Employee Reviews

Policy: Performance Evaluation Process

GENERAL OVERVIEW
Atelier Ten recognizes that our employees are our greatest asset and we strive to ensure they have the proper development opportunities and guidance to support both their goals and our business objectives. As such, we are committed to developing the skills and capabilities of our workforce through regular performance reviews combined with training and development programs. This helps maintain efficient and effective career development with a focus on technical and business knowledge and quality management systems.

Atelier Ten US endeavors to conduct annual reviews for all staff members with at least six months’ service during the months of April and May. This is part of a larger review process with the reviews in spring establishing employee annual professional development goals, followed by a shorter follow-up meeting in the fall assessing progress and making any adjustments necessary to achieve the year’s goals. Salary adjustments are typically considered during the fall.

SPRING REVIEW (ANNUAL)
The annual review form records the employee’s accomplishments, assesses general proficiency, evaluates key professional qualities, and sets specific and measurable goals for professional development. The review meeting will result in agreement on employee professional development goals for the coming year.

Self-reviews are completed by employees enabling them to comprehensively communicate their personal perspective to their group leader who can then directly correlate his/her own review comments with the employee’s perspective. Peer-reviews supplement the employee and group leader perspective with at least one qualitative review from someone other than the employee’s supervisor. This is known as a 360°review.

Group leaders and/or office managers will schedule the review meetings. A director, associate director, or another peer may be invited as necessary or requested by the employee. In advance of the meeting, group leaders will prepare a consolidated, constructive draft version of the annual review for each of their group members that includes content from the self- and peer-reviews. This draft will be shared with the employee and other attendees and will serve as the framework for the conversation in the review meeting.

A final copy of the review document with any new notes or goals from the review discussion and signed by the group leader will be issued to the employee within two weeks of the meeting. The employee should return a signed copy to their local office manager, who will file a digital and hard copy in each employee’s personnel file.

AUTUMN REVIEW (FOLLOW-UP)
Professional Development Progress reviews are scheduled by the group leader and/or office manager in September or October. A director, associate director, or another peer may be invited as necessary or requested by the employee.

Referencing the final spring review, group leaders complete a shorter review form listing the employee’s professional development goals and the level of accomplishment. Also included on this form is a review of the employee’s use of his/her professional development budget for the year. Salary adjustments, if applicable, are noted as well.

A final copy of the review document signed by the group leader and integrating any new notes or goal adjustments from the review discussion, will be issued to the employee within two weeks of the meeting. The employee should return a signed copy to their local office manager, who will file a digital and hard copy in each employee’s personnel file.


FIRST-YEAR REVIEWS
Three-Month Check-In: an informal conversation between the group leader and employee to ensure job responsibility and performance expectations are being met. The group leader will document this conversation with a follow-up email copied to the local office manager.

Six-Month Performance: a more formal review of job responsibility and performance expectations that includes a performance evaluation and starts the professional development goal conversation. Group leaders document the meeting by completing a short review form to be signed by the employee. A positive review signifies the end of an employee’s introductory period with the firm.

One-Year Anniversary: follows the format of the annual spring review for assessing overall performance and professional development goals. Peer reviews should be included for a full 360°review.