Managers, succeed in their annual interviews

The 3 key moments of the annual interview

The success of the annual interview is based on the mastery and richness of 3 key periods. Indeed, the preparation , conduct and follow-up of the evaluation require rigorous work. This allows a Manager to raise the skills of his employee and to (re)position him clearly in the organization of the company.

Is the annual maintenance exceeded?

The individual interview allows an employee to take stock of his professional career during a face-to-face meeting with his direct superior. However, several recent studies indicate that employees have a negative perception of what constitutes a privileged moment. Stressful, partial or useless, there is no shortage of negative qualifiers to describe the annual interview. Even the prestigious business consulting firm Deloitte discovered it at its expense (1).
Should we put an end to what now looks like an imposed meeting? Definitely not! It must surely be rethought by ensuring that the basics are respected. Three key moments are therefore to be understood.

Preparation for the annual interview

• Collect and organize:

The first step is to collect qualitative and quantitative data relating to the employee’s activity. These data are dense. They concern the permanent responsibilities linked to the position and the specific objectives corresponding to the strategy of the moment.

• Preparing for the meeting with your superiors:

It is essential to mention the interview with the N+2 and the HR . This quick point is used to align the opinions of the evaluation, the objectives to be achieved and, if applicable, the remuneration.

• Schedule the interview with the employee:

The assessee will be informed at least two weeks in advance of the date of the appointment. He must know the duration of this meeting. Two hours are generally sufficient if there is regular monitoring throughout the year. It will be necessary to communicate to him the reference material and to print it for the day of the interview.

Conduct of the interview

• The interview should take place in a quiet and comfortable space.
• The support makes it possible to take stock of the main achievements and expectations of the person being evaluated.
• It will be completed as the interview progresses.
• The dialogue makes it possible to assess the feelings of the employee, his motivation and his involvement.
• The speaking time is 70% for the assessee and 30% for the assessor.
• The employee must discuss his successes, but also his doubts and difficulties.
• He must be encouraged to explain what he would like to do and how he would like to do it. If necessary,
• the evaluator can show him leads. The marks and assessments must be justified by the evaluator. They must be accepted by the employee.
• In conclusion , the Manager will make a quick summary of the points discussed and the main objectives for the coming year.

Maintenance follow-up

During the year , it is essential that the Manager make interim reports in order to monitor the progress of the employee. This allows him to point out strengths and areas for improvement. The annual evaluation is then a formalization of these regular interviews.

Otherwise, the annual review is an unpredictable exercise whose content will be perceived as unexpected, final and unjustified. The evaluator then tends to focus only on the events of the last weeks of work. In this case, one can legitimately ask the question of the effectiveness of the Manager and the coherence of his relationship with his collaborators.

The annual interview has three parts : the reminder of the Permanent Responsibilities, the announcement of the Specific Objectives and the Performance Analysis. In some companies, the annual maintenance is often called the RPOPAP. The discussion should cover all of these areas. This meeting marks the end of a year of activity and the beginning of a new adventure. This is why the evolution of remuneration is an element that finds its place in the interview. Some consultants nevertheless recommend discussing the topic of salary during a second meeting so as not to pollute this interview. Yet it is this evaluation and the challenge that awaits the employee that will serve as the basis for the revision of his salary.