UToledo Human Resources

EXPECTATIONS, GOALS & OBJECTIVES

Performance Management begins when the supervisor reviews the employee’s job description, communicates competencies, and creates and discusses SMART goals with the employee. This helps establish mutual understanding of the performance and behavioral expectations.

Competencies are observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success. There are ten competencies:

• Technical Knowledge and Skills
• Integrity & Accountability
• Teamwork/Relationship Building
• Problem Solving & Innovations
• Continuous Learning and Development
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Adaptable to Change
• Customer Service
• Commitment to Utoledo
• Leadership (applicable only to those who supervise employees)

SMART Goals: Goals are intended to focus attention and resources on what is most important, so that you can be successful in achieving your priorities. Common types of goals are to:

• Increase something.
• Make something.
• Improve something.
• Reduce something.
• Develop someone

For each SMART goal follow the criteria and answer the questions that will help create a roadmap for scoping the work and drafting a plan of action.

• Specific - What is the goal? What do I want to accomplish with this goal?
• Measurable – How will I measure my progress? How will I know I have accomplished the goal(s)?
• Achievable – Do I have the skills and the resources for it? Is achieving this goal realistic with effort and commitment?
• Relevant – Why is this goal important to my development?
• Timely – What is my deadline to accomplish the goal?

CONTINUOUS COACHING & FEEDBACK

Ongoing coaching and feedback between supervisors and employees are essential to employee performance, development and ongoing engagement. Annual performance reviews, aren’t enough to build a strong feedback culture. Employees and supervisors need to be comfortable both,  giving and receiving feedback.

Supervisors should provide real-time feedback. This feedback could be constructive feedback that notes when someone makes a mistake or positive feedback praising an employee for their stellar performance.

The benefits of real-time feedback are tangible in employee performance.

• Helps correct mistakes and make behavior changes
• Encourage career development
• Inspire confidence
• Personal accountability
• Employee feels appreciated when recognized for job well-done

Steps to Effective Feedback

• Plan: Review documentation and relevant information; jot down notes on items you want to cover
• Timing: Notify staff member about meeting
• Set the Tone: Establish a setting conducive to dialogue. Emphasize the positive; evaluate performance, not the person. Avoid distractions during the meeting.
• Give Specifics: Identify specific actions and behaviors where expectations were and were not met. Give specific examples
• Encourage Dialogue: Engage in active listening, allow time for questions and clarification
• Coach: Offer recommendations and guidance
• Set Goals and Plan for Follow Up
  Summarize and End on a Positive Note: Summarize important points and action plans
• Document Feedback: Do a brief written summary of the feedback meeting which includes: the date of the meeting, where performance expectations were and were not met, topics covered, action plans and any follow up activities.

The best way to get consistent feedback is to practice these skills regularly and incorporate feedback tools.

• Informal chats will make exchanging feedback more natural
• Employee 1:1 Meeting Guide and Employee 1:1 Meeting Form
• Employee Quarterly Performance Recap
• Retrospective: Conduct debriefing team meetings at the end of every major project
• Dissect the challenges faced in a project
• Keep the feedback constructive
• Meetings are valuable instruments for improvement, especially when combined with positive feedback regarding their accomplishments
• Document Discussion

 

PERFORMANCE REVIEW

PageUp is a talent management platform used to streamline the performance review process. The performance review process is a partnership between the supervisor and the employee to help open the conversation around performance. As part of this partnership, performance reviews are necessary and beneficial, providing supervisors an opportunity to give employees feedback on job performance. The performance review is intended to be a fair and balanced assessment of an employee's actual performance during the review period.

A performance review is a two-way interaction:

• Supervisors: A supervisor is a mediator between the organizational interests and the interests of the individual. The purpose of the review is to help the employee reflect on his or her progress, performance, and behavior in an open and honest discussion.
• Employees:The contributions made by each of us are key to the success of the university. Performance reviews provide a framework for professional development, recognition of the quality of work provided, and commitment to the mission and goals of the university. 

Probationary Performance Review (webform)

• Manager Evaluation
• Employee Acknowledgement

Annual Performance Review Process

• Employee Self-Evaluation
• Manager Evaluation
• Performance Review Meeting
• Employee Acknowledgement

DEVELOPMENT PLANS

Employee’s developmental needs are evaluated and addressed in this stage. Providing employees with developmental opportunities encourages good performance, strengthens job-related skills and competencies, and helps employees keep up with changes in the workplace. Development could include: training, assignments that introduce new skills, reach assignments, improving work processes, shadowing, cross training and more.

The development plan should be a live document that is referred to at 1:1 and quarterly check-ins and amended as needed. The development plan may belong to the employee, but the manager has a crucial role in supporting the employee by removing obstacles and providing resources as appropriate. Development is never a solitary activity; it requires both the employee and manager to work together.

• Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), is a tool to provide an employee with performance deficiencies the opportunity to succeed.
• When to Use:
• Address failures to meet specific performance goals
• Improve behavior-related concerns
• Does not meet competency skill rating on performance review
• Varied Outcomes:
• Improvement in overall performance
• Recognition of a skills or training gap
• Possible employment actions such a demotion or termination
• Learning Development Plan (LDP), is a tool to help employees who are meeting or exceeding expectations to grow their talents and abilities even more.
• When to Use:
• Help employees reach their full potential and career goals
• Enhance employee competencies
• Meets competency skill rating on performance review
• Varied Outcomes:
• Boost employee performance and productivity
• Increase employee’s moral, engagement and retention
• Increase employee’s self-awareness
  
  
• Career Development Plan is a tool to outline the next steps in your employee’s career. This tool will first help employees assess their current skills, experiences and personality and then develop an action plan to progress to their next career goal.  Visit the Employee Resources section inside the Employee Toolkit for the Career Path Development Plan material.