PERFORMANCE & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME Launched: April 2010

Transcription

1 PERFORMANCE & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME Launched: April

2 PERFORMANCE & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME INDEX Page Introduction 3 PPDP Cycle 4 Performance planning meeting 5 Performance planning for staff on completion of probation 6 One to one review meetings 6 Mid year review (October) 6 Annual performance review (end of March) 7 Moderation of review recommendations and ratings 8 Moderation process 11 Appeals against performance management record 12 Appeals in relation to the performance rating 12 Appeals against the process 13 Special circumstances 13 Conclusion 13 2

3 1. Performance Management Policy 1.1 Introduction Arts Council England aspires to harnessing and developing the full range of potential, talent and expertise amongst our staff in order to achieve our aims and objectives as one organisation. Creating and embedding a culture of continuous learning, development and growth, where achievements and success are recognised is key factor in making this aspiration a reality. Performance management is a holistic method of developing every individual employee within the organisation on a continuous basis. It provides a framework to link the corporate aims and objectives of Arts Council England to performance of individuals and groups of staff, where staff are clear about how their contribution to the work and aims of the organisation is valued. The Performance Management Policy creates links between our corporate plan, our training & development policy and our reward system. The corporate plan provides the basis for objectives to be set for individuals and teams; the training & development policy offers the opportunity to develop capability within our workforce to deliver the plan and the reward system allows for financial recognition when objectives are met and exceeded. In addition, as a public sector organisation we are expected to meet certain standards laid down by central government. The Modernising Government White Paper stated that public sector performance management policies should: 1. Link individuals objectives to the corporate aims 2. Give people incentives to seek more challenging responsibilities and develop the competences to demonstrate leadership and excellence in their field 3. Encourage continuous improvement 4. Offer awards for excellence rather than length of service 5. Help to identify poor performance and provide a framework for improvement 6. Support and develop a diverse work force and is non-discriminatory in the implementation of the process. 3

4 New staff Probation Feed into PMC upon completion of probation May Objective setting PDPs Motivations & Aspirations 1:1 s every 4 6 weeks Great conversations revisiting motivations & End of Year Review Ratings Moderation Bonus elements Mid Year Reviews refresh PDP. Ratings indications Moderations Talent 1:1s every 4 6 weeks. Great Conversations revisiting motivations & development October / November Management Information to inform policy, budgets, training plans and resourcing strategy 4

5 1.2 Performance planning meeting (April) Arts Council England reviews its strategic direction, corporate plan aims and work plans by early in the calendar year, from January to March. Therefore, plans for all regions, directorates and the departments within them are in place by the beginning of the new financial year in April. Each member of staff (except for staff on probation see below) will have a performance planning meeting with their line manager in April, where the relevant organisational and departmental objectives can be translated into personal objectives for the year. The meeting will cover the following: Review current work plans and objectives to establish if they need to continue into the coming year Agree work objectives for coming year (April March), linking these objectives to corporate and departmental plans. These will be well designed, clear, realistic and measurable objectives which are relevant to the employee s job role.. Normally employees will have no more than six main individual objectives for the year, although departmental, regional, organisation wide or project driven objectives may be additional to the main list Agree the working style and types of behaviour, in line with the organisational competencies, required in order to achieve the objectives and carry out the job role, using the Arts Council England behavioural competencies and values statement as a guide (see Intranet for details on both). Be clear what the expected outcomes of the work are, including the performance standards and quality of work expected. Identify any gaps in the employee s knowledge, skills and abilities required to do the work and how these can be met through training and development activities. The employee is encouraged to prepare for this meeting (Guidance notes available) and will complete their draft objectives on line and submit to their line manager ahead of the meeting. Following the meeting the employee will record the agreed objectives on the Objectives form in the on line performance system to be submitted to the line manager for approval. The second line manager will be able to view all sets of objectives for their department / team and all objectives will be shared and moderated at regional and area management level for consistency. This document is a live document and can be updated at any point throughout the year when objectives are completed, new ones are added, need to be changed or in circumstances such as the employee undertaking a secondment to a new role. 5

