Principles of the SRDS scheme
The University of Sheffield´s Staff Review and Development Scheme applies to all members of staff. It is based on the following principles, with the intention of bringing benefits to individual staff, to departments and to the University as a whole:
- That the University should have a process to ensure that every individual member of staff’s objectives and contribution is in line with their department’s aim of continued improvement of institutional performance;
- That all staff should have the opportunity, at least annually, to receive feedback from their manager on how they have met the requirements of their job summary, how well they have met their own objectives and how they have contributed to meeting departmental and, where appropriate, University objectives;
- That all staff should have the opportunity, at least annually, to discuss and agree individual objectives with their manager;
- That all staff should have the opportunity, at least annually, to discuss their career development with their manager;
- That all staff should have the opportunity, at least annually, to reflect on development undertaken and to discuss and agree future development needs to help meet their objectives;
- That all staff should have an equal opportunity to progress within grades. This incorporates both an expectation of normal progression up to the contribution threshold and the opportunity to be considered for additional reward based on the outcome of their review;
- That the University should have a consistent and evidence-based mechanism for recognising and assessing the contribution of all staff towards meeting departmental and University objectives;
- That there should be a process both at departmental and University level for monitoring and moderating the outcomes of the scheme;
- That there should be transparent procedures for implementing the outcomes of staff review and development meetings;
- That SRDS is not the mechanism for withholding increments;
- That it provides a route for the review of performance improvement measures;
- That the University retains the right to withhold increments as part of performance improvement measures;
- That the scheme should be reviewed on a regular basis.
The annual SRDS meeting is set against an expectation of ongoing performance management, i.e. regular communication between managers and their staff about departmental and individual priorities, about progress towards meeting objectives, to ensure these are kept under review and remain relevant, and about ongoing support and development needs.
The basis for the SRDS discussion will be:
- The individual’s main duties and responsibilities (as set out in the About the Job, and any other supporting documents)
- Specific objectives agreed at the previous meeting (taking account of any interim review)
The reviewer must have an informed and detailed discussion with the reviewee about his/her job and objectives in order to provide feedback on contribution. It is therefore expected that the reviewer will normally be the immediate manager of the reviewee.