I. Purpose
A. Anne Arundel Community College’s commitment to its workforce requires performance evaluations, ongoing planning, and professional development for its staff and administrators.
B. This Procedure for Staff and Administrator Performance Evaluation (“Procedures”) establishes the process for reviewing staff performance through ongoing coaching conversations at specified intervals.
II. Applicability
A. These Procedures apply to all members of the Professional and Support Staff Organization (“PSSO”) and the Administrative Staff Organization (“ASO”), including part-time and full-time employees, and contract with benefits employees.
B. These Procedures do not apply to faculty, temporary employees, or contract employees who are not eligible for benefits.
III. Definitions
A. All capitalized terms in these Procedures have the following meanings:
1. Fiscal Year means July 1 through June 30.
2. Business Day is any day which is not a Saturday or Sunday or day that the College is closed, such as holidays, spring break, winter break, or other day that the College announces that it is closed.
3. Coaching Conversation means a discussion between the Employee and the Supervisor regarding the Employee’s performance, Professional Development, and learning, and growth.
4. Coaching Conversation Worksheet means the document approved by the EDHR that is intended to guide the Coaching Conversations with the Employee and that the Supervisor uses to record the Coaching Conversations.
5. Confirmation Form means the document approved by the EDHR that the Supervisor will complete to confirm that the Coaching Conversation took place and that the next Coaching Conversation is scheduled.
6. EDHR means the Executive Director of Human Resources.
7. Employee is the member of PSSO or ASO who is subject to performance evaluations under these Procedures.
8. Employee Comment Form means the document approved by the EDHR that an Employee may use to respond to the Coaching Conversation.
9. HR means the Office of Human Resources.
10. Job Description means a document maintained by HR that clearly states the job duties and responsibilities of a specific position at the College, including essential functions of the job.
11. Professional Development means attending internal or external conferences, events, webinars, trainings, affinity groups, or other activities related to advancement of the Employee’s knowledge, skills, abilities related to the College mission and values or job performance.
12. Supervisor means the manager to whom the Employee directly reports.
13. Second Level Supervisor means the Employee to which the Supervisor reports.
IV. Coaching Conversations
A. The purpose of ongoing Coaching Conversations:
1. To review the Employee’s Job Description;
2. To support the Employee’s success and self-improvement;
3. To encourage a growth mindset through reflection, planning, problem solving, and honest and constructive feedback; and
4. To guide and facilitate the Employee’s professional development, aligned with observed strengths, opportunities for growth and continuous improvement, professional advancement at the College, and the College’s values, mission and strategic objectives.
B. It is the responsibility of each Supervisor to review the performance of each Employee that the Supervisor supervises through Coaching Conversations two (2) times per Fiscal Year and to keep the Second Level Supervisor and HR apprised of the status of the reviews.
1. The Coaching Conversations must take place semi-annually—once between July 1 and December 31 and once between January 1 and June 30.
2. The Supervisor has flexibility to choose the date of the Coaching Conversation with the Employee, so long as the Coaching Conversation is completed once during each of the semi-annual time periods.
3. Each Coaching Conversation will cover the Employee’s performance since the date of the last Coaching Conversation with the Employee.
C. If the Supervisor has assigned the Employee to perform work on behalf of another supervisor who is outside of the Employee’s supervisory chain, the Supervisor may consult with the other supervisor to obtain feedback on the Employee’s performance for the purpose of providing additional feedback during the Coaching Conversations and to be included on the Coaching Conversation Worksheet.
D. Attendance at the Coaching Conversation
1. The Supervisor may invite the Second Level Supervisor or an employee from HR to attend a Coaching Conversation, at the Supervisor’s discretion, and will provide advance notice to the Employee if the Second Level Supervisor and/or an HR employee will attend.
2. If, with approval from the Supervisor, the Employee has performed duties for another department(s) or division(s) since the last Coaching Conversation, the Supervisor will consult with the manager for the other department(s) or division(s) in which the Employee has performed duties so that the Supervisor may provide feedback regarding the other duties during the Coaching Conversations. Alternatively, the Supervisor may invite the manager from the other department(s) or division(s) to participate in the Coaching Conversation, with advanced notice to the Employee.
E. Coaching Conversation Worksheet
1. The Supervisor will provide a written summary of each Coaching Conversation on the Coaching Conversation Worksheet.
2. For Employees who have supervisory or managerial responsibilities, the Supervisor may also include feedback on leadership and manager effectiveness on the Coaching Conversation Worksheet.
3. During the Coaching Conversation, the Supervisor will review the Employee’s Job Description with the Employee for the accuracy of the job duties and responsibilities and select the option for no changes or changes recommended on the Coaching Conversation Worksheet. If changes are recommended, the Supervisor must follow the Section below entitled Updates to Job Description.
4. During the Coaching Conversation, the Supervisor will ask for the Employee’s feedback and takeaways, which the Supervisor will record on the Coaching Conversation Worksheet.