6 1.3 Performance planning for staff on completion of probation This exercise will also be carried out at the point an employee passes their probationary period, where the employee will move across into the ongoing performance year. The employee will have the option of adding some new objectives and development plans and continues with informal one to one meetings on a regular basis until the end of March. The probation policy is available on the Intranet. 1.4 One to one review meetings (4 6 weekly) Once the performance plan is agreed and in place, it is important that the employee s performance is reviewed regularly at an informal meeting with their line manager every four to six weeks. This gives the employee an opportunity to report on progress against their objectives and standards, identify barriers and difficulties in their current work performance and obtain support, coaching, direction, feedback and encouragement from their line manager. These meetings will be a two-way process between the employee and manager which help to monitor progress and enhance performance. The frequency and content of these meetings can be recorded in an informal way by both the line manager and employee or may be recorded using the on line system. Both the employee and the line manager are encouraged to take and keep copies of their own notes. 1.5 Mid year review (October) After six months, in October each year, a formal meeting will take place to carry out a mid year review of the performance plan for each individual employee with their line manager, together with another full discussion on training and development needs. At this meeting, the employee and line manager will summarise and record the employee s progress against their objectives and work standards to date. The employee is encouraged to prepare in advance of this meeting and complete their comments on line to submit to the manager ahead of the meeting.. Where it is agreed that objectives are no longer relevant or need to be amended, this will be recorded. Where appropriate, new objectives will be substituted with the agreement of both the employee and line manager. The employee will be encouraged to produce evidence of where they have made progress against objectives and the line manager will provide balanced, constructive feedback on the employee s progress up to that point in the year. Where appropriate, feedback on the employee s performance can be obtained in advance from relevant sources in line with matrix working. This will ensure a wider range of feedback on the employee s performance than the line manager is able to provide on their own. Where appropriate, the line manager will identify and record if there are any issues or weaknesses with the employee s performance, which may lead to a recommendation that 6

7 they are identified as developing. This rating would affect their financial reward from next April. The employee and line manager will consider what support the employee requires to improve their performance over the coming months so that they have a positive end of year performance appraisal. Advice and support on this area is available from local HR Partners. In addition, the Personal Development Plan (PDP) should be updated at this meeting. An evaluation of training undertaken since the last record of personal development needs should be recorded, as well as the employee s training and development needs for the next 6-12 months. This information will be reviewed by the Human Resources Service Centre so that both regional and corporate training plans can be developed and budgeted for the coming financial year. Progress against the plan can be kept under review at the one to one meetings throughout the year. This document is a live rolling document and can be further updated at any point throughout the year if necessary. It will, in any case, be updated at the annual performance appraisal at the end of March. It is recommended that the management team of a region or directorate share, on a confidential basis, their views on how their staff are performing at the six month point. This will assist with the final moderation process after twelve months. This is evidence that this process has taken place consistently for staff at all levels across the organisation. 1.6 Annual performance appraisal (End of March) The performance appraisal will occur at the end of March or beginning of April at a formal meeting between the employee and line manager. It will focus on an assessment of the employee s work performance and achievements over the whole of the last year. Provided that there have been regular informal and formal reviews throughout the year, there should be no surprises in the review meeting. Both the manager and the employee will be able to arrive at an objective assessment of the employee s successes and any aspects of the year s work where they have been less successful. Each objective will be rated for both whether the objective was achieved and how it was achieved in line with the competencies required.both will identify specific examples of work, which illustrate the employee s standard of performance and level of achievement. The emphasis will be on a balanced, fair assessment where difficulties beyond the employee s control, which prevented their achievement of a particular objective or affected their ability to perform to the required standard, will be recorded. The line manager will agree with the employee in advance those people (minimum of 3) to obtain feedback from that the employee has been involved in matrix working with for some or all of the objectives. The line manager will then obtain this feedback utilising the on line facility ahead of the final review meeting. It will be the line manager that shares this feedback verbally with the employee. 7

8 A summary of the year s review will be recorded online by both the employee and the line manager, with the line manager also making a provisional rating proposal to be considered at the moderation meeting. Once fully completed the on line record will be submitted to the second line manager to be approved, which will complete the process for that performance year. The HR team will collate and record training information and other management information from these records. It is the joint responsibility of the both line managers and the employee to ensure that a completed and agreed copy of both this record and personal development plan for all staff, except for staff on probation, is submitted. The Personal Development Plan should also be updated at this point, evaluating training and development activities which have taken place since the half year review and identifying any new emergent training needs for the coming year. If a line manager s manager believes that a line manager has not assessed an employee s performance fairly and objectively, they should discuss this with the line manager and where appropriate ensure the performance record is amended and acknowledged again before it is re submitted for approval. 1.7 Performance Review Ratings Recommendations (May June) It is important to ensure that there is consistency and fairness of treatment in the application of the performance management process. Therefore, overall performance ratings will be reviewed and moderated across the organisation. After completing annual review on each of the employees who report into them, line managers will be asked to make an overall rating recommendation for each employee based on the evidence of their performance for the year as follows: Outstanding The individual has shown exceptional performance in all aspects of their work over the review period. They have delivered to a high standard in at least 75% of the individual objectives within their control and, the overall quality of their work has been consistently high throughout the whole year. Their approach to work has demonstrated all the behavioural competencies and values relevant to their role to a consistently higher level than expected or required. Overall their performance has been of a very high standard and they have gone that extra mile showing a can do attitude and added value to the organisation through their achievements. They have completed a 360 exercise in the last 2 years (where relevant) and have an active development plan. 8

