College of Arts and Sciences :: Staff Performance Appraisal Process

Staff Performance Appraisal Process

Annual performance appraisals for non-exempt staff are due on February 28. Annual performance appraisals for exempt staff are due on March 30. The instructions and link to the on-line performance appraisal form are located on the Employee Relations and Engagement website at bf.memphis.edu/hr/employeerelations/appraisals.php.

Click on the topics below to read performance appraisal tips provided at a CAS Staff Professional Development Workshop on February 8, 2012. The guest panelists for the workshop were:

Ann Harbor, Director of Administration for Academic Affairs
Will Thompson, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies
Margie Williamson, Director of Employee Relations and Engagement

Why the performance appraisal process is important

The performance appraisal

Informs the employee about the quality of his or her job performance
Clarifies goals and expectations as job responsibilities and procedures change
Provides official documentation of communications between employee and supervisor
May be used by internal and external offices during the separation process

Tracking employee accomplishments throughout the year

A record of accomplishments and performance issues should be kept by both the employee and supervisor
Record keeping should be a year long process
Supervisors should engage the employees’ participation in setting goals and developmental opportunities
Before the evaluation, supervisors should ask employees to submit a list of accomplishments achieved throughout the year and goals for the upcoming year

Composing the evaluation narrative

Try to avoid using the same comments as the previous year
Be specific --use concrete examples both for praise and for areas needing improvement
Recommendations for improvement will be received better if stated in a positive manner
Remember to review goals set during the previous evaluation period and address progress towards those goals

Creating an appropriate environment for the face-to-face meeting

Select a neutral space that provides a comfortable, non-threatening setting
Move to a conference room or other quiet area to avoid distractions such as ringing phones and walk-in traffic
Be flexible--allow the employee to select the time and place for the meeting
Combine the evaluation with a lunch or a walk around campus

Incorporating goal-setting into the evaluation process

Goal-setting should be an ongoing process throughout the year
Encourage the employee to set individual goals
Goals should be realistic (achievable) and limited in number
Use the face-to-face meeting to formalize what the employee and supervisor can do to develop employee growth
Promote professional develop by identifying training and meetings the employee should attend
Utilize the Performance Management Worksheet to document expectations

Keeping the employee focused on the important message instead of obsessing over the scores

Positive feedback should be addressed first, then discuss where improvements are needed
Be prepared to provide an explanation for a questionable score
Award the appropriate score based on the employee’s performance
Avoid the ‘halos and horns’ syndrome by referring to the documentation accumulated over the year rather than just what happened most recently
The supervisor and employee should decide which categories of the evaluation are most important

Delivering suggestions for improvement effectively

Pay attention to your phrasing--use non-threatening words
Use a collaborative approach to problem-solving
Be sensitive to generational differences in how employees may hear recommendations for improvement
Use encouraging comments in your written appraisal and the face-to-face meeting

Handling someone who gets upset and emotional during an evaluation meeting

Remain in control of the meeting
Appropriate humor can sometimes defuse a tense situation
Stop and reschedule if the employee is too distraught to continue