Performance at UNC | Annual Performance Season Process
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We have additional resources to support you through the annual performance season process. Explore the sections below for manager guidance, key dates, learning resources and office hours.
What is the annual performance season process?
The annual performance season process encompasses past reflection and future planning and is the formalized series of steps that make up an employee’s annual performance review.
Through the annual performance season process, managers and employees together:
- Reflect on the accomplishments and challenges of the past year.
- Communicate about the progress towards job duties and previously established goals.
- Partner on identifying growth areas and building a development plan.
- Collaboratively define the performance goals for the upcoming year.
- Outline the action items for the employee’s long-term professional development.
The two parts of the annual performance season process are:
The annual appraisal is the reflection portion of the annual performance season process. Appraisal tasks look back to the previous year and close out the annual performance cycle for the previous year.
The elements of the annual appraisal are:
- Self-assessment | Optional review opportunity for employees to contribute their own feedback on their achievements and challenges from the previous cycle.
- Appraisal document with ratings | Managers evaluate their employees’ performance, rating individual and institutional goal progress and adding comments.
- Employee Competency Assessment (ECA) (only for SHRA employees | Managers rate their SHRA employees according to competencies set by the UNC System.
- HR Checkpoint | HR Representatives review appraisals for overall compliance and potential issues that may need further evaluation.
The appraisal document in Carolina Talent Performance records an employee’s performance and goal progress for the previous performance cycle.
Performance planning looks ahead to the upcoming year, and planning tasks occur at the beginning of the annual performance cycle.
The elements of performance planning are:
- Performance plan with goals | Employees and managers collaborate on writing and setting goals for the next performance cycle. The individual goals established on an employee’s performance plan at the beginning of a performance cycle become the basis of the manager’s evaluation of that employee’s performance for the annual appraisal at the end of that performance cycle.
- Development plan | The part of the performance plan where managers and employees outline action items for employee’s continued professional growth.
The performance plan document in Carolina Talent Performance defines an employee’s individual and development goals for the next performance cycle.
Managers and employees discuss the annual appraisal and performance planning during the performance conversation and complete related tasks in Carolina Talent Performance.
When is performance season?
The annual performance season runs March 10 to June 10 and is when the previous performance cycle ends and the next performance cycle begins. At Carolina, the performance cycle runs annually April 1 through March 31.
Annual appraisal and performance planning tasks take place during the annual performance season:
- In March, performance season begins with a look back at the performance cycle that is ending, with an opportunity for employees to complete an optional self-assessment.
- Beginning in April, managers review and rate employee performance for the previous year, and employees and managers meet to discuss and document goals and professional development objectives for the upcoming year.
- By June 10, performance season closes with managers and employees formally acknowledging the appraisal and planning documentation in Carolina Talent Performance.
Although the annual performance season process is completed just once each year, providing regular, constructive feedback on employee performance is central to the manager’s role and overall team performance, so we recommend that managers and individual employees meet weekly or bi-weekly to facilitate ongoing conversations on performance and development throughout the year.
Who is performance-eligible?
Performance-eligible employees 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), according to the Employee Performance Management and Appraisal Policy. New hires, probationary employees and transfers who fulfill these requirements are considered performance-eligible.
Performance-eligible employees must participate in all performance season process and planning tasks, which include the self-assessment, performance plan, development plan, performance conversation and goals; the Employee Competency Assessment (ECA) is required only for SHRA employees.
- Employees on leave longer than 6 months during the performance year (April 1–March 31) do NOT require an annual performance appraisal.
- Employees on leave during the performance appraisal season (March 10–June 10); however, these employees require an annual performance appraisal upon their return.
Tasks in Carolina Talent Performance
Performance tasks in Carolina Talent will be paused for employees on leave (employees identified as inactive on the payroll). Specifically, Carolina Talent will NOT automatically generate performance tasks for:
- Employee on leave throughout the entire performance season (March 10-June 10).
- Employees who return during performance season but who were on leave at the time(s) task assignments were made in the system.
In cases where employees on leave are assigned appraisal tasks due to a data or system configuration issue, please email performance_management@unc.edu so we can delete those tasks.
Returning from leave
When an employee returns and their payroll is active in the system, Carolina Talent will automatically generate the first performance task to be due within 15 days of their return date.
No action is required of the employee or the manager to generate the replacement performance process: The re-listing of the employee as active in the payroll system will automatically prompt the system to assign the first performance task.
- 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
Policy
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides its permanent employees with an annual written performance appraisal that identifies performance goals necessary to achieve the University’s mission and evaluates employee accomplishments toward these goals, in accordance with the Employee Performance Management and Appraisal Policy.
Some employees, like new SHRA employees, receive additional reviews throughout their first year of employment with the University.
Communication
If you’re thinking, How will I know what I need to do? when it comes to everything for performance season, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered! You’ll receive timely email messages from our Performance Management team and system notifications from Carolina Talent, our online workflow platform. There are also workshops tailored to specific performance topics, drop-in office hours during performance season, an online hub with step-by-step instructions for completing tasks and more!
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.
Log in to Carolina Talent to view and complete performance tasks.
For some questions about performance, you may also find it helpful to be in touch with your HR Rep or PM Rep. More information here about how to contact those reps.
How is performance documented?
All documentation takes place online in Carolina Talent Performance, the University’s workflow platform for the performance management process. 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.
Contact Performance Management
Jessica Procel, Talent Management Program Manager
Kathleen Guerra, Senior Director of Organization & Professional Development
919-843-7752
performance_management@unc.edu