A note from Lauren Giaimo

“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.”  - Henry Van Dyke

Happy Spring! I hope everyone has enjoyed all three seasons that March has brought us this year. In New Haven, we have had quite a swing in temperatures – a low of 21 degrees and a high of 66 degrees. March also saw the return of New Haven’s beloved St. Patrick’s Day Parade (first since 2019), the clocks ‘spring ahead’, and a relaxation of the University’s masking policy – three things that signal progress and hope that we are moving in a positive direction.

March also means the official kickoff of the Annual Performance Review Process for all staff! While the University’s fiscal year has remained June 30, our timeline shifted last year to align with the change in the merit increase date for managerial & professional staff (shifted from September 1 to July 1 in FY21). While we are still adjusting to this timeline, it does allow for more timely discussions around annual performance and goal setting for the upcoming year.  

As you have heard in our weekly All-Hands meetings the past couple of weeks, Finance is following a modified timeline (different from the one suggested in the university-wide communications from Human Resources). As in past years, we are using a calendar that works for us internally while also:

1. meeting the university-wide deadlines;
2. allowing staff time to reflect and complete their self-assessments; and
3. giving managers time to gather all the information needed to complete a fair and objective evaluation of their team members’ performance, as well as calibrate internally for consistency and equity.

Here is a brief synopsis of the FY22 deadlines for Finance:

This chart doesn’t include all the work between May 6 and July 10 to ensure we have a robust, fair, consistent, and balanced process across Finance– something we will talk about at an upcoming All-Hands.

As a reminder, Yale has two different forms for annual performance feedback. In Finance, we will use the M&P Performance Management Form FY22 (without goals evaluation) for our managerial & professional staff and the C&T Performance Feedback Form for our clerical & technical staff. While there is an additional component of merit increase recommendations associated with the M&P process, the self-assessment and manager/staff member feedback discussion around achievements, goals, strengths, skills, interests, and areas for development should be taking place for all staff during this timeframe, regardless of job category.

Finally, there is a wealth of information on It’s Your Yale’s Performance Management page – including sample forms, an overview of the performance management cycle, helpful coaching & feedback tools and resources, and FAQs. Should you need assistance or clarification on any aspect of this process, please do not hesitate to reach out to your manager, our HR generalist, Anat Yogev, or me. Performance feedback and the annual performance management cycle are incredibly important and vital processes for the ongoing growth and professional development of all staff, and we are happy to help.