Everyone wants to be paid for a good job well done – and that's what performance-related pay is all about.  

Individual police forces are responsible for training staff in the core competencies of their role. In most forces, experienced line managers work with officers to plan training and record evidence against the national standards. This evidence is then assessed and pay is allocated according to each officer's performance.  

Most forces use pre-proposed pay points, and officers gather evidence to move up the ranks. Officers can also enroll on a four-step promotion process to progress from constable to sergeant, inspector and chief inspector roles.  

Why was performance-related pay introduced? 

Before performance-related pay (PRP) was introduced in 2012, officers were given pay rises according to length of service or bonus structure. This system was criticised across the board, so PRP was introduced to help level the playing field.  

PRP encourages officers to take an active role in their own professional development and forge the career they want in the police. It also helps line managers assess the quality of their training, monitor staff and reward good performance – which is great news for everyone.  

How to manage performance-related pay

Managing performance-related pay for all your staff can be a big undertaking. You need to plan activities, assess evidence, send feedback, and maintain quality for each officer over a 12-month period, and then review their professional performance at the end of the year. The outcome of this final review determines each officer's performance-related pay, so it's really important that forces find an efficient way to manage the whole process. 

Staff also need to record their continual professional development (CPD) throughout their career, and many officers will be working towards multiple frameworks at the same time. As you can imagine, managing all this can be a challenge – especially if you don't have the right tools for the job.  

Using an eportfolio

With an eportfolio, you can manage performance-related training and decisions online. Instead of collating huge folders of evidence, officers can upload photos, videos or audio recordings against the standards as evidence of their performance. Managers can then monitor progress, assess evidence and send feedback online. And you can use the same eportfolio to monitor all staff on all programmes. It's efficient, convenient and cost-effective.  

All good eportfolios should have this basic functionality, but a great eportfolio will have an integrated CPD tracker and virtual learning environment (VLE) so you can use the same system for all learning across the entire force. OneFile's eportfolio has all these features (and more!) already built in, so you can access all the evidence you need to make informed decisions about pay.  

OneFile is already used by over 30% of the UK police force to manage performance – as well as police apprenticeships, CPD, and professional training. To find out how you can manage PRP across your force with OneFile, download our free guide.