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Valuing Work @ Wellesley CollegePerformance Management

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is performance management important?

The purpose of performance management is to improve communication aboutperformance between an employee and her/his supervisor. The performancemanagement system at Wellesley College is designed to provide alignment between theCollege’s mission, constituent needs and performance expectations. The program fostersongoing two-way communication between employees and managers; supports thedevelopment of clear, consistent, and measurable goals linked directly to Wellesley’score values and competencies; helps to articulate and support training needs and careerdevelopment; and establishes the criteria for making reward and recognition decisions.

When should performance management take place?

Performance management should be happening all year long. When a managercompliments an employee for a job well done or coaches an employee through a difficultsituation, that is part of performance management.

Does this mean there is no final performance review?

There is a summary review and assessment that should bring closure to the performanceperiod and provide a basis for performance management for the next period. Thereshould be no surprises at this point. Managers should ensure that the climate isappropriate for performance management discussions. Performance managementdiscussions are confidential and should take place in a setting that is private with enoughtime allowed for a meaningful discussion.

Who is responsible for performance management? What are the roles of the managerand the employee in performance management?

Both the manager and employee are responsible for performance management. Themanager and employee meet together to set goals for the performance period.Throughout the performance period, the manager and employee should talk aboutperformance and progress on a regular basis. At the end of the performance period, themanager and employee together should review the employee’s progress and growthduring the year vis-à-vis the competencies outlined for her/his role as well as reviewinggoal achievement. The manager is responsible for preparing the summary documentation.

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Is performance management only about what I am doing wrong in my job?

Performance management is a continuous process of ongoing communication betweenemployee and manager. Performance problems should be addressed as they occur andnot “saved” for the “big event,” an end-of-year evaluation. Similarly, successful workperformance should be recognized as it occurs. There should be no surprises during thesummary review.

My manager has not completed a performance review for me. My manager never givesme any feedback on my performance. What can I do?

If your manager does not schedule a performance management meeting, you maycertainly ask for the meeting. You may also solicit feedback directly from your manager.Both managers and employees have a responsibility for performance management.Human Resources will monitor the completion of performance management documents,and managers will be held accountable for ensuring that this process is done.

What happens if I don’t agree with my manager’s assessment of my performance?

Successful performance management assumes two-way communication between themanager and employee. By signing the performance management document, you aresaying that you have met with your manager to provide input to the document, that youhave reviewed the document, and that you have met with your manager to discuss it.Your signature does not necessarily indicate that you agree with your manager’sassessment of your performance. You have the right to respond to your evaluation inwriting. If you disagree, you can discuss the differences during that session or ask tomeet at a later date after you have had a chance to think about your issues. You have theoption to write your own comments and have them as part of your record. HumanResources Representatives are available as a resource to discuss these issues.

Why is goal setting emphasized under Wellesley’s performance management program?

Goals are statements describing what organizations, departments, or individuals want toaccomplish. By setting specific targets and defining the desired results, individuals andorganizations are able to define priorities, establish directions, identify expected results,enhance teamwork, improve individual performance and clarify expectations. If youdon’t know where you want to go when you set out on a journey, you will end up someplace but it is not necessarily a place you want to be. Wellesley College’s mission is toprovide a world-class, premier educational experience for women. Divisional goals arespecific activities that provide a road map for achieving the College’s mission.Department goals support divisional goals and individual goals support department goals.When all is said and done, all employees are working to support Wellesley’s mission.

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What are the characteristics of good goals?

Good goals are SMART – specific, meaningful and measurable, agreed to and attainable,reality-based, and time-bound. Good goals should be a stretch. They should be achallenge to achieve but not so impossible that the employee is discouraged from eventrying to achieve the goal.

What happens when the goals the manager and employee have developed change?

An Interim Goal Review/Update has been established as part of the performancemanagement process. This recognizes that changes in goals and expected results can anddo occur due to unforeseen circumstances. This process encourages managers andemployees to talk about performance and progress on a regular basis. It ensures thatgoals and performance are reviewed more than annually and performance planning andgoals are updated and modified when necessary. Interim discussions can be initiatedeither by the manager or the employee and should be documented by a quick note,especially if changes are made.

I am doing a good job and my job doesn’t change much from year to year. Why shouldI have to set goals?

All roles are affected by internal changes in organizational structure and the way work isorganized as well as by external changes driven by innovation, technology, and achanging workforce. There are always new things to be done and more effective andefficient ways to accomplish work. Individual goals can also be developmental, focusingon new skills or competencies.

What is the role of the performance management process in career development?

Successful performance management provides a forum to identify opportunities forgrowth either in the existing role or a new one. It is both the manager’s and theemployee’s responsibility to identify developmental needs. We need to takeresponsibility for our own self-development and actively seek and take advantage ofopportunities for continuous learning as it applies to our role. Managers should supportemployees in this process.

What if the performance management process highlights the fact that my role haschanged?

A new role document should be completed when a role has changed significantly. Sincethe performance management process is based upon the role document and thecompetencies required for successful performance of a role, performance managementdiscussions would highlight the fact that there were now significant changes in the role.Because the focus is not on a collection of tasks, role documents need to be updated lessfrequently than job descriptions.

