e-PAS for InterpretersUNOG Interpretation Service

Manuals/Tutorials2006

Introduction

What is the PAS/e-PAS?• The PAS is the Performance Appraisal System

(Circular ST/AI/2003/3) introduced at the UN a few years ago to replace the previous PER(Performance Evaluation Report)

• The e-PAS is the electronic on-line form of the PAS. It is the format now used in all duty stations.

• In a sense, the terms e-PAS and PAS can be used interchangeably in this module. Technically though, we use the e-PAS software to produce our e-PAS, which, when printed, becomes the PAS

• The PAS or e-PAS exercise is annual for all Staff Members and has a cycle that runs from 1 April of one year to 31 March of the following year

To begin using e-PAS?You need HARDWARE• The e-PAS is an on-line software, accessible

through any computer with an internet connection.• You do not need to be within the UN premises

(intra-net) to use itAnd you need IDENTIFICATION• To use the e-PAS you need your Index Number

and a Password. These two constitute yourIdentification.

• You also need to be Registered as a ‘user’ of the e-PAS to be identifiable with your Index Number and Password.

RegistrationIndex Number and a Password

• When a staff member joins the UN he/she is assigned an Index Number which is the same for payroll, badges, LPs, etc. This will alsobe the identifier for the staff member for the e-PAS software.

• Upon registering for payroll, the staff member receives a Password(computer generated for first time use with e-PAS, e-mail etc and later personalized by the SM)

• The staff member preparing the e-PAS for the first time has to access his/her account using the index number and the computer generated password. The staff member then changes that password to a personalized one of his/her choice.

• If, for any reason, the staff member was not registered for e-PAS when first recruited (prior to 2003) he/she could still at any time register through the e-PAS web page by clicking the New Registration button and following the instructions

For new staff members only

Who is involved in an e-PAS cycle?

• The Staff Member (SM) concerned by the PAS• The First Reporting Officer (FRO) who is the

direct supervisor of the SM• The Second Reporting Officer (SRO) who is

usually the chief of service and to whom the FRO reports

• Reporting Officers supervise and appraise the SM in relation to his/her performance in accomplishing his/her Work Plan

FRO and SRO for interpreters• At the beginning of each cycle the Staff Member

(SM) starts his/her new PAS• SM designates for the cycle his First (FRO) and

Second (SRO) Reporting Officers.• In the case of the Interpretation Service, these are

the head of booth and the chief of servicerespectively.

• In some cases (for example some field missions) there will be additional reporting officers.

What are the stages of a PAS cycle?

The PAS cycle (initiated by the SM) consists of 3 stages:

• The Work Plan (April/May)• The Mid Point Review (August/October)• The End of Cycle Appraisal

(February/March)

For more information on PAS• Consult ST/AI/2003/3• Consult “PAS: A Guide for Staff and

Supervisors” or the ‘e-Pas booklet’published by UN/OHRM

• Both are available through the e-PAS software

Information on access is provided later

The e-PAS in Practice

The e-PAS web-pagehttp://www.epas.un.org

Another Entrancehttp://www.unsystem.org/interpretation

Then click the link e-PAS to access the e-PAS homepage

About the e-PAS web-page

• The web address/url may change from time to time. • The UNOG Interpretation web-page may also migrate• If you have difficulty accessing the page, check with your

Administrative Assistant or your ITG focal point.• The home page itself may also undergo some revisions or

updates• Your ITG focal point will guide you through any possible

new features of the page

Choosing your working language(click-on either of the language links for the language of your choice)

Choosing the language of your menus

• If, when you click the language of your choice, you see the screen opposite, then the language you wish to use is not installedon the terminal you are using

• This mostly happens with some of the older terminals

• To install the language of your choice, follow the instructions appearing on the screen

The login pageOnce you have selected your language, the login page will appear. To

login to your account, enter your Index Number and your Password and then click the login button

Registering for first use

• If you are registering for first use the following page automatically appears.

