The Resource - September 2009
Performance Appraisal Deadlines: What Should Be Happening Right Now?
The performance appraisal period for classified staff and service professionals ended on June 30, 2009. A final assessment from the supervisor is due to Human Resources no later than Monday, November 2 (since October 31 falls on a Saturday).
If you are a supervisor, you should be:
- Requesting self appraisals from your staff
- Synthesizing information from the year (supervisor notes, performance discussions, self appraisal, etc.) into a final written appraisal to be shared with the employee
- Setting up a new appraisal form for the 2009-2010 appraisal year with the most current job functions/standards and goals.
If you are an employee, you should be:
- Completing your self appraisal (if your supervisor has not asked for one, feel free to ask about it or simply provide it to them)
Resources are available on the Performance Management page including:
- Self Appraisal Resources – tips on writing the self appraisal
- Supervisor’s Guidelines for Handling Unique Situations – new or transfer employees; employees who have recently had a probationary appraisal, etc.
- Sample appraisals for both classified staff and service professional
For more information on closing out this appraisal period, supervisors are encouraged to attend Writing and Delivering the Final Appraisal on October 9, 2009. For details and to register, visit the Training Opportunities page.
For specific questions about appraisals, employees and supervisors may contact the Employee Relations team member assigned to their department. You can find this information on the Human Resources Contact page.
Training Opportunities
Don’t miss these upcoming training and development opportunities:
Sessions for supervisors:
- Leading Your Team Through Change – Will provide supervisors tools to have conversations about prioritizing work, shifting tasks/roles between employees, and leveraging these kinds of conversations to gain efficiencies for the long run.
- Writing and Delivering the Final Appraisal - Will outline key principles to help supervisors in synthesizing performance feedback information, looking for consistency, using wording that focuses on the behavior, and a few legal issues to avoid as the final appraisal is written and discussed with the employee.
Sessions for all employees:
- Performance Appraisal Basics – For employees and supervisors, this session introduces the process, format and timelines of the classified staff and service professional appraisal.
- Customer Service Connections - Good service includes taking initiative, problem solving, anticipating needs, practicing service recovery when things have gone wrong and navigating challenges outside of our control. Explore ways to connect these principles, how to `train' customers for future interactions and ways to use the resources provided to lead your own customer service refresher discussion in other staff settings.
- Staying Engaged in Unsettling Times – Many employees are committed to the work and want to keep moving forward – but need a few tips and tools to help. This session will explore how to use a variety of skills to strengthen your position and positively contribute to the work and the workplace environment.
- Business Communication Basics - Will provide basic principles for creating clear, concise and professional messages whether writing emails, memos, letters or web information.
For more information and to register, visit Training Opportunities.
Employee Development Day Sessions to Be Repeated
Did you miss the May Employee Development Day? Or miss some of the sessions that filled up fast or received great reviews from attendees? The following sessions will be repeated to provide another opportunity for people to explore different ideas in Navigating Our World Today:
Friday, Oct. 9: Clearing the Underbrush: Creating a More Resilient Life with Acupressure as a Tool - Shannon Arnette, Residence Life
Tuesday, Oct. 13: Navigating Change and Facilitating Transition During Uncertain Times – Betsy Kerr, Employee Assistance and Wellness (This workshop is designed for and most appropriate for supervisors.)
Wednesday, Oct. 14: Air Conditioning Your Mind: Permission to Relax – Suzanne Botello, Employee Assistance and Wellness
Monday, Oct. 19: What Are You Thinking? – Grace Marks, Arizona Hospitality Research and Resource Center
Tuesday, Oct. 20: Having Difficult Conversations – Gina Vance, Extended Campuses; Marcia Warden, Human Resources
Thursday, Oct. 29: Orienteering Toward Paths of Thriving – Stan Clark, Employee Assistance and Wellness
For detailed descriptions and to register, please visit the Training Opportunities page.
