As temperatures rise and the days begin to get longer, our thoughts turn to … the annual performance review and plan season. What, that’s not what you had in mind?
Regardless, performance management season will soon be upon us. This year some things will be different. That’s because the University will start using the Carolina Talent Performance tool. The system will be ready on April 1 for SHRA employee performance management and on July 1 for EHRA non-faculty employees.
What’s different this year?
The basic process and timelines will be the same: managers will create performance plans, development plans and reviews. For many of the steps, though, managers will use Carolina Talent. They will use the current Word form for 2020-2021 performance reviews and, once the form is signed, will upload it into Carolina Talent and enter the final ratings there. They’ll create the 2021-2022 performance plan completely in Carolina Talent.
What are some benefits?
Carolina Talent Performance lets managers and employees keep the performance documents at their fingertips, making it easier to continue the performance conversation all year. Less paper, pre-filled employee details in forms, online approvals, and easier entry of goals enables managers to focus on employee development instead of administrative details. Yes, that’s right, no more looking up PIDs and position numbers, and no more printing or emailing forms for approval. Managers also can create goals and assign them to more than one employee, and they can copy goals or move them forward to the next year.
Preparing managers and employees
To ease the transition to the new system, managers will receive online training, a webinar and a quick reference guide. Employees will also receive a quick reference guide. HR representatives will receive webinars and materials and will be armed with information to help spread the word. After the system goes live on April 1, managers will be invited to attend drop-in online office hours.
System previews and FAQs are available at Carolina Talent.
ITS’ Change Management team members have played a major role in efforts to prepare the University for this shift to Carolina Talent.
Early previewers like what they see
Some University managers have received a sneak preview of the new system. What are they saying about it?
“What I like most is that the system gives the opportunity for more collaboration between the supervisor and employee,” said Jo Ann Gustafson, Director of Operations and Senior Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Research.
Said Priya Hariharan of ITS Enterprise Applications: “I can see myself being less cranky around performance appraisal time.”
Richard Hill of ITS Infrastructure & Operations said he’s really excited to see the performance management process move away from using paper.
“Last year’s performance management cycle proved challenging because of the paper and signature requirements,” he said. “Removing those requirements and putting this all online will be a welcome change. Performance management processes and forms continue to evolve, and this feels like just another step to improve it and make managers lives easier. Change can be hard, but being able to sign off electronically on performance evaluations is worth it alone.”