Performance management cycle for support staff kicks off with fresh approach

Human Resources is helping answer the increasing call for a more dynamic and engaged career experience through Connect to Perform, the University of Calgary’s renewed approach to performance management. Connect to Perform was first launched to MaPS in 2017 — this April, it’s rolling out to support staff.

Marcia Bulchholz, associate vice-president of human resources, says real and frequent conversations are central to the new performance management philosophy.

“A positive workplace culture thrives on two-way dialogue between managers and their direct reports,” says Bulchholz. “Through Connect to Perform, UCalgary is fostering conversations that will help us do our best as individuals, as teams and as an institution.”     

Online performance management system

The most overt and immediate change for support staff and their managers is the move from paper-based performance documentation to online performance documents available through the my.ucalgary.ca portal.

As of April — the start of the 2018/19 performance cycle — most support staff and managers can create and access the digital performance documents at any time throughout the year. MaPS employees have been using the online performance platform since 2013.  

“We’ve seen that online performance documents can make a meaningful difference in the way employees and managers engage with the performance management process, because they can be developed over time with collaboration from both managers and their employees,” says Buchholz.

Talk regularly — talk growth 

Connect to Perform is all about frequent conversations between staff and their managers, but quality is as important as quantity when it comes to healthy dialogue and feedback. The aim is to strike a balance between giving and receiving regular feedback and topics relating to development and growth.

“Of course, there needs to be discussion about performance, but conversations focused on growth and skills acquisition can positively impact how staff members experience their careers at UCalgary,” says Buchholz. “Connect to Perform encourages open conversations regarding opportunities for new challenges and development.”

Start using the 2018/19 online performance documents today

Connect to Perform enables support staff to take a more active role in tracking and recording professional development. Start off strong this performance cycle — here’s what support staff and their reports-to managers can do now:

• Explore and use the new online performance documents:
  • Support staff – log in to my.ucalgary.ca and click on All about me > My job > Performance management.
  • Managers – log in to my.ucalgary.ca and click on My work > People Management > Manager self-service > Performance management.
     
• Managers and their direct reports should continue to meet one-on-one regularly. Record notes from one-on-one meetings under the Check-ins tab. Both support staff ­­and their managers can add notes and view each other’s comments.

• Under the Goals/Competencies tab, managers and support staff can each make private notes about performance and accomplishments relating to the specific competencies assessed during the annual review process. You can choose to include these notes in annual review documentation or to use them informally to help you remember achievements throughout the year. Not everything relates to specific competencies — capture these significant successes under the Other Achievements tab.
  
  During the 2018/19 performance year, expectations and goals will not be captured using online performance documents. Support staff and their reports-to managers may choose to establish and track performance goals using an offline goal-setting template available under the Goals/Competencies tab.

• Whether you’re working on skills and behaviour that require development for success, or building on existing strengths, support staff and their managers can use the Development Plan tab to build a collaborative strategy that will help achieve and measure concrete results.

Not all support staff will automatically receive an online performance document in the first year. Managers of support staff without an online document can request documents for their direct reports.

Learn more on the Connect to Perform website or at an upcoming webinar or classroom session. If you have questions about Connect to Perform for support staff, contact your HR advisor.