Performance Management

General

The Performance Management Form (PMF) is used to document employee performance plans and two types of evaluations based on those plans.  The evaluations documented on the PMF are:

(1)      annual performance evaluations leading to salary increase recommendations, and

(2)      evaluations performed at the end of working test periods to support permanent status decisions.

Please note:

(1)   To document permanent status decisions, agencies may choose to use the shorter Management Review Form (MRF), rather than using the PMF.

(2)   The MRF cannot be used to document a salary increase decision: a full evaluation, documented on the PMF, is required for the annual performance evaluation that determines salary increase recommendations.

(3)   The same PMF may be used to document both a salary increase decision and a permanent status decision, so long as:

(a)    the same performance plan is in effect,

(b)   the PMF documenting one type of decision has been completed no more than 90 days prior to the effective date for the other type of decision, and

(c)    the agency policy does not require that a new PMF be completed.

(4)   A PMF must be completed and signed not more than 90 days prior to the effective date of a salary increase.

The PMF consists of nine sections:

1:     Employee Information                                     6:     Salary Increase Recommendation

2:     Performance Plan Signatures                          7:     Employment Status

3:     Job and Individual Responsibilities                 8:     Evaluation Signatures

4:     Terms and Conditions of Employment            9:     Employee Development Plan

5:     Overall Ratings

Additional pages may be attached to any section of the form if space is insufficient.

Planning

Prior to the beginning of the new performance period, the supervisor:

• enters in Section 3 responsibilities and performance expectations for the employee and indicates which responsibilities are critical to the job;
• enters under Performance Expectations in Section 4 any additional expectations related to terms and conditions of employment that are specific to the job or work unit;
• reviews the preliminary plan with his or her manager to ensure that the proposed responsibilities and expectations are appropriate in light of overall unit plans and work assignments.

In a planning session at the beginning of the performance period, the supervisor and the employee:

• discuss the responsibilities and expectations for the coming year, making changes or additions as necessary in Section 3;
  • review the pre-printed “statewide” responsibilities in Section 3 and check the boxes that apply to the employee and the job.  (Each agency should have a policy on whether inclusion of any or all of these responsibilities is required on every employee’s Plan or is discretionary on the part of the supervisor.);
• review the preprinted Performance Management Responsibility in Section 3 and, if the employee directly supervises other employees, mark it as “Critical”;
• review the expectations related to terms and conditions outlined in Section 4;
• identify any developmental or training goals for the upcoming performance period and enter in Section 9;
• enter signatures and dates in Section 2.  (The PMF, with responsibilities and expectations entered, constitutes the employee’s individual Performance Plan.  After the Plan is reviewed and signed by the reviewing manager, the supervisor retains a copy, gives a copy to the employee, and processes/files other copies as directed by agency policy.)
• if a significant change is made to the Performance Plan during the year, following discussion of the change, the supervisor should have the employee sign in the indicated space in Section 2.

Annual Performance Evaluation

At the end of the performance period, the supervisor uses the Performance Management Form to document the evaluation of the employee’s performance.  The supervisor rates the employee’s performance on the individual items in Sections 3 and 4.  In Section 9, the supervisor notes any progress the employee has made in meeting developmental or training goals.  In Section 5 the supervisor enters an overall rating for Job and Individual Responsibilities and an overall rating for Terms and Conditions of Employment.

In Section 6, the supervisor indicates whether the employee is eligible for a performance increase. (Actual awarding of increases is subject to availability of funds and to modification of pay delivery policies.)  In order to be eligible, the employee must receive an overall rating of Met Expectations or higher on the Job and Individual Responsibilities component of the evaluation.  An employee who receives an overall rating of Did Not Meet Expectations on either Responsibilities or Terms and Conditions is not eligible for an increase. Employees receiving an overall rating of Needs Improvement on the Terms and Conditions may or may not be eligible for a performance increase, depending on individual agency policy.

The completed PMF is reviewed by the supervisor’s manager.  The supervisor then conducts the performance evaluation meeting with the employee.  Both parties sign the document in Section 8 to indicate that the meeting has taken place.  After the PMF is signed by the reviewing manager, it is filed according to agency policy, a copy is given to the employee, and the supervisor retains a copy.

Permanent Status Review

If the PMF is used to document an evaluation leading to the granting of permanent status, the form is completed in the same way as for an annual performance evaluation, but instead of indicating a salary increase recommendation in Section 6, the supervisor puts a checkmark in the “Permanent Status Approved” box in Section 7 (or puts checkmarks in both sections, if the PMF is being used simultaneously for both types of evaluation).  Follow agency policy for filing and distribution of copies.