PLANNING AND COMMUNICATING PERFORMANCE. A. SL/ST performance agreements are developed through consultations between the rating officer and the employee at the beginning of the annual appraisal cycle and/or upon entry to an SL/ST position. Each agreement will consist of 1) a Department-wide element and 2) at least two position-specific elements. The Department-wide element reflects the core values of the Department and is shared by all senior professionals. It includes employee, customer and/or citizen feedback, ethics and conduct; and if position is supervisory, internal controls and strategic management of human capital. Position- specific commitments can be broadly or narrowly defined. Position- specific commitments:
1. must be derived from and directly contribute to the program priorities and objectives established by the Strategic Plan, GPRA goals, the program assessment tools, a Presidential or Secretary’s initiative, or other strategic planning document;
2. are to be written with the focus on the measurable results expected to be achieved by the senior professional;
3. must be clear as to what constitutes success;
4. must be consistent with the duties described in the senior professional’s position description for which the employee will be accountable;
5. are written to describe performance at the Fully Successful level;
6. are based on objective, measurable, observable and/or demonstrable criteria.
B. Both the rating official and the employee will sign and maintain a copy of the performance agreement.
PLANNING AND COMMUNICATING PERFORMANCE. An individual employee performance plan is established annually for each employee. The HHS Employee Performance Plan (located at xxxx://xxxxxxxx.xxx.xxx/forms/HHS/HHS-704B.p@ is the form used for all covered employees. At the beginning of the appraisal period, the rating official and the employee shall discuss the organization's desired program and management outcomes as well as the individual performance objectives toward which the employee should be focusing his/her efforts. The employee will be held accountable for his/her performance during the upcoming appraisal period. The discussion should also focus on the development of performance metrics that are quantifiable and results-based for each individual performance objective. Performance objectives should clearly define expectations and differentiate within the performance levels. The performance metrics should define what is expected at the Achieved Expected Results Level and the Achieved Outstanding Results Level. In developing the performance plan, the rating official shall review and consider the HHS Strategic Plan, OPDIV/STAFFDIV objectives, and any other important goals and measures, such as those identified by customers/stakeholders. Each rating official will ensure that broad HHS and OPDIV/STAFFDIV goals have been explained and cascaded to subordinate staff throughout his/her portion of the organization. These cascaded goals will impact organizational activity as well as individual performance expectations. Each employee should actively participate in developing his/her performance plan for the appraisal period. The final authority for establishing the performance plan rests with the rating official. Written performance plans are provided to the employee within 30 days of the beginning of the appraisal period, which runs from January 1 to December 31. If an employee enters a position after the start of the appraisal cycle, a performance plan must be established within 30 days of the date the employee enters on duty. This system does not require a second level review of the performance plan. However, at the discretion of the OPDIV/STAFFDIV Head, a second level review may be conducted. The supervisor and the employee will sign and keep a copy of the performance plan. A tip for establishing the performance plan is to use the term SMART: • Specific: Goals and expectations are clearly stated and direct.
PLANNING AND COMMUNICATING PERFORMANCE. SES performance agreements are developed through consultations between the rating officer and the executive at the beginning of the annual appraisal cycle and/or upon entry to an SES position. Each agreement will consist of 1) two Mandatory Department-wide elements and 2) at least three position-specific elements. The Department-wide elements reflect the core values of the Department and are shared by all executives. The Department-wide elements include strategic alignment; leadership, integrity and effective supervision; diversity advocacy and equal employment opportunity; internal controls and business results, information technology and customer feedback. Position-specific commitments are specific to individual executives and the programs they direct. Position-specific commitments: are established to address individual and/or organizational goals; are to describe expected results while focusing on the measurable results to be achieved by the senior executive; must be clear as to what constitutes success; must be consistent with the duties described in the senior executive’s position description for which the senior executive will be held accountable; are written to describe performance at the Fully Successful level; are based on objective, measurable, observable and/or demonstrable criteria. Both the rating official and the senior executive will sign and maintain a copy of the performance agreement.
