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An important announcement about improvements to the performance appraisal process

The following message was emailed to all UCOP staff on Monday, Oct. 17:

Dear UCOP Colleagues,

Thank you for all the feedback you gave us about this year’s performance appraisal process. We have heard your frustration over the schedule, the software and other aspects of the experience. For the past several months, we have been looking at ways to incorporate your feedback and improve this process for you. Our goal this year is to work towards reducing the frustrations and making the performance appraisal cycle a more effective and rewarding experience for both staff and supervisors/managers.

To that end, we are rolling out a series of changes to this process. We believe the changes we have planned will significantly improve the process and your experience. However, these changes are not set in stone, and we will continue to rely on your feedback to help us fine-tune the process moving forward.

What is changing and how it will benefit you
We are shifting the performance appraisal process from a once-a-year event to a series of smaller actions taken at several points during the year. To start, we are introducing a mid-year goal setting/review step (beginning later this month for FY16/17). By breaking the tasks down and spreading them out over the course of the year we will accomplish several goals:

  • We make the process less burdensome for everyone by distributing some of the tasks throughout the year rather than condensing everything into one short period of time;
  • You will receive more frequent feedback from your supervisor/manager so you know how you are meeting the expectations and goals of your position and can ask for further clarification or assistance if needed;
  • Supervisors and managers will be able to more effectively assist their staff in meeting their job expectations and goals, which benefits all;
  • The increased communication between staff and their supervisors/managers should contribute to stronger working relationships.

Other changes to come include making the Halogen system easier to use, and a clearer, more efficient process for setting goals and expectations.

What’s next: Informational sessions about process, goals
To kick off these changes, we will be holding a series of informational meetings to help everyone understand the new process and timeline, and answer any questions or concerns you may have. Among other things, the meetings will focus on how to set goals that are specific, measurable, relevant and achievable within the timeframe under review.

These sessions will include division leaders, department heads, supervisors and managers. We will then have group training for supervisors and managers within each division to provide them with the tools they need to make performance appraisal a successful, positive process.

For non-supervisory staff, we will be holding a number of open, interactive sessions that you can sign up for at a time and location that is convenient for you. These sessions will explain the new process and give you an opportunity to ask questions or express concerns. Sessions will be open for sign-up beginning Wednesday, Oct. 19 and you will be able to reserve a seat in them via the UC Learning Center (UCLC).

More to come
You will receive more information from your division leader or manager as this process goes forward. Our employee newsletter Link will also carry updates and announcements, so please keep an eye out for those.

Your feedback is essential to our efforts to improve this process. We hope to hear more from you as we roll out these changes — please feel free to reach out to Nancy Pluzdrak or your department’s HR business partner, or speak to your supervisor.

Our goal is to have this process support your success and development. Please help us achieve that goal by participating in this new process and keeping us informed on how it is working for you.

Thank you.

Rachael Nava
Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer

Nancy Pluzdrak
Executive Director, UCOP Human Resources


Comments ( 2 )

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  1. Marc Rizzo October 18, 2016 Reply

    We were told that this years evaluations were going to lead to merit based pay increases and that didn’t happen and supervisors didn’t have any answers except for, \someone higher up made that decision\. THAT is the real people are upset with the performance evaluations. Many, many people simply feel lied to. And no one wants to really address this!!!

    • Nancy PLuzdrak October 19, 2016 Reply

      Hi Mark,
      Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We received a lot of feedback on last year’s performance process and are incorporating that feedback into some of the changes that are being implemented this year. We’ll be discussing these changes in the information sessions and I hope to see you there.

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