• Fill in the boxes as necessary and await confirmation of information

• The software produces your relevant information from the UN’sIMIS Data Base

For new staff members only

Confirmation Screen

• This the screen which the e-PAS generates on the basis of your data entered in the earlier dialogue box. This information is derived from the UN data base

• You now have to complete registration by entering your e-mail and other required details

• A computer generated password will then be sent to this email for your first access

For new staff members only

Your first access

• Your first access will launch the Account Update Box opposite. You must now change your computer generated password

• You can change your password again at any time later by clicking My Account (on the In Tray) to launch this box and change your password.

• Both passwords are viable for a couple of hours then only the new one.

For new staff members only

What you meet first• When you log-on to your e-PAS account you are

automatically logged-in onto the In-Tray• The In-Tray contains PAS documents you have

created, the ones sent back to you by your FRO or SRO or the ones sent to you and belonging to SM for whom you may be the FRO or the SRO.

• When one or several PAS documents appear on your In-Tray you are the Activity Owner of this/those PAS (s).

• From your In-Tray you could access other ‘zones’which will be described later.

And this is an In-Tray/Corbeille

The nature of an e-PAS document• It is important to know that any e-PAS ‘document’ is a

single and unique ‘document’. There are no electronic ‘copies’ of an e-PAS document.

• If an e-PAS document is in someone’s In-Tray it cannotexist on someone else’s In-Tray. It cannot be edited by anyone except the Activity Owner on whose In-Tray it appears.

• However, other protagonists involved in a particular e-PAS document can View it at any time (with some restrictions). They can Edit it only when they in turn become the Activity Owner (when the PAS document is sent to them by the previous Activity Owner).

• You can print any e-PAS document in which you are involved at any phase of its development (with some restrictions on accessible information at certain stages)

• At the end of its working life, a PAS document is stored at the IMIS Data Base where it can be viewed and printed at any time

Creating an e-PAS from scratch• Click or double-click

once only the Create New PAS button on the right of your In-Tray

• You may think your action was not registered and therefore click again.

• This will create anothernew PAS and you will later find two on your screen created within seconds of one another

• The speed of creation is a function of the speed of your internet connection and of your computer

• The less modern these are, the more time they require.

An e-PAS is born• Your new e-PAS,

created from scratch, opens up to the first of its ‘pages’ or ‘tabs’, the Personal Data page.

• Your name, index number and e-mail etc, pre-printed, appear. They are taken from the UN IMIS (Integrated Management Information System)

• You now have to fill in the variables of this new cycle i.e. you have to Edit the PAS

‘Editing’ the e-PAS

• In the default format, your e-PAS is ‘closed’to editing. It does not respondto your typing

• You open your e-PAS for editing by clicking the Edit PAS button

Determining cycle dates, FRO and SRO

• First of all, you have to determine the e-PAS Cycle Dates

• Then you have to determine the theFRO and SRO

• Once that is done, click the Save and Refresh button

• You are now ready to introduce the Work Plan

• Click the Work Plantab to go to the next page

The exact details of FRO and SRO

• It can happen that several UN staff members share the same surname of your FRO or SRO

• In this case type in the first few letters of the surname and click the Finderbutton

• This Finder will list all the names similar to that of your FRO or SRO

• Click the appropriate one and Finder will automatically insert it together with the title of your FRO or SRO

The Work Plan Page

• Once you enter the Cycle Dates, the FRO and the SRO, and you Save and Refresh, you move on to the Work Plan page.

• Just click the Work Plan tab and the Work Plan page opens up

• You are now entering the substance of the PAS

IntermissionThe PAS: A Background

• This is a good time for you to go through a couple of documents, the Administrative Instruction and the ‘e-PAS booklet’.

• These two documents are accessible through your e-PAS account.

• You can consult them all the time from all the pages as of the Work Plan page.

• A quick browse before you go any further is recommended.

