Colleagues encouraged to take a light touch approach

It has been agreed that the University's Performance and Development Review process should be subject to a comprehensive review. Further details on this will be shared in due course and colleagues will have the opportunity to contribute to the review of the process.

The 2023 PDR Process

The current annual PDR provides a valuable opportunity to recognise performance, discuss development areas and consider career aspirations and progression. It is also important from a wellbeing perspective as it affords individuals an opportunity to pause, take stock and have a reflective conversation. Therefore all colleagues should have the opportunity to have a PDR meeting this year.

However, having listened to feedback from departments, and in recognition of workload, Senior Leaders have agreed a lighter touch approach to the 2023 PDR process.

• Everyone is encouraged to reduce the administration around the PDR process this year. HR will not request ratings data, but departments may still wish to hold coordination meetings in advance of the cycle to agree who is reviewing who.
• The recommendation is that meetings happen during the usual window of July to October 2023. However reviewers may agree a different month with their reviewees, if that is more convenient with workloads.
• Colleagues should, if they wish, use the standard PDR forms as a prompt to structure their discussion. Colleagues may choose to just capture key headlines, the focus should be on a quality two way conversation, rather than doing a comprehensive written record on the form.
• There is no requirement for reviewers and reviewees to assign or discuss ratings, unless both individuals agree this is a valuable part of the discussion.
• As part of our commitments to the Technician Commitment Action Plan and the Researcher Development Concordat, early career researchers, postdocs and technicians have ten days per PDR year to engage in development activities, we would recommend including these in your discussions.

We encourage managers to take the best approach for the needs of their team. Taking a supportive, but administratively light touch, approach.

Detailed PDR guidance for reviewers and reviewees can be found on the HR webpages.

PDR arrangements for senior managers

For staff who have their pay reviewed by the Remuneration Sub-Group (RSG), reviews will need to follow the usual, more formal approach, and include the use of ratings. Reviews should take place by 25 August 2023 to ensure that the data can be shared in time with the RSG who make decisions on senior staff salaries.