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 Performance Management Minimize

The City and County of Denver streamlined the way it manages employees’ performance by automating the performance review process (PEP/PEPR) using the PeopleSoft ePerformance module and implementing a common performance review date. CSA also updated criteria for giving merit increases, incorporating both the performance review process and the City’s ability to pay. Employees, supervisors and managers should take some time to familiarize themselves with the 2012 process and timeline, as all 2011 performance reviews must be completed by February 10, 2012.

Frequently Asked Questions


 
 Performance Reviews (PEP/PEPR) Minimize

The City uses a five tier rating system to evaluate employee performance on a common performance review date. The five tier rating system is incorpated in the Performance Enhancement Plan (PEP) and the Performance Enhancement Plan Report (PEPR). The five ratings include:

  1. Failing: work does not meet expectations in most, if not all, areas.
  2. Below expectations: meets many, but not all job requirements. Outcomes are generally less than expected, with improvement required in one of more specific areas.
  3. Successful: consistently achieves performance standards.
  4. Exceeds expectations: consistently performs well above expected job requirements. Outcomes frequently surpass expectations.
  5. Outstanding: consistently delivers outcomes not often achieved by others; always exceeds standards.

 
 Common Performance Review Date Minimize

With a Common Performance Review Date, all employees are evaluated for the same time period, January 1 through December 31. In addition, all performance reviews are conducted at the same time, January 1 through February 10 of the following year; any potential merit increases are provided to all employees on the same day.

By using a Common Performance Review Date, the City has the ability to forecast, manage, and budget merit increases. The City has also improved the timeliness of completing performance reviews and providing feedback to employees. The advantages, for employees, of using a Common Performance Review Date include the following:

  • Employee performance goals are tied to the organization's annual goals;
  • Employees are evaluated based on a common performance period, allowing performance to be compared among peers; and
  • No more late PEP/PEPRs 
  • No more forced merit increases (when available) 

The following is a list of key performance evaluation dates for 2012:

January 1 - February 10

Performance evaluations will be written for all employees for the review period of January 1 through December 31, 2011.

February 16 – February 24

Appointing Authorities will determine merit costs and allocate pay increases to all employees within their organization.

February 27 – March 2

Supervisors meet one-on-one with employees to deliver performance evaluation and pay increase amount.

March 30

Pay increases delivered in paycheck.

April 13

Retro payment of pay increases (1/1/2012 to 3/10/2012) delivered in paycheck.


 
 ePerformance Minimize

ePerformance Review
The PeopleSoft ePerformance module is the method by which employee performance is evaluated. Each classification has a template based on class specifications, which must then be customized based on individual performance expectations. Supervisors and managers attend training on ePerformance as part of the SS5 PEP Workshop. The training covers how to automate the Outcomes and Measures using the ePerformance technology.

ePerformance Help
CSA offer's an ePerformance Review course for Supervisors and Managers who feel they would benefit from some additional instruction in the PeopleSoft ePerformance module. All of the ePerformance Review courses have ended for this review period. Additional resources are available through the ePerformance Job Aid and the ePerformance User Manual. Managers and Supervisors are encouraged to email ePerformance.Initiative@denvergov.org with questions. They are also welcome to contact their HR Services agency representative directly. In addition, the Frequently Asked Questions section at the bottom of this web page is available to help answer the most common questions about ePerformance and Performance Reviews.

For questions about Classification and Compensation, please email compensation@denvergov.org

For questions about ePerformance, managers and supervisors can email eperformance@denvergov.org. for additional help. They are also welcome to call their HR Services agency representative directly with questions. For assistance contacting agency HR representatives, call the HR Service main line at 720-913-0770.

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 Merit Increases Minimize

When available, merit increases result from the annual performance evaluation process. The increase that an employee may receive will be determined based on the employee's annual performance rating and the employee's location in the pay range. The Flexible Merit Increase Table was designed to provide supervisors and managers with flexibility and a small amount of discretion in determining merit increases, based on the approved budget for the year.

As defined in Ordinance and Charter, the Career Service Board has directed the CSA staff to create a Flexible Merit Increase Table that is anchored to the external market. As a result, the increases that appear in the Flexible Merit Increase Table will change from year-to-year, based on variations in the market. City Council is responsible for approving the merit budget every year. The Career Service Board is responsible for approving the Flexible Merit Increase Table annually, based on amount City Council allocates.

