University of Iowa staff may get a new performance-review program next year, according to discussion during a Wednesday staff council meeting.

The new, computerized review program will be available to all colleges and departments at UI starting next year. However, it will be optional for the next year, and departments have a choice to either stick to their old review system or switch.

The program factors in staff performance to determine salares and bonuses.

"This [new performance-review program] would be a great leap forward for this campus," said Susan Buckley, the UI vice president for Human Resources. Staff members’ pay should be based on performance instead of how many years they have spent on the job, she said.

Some of the staff members were inquisitive about this new program; because it is highly computerized, some believe it may lead to inaccuracy.

But Teresa Kulper, a member of the Integrated Talent Management Sponsor Council, said the computerized toolbox actually prompts better conversations between the staff and their supervisors, who will also go through a review process that will get them better acquainted to supervise the new review system.

— by Rishabh R. Jain