one: Ms Grün, Ms Nettekoven, Mr Tiedje, how did you perceive the STEPs meetings compared to the KNP meetings?
Sabrina Green Sabrina Grün: Basically just as positive as the KNP interviews before, but this also has to do with the good relationship and regular dialogue with my senior managers. The assessment is slightly different in the STEPs questionnaires because you have to reflect on yourself in the free text fields and the focus is therefore not just on the position, but also on the person themselves.my senior manager implemented this very well for me; in comparison, the KNP interviews tended to focus more on the job description.that's why STEPs is definitely an improvement for me, as the interviews focus much more on the personal level, which always has its place in everyday working life.

Sascha Tiedje: I felt very comfortable in the interview because for me it was primarily about further developing my own strengths. Apart from that, I found the process as pleasant as at KNP. In addition, the interview with my senior manager was really good, we took a lot of time and worked out how I could utilise my strengths even more effectively.

Linda Nettekoven : The focus was different. In the KNP discussions, the focus was more on the past year, whereas STEPs are more about what lies ahead: What development opportunities do I have? Where are my strengths, where are my weaknesses...? This was very well implemented in my interview by my senior managers.

one: Which of the new features do you particularly like?
Sascha Tiedje Sascha Tiedje: I particularly liked the aspect of focussing on the employee's strengths. And I think the fact that the terminology has been changed in the performance assessment is a great success. Especially in view of the fact that I will be conducting these STEPs interviews with my employees myself next year and will then have to give them a performance appraisal - and not a performance evaluation.

Linda Nettekoven: I found it exciting to work out what options I have as an employee. I also found the way the questions were asked better than in the KNP interviews. I had the feeling that the questions put me as an employee more at the centre of attention and that I was dealt with individually, because ultimately it was also about my own development.

Sabrina Grün: The more open feedback in particular means that I have to reflect on myself much more. Questioning myself as to whether I have developed further and where I still see room for improvement has a positive effect.

one: How do you want to stay in dialogue with senior managers during the year, for example by regularly asking for and/or giving feedback? Or have you already done this?
Sabrina Grün: My senior managers and I have a very open way of communicating with each other and are in regular dialogue. If this is not the case in other departments, I can only recommend it, as it allows many issues to be addressed at an early stage and opportunities to be utilised.

Linda Nettekoven Linda Nettekoven: I've had a new senior manager since June, but my assessment of her management style is that she will value feedback, which I absolutely welcome. As my work is very project-based, it's important to get project-related feedback to know whether I'm on the right track and where the journey is going. That increases motivation.

Sascha Tiedje: With STEPs, the aim is to have more dialogue with each other during the year. I myself approach my senior managers and actively ask for a discussion when issues arise. Even before STEPs, I always offered my employees the opportunity to sit down together more often. Everyone handles this very differently. One needs feedback every six months, the next would like to sit down with me every fortnight. I have already been meeting with one employee every two weeks for three years to ensure that he is up to date. For me, this individualised approach is absolutely part of a healthy feedback culture.

one: Is there anything you would like to add to the STEPs dialogue?
Linda Nettekoven: I felt there was a lack of consistency behind the STEPs interviews, in the sense of realising potential and using the skills that you see in an employee: Despite the competences that my manager attested to me, if I applied for a suitable position I would just be an applicant like everyone else - instead of inviting and interviewing exactly those employees who were attested to having the right competences for the position.

Sabrina Grün: Perhaps the topic of the talent pool could be included more in the interview. Otherwise, it was already a big step from the KNP to the STEPs interviews. This change fits in with the change in REWE Group's corporate culture in general, so it is only logical that we have taken this step and adapted the whole thing. A concrete example would have been helpful for one or two questions, but the help documents can also be used for this purpose.

Sascha Tiedje: I would like the information about when the talent conferences take place to be available to all employees and then to be firmly anchored in STEPs.