Annual Performance Reviews

The annual performance review is a structured and confidential conversation between leader and employee that is separated from the daily business. The annual performance review complements the everyday communication and encourages a structured dialog. It is not supposed to substitute other conversations (such as evaluation, feedback or planning conversations). Usually, the following topics are discussed:

• Review of the past year and the current situation with a focus on the working situation, working performance, working satisfaction, and cooperation with leadership and colleagues
• Interdisciplinary as well as subject specific competencies and HR Development needs as well as possibilities
• Agreements and goals for the upcoming year.

The guidelines for the annual performance review can be found in the “framing guidelines for annual performance reviews at JLU ” . Among others, the following approaches are included:

• Participants : Immediate superiors and their employees conduct the annual performance review. Immediate superiors are people with leading authority who are able to appoint tasks to their employees on a daily basis. In the case of a wide span of control, immediate superiors would be able to delegate annual performance reviews to their deputy if he/she had leading authority in the respective subject areas.
• Obligation :  It would only be possible to refrain from the annual performance review if both parties consented. A unilateral renouncement is not possible.
• Confidentiality : All contents of an annual performance review are confidential. Generally, the annual performance review relies on the “four-eye-principle”. Information would be only available to third persons if both parties (immediate superior and employee) agreed. References concerning the execution or contents of the annual performance review will not be included into the personnel records
• Documentation
• There is a need for documenting whether the annual performance review has been conducted or whether both parties refrained from the conversation, via the documentation sheet for the conduction of the annual performance review . The filled in sheet shall be forwarded to the Department of HR Development through the next higher superior for reasons of reporting obligations towards the state of Hessen.
• The results of the annual performance review as well as possibly agreed upon goals shall be documented in the confidential protocol of the annual performance review and signed by both parties. Since the protocol is confidential, it needs to be stored inaccessibly for third parties.
• If HR Development needs are detected in the annual performance review, they can be noted down in the requirement report HR Development and send to the Department of HR Development upon the agreement of both parties

The preparation for the annual performance review already begins several weeks before the actual conduction. For easy organization, we provide a checklist as well as a sample invitation .

Both parties, leading personnel as well as employees, shall prepare themselves in-depth for the annual performance review. A detailed preparation improves the quality of the conversation and leads to better short- and long-term results. Preparation time is purposeful invested time. Our conversation guidelines (for leading personnel and employees ) provide an overview of the conversation structure and topics. Our preparation sheet (for leading personnel and employees ) provides sample questions as well as thought-provoking impulses for an in-depth preparation. You do not need to integrate all questions and topics into the conversation. Rather, focus on the essentials. What do you want to address in the conversation und what topics are highly prioritized? Record these priorities in written form.

The annual performance review is a joint dialog. The responsibility for the contentual preparation behooves both parties. Die responsibility for the procedure of the conversation itself mostly behooves the leading personnel, however, both parties are equally responsible for the conversation outcome and agreements made. The conversation guidelines (see above), preparation sheet (see above) and the directions for conversation techniques and goal agreement will support you in conducting the conversation.

Here, you will find all documents that support leading personnel in preparing, conducting and revising.

Compulsory Documents:

These documents are necessary for the conduction of the annual performance reviews.

• Before conducting the annual performance reviews for the first time you are supposed to read the “framing guidelines for annual performance reviews at JLU" .
• There is a need for documenting whether the annual performance review has been conducted or whether both parties refrained from the conversation, via the documentation sheet for the conduction of the annual performance review . The filled in sheet shall be forwarded to the Department of HR Development through the next higher superior for reasons of reporting obligations towards the state of Hessen

Supporting Documents:

In order to facilitate the preparation, conduction, and revision of the annual performance review, we provide guidelines, forms, and checklists:

• Checklist for annual performance review conduction
• FAQs
• Directions for conversation techniques and goal agreement
• Sample invitation
• Annual performance review guidelines for leading personnel (short version)
• Preparation sheet with guiding questions for leading personnel
• Confidential protocol
• Requirement report HR Development
• Personal conversation record
• Feedback sheet

Here, you will find all documents that support employees in preparing, conducting and revising.

Compulsory Documents:

These documents are necessary for the conduction of the annual performance reviews.

• Before conducting the annual performance reviews for the first time you are supposed to read the “framing guidelines for annual performance reviews at JLU“ .
• There is a need for documenting whether the annual performance review has been conducted or whether both parties refrained from the conversation, via the documentation sheet for the conduction of the annual performance review . The filled in sheet shall be forwarded to the Department of HR Development through the next higher superior for reasons of reporting obligations towards the state of Hessen.

Employees as well as leading personnel can contact the Department for HR Development (C5) concerning the following topics:

• Questions concerning the annual performance review
• General counselling concerning the annual performance review
• Support in preparing (difficult) conversations or
• Demand for support offers (counselling, coaching, training, etc.)

Contacts:

Personnel Department

Department for HR Development (C5)

Jessica Grazi, 0641/9912305

jessica.grazi@admin.uni-giessen.de