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What is the timing of the performance management process?

The performance management process allows three options to ensure that managers andemployees can plan, discuss, and assess performance thoughtfully and thoroughly.Option One: Performance management documents are completed and submitted annuallyfor all staff in a given department during the quarter in which the employee was hired atWellesley. This allows for staggering the performance management process throughoutthe fiscal year. Option Two: Performance management documents are completed andsubmitted annually for all staff in a department during a specific period of the year. Thisallows managers to choose performance management timing that fits a department’s peakworkload periods. Option Three: Performance management documents are completedand submitted annually for all staff during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year (April-Juneperiod). This is the schedule followed historically at Wellesley.

How will the performance management process work during this transition year?

Our focus in the first year will be on goal setting. If every manager and employee worksto set one or two goals, we will be off to a good start. Managers will submit salaryrecommendations in May and at that time designate the timing of the performancemanagement process in their areas. We expect the process to become easier as managersand employees set goals and begin to use a consistent vocabulary around performancemanagement and feel comfortable with the flow of the process.

What if the annual performance management document was completed in the Fall andan employee’s performance is different when it comes time to submit salary increaserecommendations?

Performance management is a year long process of communication between the managerand the employee. Annual salary increases will be based on on-going performance.There should be no surprises – positive or negative – because of this ongoing dialogue.

The performance management form does not work for my department, what can I do?

The performance management form is a tool to support the process. If a different formatworks for you and your department and the format is consistent with this process, it iscertainly acceptable. What needs to be incorporated is performance planning and goalsetting. The performance planning needs to be the context of the employee’s roledocument focusing on the performance profile and required competencies. There needsto be ongoing discussions between employee and manager. Annually, there needs to bean assessment of performance during the period with regard to goal achievement and thestrengths and weaknesses in the competencies required for successful performance of therole.

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How does Wellesley help managers and employees be successful with the performancemanagement process?

Human Resources will provide orientation sessions for new managers and employees aswell as ongoing group training in various aspects of performance management including:goal setting, giving and receiving feedback, managing conflict, and coaching andcounseling. The performance management toolkit may include divisional ordepartmental goals and operational plans, the classification model, the role document, theperformance management form, and goal/objective setting guidelines.

When do salary increases become effective?

Regardless of the timing option chosen for the annual completion of the performancemanagement document, all salary increase recommendations will still occur during thefourth fiscal quarter (April-June period) and become effective on July 1 each year.

For the past several years, the salary increase pool has been only three or four percent.Doesn’t that affect how much of an increase I can receive?

Yes. As in the past, we are still working within the constraints of the annual budgetedsalary pool. Supervisors, managers, and department chairs recommend percentage salaryincreases to senior staff of their division based on the performance of the individual in theposition. The final approval for the increase is by the head of the division who considersperformance on a division-wide basis.

Given that managers are held to a budgeted salary pool, it seems that in order toreward the good performers you have to penalize others.

An excellent performer should be rewarded more than a mediocre or poor performer. Werealize that rewarding excellence might feel like penalizing those who are not performingas effectively. However, if you don’t make those distinctions, those who are hurt are ourbest performers.

What if managers have different standards defining excellent performance?

Part of our role in Human Resources is to have checks and balances in place to avoid thisproblem. The senior staff member who heads the division reviews all salary increaserecommendation. Questions about the appropriateness of salary increaserecommendations would be reviewed with the supervisors, managers, department heads,or department chairs who would best be able to answer questions about an employee’sperformance. The performance management process will help ensure that managersevaluate employees based on the same set of values and criteria. Ongoing trainingsessions help develop a consistent vocabulary and structure around the performancemanagement process and salary increase recommendations.

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Will employees receive a cost-of-living increase?

We have learned through the process of implementing the Valuing Work program thatthere are misconceptions about our past salary program. There has always been somedifferentiation in pay. Wellesley doesn’t give across-the-board increases or cost-of-livingincreases. The total amount of money budgeted as the salary increase pool takes intoconsideration the CPI (Consumer Price Index), but that is not how salaries increases areallocated. Wellesley has long had a merit-based salary increase program.

Will the merit pool ever be higher?

Each year, Human Resources makes a recommendation to the Budget Committee, who inturn, makes a recommendation to the President concerning the salary increase pool. Thisrecommendation takes into account the market competitiveness of administrative staffsalaries as well as factors such as inflation and how we expect other organizations willincrease salaries. Over the course of an employee’s working career, she/he may see someyears with higher salary increase pools and some years with lower salary increase pools.

To whom does this performance management process apply?

The performance management process outlined here is one of the components of theValuing Work @ Wellesley program and applies only to the administrative staff. Thoseemployees covered by collective bargaining unit contracts receive salary increases andare evaluated according to the terms of the negotiated contracts. Faculty have a separateevaluation and compensation system.

What is coming next?

By effectively using the performance management program, we will create the basis formore innovative rewards systems to acknowledge excellence. HR is currently workingwith senior leadership, managers, and administrative staff to develop these programs.

January 2001