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Annual Performance Appraisals

Learn about the annual performance appraisal process for policy-covered employees (and represented employees when applicable).

All People Leaders (including Faculty and academic leaders of staff) are expected to provide employees feedback and clearly outline expectations through continuous performance management and an annual performance appraisal.

UC San Diego is committed to annual performance appraisals for all staff employees as they provide employee feedback, recognize accomplishments and set goals for the next year.

The University takes performance appraisals seriously; therefore, People Leaders are required to complete performance appraisals for all policy-covered employees by the campus deadline to be eligible for any salary program announced. People Leaders must also complete performance appraisals for all represented, probationary and non-probationary employees in accordance with their performance appraisal cycle to be eligible for any salary program announced.

Answers to frequently asked questions are available on the FAQ page.

UC San Diego Health and Health Sciences Employees

The information on this page pertains to UC San Diego campus staff employees. Health Sciences and Health System employees should visit the Health HR website for more information about performance evaluations

Key Dates (updated 3/4/2024)

Message regarding the 2023-24 annual performance appraisal program:

The Performance Appraisal process for policy-covered (non-represented) employees for the 2023-2024 cycle covers May 1, 2023 through April 30, 2024. Policy covered staff employee performance appraisals are due to be completed within 45 calendar days after the end of the appraisal period.  The deadline is close of business Friday, June 14, 2024

Therefore, those responsible for administering the process for your area can begin setting due dates and timelines to meet this year's deadline.

Performance Appraisal Cycle: May 1 - April 30

Deadline for People Leaders to complete the performance appraisals: Generally mid-June. People Leaders should confer with local HR contacts for specific unit deadlines. For purposes of eligibility for any announced Salary Program, the People Leader must have moved the SPA to Prep for Signature (with limited exceptions) by the deadline.

Management Timeline 

Early-Mid April: Email employees to remind them that the performance appraisal cycle ends on April 30. Provide a date when the self-appraisals will be due. Consider a date during the first or second week of May allowing them time to complete the self-appraisal after April 30.

Late April/Early May: Review the self-appraisals and write the performance appraisals. It is recommended that HR contacts review the performance appraisals prior to the People Leader meeting with the employee. 

Late May: Conduct appraisal review meetings with the employees. The employee may or may not sign the appraisal during this meeting.

Mid-June: Deadline for People Leaders to complete the performance appraisals.

Online Appraisal System

The online application for UCSD Staff Performance appraisals is hosted on https://spa.ucsd.edu.

The SPA system has a substantially improved interface and better management features for HR contacts, but all appraisals conducted with the new version follow the same UCSD and UC policies as previous versions.

Data, including all previous appraisals, has been migrated to the updated system.

The SPA system may also be used for represented staff. Every staff union has employees who have been evaluated using SPA.

For technical questions related to the SPA online system, please contact: spa-support@ucsd.edu 

For policy interpretation questions related to performance appraisals, please contact: perf-appraisal@ucsd.edu  

Staff Performance Appraisal System Training (updated 3/4/2024)

FOR HR CONTACTS

SPA Office Hour For HR Contacts

Please join us for questions you have about navigating the system and the performance appraisal process.

April 15, 2024

1:00-2:00 pm

https://ucsd.zoom.us/j/93214651953

Live and Recorded Training Opportunities for HR Contacts

Two stand alone one-hour sessions and one session as part of the EVC HR contact meeting to learn about the administrative tools in the Staff Performance Appraisal system are scheduled for 2024. These sessions are geared toward new HR contacts and those who need a refresher on managing the process from an HR contact perspective. One of the sessions will be recorded and available in the UC Learning Center and any materials made available post-training.

HR Contacts will perform a variety of functions in the appraisal system. In these sessions, HR Contacts will learn the following:

  • View your department and/or unit list of employees
  • Change a supervisor/People Leader listed on the appraisal form
  • Update job description associations on a form
  • Change the review model
  • Add or remove supervisor/People Leader categories
  • Batch release appraisal forms
  • Create new individual appraisal forms
  • Change form status 

 

March 13, 2024

11:00 am-12:00 pm 

https://ucsd.zoom.us/j/96369922793
(Geared toward New Users)

March 21, 2024

12:00 pm-1:00 pm 

https://ucsd.zoom.us/j/93692676162
March 27, 2024

9:00 am-10:00 am 

https://ucsd.zoom.us/j/98043712375
(As part of EVC HR contact meeting)

To watch a recorded training session, visit March 13, 2024 training session video (SSO required).

 

Resources for HR Contacts

Email Templates These templates may serve as a guide to HR contacts for what to include in your communications out to your department people leaders and employees at the start of the appraisal process. https://go.ucsd.edu/3Tj8zqi
(SSO required)
HR Contact Training Slides Reference material for administrative tools in the Staff Performance Appraisal system. https://go.ucsd.edu/48UYNQU
(SSO required)

 

FOR PEOPLE LEADERS AND EMPLOYEES

Performance Management Resources (updated 5/24/2024)

Policies

Need help or have questions? Check out the FAQs.

For technical questions related to the SPA online system, please contact: spa-support@ucsd.edu.

For policy interpretation questions related to performance appraisals, please contact Employee Relations via perf-appraisal@ucsd.edu.