Frequently Asked Questions – Online Performance Review

Annual performance reviews should promote communication and provide feedback related to job performance. The review process is also a valuable tool for goal setting as well as personal and professional development.

Ongoing professional dialogue about performance and expectations is helpful to managers and employees. The annual performance review may serve as a time to celebrate success and discuss opportunities for improvement.

Both employees and the supervisor can add/edit comments to the online performance review. However, they cannot edit others’ comments. For example, a manager cannot edit an employee’s comments and vice versa.

Both employees and the supervisor can add/remove supporting documentation to the online performance review (OPR). However, they cannot add/remove others’ documentation. For example, a supervisor cannot add/remove an employee’s supporting documentation and vice versa.

Supervisors and employees may view online reviews for the last two years at any time by visiting opr.utk.edu. However, once a review has been finalized, no changes can be made. If you would like to use OPR for goal tracking, consider starting a mid-year review and keeping it in open status throughout the year:

1. On the OPR homepage, select the appropriate mid-year review period from the drop-down menu.
2. Select Actions next to the appropriate direct report.
3. Select Start New.
4. Import one or more goal(s) from a previous review that was completed in OPR, if applicable (see Read How do I import ratings or goals from a previous review?).
5. If you need to add a new goal that was not listed on the previous review, or if the previous review was not completed in OPR:
   1. In the New Goals and Objectives section, select Add New Goal.
   2. In the Goals and Objectives field, describe the goal.
   3. In the Timeframe field, select the date you expect the employee to accomplish the goal or update progress.
   4. In the Goal Evaluation field, indicate how the goal will be evaluated.
   5. Select Save New Goal.
6. Select Send to Final Approver.
7. Once the final approver approves, return to OPR and select Actions next to the direct report.
8. Select Release to Employee.
9. To update goal progress throughout the year:
   1. The employee can View My Review on the OPR homepage and use the Add Comments and Goals to update the Employee’s Comments with status information, import goals, or add new goals. The employee should then use the Send Back to Supervisor button to keep the review open. The employee should avoid digitally signing the review so that it will remain open.
   2. The supervisor can Edit the review to adjust existing goals, import additional goals from a previous review, or add new goals. The supervisor should then use the Release to Employee function to keep the review open.
   3. The employee and supervisor can continue updating and passing the review back and forth in this manner as much as needed for goal tracking throughout the year.

Please note, only performance reviews that were completed in OPR will be available in this system. IRIS is the system of record for all completed reviews, including paper reviews completed prior to rollout of OPR (2020), as well as Online Performance Reviews that have been released to Human Resources (HR). Contact HR for questions about Records access.

Signature only means that the employee has seen the review and has been provided a copy. Signature does not mean that an employee agrees with the review. Employees are encouraged to sign the review and provide their own comments/supporting documentation. There is not a hard requirement to sign.

Managers must complete a six-month probationary review for all new employees.

Employees hired on or after July 1 each year will only need a probationary review on file (i.e. they worked a true six-month period in that calendar year). Managers may defer this probationary review until the following year (when the six-period is nearly complete). (see how do I defer a review in OPR) Submit the hard copy probationary review to Human Resources when it is due.

Employees hired between January and June will need a probationary review on file AND an annual performance review. In this case, submit the hard copy probationary review to Human Resources when it is due. Complete the annual review in the online performance review system.

Speak with your department or college leader. OPR does not yet have a probationary review type, so your unit may decide to defer this review.

Completed reviews are locked for editing and released to Human Resources for the employee file of record.

Managers may visit the University Orgchart Manager to correct reporting relationships within their organization.

Please defer the review:

1. Select Actions next to the review in question.
2. Select Defer Review.
3. Defer date must be: December 31, 2022
4. Select Set Defer Date. The review status updates to reflect the change. This allows the final approver and HR to know the review has been deferred.

As a manager, you can add comments while editing a review:

1. Start a new review or edit an existing review.
2. In the Supervisor Comments field, enter your comments, including a narrative supporting the overall review and, if needed, an explanation of any ratings of 1 or 5. The comments will be visible to the employee and final approver and will be part of the personnel file.
3. When you have finished editing the review, select Send to Final Approver.

As an employee, you can add comments while viewing your review, before digitally signing it:

1. On the OPR homepage, select View My Review.
2. At the bottom of the review form, select Add Comments and Goals.
3. In the Employee’s Comments field, enter your comments that you would like to be retained with the review in your personnel file.
4. Select Sign & Submit Responses to save your comments and digitally sign the review, or select Send Back to Supervisor to save your comments without digitally signing the review at this time.

As a manager, you can attach a supporting PDF while editing a review:

1. Start a new review or edit an existing review.
2. In the Supporting Document section, select Browse.
3. Locate and select the PDF file that you would like to attach to the review.
4. When you have finished editing the review, select Send to Final Approver.

