Performance at UNC | Guidance for Managers
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Onboarding New Employees
Setting up your new employee for success begins before their first day and requires being thoughtful and intentional about creating a welcoming and effective onboarding experience.
- Create a detailed onboarding plan covering hardware, software, office access, supplies, key meetings, processes and any training. Leverage this checklist as a starting point for your onboarding plan.
- While onboarding is the manager’s responsibility, consider asking other team members for their support in onboarding your new hire. Share the onboarding plan with them in advance and clarify their role in the onboarding process. By involving others, this helps your new hire feel welcomed and connected.
- Consider identifying an onboarding buddy who can serve as a mentor in the first few weeks of work. An ideal onboarding buddy is an experienced colleague or team member who is a positive role model, excited to support your new hire and available to answer questions.
- Reach out to your new employee before their start date to convey your excitement about them joining, validate their decision, and let them know what to expect on day one.
- Greet your new employee and warmly welcome them on their first day.
- Hold your first one-on-one with your new employee with a focus on getting to know them better and sharing a bit more about yourself and the team.
- Share your contact information.
- Help with answering questions or pointing your new employee in the right direction.
- Make it special with a first-day gift of UNC swag.
- Email your department to introduce your new employee and describe their role and the skills and experience that they bring to the team.
- Introduce your new employee to their team members.
- Conduct a tour around the office for your new employee to meet everyone.
- Walk your new employee through the onboarding plan and answer any questions they may have about their onboarding.
- Establish open lines of communication and clearly articulate job expectations, performance standards and relevant policies.
- Clarify how new hires’ activities support team and University goals.
- Schedule regular one-on-ones (weekly or bi-weekly) to discuss performance and development plans. Work together with your new employee to establish clear, achievable goals. This collaboration ensures mutual understanding and commitment to their responsibilities and performance expectations. Regularly revisit and adjust goals as needed. Setting performance goals not only provides your new hire with a sense of direction but also enables you to monitor their progress effectively.
- Make introductions to key people with whom your new employee may interact or collaborate.
- For SHRA probationary employees: Complete quarterly probationary review.
- Be clear on how your new team member’s day-to-day activities support your team’s purpose and the University’s mission and strategic goals.
- Ensure the established goals are documented and signed off by completing the performance plan document task. This formalizes the goals and sets a clear path for the employee’s performance.
- Regularly revisit employee’s goals, providing guidance and support as necessary, to ensure alignment and facilitate success.
- Continue to check-in regularly to see how things are going for your new employee, ask if they need additional support and acknowledge their contributions.
- For SHRA probationary employees: Complete quarterly probationary review.
- Invest time and resources in training and development opportunities for your new employees.
- Offer targeted training to help them acquire or refine specific skills required for their role.
- Encourage participation in workshops, seminars or online courses that promote continuous learning and growth.
- Continue to check-in regularly to see how things are going for your new employee, ask if they need additional support and acknowledge their contributions.
- For SHRA probationary employees: Complete quarterly probationary review.
Managing Probationary Employees
For managers to best provide appropriate progressive coaching and training for their probationary employees, one of the best practices is to meet weekly for check-in.
months in, through the following:
- Meeting/conversation with the employee with a follow-up email to recap the conversation.
- Clear written expectations and confirmation of the employee’s understanding on a probationary review or other off-cycle reviews.
To initiate a probationary termination, the manager must:
- Consult their HR Officer/Representative and/or their Employee & Management Relations (E&MR) Consultant prior to addressing performance or conduct deficiencies that may be detrimental to the employee’s probationary period.
- Meet with the employee to place the employee on notice that the deficiencies are detrimental to their continued probationary period.
- Complete the Probationary Performance Notice (PPN).
The Probationary Performance Notice (PPN) is a written recap of the meeting a manager has with the employee and identifies the issues, capturing the employee’s responses, resetting expectations and offering a timeline for improvement. See the Forms & polices toggle below to download guidelines for crafting a Probationary Performance Notice (PPN).
The meeting with the employee and the PPN must communicate that further action may be warranted if the probationary employee does not make performance improvements. The employee must receive an approved PPN prior to receiving a written notification of separation. The manager MUST contact an E&MR Consultant BEFORE separating a probationary employee, and an E&MR Consultant MUST review the Notice of Separation During Probationary Period letter before it is issued to the employee.
