3 Things You Must Not Forget to Discuss in 1:1 Meetings

While companies are increasingly moving away from using 1:1 annual reviews as the only means by which they assess their employees’ progress, these intimate meetings aren’t going away anytime soon. In order to build a successful company, you need to check in with your workers frequently and consistently to determine whether they are moving in the right direction, and if not, what they need to do to get back on track. Here are the three topics you must discuss during each 1:1 meeting:

01. Career paths

Today’s employees care a whole lot about developing professionally and growing in their careers.

When you sit down with your employees, the first thing you may want to talk about is whether they feel as though they are making progress toward the goals they hope to accomplish at your organization. Ask them whether they feel they have the support and the resources they need to develop new skills and grow in their respective roles. If they feel like they’re not making much progress, ask them what they believe can be done to rectify that situation.

02. Performance

Of course, you’ll also have to talk about your employee’s performance in a very general sense. How have they been producing over the last several months? Have they listened to your feedback and took your advice to heart? Have they changed any behaviors that may have been detrimental to the team? Do they support their coworkers and contribute to an enjoyable work culture?

If your employee isn’t doing as well as you’d hope in a specific category, let them know immediately. Tell them how they can improve and what resources are available to support those efforts.

On the other hand, if they’re knocking it out of the park, praise them. Don’t wait until their end-of-the-year report to let them know they’re doing a good job.

03. How you can help

Even the best manager in the world can get a little bit better. Make sure to discuss your own performance with each employee you review. Ask your employees what you’re doing well and which areas you could improve upon. After talking with a number of employees, you should be able to identify certain trends that should show you where you could improve.

Thanks to new technology and modern approaches to management, your 1:1 reviews don’t have to eat up an insane amount of your time. But they still need to cover a few topics. By focusing on your employees’ career paths, individual performance, and your own shortcomings, you can ensure that your team gets even stronger in the coming months and years.

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