Replacing PACE: Big Changes Coming for Employee Performance & Development

By Jean Yeager

A new approach to Performance & Development (P&D) at Cook Children’s starts in September 2024, creating a simpler and consistent process for employee reviews, career growth and more.

The new P&D program taps into the functions of Workday for tasks such as performance evaluations, check-in conversations, peer feedback and goal setting. It replaces PACE, our previous system of performance reviews for almost 30 years.  

“We’re excited to implement these major changes,” said Keith Holtz, Chief Administrative Officer. “Our new P&D processes reflect the input from our leaders and employees in listening sessions. We heard what you desired in a new performance evaluation format – an objective, practical and improved experience to support your success at Cook Children’s.” 

Most employees will receive a performance review in the fall from now on, instead of tied to the anniversary date of hire. Using the same evaluation time period creates a way to fairly measure performance against the same fiscal year system goals and initiatives for employees in the same job code/role.

“We really want to encourage co-ownership of development, between managers and employees, and prioritize ongoing learning and growth,” said Merridth Simpson, AVP Human Resources Operations. “At the same time, we want a culture of honesty and transparency, where employees receive constructive feedback, and more frequently.”

The P&D program is designed to help every employee continually strengthen their on-the-job skills thanks to clear expectations, mid-year check-ins, year-end evaluations and proactive strategies to help you flourish in your role.

The evaluation portion includes a new qualitative rating scale for gauging employees’ impact and contributions. The development portion includes steps to set and revise goals that foster the professional growth of our workforce.  

For FY24, it’s an abbreviated year in that we’re only doing year-end evaluations. For FY25, we’ll be using more of the P&D functionality, with goal-setting, mid-year check-ins and more focus on the career growth component.

Training on the new system and approach will be available beginning in August before the system goes live Sept. 30. And we’ll communicate what you need to know in a newsletter called the P&D Digest, where you’ll find information on topics such as:

• Dates to sign up for P&D training on ULearn (in-person and virtual offerings)
• Creating a Career Growth Plan
• Tips for a productive check-in conversation with your manager
• Factors to consider in Self-Assessment, including your accomplishments

This overhaul of Cook Children’s P&D has been in the works for several years, guided by our values of respect and collaboration. Thank you to our almost 10,000 employees for all you do every day. Your dedication fuels our Promise to improve the health of every child in our care and communities.   

“This is a big change for our organization, but the advantages far outweigh the initial discomfort of adjusting to something new,” Merridth said. “We’re taking a multi-year approach to ensure we’re maximizing the new system and meeting the needs of our workforce.”

“Ultimately, we want to align our daily work to strategic goals and the bigger picture. We want to provide opportunities for career development and progression. And we want to help employees know where they stand and how well they’re performing, and reward accordingly,” she said.

Learn more about P&D here in these Frequently Asked Questions

What is Performance and Development (P&D)?  

P&D is the ongoing process of setting and revising goals, giving and receiving feedback, assessing performance, and empowering all employees to grow to enable individual and Cook Children’s success. The overall objectives of Cook Children’s P&D approach are:  

• Clearly defining performance expectations and criteria. 
• Providing an effective, equitable, and transparent experience for all employees. 
• Fostering a culture of continuous growth and development. 

What are the core elements of the P&D program? 

The goal of the P&D program is to empower growth and development, align to Cook Children’s values, and drive Promise-centric contributions through a simple, ongoing, and consistent P&D experience. To do so, there are five tools that, when used together, will enable us to accelerate performance, rather than just manage it:  

• Goal setting and revising: Process where employees set meaningful goals to guide their development and ongoing work. 
• Coaching and feedback: Real-time, ongoing conversations between people leaders and direct reports about performance, work priorities, feedback, and support needed. Opportunity for employees to receive Peer and Anytime feedback. (Feedback will not be part of the merit calculation, but rather a development input to help employees continue to grow. This is intended to encourage honest feedback.)
• Career growth planning: Process where employees can create developmental plans to guide their ongoing individual and professional growth.  
•  Performance evaluation: Performance insights to measure an employee’s impact and make informed talent decisions. 
•  Rewards and recognition: Rewarding and recognizing employees for their contributions, motivating future performance, and retaining key talent.  

