ARTICLE 29 - EMPLOYEE EVALUATION

Section 1. Performance evaluations are designed to serve the needs of both the employee and employer. An organized program for employee performance evaluation will:

  1. Improve employee satisfaction and potentially reduce employee absenteeism, turnover, and grievance;
  2. Serve as an important motivational tool and improve the quality of job performance;
  3. Enhance the ability to achieve Affirmative Action goals through improved supervisor-employee communication;
  4. Base personnel actions on objective, accurate and fair performance appraisals;
  5. Monitor the performance of probationary employees on a timely basis. Performance evaluation is the review and rating of all factors relevant to an employee's effectiveness on the job. It involves observation, guidance, training and open communication between the employee and supervisor. For it to be of significant benefit to both the individual employee and the employer, it should be a continuous process. Performance evaluation should be seen primarily as a developmental tool. It's purpose is to assess an employee's job related strengths and weaknesses and develop his/her competence to the fullest. In a correctly executed evaluation, the supervisor and the employee work together to find the means by which the employee's ability can be strengthened and directed.

Section 2. A performance evaluation of all bargaining unit employees in a Department (or Major Business Unit (MBU) shall be completed annually during a sixty (60) day period selected by the employer. This period should be made known to employees by the Department head in writing; with exception of a probationary employee who shall be evaluated at the completion of the first three (3) months of probationary service and within one month prior to the completion of the probationary period. Employees that transferred into the Department (or MBU) within three (3) months prior to the commencement of the evaluation cycle shall not be evaluated. For any bargaining unit position in which an employee's immediate supervisor is not a University employee, the employee's evaluation shall be independently reviewed by the employee's University-employed intermediate supervisor. Such evaluation will be recorded in writing on the form attached hereto, as Appendix A, and shall be made on the basis of the following criteria.

In an unusual case, where a Department/MBU can demonstrate that an unforeseeable and significant circumstance has arisen that make it impossible for evaluations to be completed within the established sixty (60) day period, the Department may be granted up to an additional thirty (30) days to complete all evaluations. If a supervisor requests an extension, in the limited circumstances described above, the University shall inform the Association and, if requested, a meeting will be held to review the need for such extension. This schedule for performing annual performance reviews shall be effective on January 1, 2006.

Section 3.

  1. To the extent possible, an employee who may be nearing a " Fails to Meet Expectations" rating shall be counseled by his/her supervisor at least three months in advance of the final stage of the evaluation as to the specific areas that must be improved and what he/she must do to attain a "Meets Expectations" rating.
  2. Each employee shall receive a written copy of his/her evaluation and shall be entitled to discuss the evaluation with his/her immediate supervisor and, if requested, with the supervisor of the next higher level than the immediate supervisor who has been assigned to review the performance evaluation. For the purpose of this article, the term immediate supervisor shall mean an individual who is outside of the bargaining unit.
  3. Upon receipt of a " Fails to Meet Expectations" evaluation the employee shall receive a remedial plan
  4. The re-evaluation period shall be up to 180 days in length. An employee may request to have his/her re-evaluation done at any time during the re-evaluation period with thirty (30) days notice to the supervisor to determine if a " Meets Expectations" rating has been achieved. If an employee receives a " Meets Expectations" evaluation during the re-evaluation period, he/she shall be eligible for the denied Step and/or denied salary increase effective the first full payroll week after the date of receiving the " Meets Expectations" review.
  5. An employee' s rating during the re-evaluation process shall not retard his/her anniversary date for Step purposes.

Section 4. The Personnel Administrator shall receive all evaluations from the immediate supervisors and shall retain such evaluations, together with any recommendations made on the basis of any such evaluation, and any evidence or materials submitted in support of such evaluation, in the respective personnel file of each employee. Upon receipt of an employee's evaluation, the Personnel Administrator or designee shall determine whether a rating of "Exceeds Expectations," "Meets Expectations" or "Fails to Meet Expectations" shall apply.

Section 5. The Personnel Administrator shall receive all evaluations from the immediate supervisors and shall retain such evaluations, together with any recommendations made on the basis of any such evaluation, and any evidence or materials submitted in support of such evaluation, in the respective personnel file of each employee. Upon receipt of an employee's evaluation, the Personnel Administrator and/or designee shall determine whether a rating of "Exceeds Expectations," "Meets Expectations" or "Fails to Meet Expectations" shall apply. The point average of an employee, who is eligible to receive a salary rate increase pursuant to Article 14, Section 1, B and C, or a step increase pursuant to Article 14, Section 3, shall be compiled as follows: - For a rating of Superior, four (4) points should be granted;
- For a rating of Above Standard, three (3) points shall be granted;
- For a rating of Good, two (2) points shall be granted;
- For a rating of Fair, one (1) point shall be granted;
- For a rating of Unsatisfactory, zero (0) points shall be granted.
The total number of points shall then be divided by the number of categories rated (exclude not applicable). The result shall be the employee' s point average for salary purposes. A point average of 2.0 or higher shall indicate the employee " Meets Expectations."

Section 6. Any evaluation so retained in respect of any employee may be reviewed by such employee in the office of the Personnel Administrator at any reasonable time upon prior written notice. Such employee shall have the right to file a written statement in response to any such evaluation.

Section 7.

  1. An employee may not grieve the substance of his/her evaluation, except where such evaluation results in a negative action. A negative action shall include denial of a pay raise or a step increase. Thirty days after the execution of this Agreement, the Labor/Management Committee will meet to discuss alternative ways to appeal a negative evaluation.
  2. Employees may grieve the evaluation procedure, as set out in the preceding Sections of this Article, to step four (4) of the grievance procedure.

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