Performance Development

As a manager at MIT, you play a lead role in creating an inclusive performance development process that fosters a supportive environment and drives the highest levels of individual, team and organizational performance in support of MIT’s mission.

MIT is deeply committed to the success and growth of every employee throughout their career at MIT. Performance development is an active partnership between managers, employees, and the Institute that enables MIT’s diverse staff to be fully engaged and reach their full potential.

Find management resources, tools and best practices to support you in setting clear goals and expectations, encouraging growth through career development, engaging in ongoing coaching and feedback, documenting ongoing conversations with performance reviews and inspiring and motivating excellence through ongoing engagement. 

Goal setting

Goal setting supports regular alignment of individual goals and aspirations with organizational needs and priorities. See best practices for goal setting.

Career development

Career development is a rich opportunity for managers and employees to plan for and support an individual’s growth and development with an eye toward the department and Institute’s current and future needs. See best practices.

Ongoing coaching and feedback

Ongoing coaching and feedback between managers and employees are integral to employee performance, development and ongoing engagement. See best practices for ongoing coaching and feedback.

Performance reviews

The Performance review summarizes ongoing conversations and provides a record of past performance and expectations for work moving forward. See best practices for performance reviews.

Note: Service Staff should refer to their collective bargaining agreement for information on review policies and procedures.

MIT policy and Massachusetts law

For MIT's policy on performance reviews, please see MIT Employment Policy 3.2: Performance Feedback, Performance Reviews, and Corrective Action.

Informing employees about documents in personnel records

The Massachusetts Personnel Records law requires employers to notify an employee within 10 days of any negative information placed in the employee's personnel file that "is, has been used, or may be used to negatively affect the employee's qualification for employment, promotion, transfer, additional compensation or disciplinary action." A copy of the employee's performance review should be placed in personnel file and the employee should be told this, even if the review does not contain anything negative. To show that the employee was informed of this, HR recommends that the employee sign the form. The performance review forms on this website include language to comply with this law.

Retaining employee records

Massachusetts law requires that all employee records be retained for three years after the employee leaves the employer. However, it is MIT practice to retain records – including performance review documents – for four years after the employee leaves MIT. The law considers MIT, not any particular department, to be the employer. Therefore, departments should continue to retain the personnel records for employees who have transferred to a different department within MIT. Records for employees who have left MIT may be destroyed after four years.

Additional performance review resources

Ongoing engagement

Ongoing engagement creates the type of environment where employees know what is expected of them, are provided opportunities to learn and grow, are recognized for their accomplishments, and experience a sense of belonging and inclusion. See best practices for ongoing engagement.