Frequently Asked Questions

The annual online Performance and Development Review (PDR) would normally be available to access and complete from  April to the end of November  Throughout the rest of the year the review can still be viewed and notes added to the ‘Me Page’. 

We would like to ensure that all staff at the University, including the University Executive Board, should have access to a Performance and Development Review where appropriate.  More information about who should undertake a Performance and Development Review is available on the eligibility page.

There were some additional improvements made for the 2023 cycle to further enhance the process including :

• Further reduction of mandatory fields and a reduction in the number of fields to complete

• Significant improvements to the guidance and questions on the Research Staff PDR Form in collaboration with Research & Innovation Services

• An additional question relating to the completion of core training

• Additional guidance on the PDR webpges relating to  responding to the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion question.

There will be continuous improvements to the PDR process, ensuring it supports the University community and the delivery of our strategic ambitions.  There have been no further amendments for the 2024 PDR cycle.

The University Mission, Vision and Values are set out in the University Strategy. Each Faculty and Professional Service Department will develop local strategic priorities to deliver the University Strategy. Your Performance and Development Review objectives will be based on your individual contribution to these plans. Your line manager / reviewer can provide further guidance.

It is the expectation that all staff will receive a PDR, however, there may be extenuating circumstances where this is not possible. However, this should be the exception. Executive Deans/Directors, working with their senior management teams, will be responsible for completion rates within their respective areas. Completion rates will be monitored and the information shared with Executive Deans/Directors. 

The HoD/HoS will decide who will be reviewers. This would usually be the individual’s line manager, although it may be delegated to another senior colleague. The allocation of the reviewer is guided by an efficient deployment of resources and take into consideration the size, structure and complexity of the department. 

This is the decision of the HoD/HoS and any concerns should be discussed with them. If there is a need for escalation, the final decision is made by the Executive Dean/Director.

As a guide, a manageable number of reviewees is 10, however, the actual number depends on departmental/school needs.

Training is available for Reviewers and consists of an elearning Module

• PDR: An Overview for Reviewers 

There is additional support and resources for all staff, including user manuals and video tutorials in Support and Resources section of the web pages

It is important to remember that filling in the online form itself is not the Performance & Development Review; the discussion at the review meeting is an essential part of  the performance and development review as well regular 1:1's throughout the year . As such, reviewee responses and comments should be kept concise and used as a basis for discussion at the actual meeting. 

New staff will need to manually enter objectives. If you had a finalised Performance and Development Review using the online systemin the previous year, the objectives will be automatically carried forward into the current year's Performance and Development Review. If your review was not finalised, you will need to manually enter your objectives.

Google documents can be embedded within free text fields and/or attached as a source of evidence. Emails will need to be saved as a PDF to be attached.

There should be a clear line of sight between an individual’s performance objectives and the University’s strategic plans. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Motivating, Attainable, Relevant, Trackable. Full guidance is given about objective setting, including examples, on the setting smart objectives page.

The purpose of the Leadership Attributes and Portsmouth Hallmark is to define expected behaviours and to facilitate reflection on the how and not just the what. These behaviours underpin the University values and examples of how behaviours can be demonstrated are provided in the current documents and supporting webpages.  

The self-assessment is an opportunity for individuals to reflect and consider what they have achieved and to make an overall assessment of their contribution over the review period. The self-assessment page provides further information on this. Should there be a difference of opinion, it should be discussed in an open and constructive way. The reviewer cannot change the self-assessment. 

If a member of staff feels unable to finalise a PDR the line manager will refer the matter to the Director or Executive Dean, who will try to facilitate a resolution but, ultimately, they can advise that they will finalise the PDR based on the information/documentation and note that there was a final failure to agree sign off from the staff member. 

From the reviewer’s ‘Me Page’, click on the 'My Linked People' tab that will provide a status on allocated reviewees.

If a member of staff has roles in different job families (Academic, Professional Services or Research) the system will allocate them a separate Performance and Development Review form for each role, so they will see multiple forms under the ‘My Reviews’ tab on the ‘Me Page’. Reviewers and commenters are linked to each individual form, so different reviewers and commenters can be selected for each form.

However, if individuals have multiple roles in the same job family; the online system is unable to allocate two forms. In this case, staff members will need to agree with their reviewer(s) and reporting manager(s) whether it is appropriate to complete a single Performance & Development Review for all roles. If not, they will need to complete the online review for one role and complete review(s) for all other role(s) using an electronic Word form.

In April each year, HR will identify members of staff that have multiple roles in the same job family and will send them an electronic Word form for completion if required. If members of staff take on additional roles in the same job family during the Performance and Development Review cycle (between April and December) they will need to request an electronic form by logging a request via the HR PeopleHub.

The reason for long term absence would normally be due to sickness, maternity leave, adoption leave or shared parental leave. Staff who are on long term absence and are unable to complete their online Performance and Development Review by 28 November should discuss arrangements with their reviewer / line manager on their return to work. 

The online Performance and Development Review system is designed to conform to the Website Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.1 AA.. If, however, a member of staff feels unable to undertake the Performance and Development Review using the online process, alternative arrangements, including completing printed templates, should be discussed with the line manager who will assist staff in finding a resolution. Alternative versions of the form can be requested by their reviewer or line manager by by logging a request via the HR PeopleHub.