Union Mail – February 2014: Annual Performance Reviews, Staff Mortgage Scheme

Annual Performance Reviews

The annual performance review process will be underway soon.  Performance ratings are used to determine your annual pay award and some bonus payments, and are often used as a factor in selection processes such as promotion or even redundancy – so it is important to invest time to prepare and make an effective case for the rating you deserve.

Here are some points to consider ahead of your annual review:

Discuss your performance with your manager before Calibration

Most business areas will calibrate ‘indicative’ ratings ahead of the final review conversations taking place with employees.  Your manager will be expected to present evidence to support their indicative ratings and so may hold an initial end of year meeting with you prior to calibration.  You should use this opportunity (or your regular 1-2-1 meetings) to remind them of your achievements for the year as a whole and influence them ahead of calibration.  This will help them assess how you compare to other team members during the calibration process.

Take ownership of booking a 1-2-1 if you don’t already have one in the diary.

Your Rating can still be changed after Calibration

There is a popular belief that ratings set at calibration can’t be changed – but this is not true.  Your manager can agree a different rating to that discussed at calibration but you have a responsibility to provide evidence and make a compelling case for the rating you believe you deserve.

Good evidence, using specific examples, really is the key to having a constructive discussion and getting the best outcome.  Link your evidence to your performance plan and make sure it covers your business tasks and your behaviours.

Think back over the whole of the performance year and make sure your manager is assessing you over 12 months and not just on your most recent activity.

It’s also a good idea to have read the performance rating definitions on the Performance Management intranet pages so that you can show how you meet the description of the rating you want.

Calibration is about ensuring that there is fairness and consistency in setting ratings and not determining a set distribution or quota for each rating.

If you’re told your rating can’t be changed from calibration then you should consider using the appeal process.

Interim Ratings don’t automatically determine your Annual Rating

There should be ‘no surprises’ when it comes to deciding your annual performance rating and so interim and quarterly bonus ratings are a good indicator of how you’ve performed over the year.  However, there is no mechanism that ‘tots up’ your interim or quarterly rating to give the annual rating.  You and your manager will need to agree an annual rating that properly reflects your whole year performance.

Use the Appeal Process

If you are unhappy with your rating then please use the Appeal Process.  The process is effective and every year employees are successful in getting their rating uplifted.

Your rating can’t be reduced by appealing.

Appeals should be made informally to your manager within 5 working days of being told your rating.  If this fails to resolve the situation you can raise a formal grievance.  You must submit your grievance within 10 days of the decision from your informal appeal.  You can request that a manager who is independent from your line hears your appeal.  If you are a Union member we can help you present your appeal at a grievance meeting.

Help and Support

If you would like to discuss how to approach your performance review meeting or would like advice about how to appeal please call us for a confidential chat on 01295 710767.

Tim Poil
General Secretary

Financial Solutions and Dunfermline Integration

We are supporting members who are involved in the recent changes and proposed redundancies in Financial Solutions.  If you are impacted by the change and would like to talk about your options please call and ask to speak to an Individual Cases Officer.

The Union is also supporting members in Scotland who are affected by the integration of Dunfermline branches and IT functions in Caledonia House.  Within the branch network there are four planned branch closures which will result in redundancies and a number of branch managers will be displaced as a result of branch mergers.  However, the overall loss of jobs in the Network is relatively low.  This is a result of careful planning, such as the use of fixed term contracts, to mitigate the impact on existing employees.  We hope the same outcome can be achieved for Cheshire and Derbyshire branches as integration continues later in the year.

Staff Mortgage Scheme

As members will have seen from the Joint Statement issued on 23 January 2014, the Society is closing the Nationwide Staff Mortgage scheme for new borrowing from 31 March 2014.  The Union opposes the closure of the scheme and has challenged the Society’s decision to remove the benefit without the agreement of individuals affected or the Union.

If you have a concern about the change please contact your local Union Representative, who can provide further background and explain the support available from the Union.

Union Regional Council Meetings

Retail North 1 – 26th February
Retail North 2 – 7th February
Retail North 3 – 13th February
Retail South 1 – 10th February
Retail South 2 – 11th February
Retail South 3 – 14th February
Northampton – 17th February
Bournemouth – 21st February
Caledonia House – 25th February
Swindon – 10th March

February Draw Winners

First Prize  :  £11,273

083474   :   Linda Jones of Pension Fund Members

Second Prize  :  £5,000

102763  :   Jodie Miles of IT Disaster Recovery

Third Prize  :  £2,000

128486  :   Matthew King of Retail Admin Support

Fourth Prizes  :  £500

119453  :   Andrew Williams of RSM South East
085835  :   Helen Towey of Stockport
085796  :   Beverley Ward of Pension Fund Members