Managing Performance – and Getting through the Performance Evaluation

Cycle

Principles and Guidelines, Tips and Tricks

Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Why are we asking you to do this?

• Because you work most closely with the GSCs

• Because the best person to evaluate performance of an employee is the person who knows the job and the job expectations the best and who works with that employee most closely.

• Because your success depends on the success of the GSCs

• Because the GAs train the GSCs

• Because it is part of professional development.

• Because the managers need your input and insight.

The Truth about Annual Performance Evaluations

• Everybody hates it – both supervisors and employees

• As a way to manage performance, it doesn’t work

• Employees and supervisors don’t always agree on what it means to “do a good job” or “do a bad job” or “do an outstanding job”

• The annual performance evaluation is easy to see as subjective and unfair

• You can say 101 great things about an employee, and what they will focus on is the 1 thing you tell them they need to work on

• The performance evaluation brings up emotions and it is a challenge to deal with emotions – the supervisor’s and the employee’s – in a comfortable and confident way

So….

• How do we make the performance evaluation cycle something we all feel good about?

• How do you feel about being evaluated? How do you feel about evaluating others?

Performance Management vs.

the Annual Performance Evaluation• Employees should be clear as to what the performance expectations are – well

before you do their annual performance evaluation

• The outcomes of satisfactory performance is often what is documented in the job description. What is often not in the job description is the manner in which the outcomes are achieved.

• Employees tend to focus on the parts of the job description that lists outcomes. And tend to ignore the parts that do focus on the manner in which they are achieved*

*friendly, approachable, adaptable to change, team player, clear written and oral communication skills, good follow through, other duties as assigned

Performance Management• Performance expectations should be communicated, reinforced, explained and

discussed every day, every week, every month, every quarter, as well as annually.

• Feedback about performance should be communicated, reinforced, explained and discussed every day, every week, every month, every quarter, as well as annually.

• Expectations and feedback may be oral and/or in writing. Expectations may be communicated one-on-one, in group meetings, in trainings, in policies an procedures.

• Employees should be given opportunities - and encouraged - to ask questions, ask for training and clarification, raise concerns and give feedback to supervisors.

A Few Words about Benchmarks

• Employees learn, change and grow in different ways.

• Employees are expected to learn, change and grow.

• Supervisors do, and should, share benchmarks with employee. Ask the question: when do I expect the employee to have mastered this skill? Or accomplished this task?

• We do benchmark employees against other employees in the same or similar position, past and present.

General Principles

• The employee should never hear about positive performance or performance in need of improvement for the first time during the formal annual evaluation.

• Set goals and standards that the employee understands.

• Make clear to the employee how they will be evaluated.

• Ask the employee to do a self-evaluation.

• Solicit feedback from others who work with this employee.

General Principles• The conversation that you have with the employee is more important than

the written evaluation.

• Don’t do all the talking - encourage the employee’s feedback and input.

• Change the draft evaluation when you think it’s appropriate, especially to incorporate the employee’s thoughts on why performance may have been below expectations or to incorporate their feedback on goals and objectives for the coming year.

• The spirit in which you approach the evaluation process will make a difference in whether it is effective or not. If your goal is to genuinely help the employee improve and grow, this will show and make the chances of achieving improvement, growth and change much higher.*

General Principles• Be honest. Say what you mean. Breathe deeply if you’re afraid of soliciting an

uncomfortable emotion from the employee.

• If you have a problem with the way someone does something, tell them.

• If you don’t trust that an employee will do something, and you find yourself constantly following up and checking their work, talk to them about establishing trust.

• Be willing to listen (again, breathe deeply) to the employee’s feedback.

• Allow the employee to be honest. Many companies do a “360 degree evaluation.” The employee has the right to give feedback about you as a supervisor.

