PDR Glossary

Accelerated Increase

Any increase of more than the standard progression.  In the appointment range, the part of the increase that is more than the standard progression will need to be funded within the merit increase fund.

Appeal

Appeals will be heard by the Performance and Development Review Committee on the basis that the reviewer, Head or Divisional Head has not followed the process as described in the PDR policy.

Appointment Range

Bottom half of salary range for the level.

Appointment Increase

A standard increase remaining within the appointment range.

Appointment Increase Fund

The money allocated for standard increases within the appointment range.

Competency

How skills, knowledge and behaviour are applied to work.

Customers

Customers are anyone receiving or benefiting from the work of a staff member. This may include students, clients, visitors, other staff or managers.

Description

Examples describing how staff members may be demonstrating their level of competence.

Divisional Heads
For the purposes of this process only

The Vice-Chancellor, The Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Pro-Vice Chancellors, The Deans in Health Sciences, the Chief Operating Officer, and the Directors of Financial Services, Accommodation Services, Student Services, Information Technology Services, Marketing and Communications, Property Services and Human Resources Divisions.

Expected Outcome/
Goal/Objective

What the staff member is expected to achieve.

Head

The manager with the delegated authority for performance and development review salary progressions, normally a Head of Department or equivalent.  To confirm the Head for your area, contact the Divisional Head’s office.

Level

The Level within the Scale 1 General Staff Salary Scale – Level 1 to Level 8.

Merit Increase

Merit increases include

• Any increase into or within the merit range.
• An accelerated increase in the appointment range.
• An increase smaller than the standard progression to allow a staff member to reach the top of the appointment range.

Merit Increase Fund

The money allocated to fund merit increases.  The majority of this fund will be allocated to the Head.  A small proportion of this fund will be allocated to the Divisional Head.

Merit Range

Top half of the salary range for the level.

Outcome

What the staff member has achieved.

PDR

Performance and Development Review.
(Please note that prior to 2006, PDR was used as the acronym for the Professional Development Review).

Performance Level

The level of performance defined as ‘Outstanding ’, ‘Demonstrating Improvement towards Outstanding’, ‘Fully Competent’, ‘Working Satisfactorily towards Full Competence’ or ‘Requires Improvement’.  The full definitions of each can be found in the policy.

Progression

Movement within the salary range for the level of the position.

Promotion

Selected to take up a position at a higher level than the current position, normally through application for an advertised University vacancy.  This is outside of this process, but reviewers should be supporting staff members who are seeking promotion and career development.

Reviewee

The staff member having their performance reviewed.

Reviewer

The manager or supervisor who is doing the review.

Standard Progression

The standard progression is three steps in Levels 1-3 and four steps in Levels 4-8.  Progression can only be less than standard if it is to allow the staff member to reach the top of the appointment or merit range.

Step

Step within the level (e.g. there are 14 steps in Level 1 and 33 steps in Level 6).