The Administrative InstructionThis is available from within your own e-PAS account by

clicking the brown AI button on the Work Plan page

The ‘e-PAS Booklet’ on-lineThis is available from within your own e-PAS account by clicking the brown PAS button on the Work Plan page

The ‘Work Plan’ for Interpreters–History and Text

• The Work Plan for e-PAS was derived from earlier ‘typical’ PAS Work Plans developed for Conference Services Staff (translators,interpreters and editors) who all perform the same tasks

• The ‘goals’ stated in the Work Plan reflect the range of functions and activities required to be performed by interpreters (goals 1 and 2)

• Heads of booths have the added function of appraising and evaluating staff members of their booths as goal 3

• If you include any other ‘goals’ under the relevant section of the Work Plan they will enter under ‘achievement of the Work Plan’ at the end of the cycle.

• Alternatively, what you include under ‘continuous learning activities’will not necessarily be evaluated under Work Plan achievement

• Any core competencies or job related competencies you tick will be evaluated quantitatively (with rating boxes)

The Text of the Work PlanGoals 1 and 2 mutatis mutandi

GOAL 1• INTERPRETATION DUTIES• To provide accurate, complete and clearly enunciated interpretation from English and French into

Arabic and from Arabic into English and, on occasion (missions), from French into English.• Related Actions (GOAL 1)• a. Preparing for meetings;• b. Interpreting within the established workload standard whenever called upon to do so at UNOG and

abroad/on mission, including interpreting at sensitive meetings;• c. Being available at very short notice for interpretation assignments whenever serving on the week-

end duty team;• d. Constantly maintaining and enhancing knowledge of working languages;• e. Keeping abreast of international and UN affairs.• Success Criteria (GOAL 1)• - Goals and actions are continuousGOAL 2• NON INTERPRETATION DUTIES• Act as team leader as required.• Related Actions (GOAL 2)• To provide liaison between interpreters assigned to a particular meeting, other meetings servicing

staff and the Office whenever designated to serve as team leader as required.• Success Criteria (GOAL 2)• - No serious incidents because of staff member's failure to perform any of the duties of the team

leader.• - No recurrent complaints from team members.

Inserting the Work Plankey in or simply copy and paste from the attachment Rev PAS Template

after clicking Yes to ‘Have You Received a Copy of the Work Plan?’

• After the Work Plan you will find the Core Values and the Core Competencies tick boxes

• You will find the Core Valuesalready ticked for you since all SM have to have these values

• Tick all the Core Competencies and Competencies Related to the Cycle that you deem appropriate

• In principle all the Core Competencies are applicable to interpreters. Planning and Organization specifically applies to more senior interpreters.

• For more information on these click the brown buttons

Core Values and Core Competencies

Competencies for the FutureConsult by clicking the brown COM button

Values and Competencies in DetailThis is what you get by clicking the brown buttons

Learning Activity/Career Development• As part of the

Competencies for the Future scheme, it is recognized that each SM has to determine a Learning Activity for each cycle. Typical examples in our case would be perfecting or adding a language and enhancing IT skills. Learning Activities are mandatory

• An SM wishing to develop his/her career may indicate experiences, activities and aspirations relevant to such development. Career Development is optional

Creating an e-PAS from an earlier PAS

• You could also ‘create’ a new e-PAS from an earlier one. • This action spares you the need to manually and

laboriously fill in a new PAS. All you have to do is updatean earlier one

• Here, you get pre-entered the same Work Plan, Learning Activity etc of the earlier PAS but of course you have to re-determine the Cycle Dates and the FRO/SRO

• But remember, you cannot click the ‘Create a New PAS’button then ‘copy’ from an earlier one

• This current option both ‘creates’ and ‘fills in’ the new PAS

• Follow the instructions on the next slide

Choosing the PAS to copy from

• From your In-Tray, click View/Completed PAS/My PAS

• The screen displays all the previous completed PAS documents for previous cycles

• Click open the PAS of the cycle of your choice

Copying the old PAS into a new one

• Click open the PAS of your choice

• Under File, choose Copy this PAS into a New PAS

• Remember, this bothcreates and fills in the new PAS

• The screen tells you the operation was successful. Click OK

• You now have a new PAS with information from the earlier one

• Update all information including cycle, FRO and SRO as required.

