NU-McCormick Staff Performance Excellence (PE)
Annual Performance Review Process
GUIDELINES
A. Eligibility & Requirements
Performance reviews should be completed for all exempt and non-exempt, full and part-time permanent staff whether paid by appropriated, discretionary or sponsored funds. The review period is for the 12 months beginning in May and ending in April of the following year.
A review must be on file for an employee to be considered for an annual merit increase. Merit increases are effective September 1st. Staff that are hired on May 1st or after are not eligible for a September merit increase (unless transferring from another NU position).
B. Timeline
1. March/April, 2016 – Employee Self-Assessment & Feedback
a. Supervisor asks employee to complete written self-review:
i. Employee writes accomplishments and areas for improvement in Quarterly Progress section and indicates a rating (1-7) for each objective and behavior, as well as an Overall Year-End Rating.
ii. Employee submits self-assessment to supervisor. (Employee may also submit a list of people to contact for feedback.)
b. Supervisor obtains Feedback: (optional)
i. Supervisor requests confidential feedback about employee’s performance from others (colleagues, lab staff, admin staff, subordinates, etc.). Optional template available: Multisource Feedback.
2. April 2016– Supervisor Completes Review
a. Supervisor writes assessment of employee’s performance in Quarterly Progress section. Supervisor assesses strengths and areas for improvement against Northwestern Behaviors (e.g., Communication, Initiative, Customer Focus, etc).
i. Take into consideration the employee’s self-review and confidential feedback from others.
b. Be discerning with your ratings. Most NU employees earn ratings of 3, 4, or 5. Think of a 5 as an “A,” a 4 as a “B”, etc. The PE Rating Scale Definition Sheet should be used to help delineate and interpret the ratings, but should not be shared with your staff. Please Note: An overall year-end performance rating of 1, 2, 6, or 7 requires comprehensive commentary and examples to substantiate. In these special cases, before meeting with the staff member, please call
(7-0647) or stop by to see Beth Abbott (Tech L364).
3. April/May 2016 – Review Meeting
a. Supervisor schedules a specific time to meet with the employee.
i. Discuss what went well and what could be improved in terms of results.
- Employee states his/her assessment of performance.
- Supervisor states his/her assessment of performance, using confidential feedback and details to support assessment.
- Close by summarizing the discussion and establishing what the supervisor can do to help the employee continue/improve performance.
4. May 2016 – Submit PE Annual Plan for April, 2015 – May, 2016
a. The Supervisor version of the review is the version submitted. Supervisor and employees sign and date the supervisor version. If employee not in agreement with ratings they can choose not to sign (Note: Employee is not mandated to sign). Supervisor submits the original and one copy to the department Business Administrator or directly to McCormick Administration, Beth Abbott, Tech L370 by May 13, 2016.
5. May 2016 – Set objectives
a. Supervisor asks employee to complete Performance Excellence (PE) Annual Plan, setting performance objectives and development objectives for May, 2016 – April, 2016. Important that employees set objectives as soon as the previous year review is done.
Every employee is expected to include the following two objectives. Employees should work with supervisors to further customize and make each objective specific and measurable:
i. Objective 1) Pro-active ownership – Take pro-active ownership of your specific job responsibilities by researching on-line NU/McC policies and tips, communicating with peers, and working with your supervisor to identify and register for job specific NU training courses specific to business processes. Seek out details and information to understand the situation (context of the request/problem) so that you can process the transaction appropriately or solve the “right” problem.
ii. Objective 2) Collaboration – Contribute to building an effective and efficient department/program and school by connecting with colleagues (in your department/program or another McC department/program) to learn about his/her work. Demonstrate an exchange of ideas and collaboratively identify potential best practices for McC which can be presented to your supervisors.
b. Supervisor reviews PE Annual Plan, working with the employee to ensure objectives are measurable and smart.
6. August and December – Quarterly Reviews
a. Supervisor meets with employee to discuss progress against objectives. If necessary, revise objectives. Add comments to the Quarterly Progress section.
C. Reference/Contact
Reference materials & training available at: http://www.northwestern.edu/hr/workplace-learning/performance-excellence/index.html
· Performance Excellence Annual Plan (form) and Handbook
· Recognizing and Rating Northwestern Behaviors
Questions or suggestions, contact: Beth Abbott x7-0647.