To establish a consistent performance management process that provides University Staff employees with clear objectives, ongoing and valuable feedback, professional development and recognition for work well done. The goal is to ensure that employees’ job performance is in alignment with UW System and UWM mission, values and objectives.

Wis. Stat. § 36.115(2) requires the Board of Regents to develop personnel systems that are separate and distinct from the personnel system under Wis. Stats. Chapter 230. Effective July 1, 2015 the Performance Evaluation provisions of Wis. Stat § 230. 37, ER 45.03 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code and the procedures established by the Office of State Employment Relations are no longer applicable to current UW System University Staff Employees. Therefore this policy and these procedures provide the framework for a performance management and evaluation program at UWM.

The performance review provisions for Academic Staff employees at UWM can be found in the Academic Staff Personnel Policies and Procedures Chapter 105 Performance Reviews, and Academic Staff Documents Policy No. A0001 Performance Evaluations. The Academic Staff Annual Evaluation Form is Academic Staff Document No. A0017.

UWM Faculty personnel provisions can be found at Faculty Policies and Procedures Chapter 5. Tenured Faculty Review and Development is found in Regent Policy Document 20-9 Guidelines for Tenured Faculty Review and Development, and UWM Tenured Faculty Review and Development, No. S-52.75.

Teaching Evaluation Policy is found at Regent Policy Document 20-2, Student Evaluation of Instruction, and UWM Teaching Evaluation Policies, No. SAAP 1-16.

Evaluation of Teaching Assistants is found at Regent Policy Document 20-17, Selection, Training, and Evaluation of Teaching Assistants.

Performance Evaluation means a continual process of identifying, measuring and developing job-related employee performance.

Performance Management is a continual process of establishing expectations, ongoing coaching and feedback, and measuring outcomes in formal performance evaluations.

All UWM employees, other than employees-in-training and student hourly employees, will be subject to a performance management process. This is intended to provide a framework for the process that will foster continued improvement in the work performance of UWM employees and serve as a component in the determination of merit-based salary adjustments for eligible employees.

The performance management system(s) will ensure that:

• Supervisors are adequately trained to evaluate performance;
• Employees perform work that accomplishes the needs of UWM;
• Employees clearly understand the expectations for the work they perform;
• Employees receive ongoing information about how effectively they are meeting expectations;
• Merit increases are consistent with employee performance;
• Opportunities for employee development are identified and provided;
• Employee performance which does not meet expectations is addressed;
• Management applies performance ratings in a fair and consistent manner.

All employees with an expectation of continued employment (those who are past any applicable probationary period) will be evaluated at least annually. It is recommended that a fixed annual completion date for all staff, (e.g. June 30 or December 31 of each year) be chosen by the applicable unit. Additional reviews may be conducted as needed.

All employees currently serving a probation period will be evaluated at least once during the probation period. Additional reviews may be conducted as needed.

It is recommended that feedback be utilized where applicable; for example the employer could solicit feedback on the employee’s performance from clients or constituents of the employee’s work product. Employees should be given the opportunity to self-evaluate prior to formal completion of an evaluation if they so choose.

Supervisors should use appropriate evaluation forms. Supervisors should meet with employees to review completed evaluations.

A performance evaluation is not subject to the grievance procedure. Employees may submit a written rebuttal to an evaluation to the evaluating supervisor, the Human Resources Business Partner for the School/College or Division, and to the Department of Human Resources. The rebuttal will be included in the employee’s Official Personnel File along with the evaluation.

Completed evaluations will be kept in the Official Personnel File in the Department of Human Resources.

The completed performance evaluation is a critical component in determining pay increases both as part of and outside the pay plan. The Chancellor shall have a salary evaluation system in place for all staff, the results of which can be a factor to be considered for pay plan purposes.

The salary review should be conducted in accordance with the performance standards outlined in Recommendation #9 of the 1992 Report of the Governor’s Commission on University of Wisconsin Compensation which states salary adjustments should be awarded primarily, if not exclusively, on the basis of merit.

For further details see UW System Administrative Policy SYS 1277, Compensation, and UW System Administrative Policy SYS 1278, UW System Pay Plan Distribution Framework for University Workforce.