9 All policies and procedures have not only been adhered to, in keeping with the ACE operating standards, but the employee has modelled best practices in this respect. This employee literally stands out amongst the others in their region or department. They will have either produced specific pieces of work which have received wider notice or recognition beyond their team, or displayed general conduct which has attracted similar positive attention. Strong The individual has demonstrated a level of performance above what would be expected. They have met all of the objectives within their control and achieved a higher than expected standard in at least 50% of these. They have, worked proactively to overcome any obstacles and have demonstrated an effective level of performance throughout the year, producing quality work. The individual s approach to work has demonstrated the behavioural competencies and values relevant to their role during the year to an extent which is frequently above the required level. All policies and procedures have been adhered to in keeping with the ACE operating standards in a way that can be described as good practice. This employee is recognised as performing well above the required standard. Achieving The individual performs at a level that is expected across the organisation. They have met all of the key objectives which were within their control and have demonstrated a generally effective level of performance throughout the year. Their quality of work has been appropriate to the role. The individual has demonstrated the behavioural competencies and values relevant to their role during the year to a satisfactory level. All policies and procedures have been adhered to in keeping with the ACE operating standards. 9

10 This employee will have achieved a good year s performance. Developing The individual s performance does not meet expectations on grounds such as: Some objectives have not been met which were within the individual s control to achieve. The quality of all or some of their work has been below and acceptable standard during the year. The individual does not demonstrate the organisation s behavioural competencies or values relevant to their role in the required manner in their approach to their work to an acceptable standard. On Probation New employees whose service is too short for their performance to be ranked against their longer serving peers will not be eligible for a rating assessment, performance pay increase or bonus award. Employees that are no longer on probation but have under one years service as at 31 st March in the performance year are eligible for a rating but not a performance pay increase or bonus. Each individual objective should be performance rated at the time of the end of year review, with input from both the employee and the line manager. Whilst the objectives should not be weighted in any way there will need to be a certain amount of correlation between these and the overall rating for the year, e.g. six objectives that are rated as a mixture of achieving and strong are unlikely to be lead to an overall rating of outstanding. The overall rating for the year takes a holistic view of the employee, their work and behaviours whilst the objectives provide a snapshot of achievements against specific pieces of work. 1.8 The moderation process This has two stages: 1) To ensure the application of consistent expectations to the performance rating process across the region or directorate, line managers should discuss in confidence the ratings recommendations for their reports to their Regional Office or National Office Directorate Management Teams. It is the responsibility of the Regional Director to set up these meetings; they should take place in early May prior to the 10

11 second part of the moderation process. Recommendations which affect employees salary and reward package will be only be finalised once the Area / Departmental Directorate Management Team have moderated the ratings summary 2) For Salary Levels C E, a summary of the overall individual ratings from the performance appraisal records will then be collated and moderated by the Area / Departmental Management teams and the HR Partner. The local HR Partner will attend these moderation meetings to provide guidance and an organisational overview. The Area / Department Management Team will pay particular attention to the recommendations for Outstanding and Developing employees, to ensure that staff are being assessed consistently across their regions, area or directorate. Where they identify inconsistencies, they will discuss the ratings with the relevant line managers.. For Salary Levels A and B, a summary of the overall individual ratings from the performance appraisal records will be produced by the H.R Partner for moderation by the Arts Council s Executive Board. At this the same process will be followed as for the moderation meetings by Area / Department Management Teams. Following the conclusion of the moderation process, a report summarising the ratings by grade and by office against diversity data will be presented to Management Committee to check that there is no inappropriate discriminatory bias in the application of the performance appraisal process. The moderation process should be completed by early June, so that salary changes and any other payments will be included in July salary payments. Staff will be informed in writing by a letter signed by the relevant Executive Director of the outcome of the appraisal process in relation to their salary. Line managers should not make a formal confirmation of an employee's overall annual performance rating until after moderation. They can obviously provide an indication of how well they think the employee has performed at the final performance review meeting, but should be clear that this is a personal view and is subject to moderation. Once moderation has been completed and individuals have been advised of their agreed rating, the line manager can, when requested, explain how and why their rating was determined - referencing the manager s proposal, previous reviews and discussions from the moderation meeting where relevant. Advice on all matters relating to ratings can be sought from your local HR Partner. 1.9 Appeals against performance management record If an employee is dissatisfied with the wording on their performance review record at any point during the year, they should first discuss this with their line manager and if not able to resolve then note their dissatisfaction on the on line form. 11

