Most managers often say they are overworked, claiming that meetings consume a big part of their agenda. Paradoxically, however, one-to-one meetings with employees can free up managers’ agendas and help them gain extra time. And this is not all!
One-to-one meetings provide an extremely useful insight into the employee experience, boost their performance, and are also very helpful in discussing career development opportunities that are so important in stimulating employee engagement. When managers communicate frequently with employees and exchange feedback (in both directions), there is a much greater chance that employees engagement will increase.
One-to-one meetings, also known as 1-to-1 or 1-2-1, are one of the most powerful tools a manager has at his disposal.
That’s why we decided to open a series of articles dedicated to this matter, in which we will try to offer, in consecutive episodes, as many details as possible about this type of mandatory meeting, which a manager should have regularly with his subordinates, to help both managers and employees get the most out of this type of professional meeting.
Thus, in this episode, we will detail what a one-to-one meeting is, how to prepare for such a meeting, how long it is recommended to last, and how often you should have one.
What’s a ono-to-one meeting, in fact?
In short, a one-to-one meeting is a type of meeting between a manager and his direct subordinates, which has a routine cadence, and which involves discussing topics important to both parties, such as professional performance or personal development and motivation.
One-to-one meetings are the ideal scenario to stimulate positive professional relationships, to support progress, to set expectations and to help subordinates to be more productive. They allow people to discuss important topics that would otherwise never be put on the table.
The goal of a one-to-one meeting may be different for each company, department, or individual, but, in general, the main goal is to build a good working relationship between managers and subordinates, to connect them more closely, to establish clearer priorities and find solutions together for the professional challenges encountered.
How do you prepare a one-to-one meeting?
If you want your one-to-one meeting to be productive, it is very important to prepare it in advance, whether you are a manager or a subordinate. This requires minimal effort, which we have summarized below in a few suggestions.
- Book a time slot in your agenda and don’t postpone! This can also be set in digital platforms, in feedback platforms or in performance management platforms.
- Send an e-mail or a message in advance, stating the purpose of the meeting (what will be discussed), what the expectations are and how long the meeting will last.
- Set goals and expectations for what you want to achieve from this meeting. Among the objectives you can include: the progress feedback, the support that the manager offers when it is obvious that the employee is not performing, the understanding and elimination of blockages, personal and professional development, the improvement of the direct professional relationship etc.
- Prepare some spare questions in case the topics on the agenda are exhausted.
How long should be an one-to-one meeting and how often should take place?
Most studies indicate an ideal duration of 30 minutes and a weekly frequency for one-to-one meetings. But, although it seems to be the most common choice, the duration and frequency may differ for each manager-employee relationship. When deciding how much time to spend and how often you would like to have a one-to-one meeting, here are two things to keep in mind:
- If the relationship is new, a basic rule is to overbook and adjust the duration and frequency along the way, depending on needs and results.
- Consider how many topics are to be discussed during the meeting. If there is a lot to discuss each week, a weekly cadence is recommended.
One-to-one meetings are one of the most powerful tools managers have. They can improve employee engagement, a major organizational process, vital to the performance of any organization. Through one-to-one meetings, companies can make it easier to move from a rigid organizational culture to a social and agile one.
Co-Factor facilitates the operationalization of this process, through its innovative digital platform, which, through its functionalities, encourages constant feedback, available in the Internal Communication Module, but, especially, in the Performance Management Module, where constant feedback sessions can be activated within individual performance plans.
The Co-Factor platform is a real boost ramp for increasing employee engagement, through which managers act as essential motivational levers. It allows anyone to schedule one-to-one meetings and launch, at any time, engagement initiatives, which create positive energy.
With the software developed by Co-Factor, the degree of employee engagement can be increased and measured, one-to-one feedback can be encouraged and monitored, a specific strategy can be created to support employees to perform, organizational culture can be promoted and employee results can be measured, thus obtaining a clear picture of employee spirit, engagement and performance.
