To build a successful business, you must build strong relationships with your employees. Having more effective 1-on-1 meetings is the key to building those relationships and they are very important to us at The KC Group.
Meeting one-on-one is important
Employees and managers may find 1-on-1 meetings daunting at first. However, the reality is quite different. A one-on-one meeting allows both parties to express themselves without worrying about others. Research shows that employees who have one-on-one meetings regularly are three times more likely to be engaged.
Some people may fear negative consequences if they have a direct line of communication with their managers, even in 1-on-1 meetings. During these meetings, however, is the best time to voice concerns.
Employees and managers can build stronger relationships by exchanging professional and personal information. The employees will be more trusting of their managers, and the managers will be able to empathise with them.
One-on-one meetings enable both parties to praise, criticise, and provide feedback. As a result, both the manager and the employee learn, adapt, and develop new skills.
Employees who are engaged are happier and more motivated, so they stay with the company longer.
The most important questions to ask during 1-on-1 meetings
It might seem difficult to start and maintain 1-on-1 meetings. Treat them like any other agenda-driven meeting and you won’t have any problems.
As a meeting template, you can use the following list in its exact order. Adapt the questions to fit your needs, organisation, and employees once you’ve mastered them.
Show You Care with these Questions
1. How are you doing?
In order to gauge how an employee feels about the meeting, it’s important to start with something simple and somewhat personal. An accurate answer indicates they are feeling good, while a vague answer indicates they are nervous.
2. What is your greatest accomplishment since we last met?
Ask them about their greatest accomplishments at work or outside of work. Afterwards, acknowledge them or connect personally with them.
3. Is there anything I can do to help you this week? In the coming week, what is your top priority?
Afterwards, ease the employee into his or her new job. Openly discuss their capabilities, obstacles, and roadblocks. Assuring employees that you are here to help them succeed in their careers. Once they have been asked about their plans for next week, inquire about their work schedule. Focus on key deliverables, ensuring employees are tackling the right tasks at the right time.
Aspirations and Goals for Their Career
4. Are you looking forward to any accomplishments in your career this year?
Understanding your employee’s professional progress and career goals is essential. By doing so, you can provide them with the means or help them achieve their goals.
5. Which aspect of your job and role inspires you the most?
This question seeks to determine what an employee can specialise in in the future. Their professional development can be supported by providing them with future projects they enjoy.
6. Are your current responsibilities and job aligned with your future goals?
You can tell if an employee is a good fit for the job by answering this question. It can help you offer the employee a position that aligns with their goals or interests or provide them with relevant responsibilities.
Obstacles the employee faces in their daily lives
7. In your opinion, what holds you back from achieving your goals?
In this step, you start checking if the employee has any issues or troubles, both professionally and personally. Helping your employees achieve their goals is an opportunity for you. Additionally, the answer to this could be a precursor to question three in future one-on-one meetings.
8. Is there anything or anyone in the company that impedes your work?
The purpose of this question is to weed out any internal problems caused by other employees, equipment, or even a company process. Additionally, this is an opportunity to improve company processes.
9. Do you have any non-company-related issues that are interfering with your work?
In this way, a complete picture is painted of what an employee might be experiencing. You have the opportunity to help solve employee problems by understanding both personal and professional issues.
Questionnaire on Employee Satisfaction and Engagement
10. On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you with your current job? Is the nature of your job clear in terms of responsibilities and expectations?
It’s important to understand how your employees feel about their jobs and responsibilities. You can delve deeper by asking each employee to emphasise their ratings.
11. Would you describe your work as contributing to the company in a positive way?
Depending on your company’s size, goals, and values, ask this question. By doing so, you will be able to determine how motivated the employee is at work.
12. Are you satisfied with your work-life balance?If not, why do you think that is and what can we do to change it?
The purpose of this question is to provide insight into your daily organisational practices and to determine whether your employees are underworked, overworked, or just fine at their jobs. As well as providing insight into an employee’s psychological profile, it helps you provide a better work-life balance (from the perspective of the employee).
Here are some questions to help you improve yourself
13. Do you receive enough feedback? Do you like receiving feedback frequently?
The purpose of this question is to determine how employees feel about feedback and whether they deem it necessary. It indicates that these meetings and feedback sessions are working if the employee wants to increase feedback frequency. In the opposite case, something is amiss in the meeting or feedback session.
14. Could you please give me and/or the company some feedback and suggestions?
To establish a two-way feedback channel, you should ask employees for their feedback and suggestions. In addition to receiving good, insightful information, you might also enable your employees to feel empowered. You are likely to be remembered positively if you act on one of their suggestions.
15. Do you need any assistance after this meeting? Are there any topics you want to discuss that we missed?
The meeting should be concluded open-ended so that more discussion can take place after the meeting. The next meeting’s agenda can also be set this way. In contrast, it allows employees to freely express their thoughts.
