Performance Engagement

Performance Engagement is built around three essential elements designed to foster stronger relationships between managers and employees, while enhancing performance and overall engagement:

1. Recurring Check-ins: Regular, timely feedback is crucial for personal and professional growth. Leaders are encouraged to schedule a minimum of one 30-minute one-on-one meeting per month. Each quarter, one of these sessions should focus on a detailed performance review, ensuring alignment on goals and progress.
2. Quarterly Performance Check-ins: At the end of each quarter, individuals and their managers complete a brief performance check-in within Workday. These tasks facilitate open communication, allowing both parties to share insights and maintain a clear understanding of performance throughout the year—avoiding the pitfalls of annual-only reviews.
3. Annual Engagement Survey: Once a year, all staff are invited to participate in a short, anonymous feedback survey. The survey captures valuable insights into leadership effectiveness, team dynamics, organizational culture, and developmental support. Results are reviewed by the HR Performance Engagement team, who then provide leaders with comprehensive summaries to drive informed improvements.

Exact dates may vary slightly, but in general, quarterly tasks start a month before the end of a quarter. Employees have a month to complete and submit their check-in to their manager. Then, managers have another month to complete the formal check-in and submit their Workday portion to their employees.

• Mar 1: Q1 performance check-ins launch
• Apr 1: Incomplete check-ins mass advanced to managers
• Mar 31: Q1 individual performance check-ins due to managers
• Apr 30: Q1 manager performance check-ins & 1:1s due
• Jun 1: Q2 performance check-ins launch + Annual PE survey emailed to all employees
• Jun 30: Q2 individual performance check-ins due to managers + Annual PE survey closes
• Jul 1: Incomplete check-ins mass advanced to managers
• Jul 31: Q2 manager performance check-ins & 1:1s due
• August: Annual PE survey results shared with leaders
• Sep 1: Q3 performance check-ins launch
• Sep 30: Q3 individual performance check-ins due to managers
• Oct 1: Incomplete check-ins mass advanced to managers
• Oct 31: Q3 manager performance check-ins & 1:1s due
• Dec 1: Q4 performance check-ins launch
• Jan 9 (2026): Q4 individual performance check-ins due to managers
• Jan 11 (2026): Incomplete check-ins mass advanced to managers
• Jan 31: Q4 manager performance check-ins & 1:1s due

The four questions in the Quarterly Performance Check-In form in Workday include:

1. What are 1-2 accomplishments you are most proud of from this past quarter?
2. What are 1-2 accomplishments you will focus on next quarter?
3. What support do you need from your manager next quarter to be successful?
4. How would you evaluate your/this person's individual achievements, collaboration with team members, and overall value contribution to the organization in the past quarter? (5-point rating scale)

Success in all roles depends on three key performance areas: Individual Achievement, Team Collaboration, and Organizational Impact. Evaluating performance in these areas ensures that employees not only meet their own goals but also contribute to their team’s and UVA's success. This framework fosters individual growth, strengthens teams, and enhances overall organizational success:

• Individual Achievement: Reflects an employee’s ability to complete tasks, meet goals, and deliver results independently.
• Team Collaboration: Measures how well an individual works with colleagues to support a productive and positive team environment.
• Organizational Impact: Captures the broader impact of an employee’s work on the company and its internal or external customers.

Use the resources below to better understand performance levels:

• Performance Rating Rubric (A detailed matrix to help guide individuals and supervisors to determine a rating or performance level.)
• Performance Examples (A supplement to our rubric that includes examples to further help identify performance levels.)

Discuss with your manager their specific expectations for each rating or level. Leaders are strongly encouraged to hold calibration sessions with their teams and/or departments. 

If you wish to appeal a rating in your quarterly check-in from your manager, you must follow the appeals process outlined here.

• Guide to Regular Performance Check-Ins
• Engagement Survey Sample
• Completing a Review (Check-In) Task in Workday (Job Aid)
• Workday Reports for Managers (Job Aid)

• Goal Setting Resources
• Feedback Resources

• UVA Learning & Development Catalog
• Individual Career Development Plan

AI tools like Microsoft Copilot can simplify the process of writing performance check-ins and reviews, helping both managers and employees craft balanced, clear, and impactful reviews. Here's how AI can assist:

• Summarize Key Points: Use AI to distill performance data or notes into concise, easy-to-understand highlights.
• Refine Language: Ensure your review strikes the right balance between encouragement and constructive feedback with AI’s tone adjustments.
• Highlight Achievements: Input key successes, and AI can frame them in ways that reflect impact and contributions clearly.
• Turn Feedback Into Actions: AI can transform general observations into actionable insights, helping you focus on growth opportunities.

Note: AI is a tool to enhance clarity and efficiency but should complement authentic, thoughtful input. Copilot is the University-approved, enterprise-protected tool for Generative AI that has the added privilege of enterprise security, meaning what you tell it and/or upload to it stays within UVA.