Personal qualities should not be used in performance assessment
NTEU La Trobe Branch members are very angry about being assessed on their personal qualities and related 'behaviours' in a new performance development framework. Staff endorsed the following motion which was moved from the floor of a large multicampus union meeting on Thursday:
"This meeting emphatically rejects the demeaning, insulting and ridiculous personal and behavioural characteristics set out in the new performance development system.
Moved: Associate Professor Chris Palmer
Seconded: Associate Professor Caroline Chanock
CARRIED"
The motion reflects the overwhelming view of the meeting and one which NTEU believes to be representative of the views of staff in general. A handful of members on the Bundoora campus disagreed and the feedback we have received from some of them following the meeting will be taken into consideration in ongoing discussions with management.
The Union believes that the documentation was prematurely released and as we are still in consultation with management about the framework we will support any members who do not want to fill in this section of the performance development plan.
(131 KB) - PDF
111107 Personal and behavioural characteristics – performance development system
Published: 08 Nov, 2011Tags: LTU, La Trobe University, performance,
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Branch Contacts
Branch Office
Black Rose Bdg Armidale Campus
University of New England
Phone: 02 6773 3175
Fax: 02 6773 3973
une@nteu.org.au
http://www.nteu.org.au/une
Tim Battin
Branch President
tbattin@une.edu.au
Trevor Smith
Branch Organiser
tsmith@nteu.org.au
Comments
[ -1 ] The ‘Personal qualities’ section states that “Supervisors and staff are required to discuss how the behaviours have been demonstrated†... one of which is to demonstrate how the staff member is “honest in dealings with others.â€
Like • Dislike •The idea that anybody should be required to demonstrate why they are honest, without suspicion of wrongdoing, is presumably illegal in general, let alone contrary to the provisions of the Fair Work Australia Act.
In the PDP training session I was in today, there was plenty of robust discussion about this section. With regard to the desirability of staff to “show courage in taking action†one staff member inquired whether he would need to rescue a colleague from a burning building to get credit for this aspect.
The training staff suggested that we ‘not focus on the individual words’. I suggested that the individual words and phrases need to be focused on, because they unambiguously constitute the actual meaning of the document.
[ +1 ] I agree that statements about personal characteristics is not productive in the new performance development system.
Like • Dislike •