Structure of the annual consultation
Employee and manager look back at the past period together. The conversation is not only about performance per se, but also about what that performance means to the employee. What were you proud of, when were you able to show your talent? Was it clear what was expected of the employee, are different goals needed or more feedback? This is the basis for good agreements about future performance and development.
Reflection report
A regular part of the annual consultation is the employee's reflection. The employee looks back on the agreements made in the previous interview and writes a reflection report. What was striking? What did you work on? Which agreements will contribute to more job satisfaction or less work pressure? A good reflection report is valuable information for both the employee and the manager to discuss relevant topics during the annual consultation and to make good agreements for the coming period.
No obligatory topics, but a jointly drawn up agenda
The annual consultation has no obligatory topics. The employee and manager both contribute agenda items and draw up the agenda together. The employee's reflection can also provide points of departure for topics of discussion. Consider workload, development, social safety and other activities as agenda items.
The annual consultation and the performance cycle
The annual consultation is part of a performance cycle in which employee and manager have regular discussions. If you talk to each other regularly, you will know better at any given time what is expected of you and your team members and whether you are meeting those expectations. You can respond better to changes, prioritize, adjust goals and divide tasks smartly. In this way you improve cooperation, you can grow yourself and as a team and reduce workload.
VU Amsterdam works with a performance cycle of goals, reflection and feedback. The annual consultation is a mandatory component. You can read more about the supporting process in the manual on the annual consultation. In addition to the annual review, there are additional options that help you and your supervisor keep track of your goals and progress:
- Performance goals. Here you record the agreements you make during your annual consultation about the goals you want to achieve in the coming period. Your manager has insight into your goals. You can adjust the agreements at any time. The goals will automatically appear in your next annual consultation form.
- Development goals. Here you record the agreements you make about your development. From your development goals you can click through to the courses and trainings offered by VU Amsterdam.
- Performance progress. Here you record the activities you are working on and you can prepare discussions with your manager, for example a periodic work consultation.
- Feedback. You can ask any colleague within VU Amsterdam for feedback. You can link feedback to your goals and make it visible to your manager. On the page 360-degree feedback for employees, you will find some ground rules, sample questions and tips for this.