Performance Evaluations

Contact

If you have questions, please contact the VC Finance Immediate Office at vcfinance@berkeley.edu.

Overview

Please note that the processes listed on this page are internal processes for the VC Finance division. This is our documentation for our staff of how we meet the People and Culture guidelines.

Achieve Together is a performance development program for non-represented employees and managers driven by a series of regular check-in conversations and results-driven goals. It replaces the annual review.

Goals

The Achieve Together program has two primary goals:

  • Build collaborative partnerships between employees and managers
  • Support a workforce that is engaged, agile, and performance-driven

Resources

Achieve Together

Achieve Together Online Dashboard

Achieve Together Online Tool Training Guide (Google slides)

Demonstration: Achieve Together Online Dashboard and Check in Forms (Youtube video)

Toolkit (Google drive - requires requested access)

Achieve Together Training and Resources

Achieve Together Review Periods and Deadlines

Check-in period: April through July

Have a conversation between August 1 and September 15.

Submit the online form by September 15.

Check-in period: August through November

Have a conversation between December 1 and January 15.

Submit the online form by January 15.

Check-in period: December through March

Have a conversation between April 1 and May 31.

Submit the online form by May 31.

Follow the Achieve Together process throughout the year

  1. Supervisors open a new online form for their employees. This will send an automated email to the employee alerting them the form is open.

    1. Instructions on how to do this are available on the Achieve Together website.

    2. Supervisors can copy goals from a previous period (once they’ve entered the first set) or they can start a blank form.

    3. We recommend that supervisors set their own internal deadline in order to ensure the employee’s section of the form is complete prior to the form due date. 

  2. Supervisor meets with the employee for their check-in conversation. At this meeting, they should discuss the employee’s goals and cover a set of questions, which relate to the achievement criteria

    1. Goals

      1. Goals can be set for any length of time and adjusted as needed. More information about setting goals can be found on the Achieve Together website. 

    2. Check-in questions

      1. What goals did you accomplish this period? In what ways does your work connect to our overall strategy and/or mission? (Goal Accomplishment & Job Mastery)

      2. What do you like best about your work? (Goal Accomplishment & Job Mastery)

      3. How have you supported others' work and/or collaborated with others on your work this period? (Collaboration)

      4. How have you innovated to seek efficiencies or improve work outcomes? (Innovation)

      5. How have you fostered diversity, equity, inclusion and/or belonging on our team and campus? (Inclusion & Belonging)

      6. What can I do as your supervisor to better support your success? What additional knowledge, resources, or tools are needed to successfully do your job? (Development Planning & Manager Support)

  3. Employees capture notes from each question using the online form

  4. Supervisors capture notes from each question and any adjustments to the goals using the online form

    1. The form is collaborative, and any saved edits are immediately shown to both supervisor and employee.

    2. These are used to inform performance levels (ratings) once annually and merit rewards (when merit funding is available).

  5. Both the Supervisor and Employee must finalize their comments to finish the form by the due date. 

    1. The form is complete when both the supervisor and employee have finalized their notes/comments.

    2. When the form is complete, the status in your dashboard should update to “Form Completed”.

  6. Supervisors complete the linked Achieve Together tracking document by each deadline. 

    1. We recommend that supervisors confirm with their staff that they are in compliance with the required training. 

Achieve Together Calibration Process

In addition to the three check-in conversations, managers and supervisors must complete the annual Achieve Together performance calibration process. In this process, managers and supervisors submit their Performance Level ratings for calibration as part of the annual process for employees’ review. 

The Achieve Together Performance Levels (ratings) are Needs Attention, Well Done, Stand Out. More information about these performance levels and the related criteria is available on the Achieve Together website on the Achievement Criteria page

As managers and supervisors complete the pre-calibration roster template, they should reference the resources available on the Achieve Together performance calibration page, including an overview video, a video on documenting performance levels, and a performance calibration toolkit. 

The process for the performance rating and calibration step includes:

  • VC Finance Achieve Together coordinator (Heidi Van Yang) sends an email to managers and supervisors with a link to pre-calibration roster and indicates when the roster is due back to the Achieve Together coordinator. 

  • Managers and supervisors download and complete the pre-calibration rosters for their employees, using the notes from all three check-in conversation online forms and the Achievement Criteria’s performance indicators.

    • To complete the spreadsheet (pre-calibration roster):

      • Enter your employee’s name (column A).

      • Select a performance level (Needs Attention, Well Done, Stand Out) for each of the criteria in the roster (columns B-F).

      • These performance levels are then averaged in the sheet to give the Overall Performance Level (columns G and H). 

      • Enter notes on the employee’s performance to support your ratings (column I).

        • These can be copied or adapted from your Achieve Together online forms. 

      • Repeat for each of the employees that report to you. 

      • Save the completed spreadsheet for your team and email it to vcfinance@berkeley.edu by the due date. 

  • Once all of the ratings have been submitted, the information will be compiled and shared with department leadership, who may follow up with managers as needed. Managers may want to allow time for any follow-up from their department leaders before communicating the final performance levels to their staff. 

  • Managers and supervisors communicate the performance level for each of the five Achievement Criteria and the Overall Performance Level to their employees in a regular one-on-one meeting after the calibration has been done, the spreadsheet submitted and the year-end form completed for staff.