The following details have been supplied by the PCS DWP Group:
Mid-year Consistency Checking Discussions Unfair work objectives and unfair behavioural indictors must be revised
People Performance Mid-year review action
As we approach the middle of the year, countersigning managers, line managers and employees must plan for October’s mid-year performance reviews. By the end of September 2014, all countersigning managers and line managers should have held consistency checking discussions.
Management action during September
During September, all countersigning managers should get their line managers together for consistency checking discussions. The aim of the discussions is to ensure line managers have a shared understanding of performance expectations and do not underestimate or overestimate people’s performance.
Work objectives must be fair
Consistency checking should help to ensure that objectives have been set fairly especially for those who are part time or where a reasonable adjustment is necessary for a disabled colleague. DWP ‘How to’ guidance on this was updated in January 2014. Additional guidance was issued to HR Business Partners and the CS HR Casework team, in August 2014, on inappropriate People Survey related work objectives and behavioural indicators.
Performance standards must be fair
Consistency checking activity should help line managers to ensure that the distribution of individual ratings between the boxes 1, 2 and 3 is justified on the basis of performance evidence and a consistent application of standards.
Managers may also reflect on whether standards are set at the right level by comparing their employees’ proposed interim performance ratings against the distribution range of up to 25 per cent rated as 'Exceeded', 65 per cent as 'Achieved' and 10 per cent as 'Must Improve'. The purpose of ‘guided distribution’ is to support standard setting at the start and mid-year stages of the People Performance process and must not be misused as quotas for ratings. Ratings must not be changed or forced simply to fit the distribution.
