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Performance Management at HU
Performance Management at Howard
Our performance management process is designed to help every employee thrive through clear expectations, ongoing feedback, and meaningful development. It’s a year-round journey that works best when employees, supervisors, and the university work together.
Whether you're setting goals, receiving coaching, or reflecting on your progress, you're always part of the performance cycle. And to guide your growth, we’ve defined key competencies for individual contributors, managers, and executive leaders.
Training Program in BisonHub
Explore our 'Performance Management at HU' program in BisonHub, featuring self-paced training courses tailored for individual contributors, managers, and executive leaders. Each course is thoughtfully designed to address the unique performance management needs of each learner group. Learn at your own pace and enhance your impact!
What’s New for FY27
Beginning in FY27, the process includes two important enhancements:
- The Bison Way Competency Model, which establishes shared expectations for how employees demonstrate Howard’s Culture Pillars through their everyday work.
- Quarterly Check-Ins, which provide a consistent structure for employees and managers to discuss progress, address barriers, identify support, and prepare for the year-end performance review.
Together, these enhancements create a more continuous and meaningful performance experience focused on results, behaviors, feedback, and growth.
Quarterly Check-Ins
Beginning with the FY27 Performance Cycle, managers and employees will participate in structured quarterly check-ins. These conversations create a clearer rhythm for feedback, coaching, and growth throughout the year.
Quarterly check-ins provide dedicated opportunities to clarify goals, discuss progress, address barriers, identify needed support, and prepare for a stronger year-end review.
What are quarterly check-ins?
Click here to learn more about Quarterly Check-ins.
The Bison Way Competency Model
Beginning in FY27, Howard University is incorporating the Bison Way Competency Model into Performance Management. The model provides a shared foundation for how we work, collaborate, serve the Howard community, and achieve results.
All employees are expected to demonstrate the same competencies. However, the specific behaviors used to demonstrate those competencies vary according to an employee’s level of responsibility: Individual Contributor, People Manager, or Executive Leader.
During the performance cycle, employees and managers should use the Bison Way competencies to discuss performance, recognize strengths, provide feedback, and identify opportunities for continued development.
Visit the Culture Hub to learn more!
Trainings
Individual Contributors
We encourage all individual contributors to complete the 'Understanding the Performance Management Process at HU' course. This comprehensive training provides a detailed overview of each stage of the performance management cycle, helping participants effectively prepare for and engage in the process.
Managers
To ensure fair, effective, and unbiased performance reviews, managers are encouraged to complete the self-paced course, Understanding Performance Management as a Manager.
Executive Leaders
An executive guide is available for executives to develop a comprehensive framework for managing performance effectively. It outlines key responsibilities, performance metrics and best practices to ensure alignment with organizational goals.
RESOURCES
Under Performance
Supervisors should provide early constructive feedback to employees when performance tasks or behavior becomes a concern. This feedback is usually verbal, specific, and held in a confidential setting. The supervisor should listen to the employee and seek to understand the employee's reasons for why s/he is not performing satisfactorily. Assistance from the supervisor, further coaching, additional help, re-prioritizing tasks, or additional training may be some of the remedies required. Performance improvement plans can now be initiated in Workday BUT will required to approval from your HR Business Partners before becoming part of an employees official record. Therefore, we advise you to engage in conversations with your HR team prior to initiating the process.