By Pam Graham
The Staff Council Compensation and Benefits Committee has discussed at length on several occasions the apparent change in policy on local pay raises toward a more merit oriented and performance-based philosophy. That being the case, it is generally agreed that the performance appraisal system and practices have become far more important than in the past.
The Committee researched performance appraisal systems at 10 Texas universities through their websites and determined that our system is as thorough and comprehensive as any and better than most of those universities. Council has sent President Trauth a letter requesting participation in any upcoming effort to review or revise the system.
Other issues were raised in these discussions regarding the process and application of performance appraisal such as fairness and equity. A number of examples have been brought to Council in the past that appeared to indicate that the appraisal process was not applied in the same manner in all departments. Concerns were expressed about the training that supervisors receive or don’t receive that would help them understand how important objectivity becomes in the appraisal process. There is obviously a need for consistent application of evaluation principles in order for such a system to be of value across the board. In addition to clear definitions of performance ratings against a standard and how to set those standards, there must be clear understanding of these factors. The Committee is concerned that perhaps far too few supervisors have gained this understanding through the training on the subject that HR provides.
Council, on behalf of the Committee, has also requested in the same letter to Dr. Trauth that a much greater emphasis be placed on supervisor training and also that an upward supervisor evaluation process be established in order to provide University administration additional feedback from staff on their perception of the evaluation performance of supervisors.
Pam
5-2833
pg11@txstate.edu
The August Staff Council meeting is our annual orientation session. It will last all morning on August 9 and will not be open to visitors all morning. Anyone who wishes to drop by and watch the proceedings is welcome, but there will be a few times during the morning that we will need privacy. Please use discretion if you attend and are not a current or future council member.
