Frequently Asked Questions - Check-ins

1. What goals did you accomplish this period? (Goal Accomplishment & Job Mastery)
2. What do you like best about your work? In what ways does your work connect to our overall strategy and/or mission? (Job Mastery & Goal Accomplishment)
3. How have you supported others' work and/or collaborated with others on your work this period? (Collaboration)
4. How have you innovated, sought efficiencies and/or improved work outcomes? (Innovation)
5. How have you fostered diversity, equity, inclusion and/or belonging on our team and/or campus? (Inclusion & Belonging)
6. What can I do as your manager/supervisor to better support your success? What additional knowledge, resources, or tools are needed to successfully do your job? (Development Planning & Manager/Supervisor Support)

Yes. Here are a few considerations to better understand the purpose and use of the guided questions:

• These questions map to each performance indicator in the Achievement Criteria, providing the opportunity to adequately discuss what we do and how we do it.

• They enable managers/supervisors and direct reports to expansively discuss current performance and plan for future job needs.

• Think of the check-in questions as conversation starters, which set up the conversation to use attentive listening and open-ended follow-ups to deepen the conversation.

• Managers/supervisors and direct reports are not limited to the guided set of questions. It is encouraged to bring attention to feedback, recognition, and questions/concerns about work.

• By the end of the conversation, managers/supervisors and direct reports should have clear expectations on how work will be accomplished over the next four months. 

For supplemental check-in questions, see the Check-ins page.

Check-in conversations are documented using the Achieve Together Online Form through the Online Dashboard. Supervisors and direct reports finalize the Online Form once they are done with each section of the form; there is one section for each of the 3 Check-ins in a performance year. The Online Forms are sent to the employee's personnel file. 

Your Online Forms are always viewable from the Online Dashboard.

Check-in conversations cover the preceding four months. For example, the Fall check-in occurs from Dec 1- Jan 15 and covers performance between August - November. See the Check-ins page on the website for more information. 

Once we close the Achieve Together system for the Check-in period, edits cannot be made to that section of the Online Form. Please make sure that the form is completed before selecting "Lock my notes for this section."

Disagreements between managers/supervisors and direct reports are a good opportunity for constructive, thoughtful, and supportive discussion. It is possible managers/supervisors and direct reports will not agree on individual or overall performance levels or comments documented in the check-in form. We recommend discussing these disagreements to seek greater understanding, and with the intention of identifying an action plan to prevent future misaligned perspectives on both work performance and how work is accomplished.

If there is evidence to suggest an inaccurate depiction of performance or conduct, contact your HR Partner to discuss the issue and potential options. The Office of the Ombuds also has conflict resolution and mediation support.

Check-in forms should be completed by the due date for each Check-in conversation; we close the system after that date. Once the Achieve Together Online Dashboard system is closed, you cannot add content to the online form.

Remember, if you do not add your notes to the Online Form by the deadline, you will not be able to review it later via the Achieve Together Online Dashboard. We suggest putting the Check-in deadlines on your calendar as recurring events so you can ensure you finish by the due dates.

Any manager/supervisor who is supervising a non-represented employee is responsible for managing performance and facilitating performance conversations as required by UC Berkeley's performance program and PPSM 23. This information is included in the Achievement Criteria for managers/supervisors.

You are entitled to discuss scheduling a check-in conversation. If you are met with resistance, you should contact your HR Partner with questions/concerns. If a Check-in conversation does not occur and there is no online form with Performance Levels, employees will automatically receive "Well Done" performance levels for all 5 Achievement Criteria. All non-faculty supervisors are evaluated in part on their supervisory duties, one of which is completing Achieve Together Check-ins and the Online Form. Reports are generated for leaders of campus units with completion data throughout and after each Check-in conversation period.