Purpose
The purpose of Performance Reviews (appraisals) are for staff and managers to review individual staff performance and development needs. Appraisals are an opportunity to step back from dayto-day tasks and actions, take the long view of work content and volume, look back on what has been achieved during the past 6 months/year and agree objectives for the next period. As such, they are a key element of annual organisational planning. Appraisals should help staff to improve performance by reinforcing strengths and identifying areas for improvement; they should explore how strengths can be best deployed and difficulties overcome. They should be viewed as a staff development entitlement and a positive process. At AberSU appraisals are a two part process; a formal Performance Review meeting followed by a separate Objective Setting meeting. These will normally be conducted by a relevant line manager and normally coincide with the annual planning process. New staff members will have separate probationary reviews that will lead into the organisational appraisal process, so they will have more frequent meetings during the first year of employment. Staff will have agreed objectives with their immediate line manager, and these will be used throughout the year to monitor performance, and will form the basis of the annual Performance Review. Staff will be given a performance review preparation questionnaire, usually not less than 5 days before their meeting to help them note successes, difficulties, identify any barriers to effective performance, and consider plans for the coming year, as well as training and development needs.
Performance Review Meeting
During the performance review meeting, line managers will:
• Explain the purpose of the Performance Review
• Encourage staff to discuss successes and any areas of difficulty
• Discuss how far objectives have been met
If your staff are unhappy with the outcome of their performance review meeting, they should, in the first instance discuss this with their line manager. If staff remain unhappy following this discussion, they can formally appeal outcomes of the performance review with the CEO, within 5 working days, using the Grievance Procedure.
Objective Setting Meeting
During the objective setting meeting, line managers will:
• Agree future objectives, aligning these with departmental plans
• Discuss any development needs appropriate to each role
• Summarise agreed plans
Please note this policy is not applicable to the Full Time Officers who are accountable to students. Officers will have regular collective reviews around the delivery of their individual and collective manifesto objectives in order to support their achievement.