Small talk as relational practice during assessment: Virtual performance appraisal interviews at a globalized company

This paper explores small talk as relational practice in performance appraisal interviews between managers at the Belgian headquarters of a small-sized service-oriented company and their sales agents who work remotely around the world. On the basis of a dataset of 14 online video-recorded appraisal interviews and two follow-up interviews with the managers, we examine by using a turn-by-turn content analysis the occurrence and function of small talk as relational practice within the specific interactional context of performance appraisal interviews. The findings show that within this specific virtual workspace context, the communicative purpose of performance appraisal interviews transcends assessment, as the managers make use of small talk to fulfill the additional aim of instilling the company's corporate culture and personal approach in its employees. We reflect on the meaning of relational practice in the workplace and argue that the communicative purpose of such interactions is broadened so as to adapt to the globalized needs of modern companies.