Performance Appeal Procedure

Should an employee wish to appeal his or her performance rating, the following procedure should be followed:

1) Within ten (10) working days of being advised in writing of the performance rating, the employee must submit to the Human Resource Administrator, a written notice of appeal.  This notice should include WHY the employee feels his/her performance does not match the description of the rating which was assigned, and also any documentation or explanation to support his or her appeal.  The HR Administrator will in turn advise the HR Manager and the appropriate Division Head and Supervisor.  The HR Manager will review the "notice of appeal" and discuss it with the employee prior to the case proceeding.

2) The employee continuing on with the appeal (appellant) shall then submit to the Human Resource Administrator, the names of 2 employees willing to represent the appellant as a Third Party Reviewer.  The nominations for the Third Party Reviewer must be at the same or higher classification than the employee.  The nomination names should be submitted within five (5) working days of registering the appeal.  Upon receipt of the two nominations, the HR Administrator will request that the Division Head appoint one of the individuals to act as the Third Party Reviewer.

3) After being advised of his/her appointment, the Third Party Reviewer will review the appellant's performance evaluation (which will include the actual work performed during the performance year) against the employee's job description and work plan, and then against the rating definitions.  The Reviewer may also investigate any missing information that the supervisor may not have been aware of  that may affect the overall rating, and within ten (10) working days of beginning the review, the Reviewer will meet with the Appeal Review Committee to submit and discuss his/her findings and recommendations.

4) The Appeals Committee will consist of the HR Manager (or Administrator in his absence) and the Chair Person or designate of the appropriate employee liaison committee.  The committee will be provided with copies of the appellant's letter of appeal, the PPR form, the current job description and details on the individual's classification.

5) The Committee will discuss the findings of the Reviewer, and ensure that the review process has been followed in accordance with 3) above, and will submit a recommendation to the appellants Division Head.  If the recommendation is to adjust the rating, and the Division Head does not support the recommendation, the committee will be advised within five (5) working days.  If the recommendation is for no change to the rating, the appellant will be advised in writing of the results within five (5) days of the recommendation to the Division Head.

6) Failing resolution at the Division Head level on a recommendation to adjust the rating, the file will be forwarded to the Director's office for resolution.  The decision of the Director will be final, and will be rendered within ten (10) working days of receiving the appeal file.  The appellant will be notified in writing of the results.