Performance Evaluation

Formal written performance evaluations are to be completed for all regular employees to provide an accurate and actionable evaluation of performance, and assist in the development of that person’s skills in line with job tasks. 

See Performance Evaluations in the University of Nebraska Administration Human Resources Handbook for Policies.

Timing

  • Recommended at the end of the six-month probationary period or within six months after transfer or promotion to a new position.
  • Required annually, either on the anniversary of the employee’s hire date or at another time designated by the department.

The department is responsible for maintaining performance evaluations for all employees. These, along with other departmental records, are subject to periodic audits. 

See Records Retention for Employment Records Policy.

Educate Your Employees

Educate employees regarding the evaluation philosophy and standards of performance in advance. Provide examples of what constitutes “exceeds expectations”, “meets expectations”, and “needs improvement”. Sharing a copy of the evaluation form (it is recommended to do this during onboarding) will guide the employee in their job. Present this in a positive way that will inform your employees that the review is about feedback aimed at increasing the their effectiveness.

Online Course

Look for the Supervisor’s Guide to Staff Performance Evaluations training course in Bridge.

Bridge LMS

 

Questions?

Reach out to our Employee Relations team
📞 402.472.3101 
📧 hroffice@unl.edu
 

Evaluation Form

You may have your own departmental evaluation form, or you may choose to use the Performance Evaluation Form and Guidelines provided.

Evaluation Form

When a Written Evaluation is Not Completed

Regular Employees

When a written performance evaluation report is not completed, the employee may request assistance from Human Resources to work with the appropriate person to have the evaluation done.

Original Probationary Employees

If a performance evaluation report is not completed and signed by the date marking the end of the original probationary period, the employee automatically becomes a regular employee of the university.

Evaluation Timeline

  1. Employee Self Report

    Employee completes the Self Report of Accomplishments and Professional Development Plan form and submits it to respective supervisor by established deadline.

  2. Supervisor Assessment

    Supervisor completes Employee Evaluation and Development Review form after careful consideration of employee's performance over the entire rating period as well as the information provided by the employee self-report.

  3. Leadership Approval

    Supervisor discusses the evaluation with the next highest supervisor prior to discussing it with the employee.

  4. Performance Conversation

    The supervisor schedules time to meet with the employee to have a performance conversation to discuss the employee's performance for the previous year, and arrive at mutual understanding about goals and development for the coming year.

  5. Signatures

    Supervisor ensures a copy of the signed evaluation is given to the employee and placed in the personnel file.

Tips for the Evaluation

Prepare

Allow plenty of time to prepare evaluations properly as you do not want work under pressure. 

1. Review the employees job description, work goals, and professional development goals established for the year. 
  • Does the work the employee is currently doing in line with the written job description? If not, this may indicate the job description needs to be updated.
2. Review last year’s performance evaluation if applicable.
  • Relate evaluations to previous reviews. Are things better? Worse? The same?
  • Uses specific objectives previously set with employees as standards to measure progress.
3. Review documentation in management file.
  • Keep notes throughout the evaluation period. Do not rely on recall at the end of the review period.
  • Are their any kudos written? Disciplinary actions?
4. Review peer and customer input.
  • Seek input from other observers when appropriate (i.e., secondary supervisor).
5. Review employee’s self-evaluation.
  • Are their ratings inline with your evaluation? 
  • Throughout the past year, you should have supplemented periodic written evaluations with frequent verbal feedback. Written evaluations (negative or positive) should not come as a surprise to the employee.
6. Take into account environmental factors 
  • Have there been any organizational changes, FML/USSERA protected absences, etc.?
  • Changing nature of work such as, technological changes, job duties, or change in scope of work.

Dos & Don'ts

DO this

NOT this

Write clear and direct, be honest and transparent.Use fluffy words with little substance, “Nebraska Nice.”
Provide examples, include comments on scope and impact.Make statements without detail you can’t back up.
Use professional and job-relevant wording.Use personal language that is not related to the job.
If needed, use extra pages and/or combination ratings.Let the form restrict your assessment’s intended message.
Keep your tone helpful while remaining objective.Write words you’d regret if in the news or court.
Give thanks for work and effort, while rating on results.Give a good rating based on effort and potential.
Assess the entire evaluation period.Let recent events cloud or overshadow your judgment. 
Observe performance, ask others for observations.Guess about performance, nor include gossip or rumors.
Share expectations about performance regularly.Give surprise ratings or expectations.
Rate on what is documented because if it’s not recorded, it didn’t happen.Assume when talking about items, you don’t have to include in the evaluation because it’s “understood.”
Have your supervisor review your draft to check for understanding in effective written communication.Guess on how to communicate key issues without considering the employee’s need for clarity.
Write the evaluation as if you are telling a factual story to your predecessor, or for anyone to understand.Write the evaluation leaving out history or context which would leave a reader assuming or guessing.
Assess the employee’s performance individually based on position and unit standards.Rate everyone the same because they do similar work or it’s hard to distinguish levels of performance.
Think critically to determine if employees are all truly exceeding expectation, or if there are some outliers.Assess employees on an exact bell-curve model (although results could look like a bell-curve).

Performance Conversation

When discussing the employee's performance with them, you should have a written document. The employee is to receive a copy of the completed and signed evaluation to establish that the evaluation was conducted and the employee had the opportunity to review its contents. The employee must be offered the opportunity to comment and submit a written response to their performance evaluation which is to be retained with the completed evaluation in their employee file.

Tips for Having the Conversation

  • Put the employee at ease by explaining the purpose of the evaluation is to help the employee be more successful in their position. 
  • Be encouraging and supportive throughout the conversation. 
  • Say what has to be said clearly and move on.
  • If improvement is required, be clear about consequences if performance does not improve.
  • Criticize performance, not the person, when giving negative feedback.
  • Have the employee summarize the feedback to ensure their understanding.
  • Create a plan of development jointly with the employee.
  • End the evaluation on a positive note. Let the employee know you value their contributions and efforts.