When will the P&D program officially be launched? 

The P&D program will officially launch in September 2024. Employees will have two weeks to complete their optional self-evaluation. Due to Magnet, self-evaluations are required for nurses. Managers will have 4-6 weeks to complete their assessments and hold discussions with their employees.  

Who is required to follow the new P&D approach?  

All employees at the director level and below will be required to follow the new P&D approach. AVPs+ will be required to enter their individual goals in Workday, assess the performance of their direct reports, and complete performance evaluations in Workday for direct reports at the director level and below. Physicians, contractors, contingent workers, extern, grant, and seasonal workers are not required to follow the new P&D approach.  

What is changing at a high-level?  

•  We have retired PACE after almost 30 years and will be using Workday to enable the P&D approach starting in late September 2024.  
• We are transitioning from anniversary performance review dates to a universal, biannual review approach.  
•  We are shifting from a 4-point, numerical rating scale to a 3-point, qualitative rating scale to simplify performance evaluations and help us more clearly differentiate performance.  

What is not changing?  

Employees and managers are still responsible for aligning on performance expectations. Managers are still responsible for clarifying priorities for their direct reports and collecting feedback on and assessing their direct report’s performance and development areas. Our P&D team will continue to listen to employees and managers on how to create more opportunities for professional development, feedback, and career growth.  

Will there be training on the new P&D program?

Yes. Employees will receive training beginning in August. There will be separate sessions for AVPs+, directors/managers and employees. Sessions will be recorded for on-demand viewing. Additional support resources (such as FAQs, Job Aids and Clickviews) will be available online via CookNet.

Has everyone been moved to a common review date?

Yes. For FY23, there were no formal reviews. We were without an evaluation system (PACE was discontinued and Workday wasn’t ready yet). Everyone received a 5% merit, pro-rated based on their review date. We moved to common review, and now everyone (except physicians and teachers) has Nov. 19, 2023, as their last review date.

What is the P&D Timeline?

Virtual, Role-Based Training begins in July.

Instructor-Led, Role-Based Training begins in August.

• AVPs and above – week of Aug. 19
• Managers/Directors – weeks of Aug. 26 and Sept. 9
• Individual Contributors – beginning Sept. 16

*Sessions will be recorded for on-demand viewing. 

A full training schedule with multiple date/time options for each group will be available in ULearn.

Performance & Development Timeline:

July 15 – Aug. 26                Employees Complete Peer Feedback

Sept. 2 - 13                         Employees Complete Self-Assessment (Optional)

                                                    Self-assessment is required for nurses, due to Magnet

Sept. 16 - Oct. 11              Managers Complete Performance Evaluations

Oct. 14 - 25                         Managers/Employees Complete Year-End Discussions

November                            Employees Receive Merit Adjustment

When will merits be processed?

Merits will be processed in November 2024. Tentative effective date is Nov. 17.

What is the merit % for this year?

The budget has not been approved yet. We won’t know the merit percentage until October 2024.

Does everyone receive a merit increase?

No. Temporary employees, Pool employees, employees who are at a flat rate and those who have received a Final Written Warning will not receive an increase.

I am a Winter Plan employee; how will I be handled?

Since you are at a flat rate, you are not eligible for a merit increase.

I’m a PRN employee; how will I be handled?

The same way you are now. We will look at how many hours you have completed, and if you have worked more than 200 hours you will be eligible for an increase unless you are at an accelerated rate/flat rate.

What if I’m a new hire?

Only employees hired on or before June 15, 2024, will receive a performance review (and pro-rated merit) for FY24.

What if I am on leave of absence (LOA)?

Performance reviews will not be launched for employees who are on leave on the date we launch. You will receive your performance evaluation when you return from leave.

What is the deadline to complete Annual Education and Occupational Health requirements?

The deadline to complete Annual Education is Aug. 1, 2024. Check the portal to see your individual expirations for Mask Fit Testing, TB Questionnaire, etc. Reminders will be sent beginning four months prior to expiration. 

Who do I contact if I have general questions about the P&D program?  

The Human Resources Information System team is available to answer any general questions you may have about the P&D Program. You can contact them by emailing AskHRIS@cookchildrens.org. They monitor the email frequently and can help you with your inquiries.