Performance and Growth: A message from our Director of People and Culture

I know there are a lot of messages, actions, and changes at Barnardo’s at the moment, and as promised at Leaders Live, I want to share more clarity about the next steps of the Performance and Development Cycle.  

When initially launched, the new cycle was designed following changes to our pay framework, which included an element of pay progression. This was subject to affordability and, as we’ve recently shared, we are unfortunately not able to afford an individual pay award this year (equivalent to a pay step). However, the Cycle is an important part of the colleague experience at Barnardo's, we want to ensure the best parts of the Cycle remain, and we are listening to colleagues to make the improvements that it needs. Based on feedback we have received, adaptations have been made.   

• We have extended the window to the end of May for the Performance and Development Reviews (PDR). 

• The Performance and Development Cycle is changing name to the Performance and Growth Cycle. This better reflects the aims of our Strategy and our ambition to make Barnardo’s a place where you can grow and thrive. 

• The Cycle will be a rolling 12-month cycle, with the goal setting window open from now until 30 June 2024, and goals should be set to start no later than 1 July for the following 12 months.  

• Instead of seven steps, the Cycle has been simplified to four focus areas: 

  • Goal Setting – Set your SMART goals for the next 12 months 

  • Mid-year Review – Review your progress against your goals and look ahead to the next 6 months 

  • Alignment (managers only) - An opportunity for managers to discuss ratings with other managers in the charity to make sure they are aligned 

  • Performance & Growth Review (PGR) and Outcome - Replaces the end of year PDR, where you review your progress, evidence, and feedback gathered over the last 12 months 

• We have revised the ratings, as feedback highlighted that the language wasn’t quite right for all colleagues, and importantly did not fully relate to those who are developing in a role, or who are new to a role. These will now be: Excelling, Succeeding, Developing, and Performance Improvement. 

• Training has also been simplified, with shorter, bite size videos that will be made available at different touchpoints throughout the year. This means you can watch them at a time that suits you, and they will remain fresh in your mind for the relevant part of the cycle. Training will go live for all colleagues later this month, via b-learning and we will let you know when and how to access this.

• Decisions around linking pay to this process will be taken on an annual basis, depending on affordability. 

Colleagues who are currently in the pilot, in Pay Grades A, B, and C, will continue with the pilot and complete their PDR by the end of May. They will set new goals in June, ready for the new Cycle by 1 July. 

Colleagues not in the pilot will continue under the current PDR process and have until 31 May to have their PDR discussions. They will begin training in April/May and set goals in June, ready for the new  Cycle by 1 July. 

This is the same for colleagues in Retail and Trading, however the new cycle will be an offline process, instead of using Dynamics 365. We know colleagues in Trading and Retail operate differently, so we are hopeful this adaptation will work better for them. More details will follow about what the offline version will look like.