The feedback gap: Why the university is evolving Career Conversations
By Human Resources
The Career Conversations model has continued to evolve since it was introduced in 2018. Changes beginning in 2026 include adding an objective performance rating and making the process easier for supervisors and employees.
Helena Rodrigues
Career Conversations, the university’s annual career growth and planning cycle for staff, launched in 2018 based on input that showed differences in how staff were receiving career feedback. Human Resources built the program to replace more than a dozen separate processes used at the time across the university.
“The way we know what our institution needs is by routinely and actively listening to employee feedback,” said Helena Rodrigues, chief human resources officer. “In 2018, we learned from our staff that they weren't having regular, meaningful conversations where they felt like they had an active role. Our goal was to make sure those conversations happened.”
Career Conversations empowered staff to drive the process and make growth goals. Over the years, HR clarified the cycle and added resources. But recent feedback from staff, leaders and shared governance has prompted the next evolution beginning in 2026.
“We have heard that staff are not all receiving performance-specific feedback and units want something a little bit more objective,” Rodrigues said. “Units also want an easier process for everyone involved. So, we’re revisiting the tool.”
Objective performance conversations
Chante Martin
Historically, goals set by staff during Career Conversations were not required to align with department expectations. While the model supported staff development, it was intentionally designed not to focus on performance. Units often addressed specific role expectations through other channels.
Explaining the difference, Chanté Martin, associate vice president of Human Resources, said, “Professional goals should be tied to the role, to the department, to what you do every day. But the onus should not be on staff to articulate those types of goals. Career Conversations was designed more as a growth plan.”
Recently, units have indicated a need for a dedicated space to define role-based goals, provide continuous feedback and empower career growth. Echoing this feedback, Gallup's State of the Workplace 2026 report shows that, as of February 2026, only 49 percent of U.S. employees felt clear about what was expected of them at work, and just 31 percent believed they had opportunities at work to learn and grow.
This data reflects a feedback gap that can undermine workplace culture. Even without a formal process, supervisors still assess performance even if those observations are not shared.
“We know that even without structured performance evaluations, employees' performance is being assessed," said Jerel Slaughter, professor of management and organizations in the Eller College of Management. “Having formal evaluations makes those assessments transparent and fairer. Perhaps just as important, employees themselves perceive them as fairer.”
Jerel Slaughter
Continuous conversations
True transparency in performance conversations comes when they move beyond annual check-ins and become an ongoing focus throughout the year.
“Best practice is regular occurrence of one-on-one meetings for this continuous discussion and coaching,” said Ashley Kurtz, director of learning and talent development for Human Resources. “If you rate somebody as a high performer, what does that look like after that conversation? How are you giving them leadership opportunities? How are you helping them cultivate new projects or influence other team members? And if they are needing more support or improvement, then what measures are you going to implement, what kind of supervision are you applying?”
Ashley Kurtz
Evolution of Career Conversations
To support these conversations, the university is evolving Career Conversations beginning with changes in 2026 that lay a foundation for more structured feedback for staff. The changes preserve the core of the existing growth plan model while adding an objective performance rating and making the process easier.
HR says the goal is to build a culture of transparency that doesn’t get lost in the pace of daily work. The three-month Career Conversations cycle is the structured, annual foundation around which ongoing conversation, coaching and recognition occur.
The process will continue to evolve in the coming years as the university collects more feedback from campus and evaluates how the data might inform compensation strategy, development approaches and more.
“We have a duty here,” said Rodrigues. “We'll have to constantly evaluate what's working, what's not working. That's going to require talking routinely to supervisors and staff who are participating in these conversations.
“I want people to understand the value that they bring to the university and what growth opportunities they have. I think everyone has a right to that information.”
Preparing for 2026 Career Conversations
In 2026, Career Conversations will occur August through October, with actions required each month by staff and supervisors. To support employees through the process, Human Resources is offering training sessions, office hours, job aids and other resources.
To start, staff and supervisors should plan to complete their eLearning modules in EDGE Learning before July 31.
Staff version
Supervisors version (Contains the staff version)
Visit the Career Conversations page for full details and training information.