The following guidance is in addition to the general guidance on Staff Review and Development (SRD).
It is in the interest of institutions to ensure that systems are in place to support their employees’ work and development, and there is an expectation that senior leaders will enable this. Building and maintaining a commitment to effective SRD conversations will help to embed SRD as a part of good employment practice and contribute to a positive workplace. Good practice may include the following:
- Raising awareness of the benefits of and commitment to SRD, starting from induction and maintaining it throughout the employment.
- Ensuring there is a named reviewer for every employee (see the Allocation of a reviewer section in the SRD guidance).
- Regularly communicating institutional goals and plans to help align team and individual plans.
- Providing practical systems to remind and clarify about the process, including timing.
For most individuals SRD is likely to be an annual conversation, combined with regular 1 to 1 meetings to review work, development and wellbeing on an ongoing basis. There is flexibility for institutions to implement this locally. In some areas there may be external requirements for appraisal to comply with, for example, to meet funding criteria or to maintain professional accreditation.
Institutions have flexibility to decide the best times in their area and for different groups. Current practice across the University highlights two main approaches.
- Agree a set period each year for SRD meetings, e.g. a month or a term. This may be for the whole institution or may alter according to activity, role or area. It may align with broader planning cycles, or to fit with planning and workload cycles within different teams. This approach can help to bring a collective approach to planning work and development whilst agreeing individual goals. It can also help to provide practical support and oversight from an institutional view.
- Individual schedules that may follow annually from probation, or according to role. This allows for flexibility and a tailored approach where necessary. It relies more on individual organisation and may be harder to monitor completion or identify wider trends.
Whatever the approach, institutions can support by maintaining records of when SRD conversations have taken place and by providing reminders and clarity for all about the process and the practicalities, including:
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Where to find relevant local documentation and guidance, as well as University guidance on SRD
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How to let their institutional administrator know when the meeting has taken place so this can be added to their record on CHRIS (see section 11 of CHRIS for Institutions manual for guidance on how to do this).
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How to share their recorded document with the HoD or nominated person
Management information from CHRIS is provided to departments that may support – see CHRIS burst reports library. NB the process for managing and monitoring SRDs will be further supported by the new University HR system.
For information about how SRD data should be used and stored, please see the University webpages at https://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/hr-staff/hr-data/how-we-handle-your-personal-data.
SRD is not linked to other processes such as disciplinary, capability, promotion or recognition of distinction decisions (also see SCM Appraisals).
All employees are expected to perform their duties to an acceptable standard and behave in an appropriate way at all times. SRD is not a mechanism for managing underperformance or inappropriate behaviour and feedback should not be kept for this conversation. Concerns should be addressed at the earliest appropriate time, with discussion and support for improvement, to reduce risk of escalation or conflict and ensure productive working relationships and outcomes. SRD may provide an opportunity to reflect on change over the year, to acknowledge improvements and consider areas to work on. Please refer to the Capability, Disciplinary and Dignity at Work, and contact your School HR Advisor for further guidance and support about managing current concerns.
A round of individual SRD conversations within an institution provides a valuable opportunity for senior leaders to identify wider trends on employee engagement, consider/agree broader actions and provide feedback to recognise the collective strengths and direction of the organisation. Done well, SRD supports progression, succession, recruitment, retention and overall satisfaction.
Please contact your HR Advisory School Team or Personal and Professional Development to discuss ways to refresh or review this area, for the whole institution or for a particular group of employees.