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Without going as far as disciplinary action, it may be necessary for a manager to remind employees of rules and objectives during a formal interview. Good management training helps manage this type of refocus by providing appropriate solutions. How to conduct a refocus interview? Tips for a successful refocus in team management.
It can happen that an employee makes a mistake and does not adopt the expected behavior during their employee journey. Without going as far as a disciplinary sanction, it may be necessary to restate certain rules and the company’s objectives during a formal meeting. This task falls to managers, the experts in team management, and it often makes them nervous. How do you conduct a refocus interview? Here is our advice for successfully refocusing an employee in line with internal policies.
The refocus interview takes the form of a meeting between a manager and a member of their team. Most often, it takes place as a one-on-one meeting held in person, which supports effective communication and the management of emotions within the team.
It is organized when the employee makes a mistake and fails to follow the internal rules, adopts inappropriate behavior with regard to their objectives at work and/or causes any kind of problem within the company.
The purpose of the interview is to open a caring dialogue with the employee concerned to make them aware of what their behavior means for the company, in terms of both objectives and consequences, because they do not always grasp its full extent themselves. This discussion can also identify the causes of the situation and consider appropriate solutions for managing the conflict.
The objective of the refocus interview is to take stock, assess the facts and correct the situation before other undesirable consequences arise for the employee and the company. Rigorous management makes it possible to find solutions suited to the problems encountered.
Although it is formal, at this stage it is not yet a disciplinary measure, but simply a reminder of the rules, to reaffirm the professional framework and company objectives within which the employee works, and what this means in terms of rights, duties and handling mistakes.
There is no legal framework for a refocus interview. It is a manager’s initiative to resolve a problematic situation using good management practices and proposing appropriate solutions.
Calling an employee to a refocus interview is left to the manager’s discretion, as regards the format, communication and objectives as well as the date. The same goes for how the interview is conducted, where managing emotions well is essential.
It is nevertheless preferable for the employee to clearly understand the nature of the interview and to be able to prepare for it. To that end, the invitation must be carefully worded, be transparent about the reasons for the interview, and be sent early enough for the employee to prepare their response by following appropriate management training.
The manager will therefore take care to explain to the employee what prompted such a refocus meeting, aligning personal and professional objectives. The internal policy, the company’s values and the internal rules will be restated to the employee to strengthen trust, communication and the company’s rules.
A written summary of the interview can be drawn up at the end of the meeting to record the verbal observations, the objectives set and the solutions proposed, but no written record is required if the interview is not disciplinary.
The objective of the refocus interview is to take stock of the facts and correct the situation before other undesirable consequences arise for the employee and the company. Managing the interview well makes it possible to set clear objectives and propose solutions.
Although it is formal, at this stage it is not yet a disciplinary measure, but simply a reminder of the rules, to reaffirm the professional framework and company objectives within which the employee works, as well as what this means in terms of rights, duties and handling mistakes.
There is no legal framework for a refocus interview. It is an initiative by the manager to resolve a problematic situation using good management practices and finding appropriate solutions.
Calling an employee to a refocus interview is left to the discretion of the manager, as regards the format, communication and objectives as well as the date. The same goes for conducting the interview, where managing emotions and objectives well is crucial.
It is nevertheless preferable for the employee to clearly understand the nature of the interview and to be able to prepare for it. To that end, the invitation must be carefully worded, be transparent about the reasons for the interview, and be sent early enough for the employee to prepare their response by following appropriate training and reading the relevant management documents.
The manager will therefore take care to explain to the employee what will prompt such a refocus meeting, aligning individual and professional objectives. The internal policy, the company’s values and the internal rules will be restated to the employee to strengthen trust, communication and understanding of the rules.
A written summary of the interview can be drawn up at the end of the meeting to record the verbal observations, the objectives set and the solutions proposed, but no written record is required if the interview is not disciplinary.
Since it is not disciplinary in nature, the refocus interview should be approached as a special opportunity for dialogue between a manager and one of their team members. Both parties need to adopt a frank, firm and caring tone, managing emotions and objectives. Several topics should be covered for a successful refocus interview.
Communication is the key to a managerial interview aimed at refocusing an employee. Both parties must be able to speak freely, keep an open mind, be willing to resolve the disagreement and avoid making matters worse, by adopting a caring attitude.
Whatever the nature of the act or behavior that led to the refocus meeting, it is essential to maintain good communication and clearly define the objectives and solutions.
To do so, it is often best to step back from events, not to react in the heat of the moment, and to carefully prepare the refocus interview by defining the steps and objectives to achieve.
Quality of work life is an ongoing commitment of the human resources department and management in the company. Employees are in principle regularly surveyed on quality of work life (QWL) issues in order to manage emotions and improve their well-being.
Holding an employee refocus interview within the company is another opportunity to make sure QWL is at a high level, by identifying problems and putting appropriate solutions in place.
The interview should be used to check whether the employee’s lapse may stem from unhappiness at work, and to manage emotions in order to find ways to get back on track.
The explanations an employee gives about what led to their refocus interview may hint at a desire for change: new responsibilities, a new team or personal objectives.
Crossboarding, for example through vertical mobility or functional mobility, can be a solution to re-motivate an employee. So can smart working, for a new employee experience that also helps achieve the company’s objectives.
Employees are particularly sensitive to a company’s values, as the conscious quitting trend shows, which calls for caring management and communication aligned with objectives.
The employer brand should be the common thread of the refocus interview. An employee who shares the company’s values is keen to stay loyal to their employer and contribute to the company’s objectives. They are an engaged employee.
The refocus interview therefore has every chance of success thanks to appropriate solutions, good communication and a caring framework.
The success of a refocus interview can be measured right away. The employee must show they are making an effort to adopt professional behavior consistent with the company’s internal policy. They must carry out the tasks set out in their job description and make the necessary efforts to achieve their objectives, supported by good management and management training.
To do this, they must agree to work together with their manager, their team and the staff of the cross-functional departments they are in contact with. They can draw on new resources, take additional training and question their own practices to reach the objectives set.
The refocus interview can be followed by further meetings to reassess the situation and adjust the solutions proposed, particularly if objectives have been set.
If the refocus proves insufficient and the inappropriate behavior continues, the human resources department can impose a disciplinary sanction. The scale of sanctions makes it possible to tailor the measure to the seriousness of the alleged facts: warning, reprimand, suspension, dismissal, depending on how the situation is handled and the company’s objectives.
Refocusing an employee is a moment often wrongly seen as negative. On the contrary, it should be viewed as a moment of dialogue, work, progress and solutions, grounded in care, listening and communication.
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