June IT Leadership Team recap

The IT Leadership Team met on Wednesday, June 28. Based on questions from the IT Town Hall and employee surveys requesting clarification on career paths, promotions, and equity, the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) chose this opportunity to provide strategic guidance on the merit process for ITS. Updates, announcements, and congratulations on outstanding efforts, such as the launch of LUX kicked things off. Introductions were made for new hires.

The meeting had two main goals:

• Provide an in-depth overview of the upcoming FY23 Performance Management and Merit Guidelines.
• Equip IT managers with the resources and tools to conduct successful performance reviews with their direct reports.

The focus is to guide teams on “behavior, competencies, and interacting with peers” and ensure managers prioritize “thoughtful words” when putting pen to paper.

Kaila Carroll from the IT Human Resources team led an engaged conversation on four key areas:

• Preparing for the performance discussion.
• Conducting the performance conversation.
• Expectations from managers.
• Merit guidelines talking points.

Preparation: The employee review focuses on tying skills and behaviors to achieve organizational goals. Managers were urged to create a formalized discussion plan with defined objectives and key messages for their direct reports. A list of reflection questions and scheduling meeting considerations, such as the amount of time allocated for the review, were woven into the discussion. Managers were encouraged to share the reviews with their staff as a meeting “pre-read” while remaining prepared for any reactions.

Conducting conversations: It was emphasized that practicing active listening and engaging employees in a dialogue produces better discussions. A suggested structure to guide the conversation from start to finish was also detailed. The importance of dialogue was stressed, with employees participating in the conversation and helpful tips on addressing challenges and difficulties in real time were provided. Managers were reminded of their obligations to fulfill the same performance review steps for their C&T employees.

Expectations from managers: July deadlines to complete the performance process were given and managers were instructed to lay the foundation for future development opportunities in FY24. Allowances were made for other actions such as written responses, follow-ups, and evaluation language change. In addition, reviews are expected to be fair, balanced, and thoughtful with signed copies due to HR to finalize the process.

Merit Guidelines talking points: With no changes from the previous year’s merit increase methodology, managers were given talking points for their discussions with employees. It was reiterated that SLT’s pay decisions are guided by the current market data to maintain equity in compensation and ensure IT at Yale remains a competitive employer.

John stressed the importance of “constant feedback” and soliciting input for employee development, saying it is critical to share feedback year-round and not only during the performance review period.

Ask SLT

There was a question about incorporating future goals into planned performance reviews. John clarified this would be a separate conversation from the performance review, scheduled to occur in August, as recommended by the IT SLT. For now, managers can draw connections between their team’s goals and individual employee responsibilities for current conversations.

A question was asked about planned workload, with the employee wanting to understand which projects are completed, carried over, and closed. Leadership responded that this is prepped for the end of the year but noted the scope needs to be completed. The SLT will discuss this in CPMG and share thoughts after. A decision is due to be rendered in August.