After the manager has communicated and documented a probationary employee’s performance deficiencies through a PPN and there is no improvement despite the notification, the manager may consider termination as an option and proceed using the steps below.
- Manager contacts HR Officer/Representative to initiate the process and sends the HR Officer/Representative:
- Draft of the Notice of Separation
- Copy of Probationary Performance Notice (PPN)
- Quarterly reviews
- Annual appraisal, if applicable
- Probationary questionnaire
- HR Officer/Representative reviews and may ask questions to gain further clarification of the issues and situation.
- HR Officer/Representative forwards documents to E&MR Consultant.
- Manager MUST contact E&MR Consultant BEFORE separating a probationary employee.
- E&MR Consultant MUST review the Notice of Separation During Probationary Period letter before it is issued to the employee.
- E&MR Consultant reviews and may ask additional questions and gives final approval of the Notice of
Separation to proceed with the termination. - Manager meets with the employee to issue the Notice of Separation.
- Manager coordinates with the HR Officer/Representative to ensure the termination action is initiated in ConnectCarolina, including the appropriate Help Ticket to disable/expire system access.
- Prohibited discrimination based on a protected status as defined by the policy;
- Retaliation resulting from protesting prohibited discrimination as defined by the policy; or
- Retaliation resulting from reporting improper government activities (“whistle blower” protection) as defined by the policy.
To be eligible for consideration, the employee must submit the SHRA Grievance Form (online version OR PDF version to the Grievance Coordinator at grievance@unc.edu within 15 calendar days of the alleged action they are grieving.
See the Employee Grievances page of the HR at UNC website for policy details and forms.
- Any applicable payouts of leave and/or other earned time off will be made to the employee.
- For all state employees, there is no payout of accrued sick leave, although this leave can be restored if the employee returns to state employment within five (5) years of separation.
Payment
- Any debts the employee owes to the University may be deducted from their last paycheck.
- Employees are not eligible for severance pay.
Retirement
- Employees can choose either to retain their contributions to the state retirement system or to withdraw their contributions from the system.
Re-employment
- Employees are not eligible for priority re-employment consideration.
Unemployment Benefits
A separation during probation does not necessarily keep the employee from receiving unemployment benefits. The state’s Division of Employment Security (DES) determines eligibility for unemployment benefits, not the University. However, DES may consider the reason for the separation from employment when determining eligibility.
Performance Guidance for Transfers
Manager responsibility for internal transfers depends on the employee’s date of transfer and where that date falls within the performance year, which runs April to March.
The previous manager:
- Should be added as a co-planner
- Is responsible for entering the former employee’s ratings and comments
- Must meet with the former employee to discuss ratings
The current manager consults with the previous manager or second-level supervisor to complete the annual appraisal.
Discuss specific situations with your HR Representative and if the co-planner option should be used.
The current manager is responsible for entering the ratings, comments and meeting with the employee.
The previous manager should be added as a co-planner to assist with adding comments about the employee’s performance during the time they supervised them.
Mid-Cycle Reviews
Managers MUST hold a mid-cycle review for each employee who receives a rating of Not Meeting Expectations on any individual rating on their annual performance appraisal. Mid-cycle reviews occur in October.
Annual Appraisal & Performance Planning
Performance season is a busy time for managers, with multiple tasks to complete for reviewing the past cycle and planning for the next cycle.
Ratings & Feedback
- University of North Carolina System | University Performance Management Program: Institutional Goals (pdf)
- General guidance in distinguishing among the three performance rating levels for goals:
Individual Goals & SHRA Employee Competency Assessment (ECA) | UNC System Descriptions of 3-Point Rating Scale (pdf) - Descriptions of ratings at the performance rating levels for the six institutional goals:
Institutional Goals | UNC System 3-Point Rating Scale (pdf)
- 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.
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.
- 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)
Self-Assessment
Best Practices
for Performance Conversations
- Clearly communicate the purpose of the meeting, its structure and what your employees should prepare, including their completed self-assessment and ideas for goals for the future. Use the recommended communication in the next toggle.
- Choose a time and place that allows for privacy and minimal interruptions. Ensure the employee has enough time to prepare.
Managers may use or modify the following message and agenda when scheduling performance conversations with their team members.
