On 26 March 2026, Denis Bushnev, Counsel and Head of the Labour Law & Data Protection Practice at Stonebridge Legal, took part in the Association of European Businesses (AEB) Workforce Committee’s HR conference, entitled Human Resources in 2025: The Challenges We Accept.
Speaking as Deputy Chairman of the AEB HR Sub-Committee, Denis shared his experience and discussed the challenges of implementing the 9-box personnel assessment system alongside employee appraisal.
He noted that the 9-box grid model is a "map of manageable decisions" that allows an employee to be assessed on current performance and development potential. However, when integrating this tool into formal appraisal processes, companies face risks such as unconscious bias, a lack of clear communication, and insufficient legal documentation of results.
Denis Bushnev drew attention to case law: courts examine not only the form, but also the reality and objectivity, of the appraisal. Dismissal is deemed unlawful if the employee was not subject to appraisal, was not notified in a timely manner, was not offered suitable vacancies, or if the commission only assessed personal qualities.
With proper legal documentation and adapted HR tools, the 9-box system becomes a reliable foundation for managed personnel decisions.
Read more about the conference on the AEB website.