As an employee, you can attach a supporting PDF while viewing your review, before digitally signing it:

1. On the OPR homepage, select View My Review.
2. At the bottom of the review form, select Add Comments and Goals.
3. In the Supporting Document section, select Browse.
4. Locate and select the PDF file that you would like to attach to the review.
5. Select Sign & Submit Responses to save your comments and digitally sign the review, or select Send Back to Supervisor to save your comments without digitally signing the review at this time.

Only reviews completed in the Online Performance Review system are available for importing into a new review.

1. On the OPR homepage, select Actions next to the appropriate direct report.
2. Select Start From Previous.
3. In the From dropdown, select the existing review you wish to import.
4. Select Import Review. The ratings from the previous review are automatically populated into the current review and you can make any needed adjustments.
5. If you would also like to import one or more goals from the previous review:
   1. In the In-Progress Goals and Objectives section, select Import a Goal.
   2. In the Review Types dropdown, select the existing review from which you wish to import a goal.
   3. Select the checkbox(es) next to the goal(s) you wish to import into this review.
   4. Select Import goal.
   5. If needed, select the pencil icon next to the imported goal to make any revisions.
6. Select Send to Final Approver.

Employees and managers should continue having conversations about performance throughout the process. In the rare instance that an employee refuses to sign a review, the manager can release the review to the final approver without a signature. This will inform the final approver that the employee was unwilling or unable to sign the review, and this will become part of the personnel record in IRIS.

1. Discuss the situation with the final approver.
2. Select Actions next to the review in question.
3. Select Send Without Signature. This option is only available if the review is still pending employee approval. The review is forwarded to the final approver.

You can defer a review if you will be unable to complete it because the employee is on extended leave or is in the probationary period.

1. Select Actions next to the review in question.
2. Select Defer Review.
3. Select the date you expect to be able to revisit the review.
4. Select Set Defer Date. The review status updates to reflect the change. This allows the final approver and HR to know the review has been deferred.

NOTE: An in-process review cannot be deferred. If the review has been started, you first need to go to Actions then choose Delete Review then follow steps above to defer.

The new manager will need to complete the review, even if little time has passed since the reporting change. If the previous manager had already started—but not completed—a review, the new manager will be able to see that review but will not be able to make changes to it or complete it. The new manager may wish to consult with the previous manager regarding the employee’s performance. The new manager must delete the existing review and start a new one:

1. Select Actions next to the review in question.
2. Select Delete Review.
3. The review cannot be recovered. If you are sure you want to delete it, select Okay.
4. Start a new review for the employee.

The primary manager defined in Org Chart Manager will have responsibility for completing the performance review in OPR. Dual managers would need to meet and discuss. The primary manager could also export the review to PDF to share with the secondary manager. Additionally, the primary manager could attach comments from the secondary manager to the review as supporting documents. Ultimately, the primary manager will need to complete the review process in OPR.

You can export a review as a PDF file:

1. To export a copy of your own review, while viewing the review, select Export to PDF.
2. If you are a manager or leader, you can export a copy of any review to which you are privy by selecting Actions next to the appropriate employee within your Direct Reports or Action Items area and then selecting Export as PDF.

Although uncommon, you may find you need to delete a review. To do so:

1. Select Actions next to the review in question.
2. Select Delete Review.

IRIS Reports:

• Completion Reports: Departments can run a report from IRIS to determine how many reviews are complete or incomplete. The IRIS transaction is ZPA_DEPT_PERF and is also located on the menu at IRIS Reporting > Human Resources > Personnel Management. The column titled “app indicator” will indicate yes for completed reviews and no for incomplete reviews.

Be sure to change the date parameters to reflect the period you wish to search (i.e. 1/1/2020 – 12/31/2020). To help broaden the search for an entire college/department enter a cost center number. For example, if you enter E03*, you are searching for all cost centers that begin with E03.

OPR Reporting & Statistics:

The statistics page is only available to users with direct reports, and the default view only lists direct reports.

Leaders (or their proxy) may view reporting data within each report by selecting the review cycle from the drop-down menu (i.e. 2020 Annual Performance Review) and select the “View All Reports” button. Select “Generate Report” button and then “View Updated Report”.

To view drilldown data within each report, select the data option you wish to view. Report data may be sorted by selecting the sort button (up/down arrow) within each column.

• The Score Distributions report in OPR shows the number of reviews in department/unit (direct reports or all reports under a person) that received a score within a certain range. For example, a supervisor may see that out of all his/her direct reports, 15 staff received a 19-22 score on their performance review.
• Status Counts shows similar data as score distributions, but rather than scores, it shows how many reviews are in what status. Supervisors can see if reviews are not started, pending supervisor review, pending final approver review, pending employee review, deferred, complete, or processed by HR.
• View all reviews allows a user to view all direct reports and their direct reports (and so on) on one screen. For example, if a dean/director wanted a view of their entire college/department, this is where they can view scores, statuses, etc. for all reviews that report up to them.