Making Headway
In order to ensure every individual at LUU is developed in their role, all members of staff take part in the annual Making Headway scheme.
‘Making Headways’ are LUU’s version of an appraisal or performance review. There are 2 different schemes available; a full Making Headway and a Mini Making Headway. A Mini Making Headway is recommended for any member of staff at Grade 2 grade and below.
Put simply, the 3 main aims of the scheme are:
- To ensure all individuals are clear about their role and how this fits into LUU’s overall aims
- To enable all individuals to receive feedback on their performance
- To identify individuals’ training & development needs
As a general rule Making Headways are carried out for staff who work all year round every June and July, with a 6 month review taking place in December and January. For members of staff who work term time only, the Making Headways take place in January.
One of the main outcomes for the meeting will be the completion of a One Page Plan. A One Page Plan is simply an A4 document which describes the work objectives that have been agreed between you and your manager for the forthcoming year. The plan also details what learning needs to take place in order to achieve these objectives and encourages individuals to find new ways of doing their work.
Download an example of a one page plan (pdf).
Managers new to Making Headways
For Managers and Supervisors new to LUU, The HR and Admin department organise full day training courses on the Making Headway scheme. The training covers all elements of the scheme including, who, what, why and how the Making Headways should be completed. The training also covers useful topics such as techniques for giving constructive feedback during the meetings.
If you would like to sign up for the next Making Headway training session please contact Georgina Wood in the HR and Admin department on ext 202 or email g.c.wood@leeds.ac.uk.
Can’t wait for the next training? There are also some very useful guides to conducting Making Headways available to you. These guides covers a lot of the practicalities of the scheme, for example when should the Making Headways be completed and who is the most appropriate person to conduct the meetings. The guides are also a very useful refresher for Managers who may have been on the training but have slept since then! The Manager’s guide to conducting Making Headways and all the relevant forms for the meetings can be downloaded below.