eperformance Frequently Asked Questions for Managers

Transcription

1 eperformance Frequently Asked Questions for Managers Topics Covered Question(s) General Questions Differentiating Performance at FAS Linking Pay to Performance at FAS Additional Resources 33 General Questions 1. Q: What is the deadline to complete the FAS performance review in PeopleSoft? A: The deadline for managers to submit completed performance reviews in PeopleSoft is June 30, Q: Who is responsible for making sure eperformance happens? A: Each person who directly manages one or more employees is expected to complete a performance review in PeopleSoft and to have a performance conversation. Administrative deans are responsible for directing and overseeing these efforts across their units and with their own direct reports. 3. Q: What role do I play if an employee reports to me in a dotted line capacity? A: In this situation, you are responsible for providing feedback to the direct line manager who is accountable for completing the performance review. 4. Q: If I have a direct report whom I have been unable to observe consistently and I don t have a complete understanding of his or her performance, what should I do? A: As a starting point, the employee should complete the self evaluation and you should solicit feedback from your employee s colleagues (this can be done through selecting other reviewers in PeopleSoft). If this still doesn t provide you with sufficient information, contact your HR consultant to develop a strategy to address this. June

2 5. Q: When can I edit the feedback questions in PeopleSoft? A: The feedback questions are finalized during the goal setting phase of eperformance. Managers can change feedback questions up to the day before the start of the annual assessment (the annual assessment is considered started when the manager or the employee start writing the annual evaluation, or when the manager sends a request for review to the first reviewer). If you would like to make edits to the feedback questions after the goal setting phase has ended, you may re-open the document, change the questions, and then complete the document again. 6. Q: Who can see the feedback that is submitted in PeopleSoft? A: The manager completing the self evaluation has access to review the feedback that is submitted in PeopleSoft. 7. Q: How should I handle things when an employee reports directly to a faculty member and that faculty member is not available? A: Your approach may depend on the specific circumstances. Faculty managers were given two options in PeopleSoft: a) Remain the manager of record and conduct the performance review in PeopleSoft. The faculty manager logs into PeopleSoft to receive their staff member s self evaluation, request feedback from their colleagues, write a performance review, and rate overall performance and individual competencies (all online). b) Delegate administrative responsibility to the DA or appropriate designee. Transfer the performance review document to DA or appropriate designee, who performs the administrative work associated with the performance review document gathering feedback from peers and the faculty manager, either using the PeopleSoft feedback tools or through or conversation and completing the performance review document. The faculty manager continues to manage the performance of the employee and conducts the performance conversation, but the administrator will facilitate the documenting of the review in PeopleSoft. 8. Q: Do I need to have a performance conversation with a Less Than Half Time (LHT) employee? A: While you are not required to do this, we recommend having a performance conversation if you are considering the LHT for a permanent position or if there is a performance issue that needs to be addressed. Documents are not created for LHT employees in PeopleSoft; however, if a manager would find this useful, they can reach out to their HR Consultant who can have the documents created. 9. Q: If an employee is at FAS on a term appointment and the appointment ends before the performance review period and will not be renewed, should I have a performance conversation? A: Generally not, unless this employee might be rehired. 2