Finally, the Flexible Merit Increase Table maintains the City's business practices around movement of employees through the pay range. More specifically, employees progress faster through the first half of the pay range towards the range midpoint, which is the market rate. Employees will then progress slower towards the end of the pay range. The City uses the Flexible Merit Increase Table for all City employees in the Career Service personnel system.

 The Proposed 2012 Flexible Merit Increase Table appears below.



1st Quartile

2nd Quartile

3rd Quartile

4th Quartile

Range Maximum

5: Outstanding

3.4-3.8%

2.9-3.3%

2.4-2.8%

1.9-2.3%

Merit Payment

4: Exceeds Expectations

2.9-3.3%

2.4-2.8%

1.9-2.3%

1.1-1.5%

Merit Payment

3: Successful

2.4-2.8%

1.9-2.3%

1.1-1.5%

0.6-1.0%

0.0%

2: Below Expectations

0.0-1.2%

0.0-0.7%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

1: Failing

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

 Note: The values in the Flexible Merit Increase Table above are included for informational purposes only and do not reflect actual merit pay increases employees may receive.


 
 FAQs Minimize

Q: Will there be paper PEP/PEPRs anymore?
A:  The only paper necessary will be the final print out of the completed PEP planning document that documents the expectations for the employee and a copy of the completed PEPR with the final ratings that a supervisor or manager will provide to the employee at the end of the evaluation process. You will be able to print both documents from ePerformance.

 
Q: How will the overall numerical rating be rounded in ePerformance?
A: The ePerformance is set up to use simple rounding for the overall numerical rating. The rating scale using this method of rounding is listed below:

4.5 or above = Outstanding

3.5 – 4.4 = Exceeds Expectations

2.5 – 3.4 = Successful

1.5 – 2.4 Below Expectations

1.4 or below = Failing

Q: I have Outcomes that I think are more important than other Outcomes. Will I be able to weight the Outcomes differently in ePerformance?
A: Yes. Supervisors and managers will be able to assign different weights to different Outcomes.
 
Q: I have several employees with the same job title, job duties and Outcomes. Will I need to create these PEPs one at a time?
A: No. ePerformance has a feature that will allow a supervisor to create just one template and then copy that template to other employees. How to do this will be covered in ePerformance training.
 
Q: I have employees that may promote out of my unit or get transferred. How do I handle the PEPRs for those employees?
A: ePerformance has a feature that gives supervisors and managers the ability to transfer an interim PEPR to the employee’s new supervisor. This feature will be covered in training.
 
Q: Will the employees that I supervise be able to get into the ePerformance system and see what I have developed?
A: Only supervisors and managers will have access when the system goes live November 8. The rest of the employees will be brought into the system at another time that has not yet been determined.
  
Q: Can I add to or delete the duty statements in the templates within ePerformance?
A: No. The duty statements in the “duty bins” (Example- Human Resources, Operations, etc) of the templates come directly from the classification specifications for that job and cannot be changed.  If a duty statement does not apply to a specific job it need not be used in creating the PEP for that position.  If an additional duty statement is necessary to describe the work of the position you can use the “Add a duty” link to add it to the PEP as a separate section.
 
Q: Can I assign the ability to go into ePerformance to another member of my staff?
A:
After discussions with Tech Services we find there is no functionality within ePerformance that would allow this kind of access.  The options are for the managers and supervisors to access their direct reports personally within the ePerformance system or allow staff to use the manager’s login and password to enter and work within the system which we do not recommend. 

Q: What do I do if I am supervising employees and need to create their PEP plans in ePerformance, but do not have access?
A:
Only employees who are in supervisory classifications, or in classifications that state the person may supervise other employees, may be given access to ePerformance.  If you are in a non-supervisory class there are two ways to attain ePerformance access.

1. Out of class assignment -  If there is a vacant supervisor position in your organization that you are performing you can contact your CSA HRS representative about creating a Work Assignment Outside of Job Classification status for yourself.  This is covered under Career Service Rule 9-40.  Once that status has been achieved ePerformance access can be granted for the duration of the assignment.  
2. Position Audit process -  If there is no vacant position and the supervisory duties are a permanent assignment, you may prepare a request to audit your position to a supervisory class.  Submitting this request with appointing authority approval to CSA Classification and successfully taking and passing the appropriate supervisory test will allow ePerformance access. For assistance in preparing the audit request and scheduling the supervisory test, contact Steve Adkison at Steve.Adkison@denvergov.org.

