iTrent User Guide

Check-ins
Employee Guide

Version 1.3
(April 2024)
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1

Employee Check-ins ............................................................................................................... 2

Starting the Check-in Conversation...................................................................................... 3
The Questions ..................................................................................................................... 4

Employee Objectives ............................................................................................................... 5

Create .................................................................................................................................. 5
Updating an existing Objective............................................................................................. 6
Creating Actions within the Objective ................................................................................... 8
Updating Actions within Objectives ...................................................................................... 9
Closing Objectives ............................................................................................................ 10

Wellbeing Check-in ……………………………………………………………………………….. 11

Introduction
This guide will take you through the system for having a check-in, either for performance
management or wellbeing, within Newport City Council, which is managed through your
employee self-service account (ESS) in iTrent.

• Performance management - The focus will be on having a regular Check-In with

your Line Manager together with the creation of a Performance Objective or a
Personal Objective
• Wellbeing – with the focus on wellbeing to allow you to discuss your health or
wellbeing concerns with your line manager, and agree any support required, as
part of the Wellness at Work Policy.

This guide will cover the areas below:

• Check-ins
o Participate in the conversation
o Add or respond to a question

• Objectives
o Create a Performance and/or Personal Objective
o Add actions, to break down steps within an Objective
o Update the progress of the Objective
o Close the Objective

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Employee Check-ins
Log into your ESS account, click ‘Performance’ from the
home page:

The next page displays your recent or pending Check-ins (‘Reviews’) and your Objectives:

Within the ‘Reviews’ tab, clicking on a Check-in will take you to the following screen:

The latest active Check-In will be displayed, and you can use the date controls at the
top to locate previous Check-Ins.

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Starting the Check-in Conversation

Once you have located the correct ‘Check-in’, click onto ‘CONVERSATION’. This is
where the conversation between you and your manager is recorded and prompted

Both employee and manager receive an email to place the appointment into their
diaries. If the date is subsequently changed in iTrent, you must manually amend
this in your diary to reflect this.

Depending on the type of Check in, you or your manager can ask specific questions
to guide you through the process.

There are five types of Check-in available in iTrent:

• Check-in – this is the standard template for regular Check-in processes for
most staff.
• Check-in – Social Services Supervision. This mirrors the process in the
Social Services supervision policy and should be used by those staff in Social
Services that are covered by the agreed supervision policy only. Those who
are not should use the normal Check-in process.
• Probation – This is used to replace the paper based probation review and has
set questions that follow the probation policy.
• Wellbeing – This is used to guide specific wellbeing discussions (see Wellness
at Work Policy for more details).
• Performance Improvement Review – This is used in conjunction with the
Capability Policy, separate guidance is available.

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Depending on the type of check-in,
you or your manager can pick
specific questions from a
predetermined list to guide you
through the process, or ask specific
questions of your own from the
drop down menu.

Each of the 5 Check-in types will

have their own set of built in
questions. Either the employee or
the manager can add a question
from the list to the Check-in or use
the free text question. The same is
possible with the response to the
questions.

The drop-down menu only displays

a few words. When selected, the
whole question is displayed which
gives more detail for capturing a
response.

The Questions

The questions are shown in blue, with an

arrow.

Clicking onto the arrow opens an input box so

either the employee or manager can
comment.

Clicking outside the blue or yellow box locks

the input box. Amendments cannot be made
when it’s locked. Clicking onto the question
arrow again creates another input box.

When entering within the input boxes, the manager’s response will have a face image
on the left, the employee on the right.

At the bottom of each of the bank of questions, is a

‘New Comment’ question.

This can be used to record any

other Check-in comments, or
questions not covered by the
predetermined questions.

The arrow within the box allows either the employee or the manager to comment on the
question.

4
Employee Objectives
Navigate back to the Goals & Performance home page and you can review current
objectives or create new ones.

Create Objective

Click on ‘Add objective and the form creating a new objective opens.
All fields with a blue dot are
mandatory fields.

Objective Title free text

Type Select either

Performance linked to service plan
or Personal Objective.

Attachment date Date the

objective was created.

Description enter full description

of the objective and what is to be
achieved.

Target start date Objectives can

be scheduled to start at various
times throughout the year.

Target completion date When the

objective should be completed.

Start date To be updated when the objective is actually being worked on.

Completion date When objective is actually finished.

