PM Annual Appraisal
At Carolina, the annual performance appraisal reflects on the progress of the previous year. To support performance development and success in their role, SHRA and EHRA Non-Faculty employees who work more than six months during the performance appraisal cycle are required to have an annual performance review. All appraisal tasks are completed online through Carolina Talent Performance.
About
When evaluating performance, it’s important for employees and managers to consider what the employee achieved and how they achieved it.
- The what includes the specific results that were achieved, the positive outcomes, and the broader impact.
- The how includes consideration for our organizational values and the competencies and behaviors that create our organizational culture.
Through the annual appraisal process, managers and employees can together:
- Establish a shared understanding of past performance, including both the what and how of performance.
- Reflect on the accomplishments and challenges of the past year.
- Partner on identifying growth areas and building a development plan.
- Collaboratively define the performance goals for the next year.
The annual performance appraisal is the written review of an employee’s performance from the previous performance cycle. It is a core manager responsibility and expectation that all managers provide each of their performance-eligible employees with an annual appraisal as outlined in the Employee Performance Management and Appraisal Policy.
Although the annual appraisal is completed just once each year, providing regular, constructive feedback on employee performance is central to the manager’s role and overall team performance. We recommend that managers and individual employees meet regularly (weekly or bi-weekly) to facilitate ongoing conversations on performance and development throughout the year.
The main components of the annual appraisal are:
- Ratings on individual and institutional goals
- Optional employee self-assessment
At Carolina, the performance cycle runs April 1 to March 31 and is the year period that an employee’s performance evaluation is based on.
Employee eligibility for certain appraisal-related tasks and reviews is determined by whether an employee has worked at the University for at least six months during this cycle. Performance-eligible SHRA and EHRA Non-Faculty employees are on the same performance cycle. See Eligibility section below for details.
Performance Season
The performance season runs March 10 to June 10, which is the three-month period when the previous performance cycle ends and the next performance cycle begins. Most of the planning and documentation tasks related to employee performance occur during performance season.
The dates below outline the general timeline for the performance season:
- March 10 – 31 is the two-week period for employees to complete the optional self-assessment to close out the previous year.
- April 1 – June 3 is the timeline for managers and employees to meet to discuss performance and plans and for managers to complete their employees’ annual appraisals and performance plans and, for SHRA employees, the Employee Competency Assessment.
- Managers complete the performance appraisal (Manager Review task in Carolina Talent)
Beginning April 1
- Managers and employees begin to consider performance planning and collaboratively draft performance and development goals for the coming year (to be included in the employee’s performance plan)
- Managers begin the employee competency assessment for SHRA employees
May 1–20
- HR Representatives complete the HR Checkpoint and review appraisals for compliance
- Managers can begin planning for their performance conversations with employees including:
- Scheduling these meetings to occur in the May 21-June 3 timeframe
- Preparing for how to provide feedback, recognize employees, discuss development areas and discuss future goals
May 21-June 10
- Managers complete any remaining competency assessments for SHRA employees
- Managers sign the employee appraisal and release it for employee review (Manager Release task in Carolina Talent)
- Managers and employees meet for a performance conversation to discuss the annual appraisal and finalize performance goals and development plan for the coming year
- Managers submit the employee’s performance plan in Carolina Talent, including employee performance and development goals for the coming year
- Employees have 15 days following manager submission to acknowledge the performance plan and SHRA competency assessment in Carolina Talent.
More about Key Dates in performance season.
Eligibility
Employees who are eligible for an annual appraisal are all permanent EHRA Non-Faculty and SHRA employees (part-time and full-time, permanent and time-limited) who have worked at UNC-Chapel Hill for at least 6 months (before Oct. 1) prior to the end of the performance appraisal cycle (March 31). This includes probationary employees, new hires and transfers.
Employees who are eligible for an annual appraisal are also eligible for the other performance season tasks, including the performance plan and development plan. The Employee Competency Assessment (ECA) is required only for SHRA employees.
For more information about eligibility and exceptions, see the Employee Performance Management and Appraisal Policy.
- Probationary SHRA employees who have NOT worked at the University for at least six months
- EHRA Non-Faculty employees who have NOT worked at the University for at least six months
- Faculty
- Temporary employees
- Student employees
- Employees on leave for six or more months during the performance cycle or on leave during the performance season
- Employees in position types that follow an alternative performance appraisal procedure
- Post-doctoral scholars
For more information about eligibility and exceptions, see the Employee Performance Management and Appraisal Policy.
Ratings
Employee Ratings & Reviews
At the end of the performance cycle, managers rate employee performance toward institutional and individual goals as part of the annual appraisal. The ratings for each goal align with the expectation levels established in the performance plan for that same performance cycle. See the Goals webpage for more information about goals.
Managers enter comments for each of their employees as part of the annual appraisal. Comments relate to the employee’s performance for the previous performance cycle.
Rating Scale
Managers use the following standardized three-point rating scale set by the University of North Carolina System.
- Employee consistently exceeds the level defined in the performance plan in terms of quantity, quality, timeliness, cost, and customer satisfaction due to the employee’s own effort and skills.
- Employee’s work performance is consistently characterized by exceptionally high quality work accomplished with minimal oversight.
- Employee generally performs at the level defined in the performance plan in terms of quantity, quality, timeliness, cost, and customer satisfaction due to the employee’s own effort and skills.
- Employee is responsive to guidance and feedback from the supervisor such that only moderate oversight is required to ensure sufficient work is being accomplished.
- Employee often performs below the level defined in the performance plan in terms of quantity, quality, timeliness, cost, and customer satisfaction due to the employee’s lack of effort or skills.
- Employee has a performance deficiencies that have not improved after receiving corrective feedback by the manager/supervisor, and/or increased oversight is required to ensure work is being accomplished.