Hello _____,
I’m scheduling some dedicated time for us to have a conversation on your performance and development for this past year and for us to collaboratively define your goals for this coming year. I want this to be a two-way dialogue, and I’m interested in hearing your perspective. I’m sharing the agenda below with you to help you prepare.
Agenda for our conversation
- Your performance for the past cycle, including your accomplishments, the outcomes you achieved, challenges you experienced and what you learned
- Our team’s direction, how your work contributes to the team and your goals for the coming year
- Your opportunities for growth, including skills you want to learn or areas you want to improve
- Resources or support you may need for your development
- Anything else that I can do to support your success in your role and your ongoing growth
If you completed the optional self-assessment, I encourage you to review it in advance of our conversation. If you didn’t complete it, that’s okay, and I’ve included some questions below for you to reflect on so you can actively contribute.
- What is your perspective on your performance this past year? What achievements are you most proud of?
- What do you see as your top strengths?
- How have you developed in the past year and what have you learned?
- What additional areas of improvement have you identified? How would you like to develop in the coming year?
- What additional support or resources could help you?
- What is the most enjoyable part of your job? What gives you energy? Do you feel like you get to spend enough time on the activities you enjoy?
- What is the least enjoyable part of your job, or what takes your energy away?
- What are your career aspirations?
Please let me know if you have any questions. I’m looking forward to having a productive discussion!
- Have all relevant documentation ready, including:
- Appraisal form.
- Performance data.
- Notes on achievements and areas for development.
- Any other supporting materials.
- Think through the experience you want to create for your team member, the information you want to share, the words you want to use and the tone you want to convey. Be intentional.
- Create a positive atmosphere. Start the conversation on a positive note to set a constructive tone for the discussion. Emotions can be high during this time.
- Encourage open dialogue. Invite the employee to share their thoughts, concerns and suggestions throughout the conversation.
- Review the agenda. Outline the topics to be discussed, ensuring both you and your employee know what to expect from the meeting.
- Discuss achievements and performance. Share your observations on the employee’s performance, providing specific examples to illustrate your points.
- Explore employee’s self-assessment. Discuss the employee’s self-assessment, acknowledging their insights and perspectives.
- Address areas for development. Constructively discuss areas where the employee can improve, providing clear examples and suggestions for development.
- Discuss support and development needs. Identify any support, resources or training the employee might need to achieve their goals and address development areas.
- Set future goals. Collaboratively set SMART goals for the coming period, aligning them with the employee’s career aspirations and organizational objectives.
- Consider asking for feedback on your feedback. For example, how helpful has this meeting been to your employee?
Goals
Defining individual performance goals is a crucial component of performance management and helps ensure your team members are working toward a shared vision, clarifies what success in their role looks like and contributes to greater employee engagement and improved performance.
Please remember:
- Employees MUST have no fewer than three individual goals and no more than five.
- Managers/supervisors can determine the weight of each employee goal.
- Only SHRA employees have weighted goals; goals for EHRA employees are not weighted.
Institutional Goals
- Institutional goals equal 50% of the final overall rating
- UNC System sets weights of institutional goals, and those weights cannot be changed
- Institutional goals are all weighted the same
- Weights for institutional goals automatically load into an employee’s annual appraisal; managers do not set these weights
Individual Goals
- Individual goals equal 50% of the final overall rating.
- No single individual goal can be weighted less than 5% of the final overall rating.
- Individual goals do not have to be equally weighted
- Total weight of all individual goals must equal 100
- Scope or complexity of a goal
- Priority or criticality of the goal
- Alignment of a goal with strategic priorities (compared to other goals)
- Time commitment for completing a goal
- Other considerations as relevant
Peer managers of similar positions may discuss the appropriate weight of goals.
Goals for EHRA employees are not weighted.
Manager Tasks in Carolina Talent Performance
Log in to Carolina Talent Self Service to view and complete performance tasks, and visit the Carolina Talent Performance Hub for step-by-step instructions and FAQs. Click the links below for step-by-step instructions for annual performance season tasks for managers.
Need more help?
See our Performance Help & Learning Resources webpage for key dates, training opportunities and more!
Contact Performance Management
Jessica Procel, Talent Management Program Manager
Kathleen Guerra, Senior Director of Organization & Professional Development
919-843-7752
performance_management@unc.edu