Annual reviews are an important process, to reflect on work you’ve undertaken and set objectives for the coming year. Annual reviews, also referred to as P&DRs – Performance and Development Reviews – or Appraisal, are an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation between you and your line manager about your progress and your career development goals.
The annual review process should be completed by 31st July each year, so we thought we would provide some information on how to support you with these, if you have them coming up.
Why should I have an annual review?
The annual review should cover two areas – those related to the progress of the research project and those which focus on the wider career and professional development goals of you as a researcher, beyond the current project. As a researcher you are responsible for planning and managing the development of your own career, so using the annual review conversation is a really good way to reflect and discuss plans and career aspirations with your line manager.
It is worth highlighting that these conversations don’t have to just happen once a year, or wait until an official annual review process. It’s also important to schedule regular meetings throughout the year. One resource we have to help with this is the Code of Practice for the Career Development of Research Staff. It provides guidance on how the researcher’s employment with the University, the progress of their research, and their professional and career development should be managed.
It aims to identify the specific responsibilities in the management process that fall to the researcher, their manager and the institution. It provides examples of the type of conversations that should be happening at different stages in your contract, such as meetings at the start of the project to clarify expectations, regular meetings throughout to discuss project progress and development goals, then a project review meeting at the end to focus on outcomes, achievements and potential next steps.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Researcher Development Concordat 2019 (a national agreement between stakeholders to support the career development of research staff) has a key commitment that all universities will provide opportunities, structured support, encouragement and time for researchers to engage in a minimum of 10 days professional development, pro rata, per year. So, using these annual review conversations to discuss what professional development you would like to consider is an effective way to discuss and set objectives. Further information on the 10 Days entitlement can be found on the Research Staff Hub: 10 Days
What support is available?
If you have your annual review coming up, here is some support available from the University and locally to help you prepare:
Research Staff Hub (RSH) – the University’s RSH has a webpage focused on annual review guidance for researchers, including a 5-step process to have a quality annual review conversation with links to support. https://support-for-researchers.ed.ac.uk/career-development/annual-review-guidance-for-researchers
The Conversations Hub – a University SharePoint which provides information and resources to support staff have more regular and meaningful conversations. It has a section specifically on Annual Reviews, and resources and guidance for staff. https://uoe.sharepoint.com/sites/ConversationsHub/SitePages/Annual-Reviews.aspx
Local Level Support – Colleges have developed local annual review guidance to support research staff to access and engage in the annual review process. This information is sent out to all research staff, to use in preparation of their annual review. The guidance can be found at the bottom of this page: https://support-for-researchers.ed.ac.uk/career-development/annual-review-guidance-for-researchers
The Research Staff Hub is also a really good resource to see what is available to you as a researcher, from different services across the University, supporting you to understand what you can engage in and how you might use your 10 days of development. https://support-for-researchers.ed.ac.uk/
(Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay)