Signing Off and Sending to FRO

• Whether you have created the e-PAS from scratch or from an earlier PAS, the steps from the point after the Learning Activity/Career Development are the same

• If you wish to be considered for a UN field mission (other than our regular interpretation missions) tick the appropriate box

• Sign off your e-PAS by ticking the signature button, click Save and Refresh

• Send to your FRO for approval either by clicking the Submit to FRO button or choose File/Next Action/Submit to FRO

The e-PAS has moved on to FRO• Once you click the Submit to

FRO button, the e-PAS vanishes from your In Tray. The PAS will soon appear on that of your FRO

• Your own In Tray appears empty as opposite

• However, you could View the PAS even when it is not in your In Tray (as later under Viewing).

• Your FRO would either approvethe Work Plan by signing it off and sending it to you or would send it back without a signature for revision on your part, upon which you revise it and send it again to FRO.

• When the Work Plan is approved, there is nothing more to be done with the e-PAS until the Mid Point Review

IntermissionWhere is the PAS?

At the end of each stage of the cycle the PAS resides in someone’s In Tray (SM, FRO, SRO). This would be the Activity Owner until he/she passes it on to the

next Activity Owner.• At the end of the Work Plan, when FRO approves the plan, he/she sends it to

SM.• SM can either keep it with him/her until the Mid Point Review or send it back

to FRO. The important point is that at the beginning of the Mid Point Review, after the discussion, it has to be signed off by the FRO first.

• At the beginning and the end of the End of Cycle Appraisal, the SM has to sign off with an option of a self appraisal prior to the FRO’s appraisal and with the option of Final Comments after the SRO’s comments. Thus, the activity owner after the Mid Point Review is SM

• This will appear more clearly later, the thing to note is that the Activity Owneruntil the beginning of the End of Cycle Appraisal could be either the SM or the FRO

• The other thing to note is that you cannot move on to one stage of the e-PAS cycle until the preceding one had been terminated by signatures

The Mid Point Review• The Mid Point Review is an intermediate

stage in the cycle to take note of certain changes, for example a transfer, a retirement, new functions, etc which could affect or alter the Work Plan (note that the software is applied organization-wide where changes are far more common than within CSD)

• This stage involves a discussion between SM and FRO

• A Mid Point Review is also the last point during the cycle at which an FRO or a SRO could be changed (again for reasons of retirement, transfer etc).

• Since these changes are unusual functions they are treated on a case by case basis

• Here we only note that if nothing changes (Work Plan or RO) then nothing should be written in the box. It is enough to tick the tiny box

• Both the FRO and the SM sign off and the Mid Point Review is terminated but a prior discussion meeting is a necessaryprerequisite.

The End of Cycle Appraisal• This is the final stage of the e-PAS cycle• This stage involves SM, FRO and SRO• The End of Cycle Appraisal is initiated by the SM (who

either had retained the PAS from the Mid Point Review or to whom it is sent by the FRO).

• Like with the Mid Point Review a discussion between SM and FRO is previewed.

• Neither FRO nor SRO could edit the PAS before the SMhas signed off the Self Appraisal

• While the Self Appraisal comments are optional, the signature of this section by SM is mandatory (to indicate he/she had access to that box before FRO’s comments)

The Self Appraisal• This is the place for

the SM to indicate what he/she believes his/her performance, in relation to the Work Plan, to have been.

• It is also the place to make one’s own comments on supervision and guidance received

• While the comments themselves are optional the signature is mandatory to indicate the SM had the opportunity to comment if necessary

• SM then sends PAS to FRO

FRO’s comments on the Work Plan achievements

• FRO makes his/her comments on the Work Plan (goals and performance)

• These are general comments

FRO’s Ratings on the ‘Core Values’and ‘Core Competencies’

• Core Values are mandatory. They are always quantifiable.

