1. Performance Rating Distribution Guidelines
Leader’s Guide to
Performance Calibration Sessions
Expectations Session Steps Guidelines Timeframes
Educate
Calibrate
Communicate
Key Contributor Results and performance are outstanding %
Quality Plus Contributor Results and performance regularly exceed expectations %
Quality Contributor Results meet, and sometimes exceed expectations.
Performance is skilled and dependable %
Unsatisfactory Results and performance in certain areas are %
Contribution unsatisfactory and require immediate improvement Documentation of a Performance Improvement Plan
is required.
Not Rated Employee not in position long enough for rating evaluation
It is expected that the combined total of KC and QPC will not exceed 25%.
A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is required to be implemented for employees with a "UC" rating.
A rating of "NR" should only be used when an employee has been in their job for less than 6 months, and the manager does not feel there has been sufficient time in that new job to accurately assess their performance. If the employee only changed organizations, but kept the same job code, they are entitled to a performance rating based on consultation of their managers during the previous year. "NR" ratings are included in the denominator (total number of ratings) for purposes of calculating overall distribution of ratings between the categories. To determine alignment with the guidelines, add the "NR" ratings to the "QC" ratings and compare to the guideline of 60-70%
Every organization will hold a calibration session to identify performance differentiators by level and finalize performance ratings.
The Corporate
Standard is...
 Cumulative Guidelines 
Ensure input from all applicable
managers.
Keep discussions focused on performance
standards and behaviors.
Honor the differentiators and ratings the
managers agree to.
Facilitators
will...
Performance Rating Timeframes *
December 13, Year 2005 Self Appraisals completed by directors and above
December 31, Year 2005 Self Appraisals completed by all employees
February 3, Annual Appraisal forms and discussions completed for
all directors and above
February 14, Annual Appraisal forms and discussions completed for
all employees
* Tips, tools, forms and a complete calendar of all Performance Management components can be found at pdc > Hot Links > Performance Management Toolkit
Produce ratings that...
Are fair and accurate.
Meet distribution requirements within the
curve for groups of 75 or more.
Identify high performers for compensation
differentiation.
Identify unsatisfactory performance to
ensure appropriate action.
Calibration
Sessions will...

2. The CALIBRATION SESSION
Before
the
Session
Review Performance Ratings: Educate, Calibrate, Communicate in the PDC.
Plan for 2-4 hours, depending on your group’s size. Schedule the
session with managers of the employees being calibrated. (For example,
a Director would facilitate a meeting among his/her C-B band managers
to discuss standards and ratings for A and B band employees.)
Distribute Participant Prep Sheet in advance of the session.
The CALIBRATION SESSION 1 3
Managers should share their preliminary ratings of their employees so
participants can see the initial distribution for their organization. One
way to do this is:
Display 4columns on the board and label them Key Contributor to
UC.
Write each employee's name on a single Post-it note.
Instruct managers to place the Post-it notes of their employees in
the column that matches their preliminary performance rating
Review the purpose of the session. See Standards (front of this guide.)
Review the role of the facilitator: summarize, ensure all voices are
heard, ask prompting questions, direct the meeting as appropriate, keep
time, manage disagreements.
Review the role of the participant. See Participant Prep Sheet.
State Your
Expectations
Review
Preliminary
Ratings 2
Discuss the behaviors that are expected and those that differentiate high
performance.
Reference the competency model.
What behaviors have been important to your organization this year?
What behaviors are expected vs. behaviors that exceed
expectations?
What other behaviors should you consider?
Make level to level comparisons. Regardless of the specific job function,
jobs at the same level have equivalent weight and scope of
responsibilities.
Document and post all standards the group agrees to. 4
CALIBRATE AGAINST...
PEERS. Look at each category, discuss employees who seemed
misplaced (not grouped with like performers.)
HIGH PERFORMANCE DIFFERENTIATORS AND STANDARDS.
Do top performers align with agreed-upon differentiators in Step 2?
Do low performers fall short of the standards?
DISTRIBUTION GUIDELINES.
* If more than 25% of the employees are placed above Quality
Contributor, can you justify the variance or do you need to
revisit the differentiators used for high performers?
* If less than 5% are below Quality Contributor, do you need to
revisit the standards used for low performers?
Agree on placement of individuals in performance categories.
Agree on
Performance
Differentiators
Calibrate
Ratings
After
the
Session
Distribute high performance differentiators to managers.
Managers should use this information:
When communicating performance ratings to their employees
To communicate a consistent message about the behaviors
that differentiate high performers.