3 10. Q: An employee is on a leave of absence and is expected to return. Should he/she receive a performance review? A: In most cases, employees on leave should be reviewed following their return. The review would cover the employee s active employment (i.e., not the time he/she was on leave). Please confer with your HR Consultant concerning individual cases. 11. Q: Does FAS performance management include HUCTW employees? A: Yes, HUCTW employees participate in performance management. However, their salary increase is determined by union negotiations. 12. Q: What sections do I need to complete in the Manager s Document in PeopleSoft? A: The manager s document is your annual assessment for the employee and may include feedback from the employee s self evaluation and feedback from other reviewers. You are required to enter ratings for each of the employee s performance goals, core and additional competencies, and the overall rating. Please note, if goals were not added to an employee s goals setting document, then that section will not display on the employee s document or the manager s document (i.e., there will be nothing to rate or comment on). 13. Q: I don t see a goal setting section on my employee s self evaluation in PeopleSoft. What does this mean? A: If your employee did not add goals to the goal setting document, their goals will not show up in the employee self evaluation. 14. Q: If as the manager I click the met with employee button, can my employee still respond to the review in the document? A: Yes. In fact, the next step in the process is for the employee to acknowledge that the review has occurred. The employee is asked to go into PeopleSoft to click the acknowledge button. In the review there is an Employee Comment box in which the employee can type in any additional comments they may have about their review. Once the employee has acknowledged the review, you can add any additional comments you may want and you complete the review by clicking the complete button. 15. Q: What will happen if a performance review is not completed? A: A completed performance review (both in PeopleSoft and conversation) will enable you to address performance issues later on, if needed. Additionally, your employee may not have an understanding of what is going well and where there are opportunities for improvement or continued development. Finally, in the event the employee s performance later declines, you will not have a solid foundation from which to address these issues. If you are struggling with how to approach a difficult performance conversation with your employee, please contact your HR consultant. In PeopleSoft, an incomplete FY14 performance review will be flagged as late after June 30, A late performance review document will remain open in the system until it is either deleted or completed. 3

4 16. Q: I would like to enter a preliminary rating into PeopleSoft before having a performance review conversation with my employee. Will the employee be able to view this preliminary rating? A: No. The manager s rating can only be viewed by the employee after the manager has clicked the share with employee button. 17. Q: I was writing my employee s review and somehow the text was lost how can I get it back? A: If you spend thirty minutes entering text into a text entry box without tabbing out or clicking the save button, PeopleSoft will log you out of the system after a one-minute warning, and your entries will be lost. Also, if you have two browser windows open with PeopleSoft, you will be logged out of both windows. To prevent this from occurring, when entering text into a text entry box, tab out or click into another section of the form or click the save button before thirty minutes elapse. Differentiating Performance at FAS 18. Q: What do you mean by differentiating performance? A: In most organizations, including the FAS, individual staff members performance will vary, ranging from performance that consistently exceeds expectations to performance that is unacceptable. Differentiation means assigning to employees the assessment that most accurately reflects the level of performance he/she has delivered during the performance year. 19. Q: How do I, as a manager, make sure that I am rating my staff in a way that is aligned with how other managers in my department and/or unit are rating their staff? A: Department and/or unit leaders are encouraged to engage in a calibration discussion with other managers in their department and/or unit to ensure there is as much consistency as possible in how ratings are arrived at. Using this approach, managers can discuss how to apply similar standards to arrive at ratings for all employees and help eliminate any potential inequalities. Performance review calibration also establishes a fair and equitable standard by which all employees are measures in the department and/or unit. 20. Q: What is required for staff to be assessed as Leading? A: Employees whose contributions have significant and consistently positive impact and value to the department or unit may be recognized by an assessment of Leading. Managers should reserve the Leading assessment for exceptional employees who are easily recognized as top performers compared to peers, are viewed as an excellent resource for providing guidance and support to others and who demonstrate high-level capabilities and proactively take on higher levels of responsibility. 4

