Health and wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do and, in order to thrive at work, all employees need to be involved in regular conversations with their manager about the work they do, how they feel about it and where they may need help, support and guidance.
The Cumberland staff appraisal process provides a simple structure to support an annual review and summary of these conversations, capture progress and achievement against personal, team and service priorities and look towards new ones for the following 12 months.
This appraisal process replaces all previous appraisal systems in the legacy councils. It is designed to complement your regular one to ones with line manager and you are encouraged to utilise the heading areas and/or this template to support those meaningful, ideally monthly, conversations throughout the year.
By being involved in regular conversations with your line manager you will be able to receive positive and constructive feedback - any praise for work well done or constructive feedback given in the moment and not stored for the next annual summary. Nothing in the annual summary conversations should be a surprise to you - it does not replace or prevent regular one to one conversations, which you will, ideally, be having on a monthly basis with your line manager.
The appraisal process aim
The appraisal process aims to:
- ensure all employees understand and are engaged with our values and Target Operating Model and how these underpin and link to their role
- provide an opportunity to check in on health and wellbeing
- ensure all employees feel included, valued and supported in delivering against council priorities
- provide quality time with your line manager to reflect on what has been achieved, is progressing well, could be even better and how
- encourage ownership of work and development, seeking solutions and opportunities to further improve practice
Preparation before the discussion
You should expect your line manager to agree and schedule a place and time to meet which is somewhere you both feel comfortable and will be free from interruptions. Whilst face to face is preferable for these conversations, effective conversations can be held on Teams and supports effective use of time.
Prepare for the conversation, making a note of anything you want to talk about, using the sections on the Appraisal Conversation Template as a guide.
We recommend using the appraisal conversation template to guide and record your regular conversations and use these to refer back to in preparation for the annual summary review.
During the discussion
Employees and line managers should work collaboratively to ensure that 121 and annual summary appraisal conversations take place and are both productive and supportive. The conversation should be two-way, providing a balance of feedback, active listening and an opportunity for you to talk. Make notes of key points for reference in future conversations.
The more we have these conversations, the more they will flow – the conversation template does not have to be followed in prescriptive order – by having regular conversations, you and your manager will get to know each other even better and thus understand each other better.
For example what motivates you? What are your strengths? What is your communication style?
At the end of the discussion
Your manager will share notes of the conversation with you on the conversation template. Wherever possible, take time to ensure the next conversation is scheduled so it is in the diary and you feel appreciated and valued.
The Cumberland staff appraisal conversation template
The sections of the template are designed to cover the key areas of discussion, however, you should not feel limited by the questions and can adapt them to suit your preferred style and circumstances.
Read what your manager will cover in the employee appraisal priorities template.
You can also read the conversation template in Cumberland employee appraisal - employee guidance (SharePoint).