Questions and answers about the PDR process.
Annual performance and development review (PDR)
Before the meeting
Heads of departments will start by coordinating reviews in their departments, enabling department-wide objectives to cascade through to individuals.
Reviewers (usually a line manager) will set up the PDR meetings and share guidance to help their team prepare. Reviewees – the person reflecting on their own performance and development – should take time to prepare and make notes on the PDR form ahead of the meeting.
During the meeting
Review of the last 12 months
Discuss performance and achievements over the last 12 months. You may choose to use the form to structure the flow of the conversation, but the most important thing is to focus on having a constructive, developmental two-way discussion.
- Explore the areas where the reviewee has performed well.
- Talk through how and why these successes came about.
- Discuss how work has been approached and the impact this has had on colleagues/students. (Refer to the Community Without Limits framework).
- Discuss the areas where objectives were not met and have an open discussion about the factors that influenced this.
- Consider the different elements of performance listed on the form eg equality, diversity and inclusion and have a dialogue about contributions in each of the relevant areas.
Other considerations and ideas for improvement
Have an open discussion about other areas that have not been covered by the self review. These are likely to be broader topics such as health and wellbeing, health and safety, work-life balance, communications and collegiality.
The reviewer should encourage the reviewee to raise any concerns that they may have and to make suggestions for future improvements.
The reviewer may also use the opportunity to give feedback and make suggestions to the reviewee.
Remember that there should be time and space for these discussions throughout the year. If things come up in the PDR discussion that are a surprise to either person, talk them through but also agree how to make space for these types of conversations going forward. Perhaps as a standing item in your one-to-ones or at a quarterly check in.
Career development
Have an open discussion about future career plans/aspirations. The reviewer should offer advice where appropriate and agree any actions to be picked up outside of the meeting.
There may be some limits to the support the department/university is able to offer in terms of career development. It is important for any such limitations to be acknowledged. Honest discussion will allow both parties to explore alternatives and agree realistic plans for the coming year.
If Academic Promotion forms a part of the discussion then promotions criteria will be a useful reference. To be eligible for academic promotion, you must be able to demonstrate your level of performance against the promotion criteria. You may agree an objective that will allow the reviewee to gain experience in a specific area over the coming year.
Setting objectives
Agree clear and stretching objectives for the next 12 months. Individual objectives should be informed by departmental level objectives and priorities. This line of sight will allow the individual to see how they are contributing to the overall success of the department and University.
All Professional Support Staff (both faculty based and those in central services) have been set additional common objectives and these should be incorporated appropriately into the PDR.
If your reviewee has prepared suggested objectives ahead of the meeting then go through them together and make amends, additions or comments where necessary. Alternatively you can construct objectives together during the meeting.
- Setting expectations: includes guidance on agreeing SMART objectives.
When setting objectives it is best practice to make them SMART. You may also decide to agree and record success measures. These are the observable outcomes/outputs that will come from successful completion of an objective. These are particularly useful if someone is working towards a personal development plan, or looking to evidence progress against academic promotion criteria.
Certain roles will be less objective led and more focussed on performance against targets and service standards. In these cases use the meeting to talk through each target and standard being set. Encourage the individual to ask questions, raise any concerns and suggest additional areas of activity, so that by the end of the meeting there is shared agreement on the expectations for the coming year.
Development goals
Discuss last year's development goals. Reflect on what developmental activities have taken place and the impact it has had on the reviewee's work.
Identify development goals for the year ahead. The reviewee should highlight the areas where they want to improve and what their manager can do to support this.
Development goals may be:
- activities that are identified as necessary for the employee to meet their objectives
- activities that the employee would like to do to enhance their performance.
If the reviewer has concerns about how the reviewee has gone about their work, then they may agree a development goal that is behavioural based. Remember that performance concerns shouldn’t be raised for the first time in the PDR meeting. It’s important that development needs are addressed when they arise, as part of regular check-in/one-to-one conversations. The PDR can then provide an opportunity to reflect back on these discussions, progress made and plans for further support in the year ahead.
After the meeting
Completion of the form
After the review meeting the form will need to be finalised and signed off. It is important that both the reviewer and reviewee get a chance to read through the content and capture their commentary and final thoughts.
Check that all sections of the form are populated and that they capture the main points of discussion.
It’s important that objectives are finalised and recorded. It can take time to write robust SMART objectives so don't rush to finalise them in the meeting. If you need more time, have a follow up meeting or firm them up via email.
You should both keep a copy of the finalised form to refer to during check-ins/one-to-ones throughout the year.
Development plan
Make sure the development plan is recorded, along with target dates for completion. The reviewee should be clear about what support they will need in order to complete each action.
It is the responsibility of the reviewee to action the development activities agreed.
It’s important to revisit development goals throughout the year to check on progress, see if any further support is needed or if there are additional opportunities to be added to the plan. It’s a good idea to agree some dates for development check-in conversations as part of your regular one-to-ones
Ongoing meetings
Whilst the PDR meeting is a helpful annual exercise, it is really important to have regular feedback opportunities throughout the year. Everyone should have ample opportunity to talk openly about expectations, workload, wellbeing, development and support.
As part of the annual PDR discussion and finalisation of the paperwork, the reviewer and reviewee should agree plans for ongoing check-ins over the next 12 months. Where appropriate, this could be quarterly or mid-cycle reviews to focus on a specific topic, such as reviewing development plans, reflecting on progress against objectives, planning for academic promotion. Periodic one-to-one catch ups should also be scheduled.