5 21. Q: How do I tell members of my staff that they are not being assessed as having Leading performance this year? A: Differentiating performance may call for a candid and possibly challenging conversation with your staff members whose performance you may have assessed as Strong or Solid rather than Leading this year. Remember that no performance management system is perfect. Effectiveness comes from the way we, as managers, administer the process and communicate. While communicating these messages is challenging for everyone, we ll get better at it the more we plan for these conversations and practice them in advance. The Manager s Talking Points and Script for performance review conversations may give you some ideas about how to communicate messages around differentiating performance. 22. Q: What if I have a small, high performing group? It will be very difficult for me to differentiate performance in this situation. A: In situations where managers are responsible for a small, high-performing group (five or fewer staff members), we recognize that there may be additional challenges in assessing performance and we will need to be flexible. Your HR Consultant can help you in these situations. 23. Q: If I want to recommend one of my staff for an Impact Award, do I need to have assessed them as Leading in their performance review? A: Those you assess as Leading are generally your strongest performers, so in most cases those whom you recommend for Impact Awards will be Leading performers. However, giving a staff member a Leading assessment does not mean you must recommend that individual for an Impact Award. Alternatively, in some cases, those with a Strong assessment may be recommended for an Impact Award. 24. Q: Do I need to differentiate performance for all staff members, including HUCTW employees? A: All FAS staff (including HUCTW and non-huctw staff) should receive a performance review. Through the performance review process, FAS managers should conduct effective performance conversations and provide consistent and accurate performance assessments for all FAS staff. 25. Q: I have several faculty managers in my department. Do they need to differentiate performance as well? A: Faculty managers may be inclined to assess their Strong or Solid staff members as Leading because they do a good job on their behalf. Often, a faculty assistant is the faculty manager s only direct report. The Leading assessment should be assigned only to those staff members whose performance consistently exceeds expectations in all areas of job responsibilities. 5

6 26. Q: What should I do if my employee and I do not agree about his or her performance? A: Try to discuss the different perceptions as objectively as possible. You can agree to disagree. At the very least, you will gain a better understanding of your employee s viewpoint. So long as you arrive at your assessment fairly and objectively, as the manager, your employee s performance assessment is your call to make. Your HR consultant is available to help you in this situation. 27. Q: Is the employee required to acknowledge the performance review in PeopleSoft? A: Yes, both the manager and the employee need to complete steps in PeopleSoft to acknowledge the performance review and confirm that a performance conversation took place. The employee s acknowledgement indicates only that the employee has read the completed review, not necessarily that he or she agrees with it. 28. Q: My employee refuses to acknowledge the performance review in PeopleSoft. What should I do? A: Encourage the employee to provide comments in the appropriate section, acknowledging simply that he/she has read the review, not that he/she agrees with the content. Linking Pay to Performance at FAS 29. Q: Do I need to link pay to performance for all staff members, including HUCTW staff? A: Linking pay to performance applies only to benefits-eligible, exempt staff and non- HUCTW, non-exempt staff hired on or before April 1, HUCTW staff members salary increases are determined by the University and HUCTW. 30. Q: What is the difference between the strong and solid assessment and how does that translate into linking pay to performance? A: Employees whose achievements consistently demonstrate high levels of performance and consistently works toward overall objectives of the department or organization should be assessed as strong. Employees who consistently demonstrate effective performance and performance is reflective of a fully qualified and experienced individual in this position should be assessed as solid. The recommended increase for a strong assessment is 2.5%. The recommended increase for a solid assessment is 2.0%. 6

7 31. Q: Will my staff receive the salary increase I recommend for them and enter into ASPerIN? A: Based on a total salary increase pool of 2.5%, each manager should make salary increase recommendations for eligible employees based on their assessed performance. Recommended salary increases are not finalized until approved by Dean Smith s office. When communicating recommended salary increases with staff, please be sure to reiterate that all salary recommendations are pending until approved. Your HR Consultant can help you to develop a plan to communicate your salary increase recommendations to your staff. 32. Q: What if one of the HUCTW staff on my team has serious performance issues? A: If one of your HUCTW employees has serious performance management issues, the manager may elect to withhold or to defer the progression increase. The manager must notify the employee of such withholding or deferral by August 1, Please contact your HR consultant if you are contemplating withholding or deferral. Additional Resources 33. Q: What resources are available to me to navigate in eperformance? A: Managers can find PeopleSoft resources, job aids, online tutorials, etc. online: FAS HR Website: Online performance management training (Lynda.com) Eureka: Detailed job aids, online tutorials List of upcoming webinars (i.e., Completing Your Employee s Annual Assessment). Register for these webinars through PeopleSoft Self Service. Manager Quick Start Guide: If you have additional questions, please send an to the eperformance help mailbox at performance@fas.harvard.edu. You may also reference the University-wide Frequently Asked Questions online: 7