Expectations of you and your role may be set at different times during the year. For example, following a 1-1 meeting; as a result of a particular business need or as a result of significant feedback, as well as part of a PDR meeting.

The ‘ratings’ system will include three categories:

• Exceeds Expectations
• Meets Expectations
• Does Not Meet Expectations

Each School and Professional Services department will have the opportunity to recommend those colleagues, who have had a truly exceptional year, for a financial reward.

Helpful Guidance on Meeting Expectations

Exceeds Expectations - reviewee completes appropriate PDR objectives, meets the requirements of the job description and behaves in a way that is expected for that grade, job family and level of experience and goes above and beyond in the majority of these areas.

Meets Expectations – reviewee completes appropriate PDR objectives, meets the requirements of the job description and behaves in a way that is expected for that grade, job family and level of experience, i.e. the reviewee has done everything that we would expect for their role, and has demonstrated professional behaviour in line with Loughborough’s values and expectations.

Does Not Meet Expectations – reviewee either does not complete appropriate PDR objectives, does not meet the requirements of the job description, or does not behave in a way that is expected for that grade, job family and level of experience.

More guidance on ‘Meets Expectations’:

Ultimately it is for the manager / PDR reviewer to determine what the expectations are and were on an individual (in dialogue with the individual concerned). Expectations should be reasonable (in the sense that appropriate reasons can be given for them) but, whilst there might be dialogue, it is the manager’s role to determine what they expect(ed). The language this year may be different, but the whole of the PDR process is about setting and managing expectations, and therefore nothing has changed as it relates to substance.

Expectations come from a number of sources. Some will be explicit and written down (such as PDR objectives). Others will be implied or ‘expected’ (for example behavioural or leadership style, although in some areas behavioural expectations form part of the PDR objectives).

 Some sources of expectations include:

• Objectives set in a previous PDR;

• The job description for the role;

• The job family description for the grade https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/hr/recruitment-probation/job-families/

• Compliance with the University’s policies and procedures - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/policy/

• Objectives established or instructions given by managers or senior leadership during the year

• Expectations set as part of the broader strategy for the School or Professional Service.

It’s then up to the manager, reflecting on the discussion and items above, to determine the degree to which expectations have been met. This is always going to be a subjective decision but one that should be based on reflection and reasons. There will be times when an individual has exceeded expectations even where this is not across every aspect of their work. Equally, there may be times when people have not met expectations overall because of poor performance on a single item that is sufficiently important to their role (for example, a serious breach of health and safety, bullying)