based 360 degree feedback process for executives.

We believe there was more ownership or “buy-in” because the program was developed internally and communications with all staff occurred at every major step of the project.

There have been good communications and buy-in, but execution of a project this large is always a challenge. The first university wide cycle of performance appraisals are due in March, 2006. Close monitoring and reminders will be needed to insure that all appraisals are completed timely and appropriately.

 

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