Wolfpack Performance Program

You are receiving this communication because you have supervisory responsibilities for an EHRA nonfaculty employee or are a Wolfpack Performance Program coordinator.

Thank you for participating in the campus launch of WPP. UHR hopes you have found the WPP system easy and efficient to use thus far. The 2023-24 EHRA nonfaculty performance cycle will end June 30, so now is the time to start planning for annual EHRA nonfaculty performance evaluations. For most of NC State, this includes conducting an evaluation and closing out an EHRA performance cycle in WPP for the first time.

EHRA nonfaculty WPP cycle: The cycle operates on a fiscal year basis, July 1-June 30.
Please note the following regarding EHRA nonfaculty annual performance evaluations:

Minimum evaluation requirements: To receive an annual performance evaluation and final overall rating, an employee: (1) must be an active employee as of June 30 in an eligible EHRA nonfaculty position and (2) must have been employed in an eligible position for the past six months.

Employees hired after Jan. 1, 2024, are not eligible to receive a final overall performance rating unless they had concurrent service in an EHRA position prior to Jan. 1. If an employee is not eligible to receive a final overall performance rating, the employee’s supervisors should complete the evaluation steps in WPP for that employee and enter an override rating in the system for the employee.

An employee who moved from an SHRA to an EHRA position prior to April 30 is eligible for a review, provided that the employee has had at least six months of cumulative service.

Exempt positions: Employees who work in positions listed below are exempt from having performance evaluations conducted in WPP. Employees in those positions are subject to other performance evaluation procedures. However, if an employee works in a position below that is not classified as SAAO Tier 1, a supervisor can choose to use WPP for evaluation purposes.

• EHRA nonfaculty employees at the level of chancellor, provost, vice chancellor, dean or substantially similar titles and any other employees subject to Section 300.1.1 of the UNC Policy Manual
• EHRA employees who concurrently hold tenured faculty appointments
• Athletic directors, head coaches and associate and assistant coaches
• Postdoctoral scholars and College of Veterinary Medicine house officers

Separations: If an employee separates from state employment prior to June 30, the end of the performance cycle, the employee’s supervisor doesn’t need to do an annual performance evaluation for that employee. The employee’s supervisor should cancel the performance plan. Employee Relations strongly recommends managers place a note about the separation in a comment field in WPP.

Compliance and Integrity Program for EHRA employees: If the employee being evaluated is also a point-of-contact owner of a compliance subject matter area, the evaluation process must assess the employee’s efforts to meet the current year’s compliance-related expectations. These expectations and objectives should be determined by the point of contact and the point-of-contact’s supervisor on an annual basis. Please visit the Compliance and Integrity Program website for more information.

At this juncture of the performance cycle, as a supervisor of an EHRA employee, you should have:

1. Created a performance document for each of your EHRA employees in WPP.
2. Completed the Define Criteria step for each of your EHRA employees. This step includes setting individual goals, providing weights for individual and institutional goals and identifying professional development opportunities where applicable.
• An EHRA employee can enter their individual goals and professional development directly into WPP at the Define Criteria step. Unlike for SHRA employees, there are no weights to enter.
3. Completed at least two of the three checkpoint reviews or logged into WPP to indicate you are skipping the reviews, which are not mandatory. If you skip the reviews, you can move to the next WPP step.

1. If a performance plan has not been created for an employee, this must be done no later than June 27. If a plan is not created, you will not be able to complete the evaluation in WPP.
2. Supervisors should complete the Finalize Criteria step in June or earlier.
3. Complete the manager evaluation by Aug. 15.
• Steps 2 and 3 require employees to take action in WPP, so plan accordingly.

If your college or division has earlier deadlines, please adhere to those.

To help you get ready to close out the 2023-24 performance cycle, UHR has prepared written and video guides to assist you in finalizing performance plans. These guides provide step-by-step guidance on how to use the new system. The videos are short visual overviews of the system’s features and functions, and the written guides provide more detailed information. As supervisors prepare to close out the performance cycle, they should go to the WPP website containing the written and video guides and follow steps 5-9 under “Manager EHRA User Guides.” Supervisors should watch the video or read the written guide that corresponds with each of those steps. The videos included with steps 5-9 will take you through how to complete off-cycle reviews to how to enter final overall ratings. You can skip the off-cycle review step if you have already completed an off-cycle review.

UHR will also offer virtual WPP training sessions in July and August to help supervisors of EHRA employees prepare to close out the performance cycle. It is extremely important for supervisors to be familiar with this system’s nuances and functionality. In addition, it is crucial for supervisors to have a thorough understanding of how to complete a performance appraisal in WPP. While the WPP system is easy to navigate, it may not be as intuitive for supervisors if they do not complete a training session.

Please note this training will focus on the role of supervisors in WPP. The training will concentrate on closing out the cycle and will include reviews of the Finalize Criteria step, the nominate a participant feature, self-evaluations and the completion of the manager evaluation, including entering final overall ratings. To register for a virtual session, click the corresponding register link in the course listings below. You only need to attend one of the sessions.

For questions about WPP or support, please check with your college or division performance coordinator, refer to the WPP website or send an email to wolfpackperformance@ncsu.edu.

Thank you for your participation and cooperation in closing out the 2023-24 cycle and your support of WPP.

A note about employee categories: In March, you received an email with information about changes to three employee categories. The changes are outlined below:

• Employees who were in the SAAO Tier II and the IRIT categories are in a new category called Exempt Professional Staff, or EPS. SAAO stands for Senior Academic Administrative Officer, and IRIT stands for Instructional, Research and Information Technology.
• The SAAO Tier I has been renamed SAAO.

One of the old categories is referenced in this email because we recognize you may still be getting accustomed to using the new categories. Please become familiar with the new categories because University Human Resources will transition to using them in future HR communications.