The time is upon us to ensure all eligible regular staff employees receive their performance reviews for the 2016 review period.

The staff performance review process has not changed since last year, but here are some important reminders regarding the review process as specified in UT HR Policy HR0129, “Performance Reviews for Regular Staff Employees”, which was revised January 1, 2014:

• Review Period; Regular staff employees on all UT campuses and institutes will evaluate staff performance based on the calendar year (January through December).
• Due Date: Completed staff performance review forms with all required approval signatures should be received in the Office of Human Resources by March 31, 2017. Deans, directors, and department heads should consult with their Vice Chancellor/Provost regarding divisional schedules with goal of submitting all completed SPDR forms to HR by March 31.
• Performance Review Process and Forms: Please refer to the UTC website UTC Performance Management Overview for a description of staff performance review process. The only form required by UT Policy is the Performance Review Summary Form.  However, the UTC Office of Human Resources has developed a variety of supplemental forms that can be utilized to enhance performance management and the performance review process. Each of these supplemental forms are referred to in the Performance Management Overview, but you may also visit the HR website at Performance Management Forms to view these tools.
• Multiple Reviewers – Only one performance review can be submitted per staff member. If an employee is evaluated by more than one supervisor (as when an employee worked in multiple departments during the calendar year), the supervisors should collaborate on the employee’s performance review and come to an agreement on one overall score.
• Unsatisfactory Performance – Overall performance ratings of 9 and below on 25 point scale will be considered unsatisfactory. These ratings align with the “unsatisfactory/rarely achieves expectations” category on the PR Summary Form.
• Ineligibility for Pay Increases – Staff members receiving unsatisfactory overall performance ratings of 9 and below will be ineligible for any across-the-board pay increases in 2017.
• Required Signatures – Staff performance reviews require the signatures of the employee, the employee’s supervisor and next level of administration to ensure consistency and fairness. Performance review forms will not be accepted by HR until all three required signatures are included.
• Required Performance Improvement Plan – Staff members who receive unsatisfactory overall performance ratings of 9 and below will be required to participate in a performance improvement plan (PIP). Performance improvement plans are also highly recommended for staff members who receive overall ratings of 10 to 14. These ratings align with the “sometimes achieves expectations” category on the PR Summary Form.

Please feel free to contact Laure Pou, Executive Director, Human Resources, with any questions you may have about the staff annual performance review process.

Several development sessions for supervisors relating to the Performance Management & the Performance Review Process will be conducted. These interactive sessions will focus on all elements of the performance management cycle so supervisors of both faculty and staff members are welcome to attend. Registration is not required.

Performance Management Development sessions are scheduled for:

• Monday, February 20^th, 1-2:30pm, UC Signal Mountain Room
• Tuesday, February 21st, 10-11:30am, UC Signal Mountain Room
• Thursday, February 23rd, 9-10:30am, UC Signal Mountain Room
• Friday, February 24^th, 1-2:30pm, UC Signal Mountain Room

In addition to these general sessions, Ms Pou is available to schedule training or Q/A sessions relating to Performance Management with any department, college, or other work unit.