New requirements for the psychosocial work environment: Why dialogue matters more than ever
Eirin Eriksen Horvei
October 14, 2026
I love a good manager, and I care about how you can look after and motivate me as an employee. You can actually do this with fairly simple measures. These are my tips, as an employee, to managers about the employee appraisal.
You have perhaps said or heard countless times “my door is always open” (this is extra funny if you work in an open-plan office). That's all well and good, and shows that you want good dialogue. But couldn't you turn it around instead? “I'll drop by now and then to hear how things are going.” Then you show interest in me, and don't just get the people who find it easiest to come to you into your office. If you step out of your own office, I think you will more easily reach every employee.
I think your most important task is to reconcile my wishes and expectations with what the organisation actually needs. Why? I become aware of my own role and conscious of my concrete tasks in my job. Then I know exactly what I am expected to contribute, and that makes me incredibly happy and satisfied! No more hocus-pocus than that. How can you look after this? We need to talk, plain and simple.
I know it's difficult to do full justice to everyone. But if you can set aside time for a conversation once a year, you can get a lot out of it. Call it what you like – a development conversation, an employee appraisal or a follow-up conversation. Sit down with me and have a chat about how I'm doing at work.
During the conversation, you can ask me what motivates me in my working day and try to build a good relationship between us, as manager and employee. Is anything holding me back? Is there anything that can be facilitated? I know it's tempting to skip this particular point because there can be a lot of emotion involved, especially if the company is growing rapidly or is being challenged by restructuring or cutbacks. Then your challenge is to be concrete. And why is this important to me? I don't become unsure about the way forward, or about my own position. The last thing you want is high turnover, with many people leaving because they feel insecure.
All the more reason to talk, I think. Of course, we should also look at what I have delivered and what results it has produced, but not least at the way forward. Unfortunately, that's where many fall short, because follow-up after a development conversation is often what falls by the wayside for a great many. And that, in my opinion, is why many people – myself included – find these conversations so pointless. You can help prevent that. Get tips for putting employee appraisals into a system with Motivati.
Then you will also be able to take the initiative and, if necessary, put measures in place for me, because you know where the shoe pinches and what I do or don't need to do my job well.
Ultimately, it is me as an employee who is responsible for making sure that what I contribute is useful to the company or organisation I work for. I also like being challenged on this! I also need to take stock now and then to be able to clarify and argue well for my own tasks and position, and why my tasks are important – also to myself. And that feels quite liberating. But then it is your responsibility to make sure you give me feedback so that I know what is required of me at all times.
New tasks may also emerge as the company grows or restructures, and to keep track of the “who does what” issue, this follow-up through good dialogue with you is worth its weight in gold.
So drop all the window dressing and be concrete. Don't assume you know how I think – be curious instead. You get so much out of having good employee appraisals.
I hope my tips for the employee appraisal can help you along the way.
