B/9.1 Performance and probation for professional staff

Policy Owner	Vice-President (People) and Chief People Officer
Approval Date	9/12/2021
Approval Authority	Vice-Chancellor and President
Date of Next Review	01/12/2024

9.1.1 Purpose
9.1.2 Application
9.1.3 Roles and responsibilities
9.1.4 Principles
9.1.5 Supporting procedures
9.1.6 Delegations
Related Documents
Modification History

9.1.1 Purpose

The policy on professional staff performance and probation establishes the principles and processes which the University uses to support performance expectations and achievements, professional development, continual learning and career progression for professional staff.

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9.1.2 Application

This policy applies to all staff employed under the professional staff enterprise agreement.

Ongoing and fixed term staff are expected to participate in performance planning and review (PPR-PS) processes. Participation in PPR-PS is required for ongoing appointments and fixed term contracts of 12 months or longer, and recommended for fixed term contracts of less than 12 months. The PPR-PS process is designed to assist with setting clear expectations of performance and development by supervisors, which also applies within shorter fixed term contracts.

Performance and development for casual staff is undertaken at the discretion of the University with an approach appropriate to casual working arrangements.

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9.1.3 Roles and responsibilities

Position	Responsibility
Vice-President (People) and Chief People Officer	approves supporting procedures under this policy leads in the implementation of the performance, probation processes and guidelines provides relevant resources, training and development to ensure professional staff can successfully participate in this process
Supervisors	provides guidance and coaching to staff for whom they are the designated supervisor actively champion and use the performance planning and review processes to ensure staff have clear goals, ongoing feedback and support for professional development
Professional staff	participate in the career planning and performance planning and review (PPR-PS) processes seek feedback from supervisors and other stakeholders including additional reviewers, peers, external stakeholders and students regarding contributions and performance

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9.1.4 Principles

QUT is committed to enabling fulfilling careers for professional staff and will ensure that University processes support achievements and sustained high performance through the following principles:

professional development, ongoing feedback and coaching are considered important elements of career development
professional staff strive towards excellence and engage in life-long learning
career planning and performance planning are a shared responsibility of the staff member and their designated supervisor
achievement relative to opportunity will be an important consideration within all QUT performance and probation decisions and will be applied whenever relevant by decision makers and committees
performance planning and review (PPR-PS) is an annual process to support and encourage ambitious goal setting, clarify expectations, review performance, provide feedback and participate in developmental conversations
demonstrating active and constructive participation in the performance planning and review (PPR-PS) process is a requirement for all professional staff.

Enterprise Agreement COVID-19 Schedule

The University will take into account, including beyond the life of the Enterprise Agreement COVID-19 Schedule, the impact of COVID-19 on the working environment and personal lives, including performance relative to opportunity, of all staff when undertaking any performance evaluation or managing performance of any staff member.

Probation targets will, where necessary, be adjusted to reflect any disruption caused by the impact of COVID-19. This can be initiated by either the staff member or the University. Any changes to targets must be agreed to by the authorising officer.

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9.1.5 Supporting procedures

Procedures for conducting professional staff performance planning and review processes and probation processes supports the implementation of this policy:

Performance Planning and Review procedure – Professional Staff (QUT staff access only)
Probation procedure – Professional Staff (QUT staff access only)

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9.1.6 Delegations

Refer to Register of Authorities and Delegations (VC099, VC143) (QUT staff access only).

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Modification History

Date	Sections	Source	Details
27.01.22	B/9.1.4	Director, Human Resources - Centres of Expertise	Revised policy to align with revised HR delegations and to remove references to the EA COVID-19 Schedule
09.12.21	All	Vice-Chancellor and President	Revised and renamed policy - formerly 'Performance planning and review for professional staff'
20.08.20	B/9.1.3, B/9.1.9(a)	Associate Director, Human Resources (Workplace Relations)	Revised to reflect the Enterprise Agreement Variations relevant to social justice and probation
21.12.10	All	Human Resources Department	Periodic review - Minor editorial changes only
18.04.09	B/9.1.7	Vice-Chancellor	Revised policy regarding probation
27.04.06	B/9.1.2, B/9.1.6, B/9.1.7, B/9.1.9, B/9.1.10	Vice-Chancellor	Revised policy consistent with current probation provisions
17.11.05	All	Vice-Chancellor	Revised policy to comply with Higher Education Workplace Relations Requirements (HEWRR)
31.01.01	All	Human Resources Department	Updated

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