5. A Supervisor may include goals for the Employee on the Coaching Conversation Worksheet.
6. At the end of each Coaching Conversation, for planning purposes, the Supervisor will schedule the next Coaching Conversation.
a. The College recommends that the next Coaching Conversation be scheduled within the next six (6) months.
b. However, due to operational needs, the Supervisor has the flexibility to schedule the next Coaching Conversation at any time during the next semi-annual time period, so long as it is completed and submitted by the end of the semi-annual time period.
7. Within two (2) Business Days of the Coaching Conversation, the Supervisor will provide a copy of the Coaching Conversation Worksheet to the Employee and will complete.
8. Signing the Coaching Conversation Worksheet
a. Within ten (10) Business Days of the date the Coaching Conversation Worksheet is final, the Employee must sign the Coaching Conversation Worksheet, physically or electronically, to acknowledge that the Employee has received and read the Coaching Conversation Worksheet.
b. Signing the Coaching Conversation Worksheet does not indicate that the Employee agrees with the feedback received.
c. Failure of the Employee to sign the Coaching Conversation Worksheet will not affect the validity of the Coaching Conversation.
d. Within five (5) Business Days of the Employee signing the Coaching Conversation Worksheet, the Supervisor will provide a copy of the Coaching Conversation Worksheet to the Employee and will complete and submit the Confirmation Form, including a copy of the Coaching Conversation Worksheet, to HR.
e. HR will track and monitor that each Supervisor completes the Coaching Conversation and submits the Confirmation Form.
F. Employee Comment Form
1. Within ten (10) Business Days of the Supervisor’s submission of the Coaching Conversation Worksheet to the Employee, the Employee may provide a written response to the Coaching Conversation Worksheet by submitting an Employee Comment Form via email to the Supervisor and HR at humanresources@aacc.edu.
2. Within ten (10) Business Days of receipt of a written response from the Employee, the Supervisor may, in the Supervisor’s sole discretion, make changes to the Coaching Conversation Worksheet in response to the Employee’s comments and provide a copy of the revised Coaching Conversation Worksheet to the Employee and send a copy to HR at humanresources@aacc.edu.
3. After this ten-day period has passed, the Coaching Conversation Worksheet with revisions, if any, will be final.
4. While there is an opportunity to comment, there is no right to appeal or grieve the content of the Coaching Conversation Worksheet.
V. Updates to Job Descriptions
A. If the Supervisor or Employee believes that any job duties or responsibilities on the Job Description need to be added, deleted, or modified, the Supervisor will work with the Employee to draft the recommended changes.
B. Within ten (10) Business Days of the Coaching Conversation, the Supervisor must submit a draft of the proposed Job Description to the Second Level Supervisor for approval.
C. Once approved, the Supervisor or Second Level Supervisor must submit the proposed Job Description to HR via email.
1. HR will review the proposed Job Description and approve, reject, or suggest modifications to the proposed Job Description.
2. If HR rejects or suggests modifications to the proposed Job Description, HR will discuss the Job Description with the Supervisor.
3. HR will finalize the Job Description, the Supervisor and Second Level Supervisor will sign the Job Description and return it to HR, and HR will notify the Employee and Supervisor of the final version and place it in the Employee’s personnel file.
4. If there is a dispute regarding the content of the Job Description, HR will have the final authority to determine the content of the Job Description.
5. The content of the Job Description is not grievable or subject to appeal.
D. If the Employee believes that the recommended changes to the Job Description should be evaluated for reclassification, the Employee will discuss whether a reclassification evaluation should be conducted with the Supervisor.
E. If the Supervisor agrees that a reclassification evaluation should be conducted, the Supervisor will request a reclassification evaluation with the submission of the proposed Job Description to HR, and HR will conduct a reclassification evaluation in accordance with the applicable policies and procedures.
VI. Records
A. The completed Coaching Conversation Worksheet, including any revisions, Confirmation Form, and Employee Comment Form, if any, will become part of the Employee’s personnel file and will be maintained confidentially by HR.
B. The Employee will be provided access to the completed Coaching Conversation and Employee Comment Forms upon request to the Supervisor or the Office of Human Resources.
C. Any changes to the Forms described in these Procedures must be approved by the EDHR.
VII. New Employees
A. A Supervisor must provide an initial Coaching Conversation to a newly hired Employee within three (3) months of the Employee’s hire date.
B. A Supervisor must provide a second Coaching Conversation to a newly hired Employee by the end of the Employee’s six (6) month probationary period.
C. Thereafter, the Supervisor will provide Coaching Conversations during the semi-annual time periods set forth above.
Procedure Title: Staff and Administrator Performance Evaluation Procedure
Policy Category: Human Resources
Policy Owner: Vice President of Learning Resources Management
Policy Administrator: Executive Director of Human Resources
Contact Information: Suzanne Boyer; 410-777-2045; slboyer1@aacc.edu
Approval Date: July 31, 2023
Effective Date: Aug. 1, 2022
History: Interim Procedure adopted effective Aug. 2, 2022
Applies to: All members of the College’s Professional and Support Staff Organization and Administrative Staff Organization
Related Policies: N/A
Related Procedures: N/A
Forms/Guidelines:
Relevant Laws: N/A