From Problem to Impact

• The Performance Planning and Review (PPR) system was widely perceived as transactional rather than developmental, and unclear and unstructured. Only 52% of women and 36% of men academics agreed that their PPR included meaningful discussion of career development.
• Only 9% of academic women and 4% of academic men engaged in centrally offered training, along with 29% of professional women and 9% of professional men. 70% of staff felt that training opportunities were irrelevant or poorly targeted.
• Eligibility requirements for the Professional Development Program (PDP) created barriers for staff with caring responsibilities, disabilities, or other circumstances that constrained travel.

What actions did UniSC deliver?

• Following an extensive co-design process involving over 200 staff, the PPR system was replaced by the Performance and Development Cycle (PDC) framework, including annual career discussions, tracking of goals and development needs, and feedback, enabling strategic workforce planning across UniSC.
• PDP was redesigned to remove mandatory travel, introduce local and hybrid participation, expand eligibility to include dependent adults, and permit caregiving expenses.
• The ‘Unlocking Your Potential Mentoring Program’ was launched in 2023, providing consistent, structured access to mentoring.