Dialog: the new appraisal interview format
In 2024, ETH Zurich will be implementing a new appraisal interview format called “Dialog” for all employees. The idea is to foster ongoing discussion and mutual feedback exchange between employees and supervisors. The format was tested and evaluated as part of a pilot project in autumn 2023.
“At ETH we would like to have a culture of mutual respect and trust. Dialog helps us achieve this goal.”Julia Dannath, Vice President for Personnel Development and Leadership
With the new Dialog appraisal format, the ETH Executive Board hopes to inspire proactive exchange between employees and supervisors based on the values of ETH. Fostering respectful interaction on equal footing is at the heart of Dialog. The focus is on looking towards the future together, providing mutual support to achieve objectives and working on future development. With the introduction of Dialog, ETH is moving away from one-sided expectations and letter grade assessments (e.g., A or A+). Individual wage adjustments will continue to take performance into account, even without these grades.
A successful pilot project and feedback being considered
Dialog was tested in a well-received pilot project in the autumn of 2023. 900 employees took part, and over 500 of them followed up with their thoughts and comments in a voluntary survey or feedback workshop. The results of these surveys can be found here. We would like to thank everyone who took part in the pilot program for their great interest and for the numerous constructive feedback points that we were able to consider for this year’s rollout of Dialog.
“I like the fact that the Dialog places a greater focus on personal development. More transparency on salaries is very important to me.”Jennifer Zollinger, Administrative Assistant, Physics team
The new format requires more active engagement from employees when preparing for and taking part in the discussion. There is also more space provided for the topic of personal development. Here we are focusing on the new ETH social and leadership competencies, which form the foundation of our success and collaboration at ETH.
“I found Dialog very pleasant. It's great that the social and leadership competencies are in the spotlight.”Jacqueline Schlosser, Environmental Sciences team
Kick-off in August 2024
Dialog will replace the previous appraisal interview and will be introduced in August 2024 for technical-administrative staff, senior scientists and established researchers. Other scientific roles can also make use of Dialog. For doctoral students, the progress report and annual status conversation remain in place. See here for more info: Progress report & Annual status conversation.
“The Dialog is easier to handle, a focused and open conversation. Good that the input on more performance-orientation was considered for the 2024 rollout.”Rui Brandao, Head of IT Services
Starting in August, there will be various events to kick off the introduction of Dialog. We will pay special attention to improving information and transparency regarding the salary system and salary management. Professors, staff and supervisors will be informed well in advance about the events and information on offer.
Further information
You can find more about Dialog on the Dialog Staffnet page.Note on the translation
This text has been translated for your convenience using a machine translation tool. Although reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, it may not be perfect. If in doubt, please refer to the German version.
Should you come upon significant translation mistakes, please send a short message to so that we can correct them. Thank you very much.
Always up to date
Would you like to always receive the most important internal information and news from ETH Zurich? Then subscribe to the "internal news" newsletter and visit Staffnet, the information portal for ETH employees.