Posts Tagged ‘insdieAESES’
Can You Tell Me: What is a Performance Review?
Monday, June 1st, 2026
A Performance Review can sometimes be a stressful or uncomfortable experience for AESES members. Members should understand that Performance Reviews are outlined in our Collective Agreements, including the purpose for having them as well as ways that Employees can engage with the process.
The process for a Performance Review is similar at both Universities. At the University of Manitoba, Annual Performance Reviews are encouraged for all regular (continuing or sessional) full-time and part-time Employees in Article 30. At the University of Winnipeg, under Article 24.7.3, a Performance Review should be completed within 20 working days preceding the Employee’s Anniversary Increment Date, which is normally on an annual basis for Employees working full-time hours (but may be less frequent for Employees working less than full-time hours). Both Collective Agreements also refer to a Performance Review form, provided by the Employer, typically filled out by the Employee’s direct supervisor and reviewed together during a Performance Review meeting.
The purpose of a formal review as outlined in each Collective Agreement is to provide a fair evaluation of the Employee’s performance in their job, assisting them with developing and improving their skills. The review process is intended to be constructive, not punitive, and whenever performance is evaluated as unsatisfactory, the Employer should identify the areas for improvement and suggest a path to remedy the issues. The review is also not intended as a one-way assessment. Where an Employee wants to provide their own feedback, additional information for context, or disagrees with the review, both Collective Agreements (UW 24.7.3, UM 30.3) allow them to include their own comments. These comments can be either added to the review form itself or in a separate document to be attached to the form and included with it in the Employee’s file.
While the Performance Review meeting can sometimes be uncomfortable, it is a workplace conversation meant to provide feedback and set expectations. As such, members are not entitled to Union representation at the meeting. Both Collective Agreements also mention that the completed Performance Review form should be provided to the Employee after the meeting to read and sign. Refusing to sign the review may be interpreted by the Employer as insubordination and subject to discipline. Signing the Performance Review form only indicates that the Employee has had a chance to read the form, and is not an acknowledgement that they agree with the comments or the review.
AESES encourages members who have any questions about the Performance Review process to contact our Business Office at 204-949-5200 or LabourTeam@aeses.ca.
Safety and Health Corner – December 2025
Monday, December 1st, 2025
AESES Safety & Health Committee Update
The Committee last met on April 1st and recently held their Fall meeting on November 20th. At this recent meeting, there was a general check-in discussion regarding both UM and UW’s current practices and adherence to workplace safety and health legislation. The Committee members shared they are continuing to monitor incident reporting and prevention auditing practices as well as training provisions in their assigned areas. To be able to share concerns regarding these matters with the AESES Labour Team when they are identified. No major area-wide concerns requiring action were noted. Any workplace safety and health items you would like to bring to the committee’s attention can be emailed to labourteam@aeses.ca.
For more info on UM Local Area Safety and Health (LASH) committees, visit the UM Intranet website. For more information on the UW Workplace Safety & Health Committee, visit the UW Human Resources website.
The Committee members expressed at the previous meeting that they wanted a way to stay connected between meetings, as this Committee only meets twice per year. At the most recent meeting, it was announced that a MS Teams Channel was created for the Committee for this purpose. Another request of the Committee was for more educational resources. The AESES office is happy to announce that we were able to secure a new educational resource to fulfill this request: The Plexman Comic.
The Plexman Comic
AESES collaborated with international professional workplace safety expert, Dan Plexman, to provide an educational resource for all of our members on workplace safety and health: The Plexman Comic.
The Plexman Comic provides a modernized perspective on workplace safety and health in an easily digestible format. We hope this new resource serves the Committee’s and AESES’ shared goal of having our members be more supportive and connected to safety and health in the workplace.
A limited number of printed comics were purchased to provide our AESES’ Safety & Health Committee members. An electronic version is available for all members to view here: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/8e318221c3.html
Any workplace safety and health items you would like to bring to the committee’s attention can be emailed to labourteam@aeses.ca.
- For more info on UM Local Area Safety and Health (LASH) committees, visit the UM Intranet website.
- For more information on the UW Workplace Safety & Health Committee, visit the UW Human Resources website.