How is a special performance review handled under the new PMP?

According to K.A.R. 1-7-10(a)(5), an appointing authority may still conduct a special performance review rating for any employee at any time under the new PMP, unless prohibited under K.A.R. 1-14-8 due to pending layoffs. However, since annual performance ratings must be assigned within a particular timeframe under the new PMP, the process for handling special performance reviews is different than it has been in the past.

If you need to place an employee on a special performance review you should not “close out” the annual review before starting the special performance review like was done in the past. Instead, you should carry out the special performance review concurrently with the annual review. Essentially, the special performance review is now a specific period of time within the annual rating period for which an employee will receive a separate performance review rating.

To start a special performance review for an employee, the supervisor should hold a meeting with the employee to inform them that they are being placed on a 30, 60 or 90 day special performance review. At this meeting, the supervisor should also explain to the employee why they are being placed on the special review and that they will receive a specific performance review rating for their work performed during the period of the special performance review.

The supervisor should then inform the employee of his or her expectations for the special performance review and explain what behaviors or duties that the employee needs to change or improve upon in order to meet those expectations. Even more so than during the annual rating period, it is highly recommended that the supervisor meet regularly with the employee during this special performance review period to discuss the employee’s progress towards meeting those expectations or not. At the end of the special review period, the supervisor will essentially “close out” the special performance review and assign an overall rating to the employee for that special performance review period.

Once the special performance review is completed, the employee will then return to the annual review until the focal point period of October 1st – December 31st when the employee will receive a performance review rating as part of the annual performance review process.

Example: John has always struggled to arrive to work on time. One of the competencies that was identified during John’s Performance Planning session (which took place November 2, 2009) for his annual review is that he needs to arrive to work on time. The supervisor has repeatedly met and discussed that John needs to be at his work station at 8:00 a.m. every day since the beginning of the annual performance review period.
It is now March 15, 2010 and John has been late to work over ten times in the last month. The supervisor has determined to place John on a special performance review in order to help him realize that he needs to take this seriously. So, from March 15, 2010 – May 13, 2010 John will be on a special 60-day evaluation in hopes to help him understand the need to arrive to work on time.

John and his supervisor continue to meet regularly during this 60-day period to discuss his progress towards arriving to work on time. By May 13, 2010, John had arrived to work on time every day and due to his improved performance, he was given a performance review rating of meets expectations for the special performance review period. At that point, John then returned to working under his annual performance review until the focal point period of October 1st – December 31st when he will be assigned a performance review rating for the annual review period.