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UPPS 04.04.20 - Staff Performance Management System

Staff Performance Management System

UPPS No. 04.04.20
Issue No. 12
Effective Date: 8/17/2021
Next Review Date: 6/01/2024 (E3Y)
Sr. Reviewer: Assistant Vice President for Human Resources

POLICY STATEMENT

Texas State University is committed to promoting continuous and transparent communication between supervisors and employees to ensure work performed by university staff members meets the needs of the university and supports the university’s core values.

  1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

    1. This policy and procedure statement establishes and describes the performance management system for all regular staff. The system consists of the three distinct processes (performance planning, mid-cycle review, and performance assessment) and is designed to:

      1. help ensure that work performed by Texas State University staff members meets the needs of the university and supports the university’s core values;

      2. promote continuous and transparent communication between the supervisor and the employee in all aspects of job performance;

      3. offer the supervisor and the employee opportunities to set expectations for future performance and professional development;

      4. provide the opportunity for the supervisor and employee to assess the employee’s performance from that year’s performance cycle; and

      5. provide supporting documentation for pay decisions, promotions, transfers, grievances, complaints, disciplinary actions and terminations, and other appropriate personnel actions.

    2. It is the responsibility of each vice president and the director of Athletics to ensure that regular administrative, unclassified, and classified employees in their respective divisions receive a performance plan, mid-cycle review, and an annual performance assessment covering the period June 1 through May 31 each year.

    3. The director of Equity Opportunity and Title IX will review the staff performance management system and its results as needed, but no less than bi-annually, to ensure no discriminatory patterns or impacts are apparent.

  2. DEFINITIONS

    1. Performance Management System – system used by Texas State to facilitate the performance management process.

    2. Performance Planning – the collaborative process between the supervisor and the employee used to identify and ensure understanding of the employee’s expectations, goals, job duties, competencies, behaviors, physical demands, and work environment that appear in the employee’s performance.

    3. Performance Plan – the document that contains the employee’s expectations, goals, job duties, competencies, behaviors, physical demands, and work environment. This document is developed by the supervisor in collaboration with the employee and is the basis for the performance assessment.

    4. Mid-Cycle Review – an informal collaborative process between the supervisor and employee that occurs at or near the midway point in the performance cycle that provides an opportunity for the supervisor and employee to measure the employee’s progress against the elements of the employee’s performance plan.

    5. Performance Standard – the collaborative process between the supervisor and employee to arrive at a formal determination of how well the employee performed against the elements of the performance plan.

    6. Performance Cycle – the annual June 1 through May 31 time frame for staff performance assessments.

    7. Performance Assessment – the collaborative process between supervisor and employee to arrive at a formal determination of how well the employee performed against the elements of the employee’s performance plan.

    8. Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) – a formal plan drafted by an employee’s supervisor to provide an employee with performance deficiencies with the opportunity to succeed. Plans may be initiated to address failures to meet specific job goals or to ameliorate behavior-related concerns. A PIP may be appealed in accordance with UPPS No. 04.04.41, Staff Employee Mediation and Grievance Policy.

  3. PROCEDURES FOR PERFORMANCE PLANS, MID-CYCLE REVIEWS, AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS

    1. Each employee is required to have a performance plan for each performance cycle. The plan portion of the performance management cycle starts on June 1. An employee’s performance plan should be completed as early as possible in the cycle. The same is true for new employees hired during the cycle.

      Performance Plan Completion Timeframe – For employees that are hired on or before February 1 of the performance cycle, a performance plan must be completed. For employees that are hired after February 1, a performance plan will be created on the next performance cycle.

    2. A mid-cycle review is required for all employees. A mid-cycle review should be completed at or near the midpoint of the performance cycle (November or December) and should be noted in the performance management system as having taken place.

    3. Performance Assessment – Each employee is required to have a performance assessment (also referred to as a performance review) for each annual performance cycle (June 1 through May 31). The staff employee performance assessment includes an employee self-assessment which should be submitted to the supervisor prior to the supervisor completing their own assessment of the employee.

      Guidance and training resources on completing performance plans, mid-cycle reviews, and performance assessment can be found on the Performance Management website.

  4. TRANSFERS

    1. Assessment Responsibility – If an employee transfers from one department or division to another, the (new or hiring) supervisor at the time of the performance assessment launch (the first Monday in April) will be responsible for completing the employee’s annual performance assessment.

      The new or hiring supervisor may ask the transferred employee’s previous supervisor to contribute information relative to the time period during which the employee reported to the prior supervisor. Instructions for soliciting and obtaining feedback are posted on the Performance Management website.

    2. Position Change or Transfer – The hiring or new supervisor submits a Personnel Change Request (PCR) to initiate a position change or transfer. Once the PCR is processed, then the hiring or new supervisor is able to assess the transferred employee in the performance management system. The former supervisor will no longer have access to view the employee’s performance plan, mid-cycle review, or assessment.

  5. PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT PLANS AND PERFORMANCE COMMENDATIONS

    1. Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) – On occasion, an employee’s performance may fall below standard, and the supervisor, at their discretion, may elect to place the employee on a PIP using a Performance Improvement form. The supervisor is required to indicate on the Performance Improvement form the date for the employee’s performance re-evaluation, usually 60 or 90 days. A Performance Improvement form can be used at any time during the performance cycle. A PIP may be appealed in accordance with UPPS No. 04.04.41, Staff Employee Mediation and Grievance Policy.

      When the required improvement date is reached, the supervisor will fill out the follow-up to the Performance Improvement form.

      Originals of both forms will remain in the employee’s departmental and Human Resource personnel file.

    2. Performance Commendation – If, during the course of the performance assessment cycle, the employee performs in an outstanding manner and the supervisor wishes to recognize the performance, the supervisor may submit a Performance Commendation form. This form should be placed in the personnel file and attached to the employee’s record in the online performance management system for the applicable performance cycle.

  6. PROCEDURES FOR APPEAL OF PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

    1. Once the supervisor and the employee acknowledge the performance assessment, it is final and only the appeal process can alter the review results. Should an employee refuse to acknowledge the performance assessment, the supervisor should document in the employees’ note section that the employee refused to acknowledge. The supervisor should contact Human Resources to move the performance assessment to a completed status in the workflow.

    2. The employee may, within 10 working days of the performance assessment meeting with the supervisor, appeal the results to the department director if the employee disagrees with the performance assessment.

    3. Appeals of performance assessments will follow the procedures described in UPPS No. 04.04.41, Staff Employee Mediation and Grievance Policy.

  7. PLAN AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CYCLE TIMELINES

    1. Performance Plan (June 1 through July 31) – the period during which the performance plans must be completed for the applicable performance cycle.

    2. Mid-Cycle Review (October 1 through November 30) – the period during which the supervisor and employee meet informally for a one-on-one to discuss progress and relevant changes or updates to the plan, as necessary.

    3. Performance Assessment (April 1 through May 31) – the period during which employees and supervisors must complete the self and manager performance assessments in order to meet the deadline for the merit increase cycle.

  8. REVIEWERS OF THIS UPPS

    1. Reviewers of this UPPS include the following:

      PositionDate
      Assistant Vice President for Human ResourcesJune 1 E3Y
      Chair, Staff CouncilJune 1 E3Y
  9. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

    This UPPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

    Assistant Vice President for Human Resources; senior reviewer of this UPPS

    Vice President for Finance and Support Services

    President