ITaP Performance Feedback Procedures

1. Performance dialogues, using the OVPIT performance feedback form, will be conducted on an annual calendar year basis. OVPIT HR will provide an annual schedule to include merit increase assignment and review at the beginning of the calendar year.
2. All supervisors, project managers, group leaders, and others who direct the job activities of staff must attend a training session sponsored by OVPIT HR on conducting performance dialogues. Sessions will be offered on a regular basis through out the year.
3. Training for the core values, PSP Basic Principles, will be provided to all OVPIT staff that have not previously completed this training.
4. Staff will be asked to complete a self-evaluation to be given to their supervisor for review.
5. Complete appraisals require “two-level” review and approval. That is, a supervisor should ensure that his/her supervisor has reviewed and approved t he appraisal before it is presented to the individual being appraised.
6. Annual merit increases are based on work performance and market comparisons.

Guidelines

In addition to the above procedures, supervisors are strongly encouraged to follow the guidelines below:

• Meet with staff to discuss the performance appraisal process (HR could assist with area-level meetings if requested).
• Consider what tools might be helpful to track staff achievements and other critical incidents throughout the year, for example a performance diary.
• More frequent feedback – both formal and informal – is strongly encouraged.
• Solicit input and feedback from customers, team members, collaborators, etc. to the extent feasible and appropriate.
• Review job content and performance standards as part of the performance dialogue.
• Revisit any “Needs improvement” or “Unsatisfactory” ratings on a more frequent basis (e.g. quarterly). Other issues that require more frequent attention may also be identified for follow-up.
• Establish Clear expectations for all new staff and acquaint them with the performance appraisal process.

Checklist for Supervisors

Preparing for the Performance dialogue

• Review documentation compiled over the period to be reviewed.
• Complete the performance feedback form
• Be sure the goals/expectations are stated in realistic, attainable, measurable terms.
• Include opportunities for training/development. Include short and long term goals.
• Be specific. Include documented facts about the employee’s work throughout the year. Be sure to include special projects or committee work, outstanding accomplishments, poor performance issues, attendance, etc. Recognize team efforts where appropriate.
• After the appraisal is completed in draft form, review it with your supervisor to ensure general agreement before it is shared with the employee. Feel free to discuss any situations with the HR manager.
• Explain the appraisal process, the employee’s role in participating in it and share the appraisal with the employee the day before the meeting.

Scheduling the dialogue

• Schedule a specific time for the dialogue in a setting which will ensure privacy without interruptions.
• Allow sufficient time to thoroughly cover the material and permit employee response and questions.

During the performance dialogue

• Be on time for your scheduled meeting.
• Review the purpose of the dialogue.
• Proceed with the dialogue, giving the employee opportunities to respond/participate. Avoid a monologue; conduct the review as an exchange of information.
• Review the job description with the employee to ensure that it is current.
• Include training and future development in the discussion.
• Conclude with an overall summary of the dialogue and show enthusiasm for plans that have been made.
• End on a positive note.

After the performance dialogue

• Offer the employee an opportunity to make written comments on the dialogue form.
• Secure the employee’s signature and sign yourself.
• Give a copy of the completed form to the employee.
• Forward the completed original to the HR manager for central department records.
• Schedule follow-up activities, training, or meetings concerning ongoing performance and development.
• Provide continuous coaching and opportunities for open communication throughout the year.
• Routinely review the goals/expectations. Revise as needed.

Guidelines for Writing the Performance Appraisal

• Comments. Meaningful comments are critical if a performance appraisal has to be defended in court. Give specific examples of observable behavior, rather than conclusions about or evaluations of the behavior, such as “good”, “excellent” or “poor”. Avoid describing the individual instead of the behavior.

• Comments consistent with ratings. Sometimes higher, but more often lower, inconsistency in comments creates at a very minimum--a credibility problem for the employer. With regard to internal inconsistencies, in more cases than not, the lower mark--whether it is the qualitative comment or the quantitative ranking--is usually more accurate.

• Comments that criticize indirectly. Rather than saying that an employee’s performance is substandard, a supervisor might say that an employee’s performance is “improving.” Although indirectly, the comment suggests that the employee’s performance is not yet fully satisfactory, it focuses on improvement, as opposed to the problems. As a result, the evaluation does not say what it should say and can be used against the employer should the employee file a complaint or lawsuit.

• Comments that supply excuses. “Although probably more our fault than his, John has not been able to meet certain of his performance objectives.” If the problem is the organizations rather than the employee’s, the criticism does not belong on an employee evaluation. Supplying an excuse is like giving an employee’s lawyer a grenade to use against the organization.

Supplying excuses or giving indirect criticism are only two of many ways that supervisors inadvertently, but dangerously, create documents that can be used against their employers. Equally damaging are EEO-related comments that suggest than an employer’s focus may be on characteristics an employee cannot change—such as age, race, gender, or disability—as opposed to his or her performance deficiencies.

• Comments that are either general or too specific. If the comments on a performance appraisal are too general, the employer will not have sufficient detail to support them. Conversely, if the comments are too specific, it may appear that the employer is “nickel and diming” the employee in the hopes of driving the employee from the organization.

Like many other relevant issues in performance appraisals, training is necessary if supervisors are to find the right balance between generalizations and specifics. There are a number of participatory exercises that can be of great assistance to supervisors in this particular area.

• Focus on employee behavior, not the employee. There is a big difference between saying an individual is a poor performer and saying the individual is a poor employee. The more global the assault, the more compelled the employee feels to fight back. If a supervisor focuses on the problem as opposed to the person, the employee can detach him-or herself sufficiently to take remedial action. Although the problem is one the employee owns and is responsible for, he or she is not the problem.

• Focus on deficiencies, not their causes. Supervisors that postulate or make inquiries as to what may be causing a performance problem are only inviting legal trouble, whether in the form of a claim for disability discrimination, invasion of privacy or some other transgression.

Although employers may be legally required to make reasonable accommodations for certain disabilities, this obligation arises only if the employer is aware of the disability. And, for the most part, the law places the burden on the employee to inform the employer of the need for an accommodation, not on the employer to ask if than speculating to their cause, supervisors can insure that this responsibility remains with the employee.