Managers must hold a mid-cycle review the following October for each employee who receives any rating of Not Meeting Expectations on their last annual performance appraisal.
Employees that receive any rating of “Not Meeting Expectations” cannot receive an overall rating of “Exceeding Expectations,” regardless of the results achieved on other goals.
Note: Managers should NOT apply the “Not Meeting Expectations” rating to employees whose objectives became misaligned with evolving priorities, leading to unmet goals due to changes unrelated to their performance. Please contact your HR representative to assist in updating goals within Carolina Talent to accurately represent these adjustments.
Rating Guidance & Examples
UNC System Descriptions of 3-Point Rating Scale (pdf)
UNC System Institutional Goals 3-Point Rating Scale (pdf)
- Example of Position Description and Individual Goals with Ratings at Not Meeting Expectations level (pdf)
- Example of Position Description and Individual Goals with Ratings at Meeting Expectations level (pdf)
- Example of Position Description and Individual Goals with Ratings at Exceeding Expectations level (pdf)
Ratings Calculations
- Institutional Goal Score = Institutional Goal Weight x Rating
- Individual Goal Score = Individual Goal Weight x Rating
- Overall Rating Calculation = (institutional goal score x 50%) + (individual goal score x 50%)
- 2.7-3.00 = Exceeding Expectations*
- 1.7 – 2.69 = Meeting Expectations
- 1.0 – 1.69 = Not Meeting Expectations
*If an employee received a disciplinary action or any institutional/individual goal receives a rating of Not Meeting Expectations, and the overall score is over 2.7, the overall final rating will be manually updated to Meeting Expectations.
Annual Appraisal in Carolina Talent
Annual appraisals — and all the steps within the appraisal, including the employee self-assessment and manager ratings — take place online through Carolina Talent Performance. The information entered into Carolina Talent for the appraisal task makes up the final appraisal document for the performance cycle.
See the Performance season timeline toggle in the About section for more information.
Note: Once the final step, the Employee Acknowledgement task, is complete, Carolina Talent makes available the final Annual Appraisal document. Managers and employees can both view the appraisal document in Carolina Talent Performance > Performance Documents.
From May 1-20, HR will assess the submitted appraisals through a checkpoint process. If there is an issue with an appraisal that needs to be addressed, your department’s HR Representative will contact you. Otherwise, you will receive a notification on May 21 to sign the appraisal and allow it to be released to the employee.
The HR Checkpoint occurs annually May 1–20.
- Manager’s rating of the employee’s performance in accomplishing the year’s institutional and individual goals.
- Employee’s optional self-assessment of the work done for the year.
- Manager’s comments on the employee’s performance for the year.
- Manager and employee signatures.
You can view your employees’ appraisal document/s in Carolina Talent Performance > My Profile/Team -> Snapshot. Appraisal files are titled EHRA-NF or SHRA Annual Appraisal 20XX-20XX.
The notification email includes:
- Task name (ex: Performance Plan 20xx-20xx)
- Name of the in the appraisal process (ex: Employee Acknowledgment)
- Due date
- Link to Carolina Talent Performance
You will also receive system emails:
- Each time you or one of your employees completes a task in Carolina Talent Performance.
- Every Friday during performance season; this weekly Carolina Talent Performance Digest email outlines your active tasks and due dates.
Employee Competency Assessment
The Employee Competency Assessment (ECA) is required only for SHRA employees and documents the previous year’s ratings of the skills necessary for the position. Managers complete the Employee Competency Assessment annually for their SHRA employees during the performance season, and both manager and employee sign the assessment.
The Employee Competency Assessment includes ratings on each skill, overall rating and manager comments. The completed ECA is part of an employee’s annual performance documentation and can be viewed in the Performance Documents section of Carolina Talent Performance.
See the Classification & Compensation Career Banding webpage for more details.
For Managers
Manager’s Role in Performance
Successful managers multiply their impact by delivering results through their team. Valuing the success of your team is the measure of your success as a manager.
See the Performance season timeline toggle in the About section for details about what to complete and when to complete it.
Managers must provide a written performance appraisal annually for their performance-eligible SHRA and EHRA Non-Faculty employees.
Managers must rate employee performance toward the employee’s goals for previous cycle on the following three-point scale:
- Exceeding Expectations
- Meeting Expectations
- Not Meeting Expectations
On each appraisal, managers must provide written overall comments explaining the ratings given.
The second-level manager of the employee is required to review the Performance Plan and the annual appraisal before they are issued to the employee.
The manager must hold a mid-cycle review in October for employees who received a rating of Not Meeting Expectations on any individual rating on their last annual performance appraisal.
See the Performance season timeline in the About section for details about what to complete and when to complete it.
As part of the appraisal conversation, managers should seek to understand the perspective of their employees on their performance for the past year as well as their growth areas and to collaborate with them on defining goals for the next year. In general, feedback shared during the annual appraisal should not be a surprise to employees because managers are having regular conversations with their team members about their performance and development. Prioritizing regular one-on-one meetings (weekly or bi-weekly) with your team members and being fully present in these meetings will enable their success and yours. This will also make the annual appraisal easier, more productive and more enjoyable for everyone involved.
When addressing employee progress toward individual and institutional goals, it is much easier to address what is getting done (the individual goals) versus how things are done (the institutional goals) since the what is oftentimes more tangible and concrete than the how. Talking with an employee about the “how” of performance – how team members collaborate, communicate, treat one another, and hold themselves and others accountable – takes courage and patience but is essential to the growth of individual employees and the functionality of a team.
Explore learning resources for preparing for your performance conversations with employees.
Help & How-tos
Carolina Talent Performance
View and complete performance tasks in Carolina Talent, and
visit the Carolina Talent Performance Hub for step-by-step instructions and FAQs.