Just Launched: Free One-on-Ones Mini-Course (Including a One-on-One Form)
Build Better Staff Relationships and Communicate More Effectively With Your Team by Implementing One-on-Ones
Effective people management at all levels requires effective communication skills. In the modern business world there are numerous communication channels available to managers. But one that is often overlooked, and which distinguishes truly great managers, is the one-on-one meeting with employees.
What are One-on-One Meetings?
Truly great managers meet weekly, and in some cases bi-weekly, with each of their direct reports. One-on-One meetings are a trainable, formulaic method to develop good employer-employee relationships. When done effectively, one-on-one meetings are also a communication channel:
A forum for employee development. Use one-on-one meetings to develop your staff through coaching,
A forum for employee performance management. Use one-on-one meetings to manage and improve employee performance and,
A forum for task delegation. Use one-on-one meetings to delegate work to your staff.
Regular, focused one-on-one meetings with employees pre-empt problems. They are also a more efficient way of managing staff in comparison to ad-hoc disturbances.
Increase Employee Engagement Through One-on-One Meetings
A 2013 Gallup Inc. Study of 142 countries shows that only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged at work.
“The bulk of employees worldwide - 63% - are "not engaged.” This means they lack motivation and are less likely to invest discretionary effort in organizational goals or outcomes. And 24% are "actively disengaged," indicating they are unhappy and unproductive at work and liable to spread negativity to co-workers. In rough numbers, this translates into 900 million not engaged and 340 million actively disengaged workers around the globe. - Gallup Inc.
The relationship between an employee and their manager is critical to their engagement. Highly effective managers make staff relationships a priority. They have regular conversations with their direct reports to:
Clarify expectations;
Build better employer-employee relationships;
Improve employee performance;
Increase employee engagement and;
Increase employee retention.
ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS DONE THE RIGHT WAY
Like many things there is a wrong way to conduct one-on-one meetings with employees and a right way to conduct one-on-one meetings with employees. Poorly conducted or infrequent one-on-one meetings with employees results in:
- Ineffective employer-employee relationships and;
- Ineffective communications with employees.
When conducted the right way, one-to-one meetings with employees are the single most effective management tool to:
- Improve your people management;
- Build effective employer- employee relationships and have good communications with your team;
- Improve employee performance and productivity;
- Increase employee engagement and;
- Increase employee retention.
To find out how to start having effective, high quality one-on-ones with your employees, and improve your People Management Skills, register for the free one-on-ones mini-course (includes a one-on-one form): 3 Steps to easy 1 on 1's:
3 Steps 2 easy 1 on 1's: Free Mini Course and One-on-One Form
The first step to effective one-on-one meetings is evaluating your current employer-employee relationships.
Using a One-on-One Worksheet
An employee one-on-one worksheet will show you how to evaluate your employer-employee relationships. The Manager Foundation Employee One-on-One Worksheet is a:
- Management Tool to evaluate your employer-employee relationships;
- Management Tool to evaluate your current employee communications;
- Management Tool to identify employees you have an ineffective relationship with ;
- Management Tool to quantify the costs of poor employer-employee relationships.
Managing Employees Through One-on-Ones: Evaluating Your Employer-Employee Relationships
At the end of the Employee One-on-One Worksheet you will also have an evaluation of your:
Personal insight to your employees (What’s important to your direct reports in their personal lives);
Career insight to your employees (The career goals and aspirations of each of your direct reports);
Behavior insight to your employees (The behavioral and communication preferences of each of your direct reports and;
Growth and development insight to your employees (The skills development needs of your direct reports).
One-on-One Meetings With Employees in Management: A Powerful people management Skill
One-on-One Meetings With Employees is a powerful management tool. They give you the opportunity to get to know your staff plus manage them more effectively. One-on-one meetings with employees create a communication channel for implementing the key management cornerstones. By implementing one-on-ones meetings with your team you will be providing:
- A regular, scheduled and consistent opportunity to give feedback to your direct reports,
- Regular, scheduled and consistent time to focus on employee development through coaching and;
- Regular, scheduled and consistent opportunities for you to delegate tasks to your directs.
Download Your Free Employee One-on-One Worksheet Here.
Additional Resources Relating to Effective Employer-Employee Relationships in Management
More About Employee One-on-One Meetings
Employee one-on-one meetings are a cornerstone management tool. And the mark of a truly great and effective manager is one who meets with his/ her direct reports weekly for one-on-one meetings.
Read our article on engaging your staff and building better employer-employee relationships here. Or find out about the Manager Foundation Employee One-on-One system here.
The Manager Foundation Employee One-on-One System Includes:
- How to use regular, scheduled one-on-one meetings to build better employer-employee relationships;
- How to implement employee one-on-one meetings;
- The risks of not having regular, scheduled one-on-one meetings with your staff;
- How to use one-on-one meetings to manage your staff more effectively;
- and much more.
Comments:
Do you have any tips for managing employees? Help the rest of us out by sharing in the comments below.
Boss Camp
The research indicates that most bosses are disliked and most employees don’t respect their bosses. This is why it’s so hard to motivate your staff. This isn’t someone else’s problem it’s the problem that you have to face every day as boss. WWW.BOSS.CAMP is about tried and tested, ethical management techniques for the every day manager like you and me. So that instead of worrying if your employees like and respect you, you can worry about where to put your world’s best boss mug. The program includes topics such as:
- How to motivate employees,
- What are bad employee motivators,
- What you must do as a manager but isn't on your job description,
- How leaders get power.
