While French employment law does not require employers to evaluate their staff, many choose to assess their professional skills. This appraisal (entretien annuel) usually takes place annually, with outcomes often linked to salary increases, bonus payments, and/or promotion.
In some cases, the company’s convention collective will specify a requirement for annual appraisals. If so, the employer must comply with the provisions, such as assessment structure and content, as they are set out.
Note: the annual appraisal must not be confused with the career-focused professional interview (entretien professionel), which is held every two years for each employee. The professional interview is a mandatory requirement in France.
How is the entretien annuel conducted?
This appraisal usually takes the form of an annual interview between the employee and their line manager. They will use it to take stock of the past year and evaluate the achievement of any objectives set.
An assessment grid may be used as a basis for the interview, listing criteria that measures the employee’s professional skills against the requirements of their role.
What happens after the appraisal interview?
The company’s convention collective may require the employee to be given a written report of their interview, although they are not obliged to sign it. Aside from the line manager, HR, and the employee themselves, the appraisal outcome must be kept confidential.
Similar to the UK, a favourable appraisal may lead to a salary increase or promotion for the employee. However, if the employee has failed to achieve the objectives set, they cannot be downgraded in position or have their pay reduced.
While successive negative appraisals are not considered sufficient justification for dismissal in themselves, they may form part of a more detailed case of professional incompetence in which dismissal is the outcome.
What conditions govern the entretien annuel?
If the company has a CSE in place, the committee must be consulted prior to implementing annual appraisals, or any significant change to the assessment process.
Although the annual appraisal is not a mandatory requirement, the French Labour Code states that employees must be expressly informed of the appraisal methods and techniques used (which also must be relevant to their purpose) prior to their implementation. Such methods and techniques must be objective, transparent, non-discriminatory, and apply to every employee in the company.
As long as the employee has been appropriately informed as above, they cannot refuse the appraisal interview, and they may not be accompanied to it by a staff representative.
Can we help manage the employee appraisal process in your French company?
We would be very happy to provide further guidance and answer your questions, as part of a free initial consultation about employing people in France.
Please contact us for more information.