We are often asked to discuss the topic of employee ‘check-ins’ (or one-on-one meetings, progress meetings, sit-downs, etc.) with our clients when we meet with them or visit them. Why is this you may ask? Well, it doesn’t matter how experienced you are, many managers don’t enjoy doing them, don’t feel they have good meetings with their team members or simply dread all the paperwork that goes with them!

No matter what you call them, increasing the frequency and quality of employee performance conversations remains a priority for many companies today and for most of our clients. Some companies have mandated weekly employee check-ins, some schedule them as needed, others ask managers to ensure meetings are complete after every project, and other companies schedule formal check-ins throughout the year. Regardless of the frequency of these conversations, their purpose remains the same: Keep the lines of communication open between managers and employees in order to engage and manage performance effectively.

The more often that employees and managers talk, the better they will be able to work together to accomplish goals, develop skills and give/receive feedback. Although “check-ins” should appear relatively casual to employees, managers should follow some form of structure to ensure this time spent remains valuable and drives action.

We thought it would be handy to prepare a Managers Checklist of discussion points and conversation starters that managers could use to make the most of check-ins with employees as January is often a time for managers to review the past year’s performance and set some new goals or objectives for their teams. You can access the checklist here.