One-on-one meeting

What Is a One-on-One Meeting - Meaning and Definition

One-on-one meetings are private chats between a boss and a team member. They are meant to make communication between the employee and the management better, give employees a chance to share feedback, and ultimately build a stronger working relationship.

Through one-on-one meetings, employees have the opportunity to share their views as to how things are going, share worries if they have any, and get advice on what direction they should take to improve and contribute better at work.

Why Do One-on-One Meetings Matter?

Regular one-on-ones can help employees feel important and valued at their workplace because it is an occasion when they are convinced that their voices are heard. This doesn’t always happen in team meetings, where most employees don’t feel comfortable talking openly and honestly due to distractions or the presence of other employees.

While employees share their feelings freely, managers can get a better understanding of the challenges they face. Hence, they can offer help or give helpful feedback.

One-on-ones are helpful for managers, too. Through these meetings, they can understand their employees better, keep tabs on their performance and productivity, spot any roadblocks, and come up with solutions.

During these sessions, they can also acknowledge the good work of the employees and keep them motivated, which ultimately leads to better engagement and productivity.

What to Talk About in a One-on-One Meeting?

A good one-on-one covers different parts of an employee’s job, how they're performing, and how they're doing overall. Common topics you can consider including in it are:

• Progress Updates: Review the employees’ current tasks and recent wins.
• Challenges & Concerns: Talk about any problems the employee might be facing at work or issues with any team members.
• Career Growth: Discuss future goals, career growth path, for instance, learning new skills, and making use of training opportunities to upskill.
• Feedback Exchange: Give helpful feedback and encourage employees to share their thoughts too.
• Work-Life Balance: Check in on the employees’ general well-being to prevent them from experiencing burnout at work.

One-on-one meetings are a really useful tool for building strong relationships and making things better at work. When done well, they help people grow, improve engagement, and create a positive work environment.