Performance Management for Non-Unit Staff

What it is:  An online Performance Management System for Non‑Unit Professional Employees, Non‑Unit Academic Administrators, and Non‑Unit Classified Employees as part of the HR Modernization efforts.

Approach:  Moves from once‑a‑year administrative reviews to regular, documented check‑ins that emphasize coaching, clarity, and accountability year‑round.

Key features:  Centralized record of goals, feedback, and evaluations; improved visibility over time; structured tools for focused conversations; clearer documentation to support fair outcomes and employee development.

Institutional benefit:  Links individual goals and performance conversations to UMass Amherst priorities, creating clearer expectations and more consistent, equitable decision‑making across units.

Note:  Merit-based increases apply to Non‑Unit Professional Employees and Non‑Unit Academic Administrators. Non‑Unit Classified Employees will use the NEOED platform while pay increases follow a step‑scale progression.

1. Login to NEOED
2. Click the “Add Current Year Goals” task under the To-Do tab
3. Review goals added by your manager. Only your manager can remove or edit placeholder goals. Reach out to your manager if edits are necessary
4. Click the green “Add Goals” button in the upper right corner of the Goals section.
5. Name the goal
6. Set the due date using the calendar picker. A due date of June 30th aligns with the close of the performance cycle, but any date can be selected included due dates past June 30th for multi-year goals
7. Select “Individual” from the Category dropdown
8. Enter the goal description following the SMART framework
9. To add more goals, click the “Save and Add Another” button
10. After adding 3-5 goals, click the Save button
11. If you need to edit a goal, click the pencil button next to each goal you want to edit
12. If you need to remove a goal, click the X button. This action permanently removes the goal
13.  Click the green “Submit Content” button on the left side of the screen
14. A dialogue box will appear to confirm you are finished. Click “Yes, I’m Finished” to submit your goals or “No, Let’s Go Back” if additional changes are needed

15. The goals now sit with your manager for approval

    Click here to watch a video overview of this step.

1. Login to NEOED
2. Click the “Goals Review and Approval” task under the To-Do tab
3. Review the overview of the goals in the Goals section or click each one to see all details
4. If you need to edit a goal, click the pencil button next to each goal you want to edit
5. If you need to remove a goa, click the X button. This action permanently removes the goal
6. Click the green “Submit Content” button on the left side of the screen
7. A dialogue box will appear to confirm you are finished. Click “Yes, I’m Finished” to submit your goals or “No, Let’s Go Back” if additional changes are needed

8. The goals now sit with the employee for their signature

   Click here to watch a video overview of this step.

1. Login to NEOED
2. Click the “Sign Amherst Non-Unit Performance Evaluation” task under the To-Do tab
3. Review the narrative questions and finalized goals. Check with your manager to verify if they made any edits to your goals
4. Click the green “Sign” button in the top right corner of the Acknowledgement Form
5. Click the “Submit” button in the dialogue box to send your electronic signature
6. The Goal Setting phase of the performance cycle is now complete 

Click here to watch a video overview of this step.

Q: I am an employee and I have already submitted my goals to my manager, is there a way I can make updates/edits?

A. Once you have submitted your goals to your manager you cannot make changes to them yourself. If your manager is still reviewing the goals, you can have them make changes

Q: I am a manager and an employee has submitted their goals to me, can I send them back to the employee to make edits?

A: See answer above. Once an employee has submitted their goals, managers will need to make any additional edits.

Q. What if an employee does not complete their set goal within a year?

A. If a set goal is not completed, the employee should be evaluated on the work towards the goal they were able to complete within the year.

Q. Will it be easy to carry over goals from one year to another if there are some that are ongoing?

A: Yes, there is an option to "Roll-Over" goals from one evaluation cycle to the next.

Q: If we have team goals, can I enter those?

A: Goals that you set for your evaluation in NEOED should be in terms of your individual role. If you want one of your goals to reflect one shared by the team, make sure the goal description reflects what the expectations are around your contribution to it.

Q: Should managers have conversations with their direct reports before employees enter goals in NEOED?

A. Yes. Managers should help their employees talk through what their goals should be for the review period and what language should be used to record them in NEOED. 

Q: I need help with goal writing and having check-in conversations.
A. For both employees and managers, review the Goal Setting & Conversations Guide for helpful tips, scripts, and prompts.

Q: Where is the University's Strategic Plan?
A. Read the UMass Amherst Strategic Plan that includes:
-Vision, Mission, Values
-Goals, Objectives and Strategies
-Metrics of Success

Q: What should be done if the employee will be on leave and unable to enter their goals before the manger needs to complete the employee evaluation?

The goal entry task can be reassigned to their manager who can enter the goals that the employee will be evaluated on.

To have evaluation tasks re-assigned, open an askHR ticket "my topic is not listed here - staff education and learning - performance management". Give the name of the employee who is unavailable to complete their evaluation task, and the name of their direct manager who will be completing the goal entry on their behalf.

Q: What should be done if a manger is on leave during the goal approval steps or employee evaluation steps?

A: The manager's manager can be assigned to perform the steps on the evaluation in NEOED.
Ideally the direct manger would have a conversation with their manager giving an overview of the employee's performance before they are out on leave.

To have evaluation tasks re-assigned, open an askHR ticket "my topic is not listed here - staff education and learning - performance management". Give the name of the employee whose evaluation needs to be updated, their direct manager and the name of the supervisor who will be acting on behalf of the manager who is unavailable.

Q: Can we push deadlines back (i.e. employee self-assessment, year-end evaluations)?

A: To allow adequate time for compensation to perform merit calculations and assign pay, we need participants to follow the deadlines that have been set.

Q: What should be done if a manger is on leave during the goal approval steps or employee evaluation steps?

A: The manager's manager can be assigned to perform the steps on the evaluation in NEOED.
Ideally the direct manger would have a conversation with their manager giving an overview of the employee's performance before they are out on leave.

To have evaluation tasks re-assigned, open an askHR ticket "my topic is not listed here - staff education and learning - performance management". Give the name of the employee whose evaluation needs to be updated, their direct manager and the name of the supervisor who will be acting on behalf of the manager who is unavailable.