GEPP and the professional interview: what the law says
The professional interview, provided for by article L6315-1 of the French labor code, is mandatory for all employees, regardless of company size. It is distinct from the performance appraisal. It takes place every two years and gives rise, every six years, to a summary review of the employee's career path. It is the concrete meeting point between GEPP, a collective and strategic approach, and each employee's individual trajectory. Poorly conducted, it exposes the employer to consequences provided for by law.
What it is, and what it is not
The professional interview is devoted to the employee's professional development prospects, particularly in terms of qualifications and employment. It is about the future.
It is not a performance appraisal. The law expressly requires this distinction: the professional interview does not concern the evaluation of the employee's work. Confusing the two, a common practice, distorts the exercise and legally weakens the employer.
The legal framework
Article L6315-1 of the labor code provides for a professional interview devoted to professional development prospects, every two years. It also provides, every six years, for a summary review of the employee's career path, enabling verification that the required interviews have been conducted and assessment of the employee's trajectory.
The interview is also offered to employees returning to work after certain absences, including maternity leave, parental leave, long-term sick leave, or a union mandate.
It gives rise to a written document, a copy of which is given to the employee. Written traceability is not a formality: it is proof of compliance with the obligation.
Consequences of non-compliance
The labor code provides for consequences in case of non-compliance, including top-ups to the employee's personal training account in the companies concerned, under the conditions set by law. Beyond the penalty, the absence of professional interviews deprives the employer of traceability of its obligation to ensure employees' adaptation to their position and maintenance of their employability, provided for in article L6321-1.
The link with GEPP
GEPP is collective: it thinks in terms of jobs, job families, aggregated skills. The professional interview is individual: it deals with a person, their project, their needs.
Without interviews, GEPP floats above reality: it identifies theoretical trajectories that no one has discussed with those concerned. Without GEPP, interviews spin in neutral: the manager has no framework to tell the employee where the company is going and which skills will lead there.
The professional interview is therefore the individual sensor of a collective approach, and the channel through which strategy becomes a path for someone. It feeds the skills development plan with real, confronted needs.
What makes the difference between a useful interview and a formal one
A useful interview starts from information: the employee knows where their job is going, because the company has told them. It leads to something: a training action, a mobility lead, a commitment. It is documented, and what comes out of it actually feeds back into the training plan.
A formal interview checks a box. It leads nowhere, it is not exploited, and the employee leaves with the justified feeling of having wasted an hour. This is the best way to discredit GEPP as a whole.
FAQ
What is the difference with the annual performance appraisal? The professional interview concerns professional development and qualification prospects. It does not concern the evaluation of the employee's work. The two must be distinguished.
What is the frequency? Every two years, with a summary review of the career path every six years.
Is it mandatory in small companies? Yes, the obligation applies regardless of company size, unlike GEPP negotiation which requires a threshold of three hundred employees.
What are the risks of not conducting it? The labor code provides for consequences, including top-ups to the personal training account in the companies concerned, under the conditions set by law.
Must it be formalized in writing? Yes, it gives rise to a document, a copy of which is given to the employee.
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