Mandatory professional interview: EPP 2026

Update March 2026 - Since the reform resulting from law no. 2025-989 of October 24, 2025, the old professional interview has been replaced by the professional career interview (EPP). Distinct from the annual appraisal interview, it does not judge performance but deals with the employee's career path, skills, training and prospects for development. In 2026, the employer must follow a renovated schedule: first interview in the year following hiring, then every 4 years, with a summary inventory every 8 years.

The EPP is a mandatory individual interview between the employer and the employee, devoted exclusively to their professional career. This is neither an évaluation interview nor a salary negotiation interview. The Labor Code defines it as a moment of discussion on prospects for professional development, particularly in terms of qualifications and employment (Public Service - EPP).

Concretely, this interview addresses:

• the employee's career development prospects
• the level of qualification achieved and the skills mobilized
• identified training needs
• the use of the personal training account (CPF) and professional development advice (CEP)
• medium and long term employability
• depending on the profiles, end-of-career planning or continued employment

A written document must be given to the employee at the end of the interview. This written record constitutes proof that the obligation has been fulfilled and makes it possible to follow the employee's journey over time.

The obligation applies to all employees, without distinction:

• whatever the type of contract (CDI, CDD, work-study)
• regardless of seniority in the company
• whatever the size of the company (VSE, SME, ETI, large groups)
• whatever the function or status (worker, employee, executive, salaried manager)

The new legal framework provides for a renewed periodicity:

• 1st EPP: in the first year following entry into the company
• Following EPPs: every 4 years
• Summary inventory: every 8 years, with a more in-depth assessment of the professional career

A collective agreement may provide for a différent periodicity, but in no case may it exceed 4 years between two interviews.

Confusion between the two interviews remains the most common error. Here are the fundamental distinctions:

Hayot Expertise Tip: never merge the two interviews into a single document. Even if you organize them on the same day, the reports must remain separate. In the event of an audit or dispute, a hybrid document does not prove anything about either.

The employer must also offer an EPP when the employee returns from certain contract interruptions, provided that they have not benefited from an EPP in the 12 months preceding their return.

The situations concerned include:

• maternity leave and parental education leave
• family support leave and sabbatical leave
• sick leave lasting more than 6 months
• a union mandate

The good reflex is to integrate this point into the HR process for returning to work, in the same way as the formalities seen in HR and payroll: employer obligations 2026, the DPAE Urssaf or our section tax or social issue.

Every 8 years, the EPP takes the form of a summary inventory of the professional career. This assessment verifies that the employee has benefited from the planned professional interviews and, where applicable, non-mandatory training related to the position.

If the employee has not received the obligatory interviews or corresponding training, the employer must offer him an additional contribution to his CPF. This catch-up mechanism constitutes an important innovation of the reform.

Points checked during this assessment include:

• the list of professional interviews already carried out
• training followed during the 8-year period
• the evolution of qualification and classification
• the balance and use of the CPF

The failure of EPP exposes the employer to significant sanctions, reinforced by the 2025 reform:

• Damages: the employee can contact the industrial tribunal to obtain compensation for the damage suffered
• Compulsory CPF supplement: in the event of a breach noted during the inventory at 8 years old, the employer must supplement the employee's CPF by an amount fixed by law
• Risk of requalification: the absence of an interview can be invoked to characterize a broader failure by the employer to fulfill its training obligation

Recent case law shows that industrial tribunals award increasing damages to employees deprived of professional maintenance, regularly exceeding several thousand euros.

Hayot Expertise Advice: the risk no longer comes only from a forgotten interview, but from a calendar that remains stuck to the old biennial régime. In 2026, it is imperative to update your HR deadlines, your convocation models and your documentary traceability.

Rigorous management of the EPP is based on a few simple principles:

1. Maintain an up-to-date calendar with hiring dates and upcoming deadlines for each employee
2. Send a written invitation specifying the date, place and purpose of the interview
3. Prepare structured interview support covering all mandatory themes
4. Write a report given to the employee and archived in the HR file
5. Integrate monitoring into a management tool (HR software, dashboard, automatic alerts)

Traceability is your best protection. In the event of an audit or industrial tribunal dispute, the documents kept will be taken as proof.