Performance management

For Faculty, please consult your department by-laws for specific information relating to retention of probationary faculty, merit review, and post-tenure review.

• Faculty Review Resources
• Personnel Review for Faculty with Appointments/Assignments outside of their Departments

Faculty will have their merit score recorded in the ePerformance system for purposes of HR and UW System tracking of Pay Plan eligibility.  Department Chairs will receive email notifications as a reminder to rank the merit score's of each of their faculty in the ePerformance system in November and December of each year. 

Instructional Academic Staff are considered part of the Academic Staff Classification and are required to receive a performance appraisal annually. The process may vary depending on the IAS member's department by-laws.  

Please note that Human Resources requires that the official performance appraisal as provided by the department be retained in the e-Performance management tool, of which the Department Chair is granted access. 

Timeline and E-Mail Notifications

The IAS member is provided a performance appraisal based on the Academic Year.  The deadline for returning the performance appraisal to Human Resources is December 15, of the following Academic Year. (I.e. the department is given an additional semester, [fall of the following academic year] to complete the evaluation).   

To view the email triggers and the timeline, click here.  Department Chairs will receive email reminders 30, 15, and 7 days before these are due. 

While December 15 of each year is the deadline for receiving the final evaluations of IAS members, Department Chairs or their designees may begin to enter the information into the e-Performance system before this date, beginning on 7/1 of each year. 

Additional Resources

(Please note paper copies of performance appraisals will not be accepted by HR.  Supervisors and employees must use the e-Performance tool).

• IAS position description template

All Limited and Non-Instructional Academic Staff are required to have a performance appraisal completed annually, (at least once in a calendar year).  

Timeline and Email Notifications

The performance appraisals for Limited and Non-Instructional Academic Staff are maintained and managed in the e-Performance tool.  

To view a list of when to expect automated emails and the timeline, click here.  Supervisors will receive reminder emails for each of these actions 30, 15, and 7 days prior to the due date. 

Additional Resources

(Please note paper copies of performance appraisals will not be accepted by HR.  Supervisors and employees must use the e-Performance tool).

• Performance appraisal presentation (Prezi)
• Performance appraisal handbook for supervisors 

Ongoing, University Staff are required to have on file a performance appraisal, annually. The university has adopted the e-Performance tool which maintains the records for all aspects of the annual performance appraisal process.  

Probationary Performance Appraisals 

New University Staff members or University Staff members that are appointed to a new position are required to undergo a "Probationary" period performance appraisal.  This appraisal is conducted at the six-month mark and may be extended if necessary. 

Timeline and Email Notifications (Annual Process)

University Staff members can expect the following timeline for their performance appraisal process. 

To view a complete listing of the email notifications and when they will be sent, click here. Supervisors will receive reminder emails for each of these actions 30, 15, and 7 days prior to the due date. 

Additional Resources

(Please note paper copies of performance appraisals will not be accepted by HR.  Supervisors and employees must use the e-Performance tool).

• Performance appraisal presentation (Prezi)
• Performance appraisal handbook for supervisors 

The employee performance appraisal is maintained in the employee's electronic p-file maintained in HRS.  Additional access is available through the e-Performance Tool in HRS. 

• Verb list for writing goals 
• Key issues in developing a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) 
• Performance Improvement Plan template 
• Setting smart goals 
• Smart goal worksheet 

Annually, (or within a period of one calendar year), supervisors or department chairs for all employees are expected to meet with their employees to discuss department/unit goals, employee career goals, and supervisory expectations. Pursuant to UW System Administrative directives, any person required to administer an appraisal and fails to do so, may be deemed ineligible for Pay Plan consideration.  

Performance appraisals are governed by several UW System policies, inclusive of:

• Chapter 3 (In the case of Faculty retention)
• UW System Administrative Policy 1254
• UW System Administrative Policy 1233

UW System Administrative Policy 1254 clearly articulates that all employees are subject to annual appraisals, or merit review, to determine if their work is meritorious or not. The process that each department/unit undertakes must describe a clear process for how their appraisals will be completed.  This information can be viewed by reviewing the appraisal tools listed below. Faculty should consult their department by-laws for this information. When policies regarding appraisals are modified, input from governance groups occurs.  

Performance appraisals, retention documents, or post-tenure review documents, are retained in the employee's p-file.  Employees may request copies of these documents from the Office of Human Resources.  These documents are retained for the entire time a person is employed at UW-La Crosse.  Retention of these documents, post-employment, shall adhere to UW System Administrative Policies on retention of employment documents.  

The results of annual performance appraisals for non-academic staff and university staff, (and annual merit review for faculty), determine the employee's eligibility for Pay Plan, (should one be approved by the State of Wisconsin). All UW-La Crosse employees are subject to additional requirements set forth by UW System Administration for determining eligibility for Pay Plan, inclusive of successful completion of the Information Security Awareness and Preventing Sexual Harassment Training programs, as well as the completion of the annual Outside Activities Report.  

For training on using the e-Performance tool (either as an employee or manager), click here. 

• Managers - to bypass steps in the ePerformance Process, review this step by step guide.  
• Employees - to learn how to only log in and acknowledge your evaluation, please review this step by step guide. 

1. Performance Management documents are accessible through the MyUW portal at https://my.wisconsin.edu/ 
   1. NOTE: The Portal can be accessed from anywhere with Internet service, including your Smart Phone or Tablet.
      
      
2. Select your institution from the Organization drop-down list.
   1. NOTE: You can check the box to Remember my selection to make access easier in the future.
      
      
3. Click Go.
   
   
4. Enter your UW Institutional ID username and password.
   
   
5. Click Login.
   
   
6. Click on the icon on the Performance Management tile.

For additional information or help, click here.

Vice Chancellors or unit Supervisors who have subdivisions within their unit may wish to view the status of all employees in their division or unit.  To access these reports, click here. 

The UWSS e-Performance system sends several automated emails to remind employees and supervisors regarding due dates throughout the annual performance management cycle.  Click here to view a sample of these emails.