Guidelines for Annual Reviews of Academic Professional and Administrative Staff (P/A)

Questions about the annual review of academic professional and administrative staff should be referred to the CLA Office of Associate Dean for Faculty and Research or CLA Human Resources, at 612-624-9839.

2007/08 Deadline - Monday, 24 March 2008

Requirements

• Annual reviews are required for all P/A staff who hold appointments of 50% or greater and nine months or greater.
• Designated supervisors are responsible for initiating the annual review and conducting the evaluation conference.

Review Materials (submit to college by due date)

• written description of the unit's review process;
• employee self evaluation;
• signed review document;
• employee response (if provided by employee).

The employee should receive copies of each of these documents.

Background

The annual review of academic professional and administrative staff provides an opportunity to assess a staff member's personal progress, achievements, and individual efforts in relation to the ongoing mission and goals of the unit. Opportunity should be made for open dialogue between the employee and supervisor in which achievements can be reviewed, problems can be addressed, any changes in work loads and expectations can be detailed and discussed, and new goals can be agreed upon. For the employee, supervisor, and the college the annual review provides a record of employee performance for consideration of merit, special merit, and, where necessary, requests for improvement. The annual review provides an occasion for an employee to fulfill a desire to excel.

This cyclical evaluation process is designed to foster a collaborative workplace, one that supports the various and distinct needs of both P/A employees and the departments and divisions of the college. The intrinsic motivation of the P/A employee is supported through encouragement to learn through performance review.

Process

Unit Notification

The college will send out annual notices to unit administrators reminding them of the process of reviews for P/A employees. Units will be responsible for developing their own review process; however, they will be expected to share a written description of that process when merit materials are submitted to the college. Units can work with CLA Human Resources to establish a process and identify written materials needed.

P/A Employee Notification

Units will annually provide a written description of the review process, as well as criteria for merit and special merit, used by the unit to the P/A employees in their unit. This written notification will include a timeline. It is important for the unit to specify the time period that the review covers (i.e., calendar year or academic year).

A typical timeline might include:

• December: Notification of units by college about the review process
• December: Notification of P/A staff by supervisors about the process
• February: Self-evaluations due
• March: Supervisor writes annual review and holds evaluation conference
• April – May: Merit and special merit review documents and instructions are distributed by CLA; completed performance evaluations accompany merit and special merit recommendations. Timing may vary based on the timing of the University compensation plan. It is recommended that, if appropriate, appointments be renewed at this time.

Employee Self Evaluation

The employee should be given an opportunity to write a self-evaluation, the design of which is left to the unit. Self-evaluation is a way to understand how the employee feels about his/her work and the achievement of annual goals. It also allows the employee to point out discrepancies between the current job description, actual job duties, and unit expectations. The self-evaluation might ask the P/A employees to do the following:

• Discuss major accomplishments for the year.
• Review the relationship between those accomplishments and personal and unit goals.
• Review the challenges that the employee faced in the work.
• List the priorities and goals for the employee for the coming year.
• Identify resources (technology, equipment, professional development training) that would help the employee better perform the job.
• Review the job description and goals to be sure that they are accurate and to set goals for next year’s review

Some P/As, for example, those holding teaching positions, may be asked to supply a document similar to a faculty activity report in which they can include teaching evaluations, listings of courses taught, professional activities, scholarship, research or service contributions that are relevant to their performance review.

Written Evaluation

In accordance with University policy, a designated supervisor is responsible for writing a performance review for each P/A employee he or she supervises. The design of this written evaluation is left to the unit. However, the written review should cover:

• General performance of the employee, in either administrative or teaching functions, or both, should the P/A employee have a dual assignment.
• Review of the past year’s goals of the employee (developed in the previous year’s review) and how successfully they were met. Also assessment of individual achievement vis-à-vis the work plan for the unit.
• Areas in which there is potential for growth and possible improvements in performance.
• Goals for the following year, both individual and in relationship to the plan and goals of the unit.

A copy of the review will be given to the employee, and the employee will sign the review acknowledging that he/she has seen the document. This signature does not constitute agreement with what is contained in the evaluation. If the employee wishes to attach a response to the written evaluation, he/she may do so.

Evaluation Conference

A designated supervisor should have a personal interview with each employee supervised. The meeting is an opportunity to discuss the ideas addressed in the self-evaluation and in the supervisor's written evaluation. Some supervisors in CLA meet after the self-evaluation to discuss its contents before they write the annual evaluation. Others prefer to have a personal interview after the employee has read the annual evaluation. Some supervisors do both. The choice is left to the supervisor, but the process should be consistent for P/As in the unit, and there must be at least one personal interview with the P/A employee as part of this process.

Suggestions

In the process of developing this review procedure, many ideas came forward that units may wish to consider in developing their review procedure.

• While supervisory staff and chairs/directors have the responsibility of determining the design of self-evaluations and the annual evaluation, P/A employees should be given an opportunity for input on the kinds of information included in the self evaluation and annual written review. Because there are differences in the kinds of jobs P/A employees perform (teaching, administrative, supervisory), this input can be a valuable form of communication.
• Some units solicit feedback for input from employees in the unit, or within the university, who have regular contact or work with the P/A employee. Names of people to provide feedback are typically determined in consultation between the employee and supervisor. This can be a useful tool for those employees who have extensive contact with many constituents, and can provide helpful information as the supervisor conducts the evaluation conference and writes the annual evaluation.
• It is recommended that the initial notification of the annual review process from the supervisor include the current goals for the unit. This would give the employee a gauge to respond to in his/her self-evaluation.
• It is suggested that there be some consistency in units in the self-evaluation and format of the written review for teaching and administrative P/A employees.

Last updated December 2007