Human resources departments are responsible for an array of tasks, but one obligation is to make sure that company policies are enforced. If an employee plans on taking paid time off or a sick day, that information should be noted in HR software. However, what if some departments have not been as forth coming about holding their end of the bargain?
At Ohio State University (OSU), the college’s human resources policy reads that “all employees must receive a performance review at least once a year.” Based on how a staff member’s performance review goes, reviewers would decide if they’re eligible for a bonus, salary increase or different job development plan.
However, it appears that some of OSU’s top 18 administrators all received some type of bonus or raise last year, but eight of them did not have a performance review on file in 2013, according to the university’s student newspaper, the Lantern. Out this group, at least four personnel didn’t have such a file within HR software in 2012.
As a public university, OSU’s finances can be accessed by anyone, and the newspaper’s staff found that all 18 staff members made at least $120,000 per year. Bonuses ranged from over $19,000 to $1.4 million — this large reward was given to OSU former president E. Gordon Gee.
When the university was asked about these compensation packages with no performance review to support the administrator’s contributions, OSU spokesman Gary Lewis explained that the university’s the review system is undergoing many changes. Lewis added that just because there isn’t a file on a staff member’s performance for the year, it doesn’t mean that they didn’t undergo an evaluation.
“Because every senior leader participates in the ongoing, annual review process, all leaders expect to receive helpful coaching and feedback,” Lewis wrote in an email to the Lantern. “Although it is required for all employees to receive reviews, performance management at Ohio State also involves a continuous process of feedback and mentoring, which includes verbal and written reviews.”