• Core Competenciesare those that SM determined as part of the Work Plan

• Managerial Competencies (if any) reflect what SM determined to be relevant in the Work Plan

FRO’s comments on the Learning Activity and the Career Development

FRO determines Overall Rating, makes his/her Comments, signs-off

and sends PAS to SRO

SRO signs-off with comments

• SROreceives the PAS from FRO

• SRO makes his comments and signs off

• SRO then sends the PAS to SM for final comments

SM Makes Final Comments• SM has the

chance to make some final comments (optional) after the rating

• Like with the start of the End of Cycle Appraisal, comments are optional but a visa is mandatory

• SM then sends the PAS to FRO to end the cycle

FRO Ends the Cycle• The PAS is now Ready for Printing• FRO has to print the PAS, sign it and collect the

signatures of SM and SRO • Crucially, FRO after printing has to finalize the record

by clicking the validate button that will appear on the right of the PAS.

• This last step means that the PAS will be available under the ‘Completed PAS’ option and IMIS will have it stored in its data base

• Failure to validate means that the PAS will remain in the ‘PAS in progress’ tray and will not be definitively validated and stored in the IMIS data base

• The following are some typical screens for the end of cycle

The ‘Ready to Print PAS’necessarily the Activity Owner is FRO

Printing a PDF PAS by clicking a button (FRO)

Option I• a PDF format

is the neat one which does not vary from one computer to the other if settings are different

• This is obtained by simply clicking the Print button on the screen of a completed PAS

The PAS in PDF formatOption I

Printing from the File MenuOption II

select Print from the File Menu

Printing the generated PDF PASOption II

• Select the print function on the PDF document format

• You can also choose your menu’s language and refresh

That’s it. You made it.

You have a PAS

Bonus

An Empty In-Tray

A Simple In-Tray

Pas Help

The File Menu of the In-Trayfor a variety of actions

The refresh buttonuse to confirm an action on your screen for example a

delete action

Some other optionsalso available through separate buttons

The Feed Back Formget in touch with the e-PAS administrator for personalized attention

‘View Menus’ - A Gateway

To access all your PAS documentsYours or where you are FRO or SRO

The ‘PAS-in-progress’ trayThe ‘PAS in progress’ is that of the current cycle

The ‘Completed PAS’ trayof previous cycles

The ‘Suspended PAS’ traya PAS in limbo but its record remains

Account Updatefrom time to time a new email or password

Can I change my password again and again?

As often as you wish.It is advisable to change the password if you have accessed your account from a public portal like an

internet café or from a computer with an auto-complete function turned on.

Can I, for technical reasons, like transfer or retirement of a reporting

officer, change my FRO and/or SRO?

Yes you can but remember, the FRO and the SROcannot be changed after the Mid Point Review. The convention is that the FRO or SRO who is

present until the Mid Point Review completes the cycle. Guidance will be given on a case by case

basis

Can I view my PAS while it is with FRO or SRO?

Yes, you can. However, you cannot see the rating/comments or comments that

FRO/SRO have inserted. You can see up to your own last signature i.e. The Self

Appraisal

???

Can I delete a PAS?

Only if you delete it before the signature of the FRO and of course before the Mid

Point Review, otherwise you could only suspend the PAS

Why can’t I delete a certain PAS?

It had reached the Mid Point Review and bears signatures. This remains as a record but can be

suspended. When you suspend a PAS you have to give a reason in the screen which opens up at the

time suspension is requested

What is a suspended PAS?

It is a PAS ‘in limbo’. It remains there for the record since it bears the signatures of

several protagonists

How do I protect my PAS against accidental access by other users of my

terminal?

You make sure you log off properly every time and you change the password when in doubt of having

accessed from an unsecured terminal

Do I really need a PAS?Yes you really do need a PAS

If you have a question which has not been answered through the presentation and which you cannot find answered under FAQs please

inform your ITG Focal Point who will make every effort to provide you with an answer and to include your question in the current FAQs section

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