12 The employee and the line manager will attempt to resolve their different views informally. If the employee remains dissatisfied and refuses to accept the performance management record, then they may take out an appeal in writing. If they do not do so, then they will be expected to accept the performance management record and indicate any concerns in the comment box on the form. It is both the employees and the line manager s responsibility to ensure that this is done and the on line forms fully completed for the performance period. The employee may make a formal appeal by putting the reasons for their dissatisfaction in writing to the local HR Partner within five working days of the performance record being completed. The line manager will be informed if this is the case. The appeal will be heard by a previously uninvolved senior manager, usually from the same office, following the stage two appeal process outlined in the Grievance Procedure. Where it is found that the wording of the performance management record is a fair and accurate, the employee will be expected to accept the record and it will be regarded as the valid version even if they continue to refuse to agree with it. Where it is found that the wording is found to be unfair or inaccurate, then the line manager will be expected to agree the amended record and submit it Appeals in relation to the performance rating Following the conclusion of the moderation process, each eligible employee will receive a letter signed by the relevant Executive Director stating which overall performance rating they have been awarded for the year, what effect this will have on their salary progression and whether they will be awarded a non consolidated bonus. This letter will be given to them by their line manager, who will be able to explain the context for the decision on the individual s rating. If an employee is unhappy about their performance rating and the explanation from their line manager, they can write to their Executive Director and ask for a fuller explanation of their performance rating as decided through the management led moderation process, within two weeks of receiving their notification letter. The Executive Director will write back to the individual to provide a fuller explanation. It is not possible to provide information on the performance ratings of other individuals as part of this explanation. If the employee is still unhappy, they can take out a grievance against their Area Management Team who took the moderation decision, submitted to the local HR Partner in accordance with the Grievance Policy available on the Intranet. This grievance will be heard by another, uninvolved Executive Director supported by a senior member of the HR Shared Service Appeals against the process If an employee is unhappy about any aspect of the process applied by their line manager or the senior management moderation panel in deciding on their performance rating, they may submit an appeal in writing to the local HR Partner by a set deadline, which is ten working days after receiving their notification letter. Once the HR Shared Service has received any 12

13 appeals submitted by the deadline, they will make the arrangements for appeals. The Executive Director with responsibility for Human Resources will hear appeals, except in cases of appeals within that Executive Director s own area of the organisation. In these cases, another Executive Director will hear the appeal. In all cases, a senior HR representative will be present to advise. The appeals will take place in June/July if required. The Executive Director will hear submissions from the employee and the line manager in person. The employee may be accompanied by a work colleague or union representative to the appeal hearing. The line manager may be accompanied by a work colleague to the hearing. The Executive Director will consider their decision and confirm it in writing to the employee and line manager within three working days of the hearing. This decision is the final stage of the internal process Special circumstances Departing line managers and transferring staff Where a line manager is due to leave the organisation at some point during the year, they are expected to complete a Performance Review Record for each of the staff they line manage directly, following a meeting with each individual employee, so that their assessment of the employee is captured and passed on to the new line manager. This should also happen if an employee moves to another job within ACE during the year. This will all be captured on the on line system as the record stays with the employee for the entirety of the year. Long term absence Where an employee is absent for a lengthy period of time, such as due to maternity leave or long term sickness absence, the performance management cycle should recommence from performance planning on their return. Employees going on maternity leave part way through a review year should complete a full review of the year to date with their manager and be awarded a rating. Probationary Assessment If an employee has undergone a probationary assessment during January/February or March, a full performance appraisal is not required. However, at the end of March, the line manager should briefly summarise progress since the probationary assessment on the Performance Management Record Conclusion The performance and personal development process is a vital key to personal development and job satisfaction, as well as ensuring the success of the organisation. This process is straightforward and can be incorporated simply into the day-to-day work and interaction of individual staff and their managers. Amended and agreed Jul10 13