This communication provides updates on the UC Santa Cruz 2017-18 performance appraisal call for all staff and the policy-covered employee merit program.
NOTE: On Friday, July 20, the UC Office of the President (OP) approved a 3 percent merit budget. More on this is described below.
Background: The UC Santa Cruz Pay for Performance Program for Policy-Covered Staff
The campus pay for performance program began in 2016 in alignment with President Napolitano’s pay for performance initiative. The merit program’s goal is to recognize stronger performers with higher salary increases. This is the third year pay for performance is included as part of our overall compensation and performance management practice.
This call for performance appraisals requires the concerted efforts of all campus managers and supervisors of staff employees. We have outlined the key elements below.
Call for Performance Appraisals
The performance cycle runs from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018.
- Appraisals for policy covered staff must be completed by Friday, July 27, 2018
- Appraisals for represented staff are due Friday, August 31, 2018.
Questions regarding these dates may be directed to your departmental contact. (To access this link, you will be required to log in with your CruzID and blue password.
The purpose of performance management is to effectively engage teams in the mission of the university. The key to effective performance management involves a few basic elements:
- Crafting goals that are specific, important (mission-based) and measurable.
- Frequent and candid feedback to all team members about their performance.
- Coaching and support for staff to enable them to achieve their goals.
When goals are well formed and feedback is occurring frequently, the annual performance appraisals become a time to summarize communications that have been occurring throughout the year. It is expected that all employees have an appraisal every year and is required as part of the annual pay for performance cycle.
Online Appraisal Form
Last year we developed an online form to replace the paper-based forms. The electronic form and process creates efficiencies and a smoother workflow. It is an interim tool for the campus to use until the implementation of the ePerformance module of UCPath, expected in September 2019.
Please note: All staff (represented and policy covered) should be appraised using the electronic form. This includes academic supervisors (Department Chairs, Principal Investigators, etc.) who will need to use the online appraisal form to evaluate their staff employees. If you are a supervisor of staff, you will need to use this new online form for the 2017/18 appraisal call.
Managers and supervisors are encouraged to keep appraisals succinct. It is not necessary to report each and every detail of performance. The appraisal is a summary of performance of key expectations including goals and core job responsibilities. It should focus on the impact of performance with a few examples and explanation of the overall rating.
- Access the online form: https://appraisals.ucsc.edu
- Log in with your CruzID and blue password.
- Please review the “help and tutorials” linked in the left hand navigation for step by step instructions designed to guide employees through the process.
- Help is available by emailing appraisals@ucsc.edu.
Staff HR provides consulting and training to support managers and supervisors in completing appraisals. Your Employee Relations (ER) analyst can provide you with advice and assistance in discussing pay for performance with your staff and in writing performance appraisals. As a reminder: when reviewing a performance issue that may warrant the rating of “improvement needed,” or “unacceptable ,” please engage with your ER analyst for assistance prior to delivering the performance appraisal.
Training on Performance Management
Free training is available to help managers and supervisors conduct performance appraisals. If you need additional information on this topic please contact Teresa Roffe (roffe@ucsc.edu) or Rhonda Rhodes (rhonda@ucsc.edu).
Policy Covered Employee Merit Program
This merit-based program determines salary increases based on individuals’ performance and contribution.
- Eligibility
- Individuals appointed to career or partial-year positions covered by PPSM before January 2, 2018, at any UC location, and who are still on career or partial-year status at UCSC on July 1, 2018.
- Non-probationary employees as of July 1, 2018.
- Individuals who are still on the payroll as a career or partial-year employee as of the payout date.
- Individuals with UC Santa Cruz contract appointments if so stipulated in the terms of the contract, and other eligibility criteria are met.
- Structure
- The program has a 3 percent control figure. This is determined by calculating 3 percent of the sum of the salaries for eligible staff as of July 13, 2018. Divisions will determine salary increases within the 3 percent control figure and allocate to each employee. Employees with multiple funding distributions must receive the the same merit percentage for each distribution.
- Given the 3 percent control figure, the recommended individual increase range for “met expectations” or better performance is 0 percent to 4.5 percent. However, managers are responsible for making these decisions and can take into account these factors:
- Individual performance against goals (receives the most weight)
- Position of the individual in their current pay range
- Other salary actions that may have occurred during the year
- Staff HR Compensation will provide merit rosters to units by the close of business on August 6, 2018, with information needed to determine merit increases. Merit process trainings will be available for department representatives.
- The merit rosters must be completed and returned to Compensation by the close of business on August 24, 2018.
- The effective date of pay increases will be July 1, 2018 for both biweekly and monthly paid employees. The new pay rates will appear on the September 19, 2018 paychecks for biweekly paid employees and on the October 1, 2018 paychecks for monthly paid employees. Pay for the retroactive portion of the increase (back to July 1, 2018) will appear on the October 31, 2018 paychecks for biweekly paid employees and on the November 1, 2018 paychecks for monthly paid employees.
For further information regarding the performance appraisal process or pay for performance, please contact your Staff HR Employee Relations (ER) analyst to arrange an in-person consultation with your division/unit.
Thank you,
Grace McClintock
Steven Stein
