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ValuingWork@Wellesley
Performance
Management
Wellesley College
is committed to the practice of meaningful, timely, and productive
performance management for all of its employees. The tools and process
developed by the Performance Management design team, as well as
the ongoing Performance Management training provided by the College,
will combine to increase the effectiveness of our individual and
collective efforts, while truly Valuing Work @ Wellesley College.
Purpose
of Performance Management
The Performance
Management system at Wellesley College is designed to provide alignment
between the College's mission, constituent needs and performance
expectations. The program:
- Fosters ongoing
two-way communication between employees and managers.
- Supports
the development of clear, consistent, and measurable goals linked
directly to Wellesley's core values and competencies.
- Helps to
articulate and support training needs and career development.
- Establishes
criteria for making reward and recognition decisions.
Performance
Management Tools
Three documents
are critical to the effective operation of the Performance Management
System:
The Performance
Management Document provides a format for recording and submission
of performance management information for an individual. It encompasses
performance planning, objectives, expected results, competency assessment,
ongoing manager-employee updates, and performance review/assessment.
This completed document is the result of ongoing interactions between
an employee and supervisor in the course of a given year.
The
Performance Management Guide is a step-by-step instruction manual
for completion of the Performance Management Document. It provides
examples and detail to guide the process.
The Guidelines
for Effective Performance Management provides tips and techniques
for preparing and holding performance management discussions as
well as giving effective feedback.
The following
tools will be helpful to the performance management process:
Wellesley
College Reward Strategy
Our Reward
Strategy identified what we value and want to reward at Wellesley.
In conjunction with our overall mission and goals, considerable
thought has been given to:
- Key success
factors
- Desirable
actions and behaviors for all staff, including managers and senior
leadership
Some of these
initiatives have already been addressed while others remain plans
for the future. The critical function of our Reward Strategy is
to serve as a road map to reach our goals.
The Role
Classification System
Wellesley's
Role Classification model was developed to address a need for understandable and
relevant factors in determining the levels of administrative roles.
Key factors derived from our reward strategy are described at each
of seven levels. The model concentrates on meaningful differences
in role skills and content.
The Role
Document
In addition
to its use in classifying roles, the role document describes general
performance parameters and highlights the specific competency areas
critical to performance. Managers and employees should refer to
the role document throughout the performance management process.
See the Role Documentation
description.
Divisional
Goals and Operational Plans
Work that has
been undertaken to develop departmental or divisional goals and
objectives is critical to review with managers and employees alike.
Managers should translate these macro plans into terms that are
meaningful to individual performance. This provides a strong sense
of connection and contribution for employees and increases the likelihood
of their success.
Goal and
Objective Setting Guidelines
In conjunction
with group training provided for managers by the College, guidelines
for developing reasonable, specific departmental and individual
goals will assist employees and managers alike in performance planning
and articulation of expected results.
The
Performance Management Process
A performance
management document (the form) needs to be completed for each employee
every twelve months. The document may be accessed and completed
online according to a schedule chosen by the department. 3 options
are provided for completion and submission of performance management
documents:
- The Performance
Management process can be completed annually during the quarter
in which the employee was originally hired.
- The process
may be completed annually for all staff in a specific department
or work unit during a quarter chosen up front by the manager in
conjunction with the appropriate senior staff member.
- Performance
management may be completed annually in the fourth quarter of
the fiscal year (April 1-June 30). Note: For those managers who
do not choose any of these options, this fourth quarter schedule
will act as the default.
Performance
management documentation and submission will be tied to the chosen
timing option. A written reminder will be sent from Human Resources
to the department head. The employee, the manager, and the manager's
manager all need to sign the document to be submitted according
to the instructions outlined in the Performance Management Guide.
Human Resources will retain a copy of all Performance Management
documents in the employee's personnel file. In cases where documentation
is not submitted as planned, a non-completion report will be sent
to the manager and the appropriate senior staff member for follow-up.
Stages
of Performance Management
Specific guidelines
for each stage of the Performance Management process as well as
illustrative examples can be found in the Performance Management
guide. The key to a successful process is ongoing two-way communication
between the employee and the supervisor at each stage.
Stage One:
Goal Setting and Performance Planning
During this
initial stage of the Performance Management cycle, the manager and
employee work together to develop goals and objectives for the performance
period utilizing the employee's responsibilities and competencies
as outlined in the role document. Divisional and/or departmental
goals will guide this process as well. Goals must include expected
results and outline a feedback plan so performance assessment can
be most effective. The manager is responsible for approving the
final version of the goals and reviewing the skills and competencies
required to achieve those goals.
Stage Two:
Interim Goal Review/Update
In order to
encourage managers and employees to talk together about performance
and progress on a regular basis, an interim review has been built
into the Performance Management process. While this review/update
can actually take place anytime during the performance period, it
ensures that goals and performance are reviewed more often than
annually.
Stage Three:
Performance Review and Assessment
A summary of
the employee's progress and growth during the year and a review
of goal achievement bring closure to the performance period. This
documentation and conversation guides the Performance Planning stage
for the following year.
The
Link to Pay
The ongoing
Performance Management process is the basis for decisions made by
managers about salary increases. Annual opportunity for salary increases
will be based on performance, as outlined in the Performance Management
process. Salary increases will occur using a common salary increase
date of July 1.
The individual
salary increase percentage is determined based on individual performance
and is set within the constraints of the budgeted salary pool. Supervisors,
managers, and department chairs recommend percentage salary increases
to the senior staff of their division based on the performance of
the individual in the position. The final approval for the increase
is by the head of the division who considers performance on a division-wide
basis.
Training
and More Information
Human Resources
provides orientation sessions for new managers and employees as
well as ongoing group training in various aspects of performance
management, including:
- Goal Setting
- Giving and
Receiving Feedback
- Managing
Conflict
- Coaching
and Counseling
If you would
like additional information about Performance Management or training
programs available, contact your Human Resources representative. |
