Supervisors will now issue employee performance reviews online and check in with employees twice a year to review their goals, according to a University release last week.

Beginning in 2019, instead of hosting one annual performance review, managers will meet with employees in January and July to discuss their long-term priorities and offer suggestions for improvement. Supervisors will give employees a final rating and performance comments at the July meeting, the release states.

All employees will also now be evaluated during the same time period, between July 1 and June 30, the release states.

The changes accompany a University-wide transition this year to a new online platform, Talent@GW – Performance, for performance reviews. Previously, managers provided feedback to employees on paper, which made tracking progress and determining merit pay “inefficient and difficult,” according to the platform’s online description.

The new platform was piloted among several employees in December, according to the description.

Dale McLeod, the interim vice president for Human Resources, said that moving the performance review system online will lessen “administrative burden” and help different divisions make unified goals to advance the University’s strategic initiatives. University President Thomas LeBlanc identified five main goals, including improving the student experience and bolstering research opportunities, during his first year in office.

“We believe these changes — standardizing review cycles, completing forms online and having more frequent and open communication between employees and managers — will benefit all staff,” McLeod said in the release.