When a manager asks for a 1:1 meeting, many employees are quick to think the worst — like how a kid feels when called into the principal’s office. But that shouldn’t be the case.
Calling an employee in only to chastise or criticize is a missed opportunity for everyone. Employees, instead, should look forward to regular meetings with their managers as mentors, even if the meetings may include recommendations for changes and improvements.
Scheduling regular, one-on-one meetings between managers and employees is advantageous for a number of reasons. Brief, informal, weekly meetings provide uninterrupted time to discuss ongoing projects, problem-solving and work performance. But perhaps more than that, they offer undivided time to get to know one another on a more personal level and discuss growth opportunities and career aspirations.
Engagement
According to Harvard Business Review, employees whose managers don’t hold one-on-one meetings with them “are four times as likely to be disengaged as individual contributors as a whole, and they are two times as likely to view leadership unfavorably compared to those who meet with their managers regularly.” Furthermore, the study showed, “those who get twice the number of one-on-ones with their manager relative to their peers are 67 percent less likely to be disengaged.” Managers make or break employee engagement. One-on-one time helps employees feel valued and heard; this, in turn, promotes employee loyalty and lowers turnover rates.
Productivity
Sometimes annual or biannual performance reviews are held too late to intervene if negative habits or patterns are forming in an employee or among a team. Many companies are seeing positive results in employee retention and productivity after replacing — or adding — traditional performance reviews with 1:1 meetings. Adobe reported a 30 percent reduction in voluntary turnover, and GE was able to “drive a fivefold productivity increase” in 12 months. Regular check-ins with employees help keep everyone updated and on top of productivity and team goals.
Trust
When employees feel trusted, everyone wins. Regular one-on-ones afford opportunities for managers and team members to get to know one another on a more personal level, building trust both ways. If an employee is having a personal issue at home that may be impacting his or her work performance, having a personal, trusting relationship with a manager will make it easier for the employee to be forthcoming about it. Responding to those issues with kindness and compassion makes employees feel understood. This builds employee communication, performance, engagement, productivity and loyalty.
Regular one-on-one meetings allow for feedback and coaching all at one time. Weekly or biweekly meetings build trust, lower employee turnover, and increase productivity and employee engagement. What’s to lose?
