Best practice forum (Archived)

Locked Appraisal Forms that can be edited!

Hi there,

Is anyone else having a problem with locked, signed off appraisal forms that can be re-edited? If an appraisal form is signed off and locked we expect you then cant go into it as that has been formally agreed between the appraiser and the appraisee.

The software is not doing this however. If you re-use the same objective from the library into the new form and make any changes to the objectives, the system then makes changes to the locked form also (from the previous appraisal cycle).

The point of a library is to help avoid retyping objectives each year as it is common they will largely be similiar each year,

Its been escalated to Totara to fix but no update on if or when this maybe.

This is a significant governance issue for us, especially if appraisal documentation is used for a grievance, tribunal. or professional re validation.

Any feedback gratefully received

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Hi,

I wouldn't expect that to happen, once an appraisal is locked then I thought it was a done deal?

Thanks for raising it, we are looking at adding Goals to our appraisals but won't do if this is the expected behaviour.

Regards
Steph

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Hi Sonia

I've not been made aware in our Trust of any issues with the locked Appraisal Checklist (form) that we use. Once an appraiser has 'completed' the Appraisal Checklist (form) then it is locked and can only be viewed from then onwards.

However, you are able to go in and edit Appraisal Objectives (goals) as a appraiser, if you or the appraisee input them, but the appraisee can only edit them if they input them. You are correct in that the objectives (goals) can be edited at any time, even in the future, but I have to say that, as far as I'm aware, we haven't had any Governance issues with this.

We do not use a library but ask the manager, or the appraisee to input the objectives (goals), with a preference of the appraisee doing this as it gives them ownership of their own appraisal and allows them to update their objectives (goals) throughout the year in preparation for the Appraisal Conversation the following year.

If the appraisal objectives (goals) were to be locked down then the appraisee could not update their objectives (goals) as they go through the appraisal year. There may be something about locking them down once that appraisal year is completed, but from our Trust point of view it would stop something which we use on a regular basis throughout the appraisal year. We have our status set as 'Not Started', 'In Progress' and 'Completed' it could be an idea to have the objective (goal) being locked once the 'Completed' status is reached, then it can't be changed after that point.

Hope that's of some use to you.

Rita

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Hi there

Goal progress is reviewed at monthly supervision (or 1:1s). If changes need to be made to goals over the year, that can be done on the platform.

The most important part is that goals are relevant, realistic etc.

My concern is one where a closed off, signed form, can then be modified. I am concerned about any wait period for a new version as this is currently impacting on 7000 staff and requires a hot fix.

Tom Wood is correct in that we need the goals, progress notes, score etc at that point of final sign off to be a "picture", so there is no live link to the library.

Many thanks

Sonya Newby

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Hi Michael

This isn't such a big issue for us as although we review objectives/goals each month, the Appraisal Checklist is only completed when the member of staff has an appraisal. Our checklist is not dependent upon staff having completed parts of their objectives/goals until the next appraisal, where final sign off on the previous year's objectives/goals will be completed as part of that appraisal.

However, staff or the appraiser can update or show that objectives/goals are completed each month in the objectives/goals area and can therefore be discussed at their 1-1's.

Kind regards

Rita

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Hi Michael,

For us progress against Goals are reviewed periodically depending on the staff group so this might be monthly or quarterly, this may well be a very informal process

From a Totara perspective Goals would only be 'checked off' and 'added' during the annual appraisal meeting.

Hope this helps.

S...

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