Staff Performance Appraisal Form - Guidelines

This guide is developed as a support tool to help you to successfully

complete the performance appraisal document.
The form is broken up into five parts:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

Work Performance Factors

Individual Work Performance
Mutually Agreed upon Goals and Objectives
Evaluators Comments
Staff Members Comments

PART 1 - Work Performance Factors

Work Performance Factors in section 1 is to be completed for every Staff member. These performance factors cannot be
changed or substituted. These performance factors reflect the core performance behaviours that the University would
like to see demonstrated across all staff members

Client Service
Providing service excellence to clients (students, faculty and colleagues) both internally and
externally.

Responds to immediate customer needs

Maintains customer contact
Provides added value
Provides seasoned advice
Ensures continued service excellence

Working Relationships
Working collaboratively with others to achieve organizational goals

functions as a part of a cooperative approach to getting work done

Seeks input from other team members on matters that affect them
maintains constructive relationships with employees, peer and/or manager

Job Knowledge and its Application

Demonstrates the knowledge and understanding which pertain to her/his assigned work
responsibilities

quality of results , flexibility

effectiveness, thoroughness
accuracy, productivity

Taking the Initiative to Makes Things Better

Generating viable, new approaches and solutions

Creates new ideas, solutions or approaches to ongoing challenges

development of and receptivity to new ideas
makes suggestions on how to do things better
looks for opportunities to improve the workplace
encourages others to contribute and communicate their ideas
willingness to accept and promote change

PART 2 - Work Performance Factors

Part II Individual Work Performance Factors allows evaluations to customize the form by selecting
those factors which are appropriate to the job being done and the employees related performance,
i.e. Supervision of staff; Operation and management of specialized equipment; Innovation; Financial
Management. Some suggested areas of contribution are provided, however you may want to revise
or add your own.
Achievement of Goals and Objectives

willingly accepts responsibility and performs expected tasks

effective use/redesign of computer hardware, software or scientific instrumentation

Team Participation

recognizes and encourages the contribution of others

works and interacts with others to accomplish overall group goals
willingly supports and works with team decision
proactive in resolving team conflicts

Time Management

meets deadlines
uses time appropriately
establishes priorities
analyses reasonable alternatives and takes action in a timely manner
allocates and manages resources effectively

Team Management/Development

clarifies team roles and responsibilities

fosters and develops potential of the team
recognizes and encourages the contributions of others

Other

customize for items no included in general listing but which are important to the position or the individual
performance
consider competencies which may have been overlooked

Development/ Coaching of Others

Coaches for optimal performance

Encourages creative and innovative approaches
Recognizes and encourages risk taking when appropriate
Allows mistakes and uses as an appropriate opportunity for development
Provides constructive feedback

Part 2 Working Environment: This area is intended to provide an opportunity for a staff
member to provide feedback to their manager about topics such as adequacy of tools available to do
ones job, ergonomics of the workspace, safety issues (please note that safety concerns should be
addressed immediately however action taken may be recorded here), training and development
opportunities, workload issues, levels of communication and feedback provided by the manager,
whether your job description is a reflection of what you do and/or any other interests or concerns.
Written completion of this section is not required but discussion is

PART 3 - Mutually Agreed upon Goals and Objectives

Part III Mutually Agreed upon Goals and Objectives to set future goals for achievement by mutual
agreement. This section may require review throughout the year and revision as climate, resources
and opportunities change.

Record the result of any specific goals that were achieved through the year
Make notes of any specific skills development that occurred related to the requirement of the
position
Identify specific skills to enhance/improve the contribution or performance of duties
Identify any challenges that occurred and what happened
Identify and specific training and development that occurred.

PART 4 Evaluators Comments & Ratings

Part IV allows the manager to add their specific comments related to the performance review. The
review should be based on factual data, preferably collected from a number of resources.
Areas you can gather information from to help you complete this section are

Goals and expectations that you and the employee have discussed
Customer feedback
Coworker feedback
Feedback from other Supervisors
Notes you have made throughout the year
Emails from other people who have commented on the employees work
Changes that have impacted performance such as reorganizations

Ratings
Managers are expected to use the full range of evaluations as appropriate. The rating scale builds up
from 1 to 5. For example to be rated a 4 the assumption is that the staff member is achieving level 3
performance. Below is the description of the ratings. For new staff, supervisors are encouraged to
rate performance based on expected levels of accomplishment.

FACTOR RATING GRID

Rating
INTERPRETATION
Number
Exceptional performance in all areas of the job requirements which is
5
recognized throughout their unit or broadly throughout the University.
Normally, an employee would not receive a rating of 5 in consecutive years.
Reserved for truly exceptional performance.
Performance significantly exceeded the requirements of the job in one or
4
more key areas.
Performance was fully satisfactory in all key areas.
3
Need for recognizable improvement in one or more key areas.
2
Performance was significantly below job requirements in several important
1
areas and improvements will be required or reassignment or termination will
be considered. Ratings at this level are subject to progressive disciplinary
action.
Note: Evaluators may add a .25 (at 3 and above) or a .5 increment to a staff members rating
to acknowledge performance that exceeds one category, but does not achieve the next.
Managers are expected to use the full range of evaluations as appropriate.

PART 5 Employee Comments

Part V is for staff member comments. Staff members may add a separate page if there is inadequate
room from comments.
The contents of the completed form are CONFIDENTIAL. Please ensure that proper care is taken to
protect the privacy of the staff member.

Distribution:

Human Resources (signed originals)

Employee
Evaluator

Human Resources
General Services Complex
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4567 ext 35935