Q: How do I know where I am in the pay range?
A: In order to determine location in the pay range, an employee will need to find the two values in the pay range that his/her salary lies between. For example, an employee within pay grade 615-A, earning $43,100, would be in the first quartile. The employee's salary is greater than the range minimum, which is $39,257, but is less than the second quartile minimum, which is $43,766.

 

Range
Minimum

2nd Quartile Minimum

3rd Quartile Minimum

4th Quartile Minimum

Range Maximum

615-A

$39,257

$43,766

$48,274

$52,783

$57,291

Q: What type of pay increases can employees receive?
A: Pay increases are delivered to employees through the annual performance evaluation. The increase that an employee may receive will be determined based on the employee's annual performance rating and the employee's placement in the pay range.

Q: What will the Flexible Merit Increase Table look like?
A: The Proposed 2012 Flexible Merit Increase Table appears below.



1st Quartile

2nd Quartile

3rd Quartile

4th Quartile

Range Maximum

5: Outstanding

3.4-3.8%

2.9-3.3%

2.4-2.8%

1.9-2.3%

Merit Payment

4: Exceeds Expectations

2.9-3.3%

2.4-2.8%

1.9-2.3%

1.1-1.5%

Merit Payment

3: Successful

2.4-2.8%

1.9-2.3%

1.1-1.5%

0.6-1.0%

0.0%

2: Below Expectations

0.0-1.2%

0.0-0.7%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

1: Failing

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Note: The values in the Flexible Merit Increase Table above are included for informational purposes only and do not reflect actual merit pay increases employees may receive.

Q: What happens if an employee is at the top of the pay range?
A: If an employee is at the top of the pay range (pay range maximum) he/she will not receive an increase in base pay. Instead, the employee will receive a lump sum payment equal to 1% of his/her annual salary.

Q: What type of performance rating will enable an employee to move up in the pay range, and by how much?
A: Employees may receive merit increases for Successful, Exceeds Expectations, and Outstanding, no matter where they are in the pay range. The only exception to this would be if the employee earns the maximum rate of the pay range. In this scenario, the employee will receive a lump sum payment equal to 1% of the employee's annual rate of pay, which is similar to the current system.

An employee may also receive a merit increase if his/her performance rating is Below Expectations, provided the employee is in the first two Quartiles of the range.

Q: When will I find out what my performance rating and merit increase will be? When will I receive my pay increase?
A: For 2012, the following is a list of key performance evaluation dates:

January 1 - February 10

Performance evaluations will be written for all employees for the review period of January 1 through December 31, 2011.

February 16 – February 24

Appointing Authorities will determine merit costs and allocate pay increases to all employees within their organization.

February 27 – March 2

Supervisors meet one-on-one with employees to deliver performance evaluation and pay increase amount.

March 30

Pay increases delivered in paycheck.

April 13

Retro payment of pay increases (1/1/2012 to 3/10/2012) delivered in paycheck.

Based on the timeline above, employees will find out what their performance rating and merit increase will be between February 27 and March 2nd of 2012. Employees will receive their pay increase on March 30,  and their retro payment on April 13, 2011.

Q: What if an employee leaves employment with the City prior to when the retro payment of pay increases is delivered in their paycheck?
A:
As long as the departing employee worked for all of 2011, he/she is eligible for a merit increase in 2012. In these cases, the employee’s supervisor will still need to complete the 2011 PEPR and assign a merit increase. Employees who leave the City on or after January 1, 2012 will receive a check in April for the retro payment covering January 1 through their last day of employment. The retro payment will also impact the employee’s payout of sick and vacation (or PTO), as well as the employee’s retirement calculation with DERP (if applicable).

Q: How will an employees pay be affected if they are promoted to another position prior to receiving their retro payment?
A:
The City will have a moratorium in place for the processing of any Personnel Action Forms that involve changes to pay or pay grades from January 1 - March 20, 2012. All pay affecting transactions that happen during that time will be entered into PeopleSoft after March 20, 2012 (or after the merit increase for the employee has been processed). The pay increase will then be applied to the new pay level (which includes the merit increase) starting from the effective date for the new position.

 

 

 


 
 Contact Minimize
For questions about Classification and Compensation, please email compensation@denvergov.org

For questions about ePerformance, managers and supervisors can email eperformance@denvergov.org for additional help. They are also welcome to call their HR Services agency representative directly with questions. For assistance contacting agency HR representatives, call the HR Service main line at 720-913-0770.

 
 

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