Ahh, springtime. The snow is melting, the flowers are starting to bloom -- and all over Georgetown, employees and supervisors are meeting to begin the annual performance review process.

March marks the beginning of review season, the time when managers and staff meet to evaluate the past year's work, determine how performance measured up to expectations and set goals for the coming year. But the spring's formal review is only one step in the overall philosophy of performance management embraced by Georgetown.

Performance management includes a year round system of assessment to keep everyone aligned to the same purpose, said Mary Anne Mahin, vice president and chief human resources officer. The philosophy is based on managing employees toward goals for the benefit of each department and ultimately the university.

Other components of the system include completing interim reviews in autumn, providing continuous feedback between supervisors and subordinates, partaking in training and developing activities and utilizing both rewards for excellent work and corrective measures for below-par performance.

"When you're constantly getting feedback and talking, everyone is moving in the same direction at the same time," Mahin said. "When employees can have that dialogue and input on their performance and goals, it gives them more ownership over their position."

Linda Hopper, director of training and organizational development, said performance management should be a state of mind for supervisors and employees, but acknowledged the process is not intuitive. Hopper helps instill the philosophy into the Georgetown community through regular training sessions. Her office holds more than 100 classes throughout the year, and community members should not hesitate to ask for help and seek out training as needed, she said.

"We need to talk about performance and goals in a way that integrates them into every aspect of what we do," Hopper said. "There should never be any surprises at your annual review because you should be talking about these issues all year long."

Successful use of the system results in a more communicative workplace where everyone understands what is expected, she explained.

Because Georgetown is a large organization with a variety of operations, the use of performance management tools may not be identical across campuses, Mahin said. But the philosophy is integral to the Georgetown's success, she said, so the human resources department continually works with department heads and administrators to help them establish the system throughout the university.

Time to Set Goals

The process of annual formal reviews is beginning now for every department except the Office of Advancement, which conducts its meetings in the summer, at the end of the fiscal year.

The period of time covered for annual reviews spans a 12-month period beginning in March. Right now employees should be starting to fill out their self-evaluation forms.

"Managers love self-assessments," Hopper said, "because it narrows the gap between what you're talking about and what your employees are talking about. This also gives everyone a voice in the process and that is very important to Georgetown."

Managers should meet and review the self-assessments with their subordinates and then work on their review of the employees' performance. Those evaluations should be looked over by several levels of managers before being finalized and made part of the employee's permanent file.

What are not yet discussed this time of year are pay raises, which are based on merit and determined in the summer. Georgetown separates the processes for performance reviews and pay increases in order to keep the reviews focused on goal-setting and work progress.

"When the focus is on money, sometimes the employee doesn't hear what else the manager has to say," Mahin said. "Without that focus, you can instead talk about how things will go, how they've been going and what are the expectations for the future."

The university added interim reviews to its overall performance management program three years ago. During these meetings, which take place in the fall, employees and supervisors assess progress toward the annual goals and adjust their objectives and timelines accordingly.

"When you don't have the pressure of a rating and this isn't something that's going into your permanent record, it can become more of a dialogue," Mahin said.

Meanwhile, with the continual performance management system in place, employees should have a good idea where they stand before the reviews, Hopper said. Those who are not receiving regular feedback have several options, including approaching their supervisors' managers or contacting their human resources generalists for advice. The generalists may also work with entire departments if employees feel the office needs training in performance management.

But in most cases, Mahin said, a good starting point is one's direct supervisor.

"Employees can and should start that conversation with their supervisor if they're not getting what they need or they need help," she said.