1.0 Policy Statement
1.1 All employees of the University of Western Australia, other than casual staff, are required to participate in regular performance review.
1.2 The performance of senior staff (including the Vice Chancellor, Executive, Deans, Heads of School and Directors) will be assessed annually against explicit goals relevant to their roles. Their review process will include feedback from peers and staff.
1.3 All other staff will engage in a Professional Development Review (PDR) to be conducted by the supervisor or other reviewer nominated by the supervisor. Such Professional Development Reviews shall be conducted on an annual basis.
1.4 The Professional Development Review is one element of a comprehensive performance management framework that includes induction, promotion and tenure, and management of misconduct and unsatisfactory performance. The processes for the management of misconduct and unsatisfactory performance are different and separate from the Professional Development Review.
2.0 Objectives of the Professional Development Review
2.1 Review of all staff, other than casual, will occur annually. The review will provide for each member of staff, and their supervisor or nominated reviewer, an opportunity to reflect upon the performance of the staff member over the previous year and to plan for the next.
2.2 The objectives of the PDR are to:
- Review the past year’s performance;
- Recognise the achievements of reviewees;
- Clarify any changes to the reviewee’s role;
- Plan for the coming year and identify goals;
- Equip individuals to meet the immediate and future challenges of their position;
- Assist individuals to achieve their goals and those of the School/Unit and the University; and
- Provide guidance on career development
2.3 Central to the PDR is an expectation that staff will reflect on the functional areas in which they have responsibilities. These will include one or more of the following:
- Teaching and Learning
- Research and Scholarship
- Leadership
- Management
- Service to the University (including Professional and Consulting Work)
- Administration
- Client Service
- Projects
- Professional services
- University Support Services (eg trades, gardening, cleaning)
- Other
The Academic Portfolio, already required in applications for promotion and tenure, will become a compulsory element of the PDR discussion from January 2006.
3.0 Roles and Responsibilities
3.1 The Professional Development Review is ordinarily to be conducted by the staff member’s supervisor. Where a supervisor has a large number of staff reporting to them, there may be a need to delegate this responsibility.
3.2 General Staff: Ordinarily the immediate supervisor of the general staff member will be the reviewer. Reviewees may request another reviewer and reviewers will have the option of declining to review an individual. Where an alternate reviewer is negotiated the formal supervisor remains the official supervisor. Wherever possible, staff should have the same reviewer from year to year. A reviewee may also request that a third person be involved in the review process.
3.3 Academic Staff: The Head of School will remain the official supervisor for academic staff. However, reviewer responsibilities may be delegated to senior academic staff with pairings arranged through negotiation with the Head. Ordinarily there will be no third party invovlement. Academics can seek a change of reviewer through negotiation with the Head of School. Heads should, where possible, ensure that staff have the same reviewer from year to year.
3.4 It is the role of the reviewer to:
- Prepare for and conduct the Professional Development Review in accordance with the documented procedures
- Help the staff member to complete a Development Plan
- Together with the staff member complete a report on the outcomes of the Review and submit this to the Head of School or equivalent (where the Head of School is not the reviewer)
- Take any follow up action on matters agreed at the meeting including ensuring the arrangement of training and development and the provision of resources. Where the reviewer is not the direct supervisor any training and development proposals and associated resource commitments must be confirmed by the supervisor/Head.
- Hold regular informal discussions to offer ongoing support and feedback
3.5 It is the responsibility of the staff member to:
- Prepare for the Professional Development Review in accordance with the documented procedures providing a copy of information necessary to the conduct of the review in advance of the scheduled meeting. In the case of academic staff this may be the Academic Portfolio (required from 2006).
- Participate positively in the Professional Development Review
- Work with the reviewer to complete a Development Plan
- Sign the report on the outcomes of the Review prior to its submission to the Head of School or equivalent (where the Head of School is not the reviewer). In signing the report the staff member is acknowledging that he/she has read and discussed the comments.
- Regularly review agreed priorities/goals and discuss with the supervisor/reviewer any barriers to meeting them.
- Encourage regular feedback from the supervisor.
4.0 Supervision and Training
4.1 All supervisors and reviewers are required to participate in appropriate training in the Professional Development Review process. The training will incorporate equity and diversity policies and guidelines. Reviewees are encouraged to attend a training programme in order to optimize the value of the process.
5.0 The Process of Review
5.1 The Head of School/supervisor/reviewer will advise the staff member concerned that a PDR is to take place, ensuring that adequate notice is provided.
5.2 As noted in Section 3 staff members will be required to provide information to their reviewers to serve as the basis of the discussion. For General staff this may be the PDR preparation form. For Academic staff, this must be the Academic Portfolio, a statement against the 'Expectations of ALL UWA Staff' and a summary that addresses the elements to be explored in the PDR discussion.
5.3 The reviewer will conduct a discussion with the staff member. The reviewer, if applicable, will then prepare a brief report (Section 4 of the Professional Development Review Report) for the Head/Supervisor who then completes Section 5 of the report. This section of the report will include a commentary on the staff members' performance. Further commentary will be provided if:
a. The staff member has performed at an outstanding level that merits specific acknowledgement such as:
- Conversion of a fixed term general staff appointment to ongoing
- Encouragement to apply for salary progression
- Offering an accelerated increment
- Encouragement to apply for promotion/reclassification
- Other
b. Performance issues have been identified.
Where performance issues have been identified it is expected that the reviewer (or the supervisor where he/she is not the reviewer) and reviewee will discuss appropriate strategies to address these.
5.4 Both the reviewer (and the supervisor if the supervisor is different) and staff member will sign the Professional Development Review Report. In signing the report the staff member is acknowledging that he/she has read and discussed the comments. Should the staff member have concerns about the report he/she shall be entitled to submit a personal statement outlining those concerns. This statement shall remain with the report. Where the supervisor is different to the reviewer he/she is also required to sign the report.
5.5 The supervisor will prepare a summary report for the Dean or equivalent. The Dean will consider all such reports and add further comment if desired.
5.6 Reports requiring no further action will be placed in a faculty file. Upon introduction of appropriate modifications to the Human Resources Information System (Talent 2), updating will be done at a local level. The comments of the Head of School and Dean (or equivalents) will remain confidential to them and the reviewee.
5.7 The Dean will prepare an annual report for the Senoir Deputy Vice-Chancellor indicating the number of reviews conducted and noting the number of exemplary, satisfactory and unsatisfactory reports.
6.0 Application of Award
6.1 Note that nothing in this policy restricts or prohibits the University from taking action to address performance and/or conduct issues in accordance with the appropriate industrial instruments pertaining to staff of the University.
7.0 Salary Increment
7.1 Under these provisions any salary increment due to a member of staff with an identified performance problem will not be paid until performance has reached a satisfactory level.
7.2 If it is intended to withhold a salary increment the supervisor must ensure that the requirements of the relevant Enterprise Bargaining Agreements have been complied with.
Academic Staff, Schedule G – Academic Staff Incremental Progression
General Staff, Clause 24 – Incremental Progression
See Enterprise Bargaining Agreements
June 2005
| 