Objective Rating Select from drop down list to update on completion - Achieved, Not
Achieved, Partially Achieved or Withdrawn (updated after the creation of the
objective).

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Position Select which role this objective is aligned to (if you hold more than one
position).

Linked to Use the search icon to search for your service area plan to link
to Performance Objective.

Services areas have been abbreviated as show here:

AS = Adult Services FS = Financial Services

City = City Services LR = Law and Regulation

CS = Children Services PBC = People and Business Services

Educ = Education RIH = Regeneration Investment & Housing

Click Save to complete

NB. If you have more than four objectives, the screen will
change from four squares to a list format.

Updating an existing Objective

Locate the Objective from within the Goals & Performance section of your ESS
Account.

Click onto the Progress button

If the objective is current, click onto the

Add objective progress details

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Date Today’s date will automatically be entered

Status Select from Achieved, Behind or On Track

Percentage Complete Enter your completion to

date, enter your value from 0 – 100%

Created by your name will automatically be entered

– but others can be overtyped

Comments Enter any comments to date

Click Save

Example of completed objective progress

After clicking SAVE, your updated Objective will be

displayed as shown here

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Creating Actions within the Objective

Actions allow you to breakdown the objective into smaller “chunks” setting start and
completion dates for each to eventually achieve the overall.

Locate the Objective from within the Goals & Performance of your ESS account.

Click onto the ‘Actions’ button of the Objective

Click onto ‘Add action details’

The Objective actions form will open, all

fields with a blue dot are mandatory

Action Title Enter your step title here

Type Select from Activity, Formal

Training, Report or Shadowing

Description Enter the measures of

success here

Target start date Enter when you plan to

start this element of the objective

Target completion date Enter the end

date this element should be completed

Breaking down the objective into multiple

actions, with start and end dates allows an
individual to prepare a schedule to assist
with the completion of the objective and
helps the manager manage.

Multiple Actions can be added to an objective.

To arrange them in an order to suit you,

Clicking onto the headings will sort A-Z or
Click again Z-A

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Updating Actions within Objectives

Locate the Objective from within the Goals & Performance section of the ESS
Account

Click onto the Actions button from the Objective to update

Click onto the Marker

to update Action

Enter Start date or Completion date and details.

Additional comments maybe added within the Description area.

ATTACHMENTS

Documents maybe also attached by clicking onto the

+ Sign next to Document attachments

Using the Browse button, select the document to attach.

When reviewing the actions at a later date, the attachments will only be displayed when
opening the attachments, by click onto the + sign

Click Save to update the Action

When reviewing the Actions in the list

format, Actions which have been
completed the word (Target) will be
removed – as on the first line of this image

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Closing Objectives

Three steps are required to ensure the Objective is closed correctly. Click onto the objective
that has been completed from the list.

Step 1: Ensure the actions have all been updated:

Clicking on the Actions button displays all actions associated to the Objective.

Enter the completion date per action, clicking onto each

Arrow, and entering the completion date.

When each have been updated the words Target is no longer visible.

Step 2: Ensure Progress has been updated

Click onto the Progress Button

Click onto Add objective progress details

The date field will automatically be completed with

today’s date

Select Achieved from the drop down list.

Enter Percentage completed

Enter any comments

Click

Step 3: Close the Objective

After ensuring the actions and progress have been

updated:

Select the Objective from the main screen

Enter the completion date and update the

Objective Ratings field, selecting from the drop
down list.

Click to complete

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Wellbeing Check-ins
Wellbeing check-ins form part of the discussion process between you and your manager
about your health and wellbeing needs.

A check-in can be activated by your manager to discuss your wellbeing needs and how you
can best be supported, whether you are returning to work from an absence or are currently in
work. It is an opportunity to record discussions and any agreed outcomes. Regular wellbeing
check-ins may be needed depending on the nature of the health or wellbeing concern).

If, following a wellbeing check-in, your manager identifies the need for longer term support,
agreed adjustments should be recorded in a reasonable adjustment plan (also completed in
iTrent). Please refer to the Wellness at Work Policy for details.

Your manager may ask you one of the standard questions within the system (included under
headings) for you to respond:

Feeling

Supported

Worry

Balance

Advice

Next steps

Further support

Review

Case Management

Your manager may also use the New Comment option to ask alternative questions or include
notes of your discussion.

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