Performance Evaluation Overview and
Performance Evaluation Standards

	Performance Evaluations
	Preparing
	Conducting
	Finalizing
	FAQ
	Forms

According to Act 899 of 1997, all classified employees must be formally evaluated once each evaluation period using the state approved performance evaluation instrument. Our institution set January 15-March 15 as the designated time period for classified evaluations to be completed and submitted to Human Resources for the previous year's performance.

As a supervisor, your role is to coach, nurture and empower others to use their skills, expertise and ideas to produce results. You are the front-line leaders in directing employees in the tasks that will, collectively with the results of employees in other departments, assist the University in obtaining its goals and objective. To provide this direction, you should communicate to the employees what is expected of them, define satisfactory performance for those expectations, and then monitor and evaluate the performance on an on-going basis to keep that performance on-track.

The object of a performance evaluation system is to:

• Provide a comparison of actual on-the-job performance to established performance standards;
• Identify training needs and establishing a mechanism for employee growth and development;
• Encourage periodic and structured communication between supervisors and employees about the "job"; and
• Document defendable rationale for decisions involving promotions, demotions, transfers, terminations, salary increases, or incentive pay.

Performance evaluation is a process that should take place continuously. While day-to-day evaluation is usually informal, Arkansas law requires that the performance of all classified employees be evaluated formally at least once a year, in accordance with the Arkansas Performance Evaluation Plan. Annual evaluations must be completed between January 15 and March 15. If interim evaluations are done, the interim evaluations must be considered in the annual evaluation.

The following checklists may help you in the performance evaluation process. Additional information can be found in section 4.3 of the University of Arkansas Staff Handbook., or by contacting Human Resources at hr.employment@uark.edu or 575-5351.