Performance & Development Review System

INTRODUCTION

The development of staff and the delivery of a quality service at UCC is a joint responsibility shared by individual staff members, supervisors/managers/heads of department and the University. Reviews will be compulsory for all University staff, who work 0.5 FTE or more and have more than one year remaining on a contract of employment. Normal exemptions will apply, e.g. those on maternity leave, long-term sick leave, etc. Those within one/two years of retirement may also be deemed exempt as a Reviewee, however, where relevant, Reviewer obligations are not exempt under the system.Participation in the review process is a requirement under the ‘Sustaining Progress’ Agreement.

DEFINITIONS & PRINCIPLES

Performance and Development Review may be defined as a joint process, which enables a staff member and the person(s) to whom one reports to agree together relevant objectives, which are clearly linked to the mission of the department/area and the University, and any associated support, which is needed to help attain the agreed objectives.

Four general principles underpin the Performance and Development Review System:

(1) Self-Assessment;

(2) Development of the University, Departments and all Staff;

(3) Facilitation of staff in reaching their full potential;

(4) A means of enhancing quality.

Responsibility for staff review and development is threefold:

(1) The personal responsibility of individual members of staff to engage in self-assessment;

(2) The responsibility of supervisors/managers/heads of department to facilitate the review;

(3) The responsibility of the University to provide the support needed to help individual staff members attain the agreed objectives.

GUIDELINES

1. There is no link between the Performance and Development Review System and pay, promotion and discipline.

2. The Training and Development Unit of the Department of Human Resources will facilitate the implementation of the system in terms of staff orientation and reviewer training. The Training and Development Unit will also be responsible for implementation of appropriate training interventions arising from the reviews.

3. Reviews shall be conducted once every two years, but annually if requested by an individual staff member.

4. The Review Form is protected as a ‘Personal Record’ under FOI.

5. The paperwork associated with the system shall stay at local level and have a lifespan of 4 years.

PROCEDURES

1. Each staff member will have a choice between having a review with the ‘Person to whom one reports’ or with a ‘Peer committee’. This decision should be made at least two months in advance of the review to allow for scheduling.

2. The ‘Peer committee’ will comprise two or three members, as follows: (i) the person to whom the reviewee reports; (ii) a departmental colleague, agreed between the reviewee and the person to whom the reviewee reports; (iii) at the request of the reviewee, a third member, representative of the reviewee’s grade, may be selected at random from a panel of trained reviewers established through nomination by each staff category.

3. The membership of the ‘Peer Committee’ will be agreed and known to both the reviewee and the members of the ‘Peer Committee’ within one month of the reviewee having opted for review with a ‘Peer Committee’.

4. A date and time is then agreed to conduct a review discussion.

5. Each staff member will conduct a self–review, using the ‘Self Review Form’, during which one will reflect upon one’s own performance and development, together with any issues or constraints one has experienced.

6. At least one week prior to the review date, the ‘Self Review Form’ is forwarded by the reviewee to the reviewer(s).

7. The review discussion will be based on the pre-review self-assessment documentation.

8. The result of the review discussion is a record of clear and specific outcomes. A summary of the review discussion is recorded, normally during the last ten minutes of the review meeting.

9. All review participants sign the‘Agreed Record of the Review Discussion’ to indicate that it is a reasonable reflection of the review discussion.

10. The Head of Department collates the outcomes arising from all reviews and compiles a brief, non-personalised, summary of collective needs and issues highlighted by the process.

11. A non-personalised summary of training and development needs is forwarded to the Training & Development Unit, Department of Human Resources.

12. The Head of Department will notify the Department of Human Resources regarding the completion of staff reviews.

CONTACT: Angela O'Donovan, Department of Human Resources, Ground Floor, Block E, Food Science Building, University College Cork Tel 021 490 3882. E-mail a.odonovan@ucc.ie