CSU and SFSU Principleshttp://hr.sfsu.edu/Labor_Compliance_ProfDev/emp_relations/hr_Directives/instruct

The SFSU Human Resources web site provides links to campus policies relevant to the evaluation process:

• SFSU Performance Management Guidelines• User Friendly Principles• Principles of Conduct in a Multicultural University• Collective Bargaining Agreements

ORSP Principles

• Service to PIs

• Ensuring compliance

• Participation in principles of Happy & Effective- trust and respect- coaching and mentoring- clarity

Pitfalls• Not establishing and following the general principles on the first slide,

especially the one related to setting clear expectations.

• The “horns and halo” effect in which everything discussed involves positive and negative recent events. Gather material and think about the employee’s accomplishments and failures over the entire period of time being evaluated.

• Insufficient evidence: there’s a school of thought that if it’s not documented, it didn’t occur. *

• Using evaluative rather then descriptive language.

Numbers and Ratings*• Strictness/Leniency: We have all heard of supervisors who say “I don’t give

superior ratings. Toughness tendency for raters is to be severe or hard on employees. Leniency: artificially inflating ratings is a disservice to the employee. Employees should be rated on their actual performance.

• Central: Playing it safe and giving everyone a middle of the road rating also does a disservice to the employee and the rest of the individuals you supervise. Consistent application of the criteria and comparison to the employee’s behavior will help with objective ratings.

• Similar to me: Evaluators tend to have a bias towards employees who are perceived to be like them and give them higher ratings. Evaluators need to be aware of this possibility.

Numbers and Ratings

• Depending on the job description, some areas will be weighted more heavily than others so straight averaging doesn’t work. Look at major responsibilities/duties on the job description; essential functions of the job when deciding on the overall rating.

Addressing performance that needs to be improved• Use the “goals and objectives” box at the end of the evaluation form

to establish expectations and set goals that can be discussed and addressed throughout the coming year.

• This is part of how, you, as a supervisor, set performance expectations.

Basic Process

• Prepare the evaluation, give a copy to the employee. Make clear that it is a draft and that you want to meet with them to get their feedback. The employee has 5 days to review the draft and provide input to the evaluator. Evaluators must schedule a meeting with an employee within 7 days of the request, and the meeting must take place within 14 days of the request.

• Prepare for the meeting with the employee. Practice approaches with a colleague or manager. Identify key points you wish to discuss from the written evaluation. Spend time on positive aspects of performance.

• Turn off your phone(s) during the evaluation and don’t check your email. Find a room where you can close the door, have privacy and focus on the employee without distractions.

Process• Use descriptive not evaluative language.

• Be considerate of the employee’s feelings and readiness to receive feedback.

• Non-Verbal: Be wary of your stance, folded arms, clip to your voice.

• Biases: It’s okay to not like the people who work for you. You just need to be aware if you’re giving feedback because the behavior is annoying and you have the power to, or if you truly want to help the employee develop.

• The way feedback is delivered largely determines whether the employee will hear the feedback or not. Many times it’s not what you say, but how you say it that triggers an emotional reaction from the employee.

Helpful Information

• The performance evaluation form is on the HR website under HR Forms, Professional Development:

http://hr.sfsu.edu/forms#professionaldevelopment

• Policies, practices and directives on the HR website:http://hr.sfsu.edu/Labor_Compliance_ProfDev/emp_relations/hr_Directives/instruct

• Collective Bargaining Agreements are on the HR website in the Labor Relations section:

http://www.calstate.edu/LaborRel/Contracts_HTML/CSEA_Contract/index.shtml

Helpful Information• All Grant Administrators, Grant Support Coordinators and HR Specialists are in

unit 9 and covered under the CBA between the CSU and CSUEU.

• Classifications:Sr. Grant Administrators – Administrative Analyst/Specialist Exempt IIGrant Administrators – Administrative Analyst/Specialist Exempt IGrant Support Coordinators – Administrative Analyst/Specialist Non Exempt

• Probationary, Permanent, Temporary – Please consult with your manager

• Annual, 3 month, 6 month and 9 month evaluations

Resources

• Example Phrases for Writing Performance Evaluations.

• List of Verbs and adjectives.

• Examples and descriptions on the Performance Evaluation form itself.

• Prior performance evaluations.

• Employee self-evaluation.