Pay and Performance

Will there be performance-based salary increases this year?

Performance-based salary increases depend on ongoing funding, and the Legislature did not grant ongoing funding for that purpose this year. However, the Legislature DID grant one-time funds for a lump sum performance-based pay bonus. See this year's annual compensation bulletin for more details. Other ongoing turnover savings generated during the coming fiscal year will almost certainly need to be allocated for purposes other than pay for performance. Details will be determined by the Judicial Council in the coming months. We are hopeful the Legislature will consider allocating ongoing funds to reward employee performance in the future.

When are performance evaluations due?

Pursuant to policy HR10-1(2), evaluations are due to be completed by April 30, 2025.

What is the time period being evaluated?

Pursuant to policy HR10-1(1), an employee's job performance should be evaluated for the period beginning April 1, 2024, and ending March 31, 2025, which constitutes performance year 2025 (PY25).

When will I receive a performance evaluation?

Your supervisor or manager will meet with you soon to discuss your written evaluation with you, and should provide you a copy of the evaluation consistent with policy HR10-1(2). You should expect this to occur before the end of May 2025, and possibly as early as April 2025, depending your schedules and on when the evaluation is finalized.

What measurements or standards will be used to evaluate my job performance?

Written expectations previously given to you, pursuant to policy HR10-1(1)(a)(ii), are the standards against which job performance is evaluated. In the event that written expectations are missing, your job description may serve as a minimum substitute. State employee job descriptions are publicly available on this website - search by job title and filter by job category using "Courts" in the job category drop-down box.

How will I know if I am eligible for a pay bonus?

Your supervisor's written evaluation will designate your overall performance for the performance year as one of four levels approved by the State Court Administrator: Outstanding, Excellent, Satisfactory, or Unsatisfactory. Detailed descriptions of these performance levels are found above. All performance levels except Unsatisfactory are deemed eligible for a PY25 performance pay bonus.

How much will I receive if I am eligible?

This will be a fixed amount for all eligible employees, to be approved soon by the Judicial Council.

Is my performance rated on a curve or dependent upon budget constraints?

No, there is no expected curve of performance level designations. Additionally, this year's legislative funding amount ensures that even if every employee on our payroll were eligible to receive a pay bonus for PY25, the budget would cover every employee on payroll for that pay cycle.

When does this performance bonus get paid?

What is the deadline to complete performance evaluations?

Pursuant to policy HR10-1(2), supervisors should complete performance evaluations by April 30, 2025. Supervisors are responsible to ensure these evaluations are aligned with expectations in their line of district or administrative office management. 

Am I only to evaluate job performance for PY25?

Yes, the evaluation coincides with the performance year timeframe identified in policy HR10-1(1). Performance year 2025 (PY25) began on April 1, 2024, and concluded on March 31, 2025.

How is a performance evaluation submitted?

The official evaluation is submitted electronically using this secure Google form. Supervisors should ensure their written performance evaluations and accompanying performance level designations are aligned with expectations from their line of district or administrative office management. 

Is there a specific evaluation form I should use?

Policy requires that it be a "written evaluation of the employee's overall job performance" for PY25. In general, a written evaluation of around a paragraph or two to describe an employee's overall performance for the year is sufficient for HR policy compliance. Aside from that, there is no standard evaluation form nor any other kind of rigid format requirement. Here are some suggested options:

• Use written expectations previously established [consistent with policy HR10-1(1)(a)(ii)] as the framework for an evaluation form. The document/file that includes expectations and the supervisor's evaluation in light of those expectations could then be uploaded into the Google form to serve as the written evaluation.

• Manually enter a paragraph or so into the Google form that describes the employee's overall job performance against the effectiveness of advancing the overall mission of the Judiciary.

• Although not recommended as the best option, the employee's public job description* and any other written expectations previously communicated could be used as the framework for an evaluation form. The document/file that contains the supervisor's evaluation of job performance in light of the employee's job description and other expectations could then be uploaded into the Google form to serve as the written evaluation.

All activities relating to setting employee performance expectations and evaluating performance need to be accomplished in compliance with policy HR10-1.

*Job descriptions can be found on this website - search by job title and filter by job category using "Courts" in the job category drop-down box.

Who should submit the electronic evaluation?

Pursuant to policy HR10-1(2), the direct supervisor of an employee is responsible to complete a written evaluation no later than April 30, 2025. Completion of the information requested on this form satisfies the requirement in HR10-1(2)(a)(i) that a supervisor "...complete and provide a written evaluation of the employee's overall job performance for that performance year." Submissions should align with expectations from the supervisor's line of district or administratie office management.

What happens if someone else inappropriately tries to submit an evaluation for one of my employees?

The Google form only allows a user to submit an evaluation when they are logged into their UTcourts email account, and that submitter's email address is on full display in the TCE's dashboard. In the rare event a TCE sees that an evaluation was submitted by someone other than the employee's supervisor (or an appropriate designee in their line of management), they should contact HR immediately. The HR Department can then refresh the dashboard so that the appropriate performance evaluation may be submitted by the supervisor.

What if I submit an evaluation that needs to be edited because of information I gain after submitting?

The Google form is set up to allow the submitter to edit their response if needed. A supervisor may learn, when meeting with an employee, that relevant performance information was omitted, inaccurate, or otherwise needs modification. The vetting process in an employee's line of management may also result in necessary edits. HR policies, along with these accompanying tools and processes, provide the needed time and tools for all of these important steps to occur.

How do I edit an evaluation previously submitted in the Google form?

Make sure you do NOT delete the automatic response that comes to you after submitting an evaluation in the Google form. Saving automatic email response allows you to retrieve that email later, which includes a button at the top of the email that states "Edit My Response." When you click on that button, you'll be directed to the same form you already submitted so that you don't have to begin again from scratch - but you ARE allowed to edit what is needed.

If you inadvertently delete the automatic response and cannot retrieve the button to edit your response, contact the HR Department.

Is there a deadline for performance evaluation edits to be completed?

For payroll processing purposes, all information needs to be finalized in district and AOC dashboards by May 30, 2025. Your line of management may have additional internal vetting deadlines for you to be aware of, so check with them about internal processes.

How should I inform my employees?

The policy requirement for a supervisory employee to "... provide feedback to employees" under HR10-1(2)(a) is a separate process that takes place aside from submitting information on this form. Supervisors should provide verbal feedback directly to the employee regarding the employee's overall performance for the performance year during an in-person or virtual meeting. This meeting should take place as soon as feasible, but no later than May 30, 2025, when information needs to be finalized in district and AOC dashboards.

The information submitted on the form should also be provided to the employee in writing for their own records. As a matter of convenience, the supervisor may do so by simply forwarding the automatic reply a supervisor receives upon submitting Google form responses - but the supervisor should meet with the employee before forwarding the information. Another option for providing written feedback, if the supervisor completed a separate performance evaluation and uploaded it to the Google form, is to simply send that form to the employee after meeting with them. Similarly, such content could be inserted into the body of an email that is sent to the employee, or pasted in the body of a letter placed on district or department letterhead, and given to the employee.

Is there a cap of high performance level designations to stay within budget?

No. There is a sufficient budget amount to ensure all eligible employees receive a fixed amount. The written performance evaluation is often much more meaningful to employees than a monetary reward. Supervisors should ensure written evaluations are not influenced by any perceived budget limitations, reflecting nothing more or less than the employee's actual job performance measured against established expectations.

What else do I need to know?