Autumn is often the time for the annual employee interviews. These are part of targeted management and employee development. Therefore, the annual, systematic and mutually prepared personal conversations between an employee and the immediate superior are.

The employee interviews should be linked to K2’s strategic plans and be a real and results-oriented management tool to achieve set goals. The conversation is also an important arena for clarifying expectations of performance, providing mutual feedback and insight into each other’s work situation and addressing the working environment and conditions at the workplace.

The conversation will also be used to uncover competence needs, change and development. Elements related to life phase can be addressed as a theme. The content of the employee interview should be focused on the relationship between the manager and the employee can do something about.

As a natural part of the performance appraisal and the expectation clarification, the contractual conversation about pay is included as part of the employee interview. It is important to remember, then, that we have established wage bargaining systems.

As head of the department, I am in principle responsible for all employees being offered annual employee interviews and am responsible for including the results of the discussions in the unit’s plans and budget. It is not possible to do this for all of K2’s 350 employees, so the conduct of the talks is delegated in such a way that I have employee interviews with the research group leaders while again being responsible for conducting the conversations with their group members. When it comes to administrative staff, Julie Stavnes is the head of administration.

It is important to communicate what you want to achieve in the employee interview and to facilitate the confidentiality needed for the conversation to have added value for both parties. This can be a gradual process that may take some time. To foreign employees, it is important to pay attention to their need to understand overall strategies and goals for the business, the importance of a good and inclusive work environment and the individual’s opportunities for contribution to the community. Relevant topics may also be their social networks, trust vis a vis the leader and colleagues, experience of belonging and in some cases facilitation and integration also outside the workplace.

Finally, I will remind you of the Faculty Lunch on Wednesday 11 September at 11.30-12.20. The Faculty management by Per Bakke and Marit Bakke will discuss the importance of external funding / BOA for the future of our university.