What is a 1:1 Meeting?

A 1:1 meeting (one-to-one meeting or one-on-one) is a regular check-in between two individuals in an organization, usually a manager and an employee. It is used to provide feedback, communicate with one another, resolve issues, and support the participants to grow in their roles.

Benefits for employees

As an employee, a 1:1 meeting helps you get the feedback and guidance you need to succeed in your role and move forward in your career. By listening to you and providing timely guidance, your manager becomes a partner in your success.

A 1:1 meeting gives you the safety of knowing where you stand based on constant feedback from your manager. If you need to correct the course hopefully, you will learn about it and be able to correct it in time. 1:1s also create space to bring up things that are hard to bring up during busy work days.

Benefits for managers

As a manager, 1:1s can help you guide your team member’s development, solve problems early, and improve employee retention.

To bring out the potential of the people you manage, you need to engage and bond with each person. There is no shortcut for creating real connections. Dedicated one-on-one meetings build the space and trust to understand what is on your team members’ minds and take action to keep them happy and productive.

1:1 meeting is a great way to receive timely upward feedback that improves your management skills. By asking your team members how you can help them more effectively, you get useful information on what is required of you as a manager and how you can improve in your role.

Benefits for the business

Company success stands and falls with the managers’ efforts to connect with their team members. Therefore, a positive 1:1 meeting culture benefits everyone involved, including your business’s bottom line.

Besides the connection between manager success and business success, regular 1:1 meeting is a great tool to increase engagement. When employees can ask their manager for information about where the organization is headed and how their work fits into the bigger picture, they become more invested in the organization.