Performance Partnership Program (PPP)

Overview

The Performance Partnership Program (PPP) is a performance management system for all civil service employees (excluding Police officers, Corporals, and Sergeants) that incorporates a positive approach to solving performance problems as well as recognizing and encouraging good performance. The PPP aims to correct performance matters at the lowest level necessary. Therefore, there are progressive informal and formal steps. All informal and formal steps may be skipped if the severity of an infraction warrants a more severe level of action. Some links in this document are only available in the IHR-LER SharePoint folder. If you do not have access, please contact Ihr-ler@illinois.edu.

Helpful PPP Documents:

Informal Positive Steps:

Positive Contact: Recognizes good performance in a continuous and ongoing way or on a day-to-day basis. A formal discussion is not required, and the conversation is generally not documented. However, the supervisor is encouraged to maintain notes.
Positive Recognition: Any acknowledgement by a supervisor to an employee that gives credit to the individual and creates a permanent record of that performance. This may or may not be given as part of an informal discussion but will be formally documented with a written memo.

Informal Corrective Steps:

These steps can be conducted by the supervisor alone or in consultation with department HR, when necessary.

Constructive Contact (CC): Normal day-to-day coaching to provide constructive feedback to create awareness of gaps in performance. Constructive Contacts are non-disciplinary discussions and do not require documentation. However, the supervisor is encouraged to maintain notes. Employees in AFSCME 3700/698, SEIU 73 must be told if a conversation is a Constructive Contact.
Performance Improvement Discussion (PID): Structured discussion between the supervisor and employee about the need to improve performance and requires pre-discussion and post-discussion documentation by supervisors. A PID can occur at any time, including during a period when an employee is under formal corrective action. Although a PID is an informal, non-disciplinary, discussion, it is formally documented in a written memo following the meeting. Employees who are represented by unions are entitled to have a representative present during a PID.

Additional resource: PID Job Aid

Formal Corrective Steps:

A pre-disciplinary meeting involving Labor and Employee Relations (LER) is required for all formal corrective steps and when discharge is being considered. Formal steps can only be considered if events have occurred in the last 30 days (see chart below to reflect union variations).

Work Performance Reminder (WPR): This is the first formal step in the University’s corrective action procedure. A WPR is considered when problems arise following a PID or the seriousness of the infraction warrants a more severe level of discipline beyond informal. A WPR is active for six months. The discussion is documented in a memo by the supervisor.
Written Reminder (WR): This is the second formal step in the University’s corrective action procedure. A WR is considered when the same problem arises within a six-month period following a WPR, the employee has been issued two WPRs for unrelated issues, or the seriousness of the infraction warrants a more severe level of discipline. A WR is active for twelve months. During this time, the employee will be removed from all Civil Service Registers and will be ineligible for transfer/promotion. The discussion is documented in a memo by the supervisor.
Decision Making Leave (DML): This is the third and final step in the University’s corrective action procedure. A DML is considered when the same problems arise within a twelve-month period following a WR or the infraction warrants a more severe level of discipline. A DML is a one-day disciplinary suspension with pay. On the “Decision Day”, the employee must decide EITHER:
1. Remain employed, solve the immediate problem and commit to fully acceptable performance in every area of the job, and face discharge if problems continue;
2. Remain employed without any commitment and face discharge if problems continue
  OR
3. Voluntarily resign from the University.
The employee must inform the supervisor of his/her decision immediately upon his/her return. The discussion and the decision are documented by the supervisor in conjunction with LER. A DML is active for 24 months. During this time, the employee will be removed from all Civil Service Registers and will be ineligible for transfer/promotion. The discussion is documented in a memo by the supervisor.

Pre-Disciplinary Meetings:

The purpose of the pre-disciplinary meeting is for the unit to present performance concerns and allow the employee an opportunity to respond. Labor & Employment Relations must be present at the pre- disciplinary meeting. The supervisor or Human Resources must contact Labor & Employee Relations to schedule a meeting after consultation with others, including unit Human Resources, as required by unit. Per Policy and Rules and labor agreements, three working days’ or 72 hours written notice to the employee and union is required for these meetings (see chart below to reflect union variations). You can find the applicable policy here, in Rule 16.06.

Deactivating Formal Action:

Deactivation of discipline occurs when an employee has successfully corrected their performance and there has been no other formal corrective action issued during the active period of their formal corrective action. If the employee receives other formal corrective action during an active time period, all formal corrective actions will not deactivate until such time that all formal corrective action time periods have been completed. The supervisor is responsible for deactivation when the corrective action has expired using this template. The supervisor should also meet with the employee to inform them of the deactivation.

Time Limits for Formal Corrective Action by Union Representation
Formal corrective action can take place…	Union
No more than 30 days after the action or event occurred.	IBEW Local 601 IUOE 399 (Power Plant) IAMAW Local 1000
No more than 30 days after the action or event is discovered.	IOUE 399 (Service/Maintenance)
No more than 30 days after the University became aware that the action or event occurred.	IBOT Local 26 IOUE Local 399 (Housing Inspector)
No more than 30 days after the action or event occurred or when representatives of the University first became aware of the incident or reasonably should have known that it occurred.	AFSCME Local 698/3700 Laborer’s International Union of North America PP Local 149 SEIU Local 73 (Dining Services) (BSW)
No more than 60 days after the action or event occurred or when representatives of the University first became aware of the incident or reasonably should have known that it occurred.	IBEW Local 51

Notice Periods for Pre-Disciplinary Meetings by Union
Notification prior to a pre-disciplinary meeting will be at least…	Union
72 hours written notice to the employee and the Union prior to the meeting.	IAMAW Local 1000 IBOT Local 26 SEIU Local 73 (Dining Services)
3 workdays written notice to the employee and the Union prior to the meeting.	AFSCME Local 698/3700 Graphic Communications International Union IBEW Local 51/601 IUOE 399 (Housing Inspector)/(Power Plant)/(Service Maintenance) Laborer’s International Union of North America PP Local 149 SEIU Local 73 (BSW)

Note: This table represents a brief summary, please reference the collective bargaining agreements here for the most up to date information.

Additional Information

For PPP templates or more information regarding the Performance Partnership Program, contact:

Labor and Employee Relations

ihr-ler@illinois.edu

217-333-3105

Additional Resources:

HR Series: Performance Partnership Program PPP

SharePoint Folder