The University has taken the decision not to proceed with the formal PDR process this year. However, meetings between staff and line managers should continue as far as possible. These meetings are a vital opportunity for managers and their staff to connect in a meaningful way, share reflections and appreciation, and discuss concerns in difficult times. This is especially true for staff who may have recently experienced bereavement, loss of household income, increased mental health issues or increased caring responsibilities. Regular team meetings should also continue to take place, as they help prevent colleagues from feeling detached while we are working remotely, and make sure managers can offer consistent support to their staff. 

‘Light-touch’ PDR meetings are also a possibility. Any ‘light-touch’ PDR meetings and subsequent write up should include acknowledgment of any agreed adjustments to objectives, workload or working patterns, for individual members of staff. Where a barrier, such as the impact of COVID-19 or lockdown, may have impacted on an individual’s ability to meet agreed objectives from the previous year, it should not impact negatively on the individual in terms of demonstrating good performance over the past year. Nor should any revised working pattern/workload create a barrier to any learning and development opportunities which have been identified as part of the ongoing PDR process. 

The transition from CoreHR to our new-in-house PDR system, which is being piloted exclusively by those on the ECDP Programme and our international colleagues in Singapore, means that PDR conversations cannot be recorded this year. However, this simple word document, Light Touch PDR Conversations, capturing the core elements of the conversation, may be useful for this purpose. 

 

 

First published: 12 August 2020

<< 14 August 2020