Yale provides university-wide performance management guidance and resources including coaching and feedback tips and other resources. ITS managers and staff are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these resources.

ITS’s performance management process is tailored to ensure that goals are achieved, and behaviors are utilized, in a way that best supports ITS professionals at Yale.

Performance Management within ITS

• Follow ITS’s Timeline 
• Set Expectations
• Promote Trusting Relationships
• Cultivate Growth
• Follow Self-Assessment Best Practices
• Giving Performance Feedback
• Receiving Performance Feedback

Follow ITS’s Timeline

Our performance management cycle kicks off at the start of each academic year, in June. However, it starts earlier than the university’s timeline to ensure that further analysis and time can be spent having meaningful conversations.

Keep in mind that transfer employees must receive an evaluation within 30 days and new employees must receive a 90-day probationary period evaluation. As needed, our HRG is available to support you with evaluations and determining if the hire is a good fit.

For specific dates related to the seasons/phases of performance management, please refer to IT Update.

Set Expectations 

Organizational Priorities 

As staff and managers partner to develop SMART performance goals (as outlined on the University’s Performance Management page, within Goal Setting), they must ensure that goals map to IT’s Organizational Priorities. IT has identified three organizational priorities that act as strategic anchors: One IT at Yale, Service Quality, and Workplace of Choice. These anchors are mapped to specific goals on the balanced scorecard. ITS managers should explain how employee goals are connected to these priorities during performance conversations.

IT Competencies

During performance conversations, ITS managers should focus their feedback on how goals were achieved through the lens of IT Competencies. This feedback will be the most constructive and actionable. Staff should be given examples of how their behaviors have informed their rating and what can be done differently to continue growing. Training will be offered to ITS managers, to support them in effectively mapping competencies to ratings. 

Examples of How to Map Competencies to Ratings

ITS managers should also model competency behaviors and recognize staff throughout the year, as well as during performance conversations, when they are successful in demonstrating them.

Promote Trusting Relationships

ITS managers are encouraged to host consistent and honest 1:1 meetings, to provide ongoing coaching and performance feedback and to adjust goals, as needed. Seeking feedback from direct reports’ peers and clients may also help to inform performance.

ITS also encourages managers to introduce skip level meetings—a meeting where a manager’s manager meets directly with employees, without that manager in attendance—to promote good relationships, improve communication, and receive new perspectives across the organization.

Skip Level Meeting Tips

Review tips for Engaging with Teams Through Skip-level Meetings, in addition to the following guidance:

• Establish a frequency and length of time that works best for everyone involved.
• Use this time to offer coaching and support staff development.
• Encourage the staff member to bring topics to the meeting.

Cultivate Growth

 ITS managers should support staff with their professional development by:

• Ensuring fairness of opportunity to work across the organization. 
• Aligning goals with Organizational Priorities, in a way that is both interesting and challenging to staff.
• Developing complementary skills within the team.
• Giving praise, including giving people credit for their accomplishments, reflecting on their positive qualities, and using the feedforward approach.
• Model behaviors by sharing success stories and promoting great performers.
• Discuss each staff member’s professional needs or aspirations for growth, at least once a year, using the Individual Development Plan (IDP) process.
• Referring to Affinity Group resources, such as anti-racism resources provided by the African American Affinity Group.
• Encouraging staff to participate in IT learning and development opportunities, including IT Academy training

Follow Self-Assessment Best Practices

It is important for ITS staff to regularly reflect on their accomplishments and performance. One way to do this is to review the self-assessment form on an ongoing basis and track any new details. This form can/should also be reviewed at the following times:

• Ongoing 1:1 meetings
• Mid-year review
• Year-end review

Giving Performance Feedback

As you prepare to deliver feedback, including praise, refer to university-wide performance management resources, including the following:

• Effective Feedback Guide
• Videos: Giving and Receiving Feedback and Delivering Employee Feedback
• Managers Guide to Effective Performance Reviews
• Performance Feedback for Clerical and Technical Employees

Provide details about performance, including:

• Why staff received their rating and how to achieve higher levels of performance (view the Rating Definitions section of Year-End Review within the University’s Performance Management page, as well as IT Competencies for guidance).
• If a goal is ongoing, provide written feedback on how to continue to advance the goal.
• When performance needs improvement, illustrate any gaps.

Receiving Performance Feedback 

As you prepare to receive feedback, refer to university-wide performance management resources, including the following::

• Effective Feedback Guide
• Getting Ready for Mid-year Performance Discussions

Prepare for the discussion by:

• Requesting a copy of your evaluation at least 24 Hours prior to the conversation with your manager.
• Ask for examples that illustrate why you received this rating and tips on how to improve and/or advance.
• Practice active listening.
• Document action items, prepare a plan with next steps, and check in during 1:1’s to confirm that you are progressing.