A manager and his collaborator during an interview.
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Pixabay
After disrupting the professional life of the French in recent months, the health crisis also has repercussions on their annual interviews.
Achieving objectives difficult to assess, too full of emotions, disappointments in the face of low increases… Managers are confronted with these difficulties.
Simple formality, moment of tension or occasion for recognition of the work done… In normal times, the annual maintenance is not a piece of pleasure for many employees and managers.
But this year it takes on special significance.
Moreover, according to a survey * by the Welcom to the Jungle joboard, 31% of employees have more expectations this year with regard to their annual interview.
This is easily explained by Stéphanie Lecerf, HR Director of PageGroup France: “It was an unprecedented year during which working methods were upset.
Many employees ask themselves questions about the meaning of their job, about the way in which they would like to reorient their career ”.
Far from being a brief moment of exchange, this ritual is therefore likely to last longer.
“Because with widespread teleworking, communication between the employee and his manager has not necessarily been optimal.
This interview will allow you to put your bags down, ”predicts Vincent Binetruy, director of the Top Employers Institute (an audit and certification body for HR practices).
But for this interview to be interesting, it is still necessary to devote time to it, upstream and downstream.
This will not be possible everywhere: “Everyone must have the time to prepare it on their own and give it to their interlocutor to allow discussion on the day. However, many employees have an extra workload because of the difficulties encountered. by their company, ”notes Vincent Binetruy.
Which may lead to frustration ...
"Some objectives were clearly unachievable given the economic context"
Another difficulty: many interviews will be carried out remotely.
"This means that the manager will not have access to the non-verbal communication of his employee, to his reactions to
feedback
," underlines Christophe Nguyen, work psychologist and president of Empreinte Humaine.
With a shifty gaze, the signs of stress may be imperceptible, which will not allow all tensions to be defused.
“It's also more difficult to hold attention for a long time at a distance,” adds Vincent Binetruy.
Communication that will not be optimal even though many employees already found the process too vertical and not very participatory.
Thus, again according to the Welcom to the Jungle survey, more than 3 in 10 employees say they do not feel able to express themselves freely during these interviews.
Nor is it easy to assess successes and failures.
Because the objectives assigned were set before the crisis and economic life has since been completely disrupted.
“Some goals were clearly unattainable.
Especially since employees have fallen ill, have experienced periods of partial unemployment, a complicated family organization during confinement ... The manager must be more flexible by integrating the "Covid" dimension, "said Vincent Binetruy.
In order not to put their employees in a situation of failure, some companies have also revised their ambitions during the year: “We reconsidered the objectives of our employees in July, to reorient them on short-term projects and not not on substantive subjects, ”says Stéphanie Lecerf.
"A letting go will take place, with tears and confidences"
And if the annual interview is an opportunity to highlight areas for improvement, it is probably less easy to do this time.
“Criticism is likely to be less well accepted, because employees need recognition for their adaptability and investment.
In addition, some managers have less supervised their teams in recent months, because they were overwhelmed.
Suddenly, their legitimacy in formulating criticism risks being called into question, ”anticipates Christophe Nguyen.
The emotional load of the 2020 interviews should also be stronger.
"A letting go will take place, with tears and confidences in some cases", predicts Vincent Binetruy.
“This is all the more true as many employees have the impression that teleworking makes them invisible.
The annual interview should be a safe space where they can talk without being judged.
And managers must be able to receive strong emotions, including anger, ”adds Christophe Nguyen.
Disappointments to be expected about the increases
Anger that could be expressed even more if employees feel that their efforts are not sufficiently recognized.
“However, the increase envelopes will be very meager in many companies, which can cause strong frustration,” notes Christophe Nguyen.
Especially since 70% already think that the annual interviews are not sufficiently followed by concrete actions, according to the Welcom to the jungle survey.
For managers who find themselves in this uncomfortable situation, it is better to keep a transparent discourse, recommends Vincent Binetruy: “We must tell everyone why it cannot be increased this year.
By saying well that these days, the fact that the company preserves jobs is already a counterpart to the efforts made this year.
And above all, not to make any promise on an increase that would come during the year, because the economic turmoil makes projections difficult ”.
If the financial leverage cannot be mobilized, others can be: "The manager can, for example, offer the employee arrangements that will improve his quality of life at work, such as meeting his request to telework for a day or two by week, if they wish for geographical mobility, allow them to invest in a skills sponsorship project… ”Other possibilities:“ Offer them training, make them participate in departmental decisions, integrate them into the project steering committee , give it new missions… ”, explains Christophe Nguyen.
Or “integrate it into a high potential program, highlight one of its individual performances in internal communication,” adds Vincent Binetruy.
Difficulty in setting goals for 2021 ...
Last bone and not the least: during the annual interview, the manager will have to set new goals.
And this, in a context where motivation is weakened: 46% of employees questioned for the Welcom to the jungle survey indicate that they are less engaged than before and 48% think that their work has less meaning than before.
“You have to fix with priority projects.
And set up short-term incentives (bonuses) for salespeople, ”advises Stéphanie Lecerf.
"It is necessary either to set cautious objectives, or a little more ambitious, but by specifying to the employees that they will be revisable during the year according to the economic situation", estimates for his part Vincent Binetruy.
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* Study carried out between October 27 and November 9, 2020 among 1,012 employees from the Welcome to the Jungle subscriber base.
Management
Employees
Coronavirus
Company
Economy