Meaningful One-to-Ones

PERSPECTIVE

Though simple in principle, one-to-ones have been elusive as an organizational practice. Companies and leaders know they’re an essential part of people management, but their integration into the employee experience has been haphazard at best. Moreover, even if leaders are having consistent one-to-ones, the vast majority are rigid, too focused on project updates, and not attuned to what the employee sees as a valuable use of time. One-to-ones may be difficult to get right, but they are a vital part of the employee experience. Increased engagement, reduced burnout, and plenty of great work await organizations and leaders who have co-created, meaningful, bi-weekly one-to-ones.

Last year, we saw in our research that the annual review cannot be the only method of performance management. Its generic, one-size fits-all approach makes it impersonal, biased, emotionally charged, and largely ineffective. Employees must be given the opportunity to discuss their progress in performance and development with their leaders more than once a year. Ideally, a whole lot more.

The solution is continuous performance management and cocreated one-to-ones. Continuous performance management is more useful and engaging, and still includes an annual review (along with other reviews, team meetings, and conversations). Co-created one-to-one meetings are just as essential and provide far more than just a time for leaders to check in on their direct reports. Regular one-to-ones enable leaders to form meaningful, collaborative connections. They act as positive micro-experiences that reinforce your culture by connecting people to purpose, showing appreciation, and providing opportunities for mentoring and development.

Peter Cappelli and Anna Travis explain in a recent Harvard Business Review article that companies are doubling their efforts on employee development by putting employees in charge of their own growth. Doing this, however, requires a high amount of feedback from leaders, something that’s “better met by frequent, informal check-ins than by annual reviews.”¹

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LEADER EXPERIENCE—MICHAEL MASSARI

We’ve heard some leaders make the assumption that certain types of workers, especially younger workers, would prefer to communicate via technology instead of having in-person one-to-one meetings. Michael Massari, Caesars Entertainment’s Senior Vice President of National Meetings and Events—a leader who has been featured in nearly every meetings trade publication— disagrees. “Millennials are highly collaborative and want instant feedback. They want to meet, learn and grow. If we don’t engage Millennials through active participation in face-to-face meetings, and if we don’t help build their professional relationships, we will lose their talent and attention to organizations that do.”²

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

The one-to-one meeting is not new. It’s been around for a while, and we found that 56% of employees reported having a regular one-to-one meeting. But 1 in 3 employees dread meeting with their leader, and 1 in every 5 one-to-ones are canceled. Just less than one-half of employees and leaders prepare for one-to-ones with each other, and 1 in 3 employees have no say in their agenda.

Not surprisingly, one-to-one meetings haven’t been very effective.

This is a grave missed opportunity. One-to-one meetings serve as a connection point between leaders and employees. They encourage authentic communication, meaningful development conversations, and give employees opportunities to discuss their goals, purpose, and a direction they can work towards. They are crucial microexperiences to get right. Burnout can be mitigated simply by having frequent one-to-ones:

A study of European CEOs³ found that CEOs who worked more hours typically spent those extra hours meeting with their people. Extra time spent at work with employees improved company performance, while extra time at work spent with people outside the company didn’t seem to make a difference. A 1% increase in the number of hours a CEO spent with his or her own people correlated to an increase in productivity of 2.12%. While CEOs are expected to be the public face of their company, the reality is that interacting with and supporting employees is a much more effective use of their time.

One-to-one meetings have a substantial impact on workplace culture and multiple aspects of “the employee experience.” When one-to-one meetings are done well, there is a:

432% increase in the odds that an employee has a strong sense of leadership

226% increase in the odds an employee will highly rate their employee experience

430% increase in the odds that an employee will be highly engaged

27% decrease in employee burnout, and a 58% decrease in moderate-to-severe burnout

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THE IDEAL ONE-TO-ONE MEETING

Many leaders aren’t sure what makes a great one-to-one meeting. They don’t know when to have it, what to discuss, what it involves, or how it’s different from other types of meetings. Some see it as a waste of time, while others are simply unsure how to maximize their utility. They can be perceived as awkward, causing leaders to avoid or repeatedly postpone them altogether. But if you get the fundamental components right, one-to-ones are simple: just two people having a natural, meaningful conversation.

First, our global research shows that at a minimum, one-to-ones should be monthly, but having bi-weekly or weekly meetings is more impactful. Bi-weekly or weekly one-to-ones have a significant impact on employee perceptions:

157% increase in the probability an employee will believe their leader understands the realities of their day-to-day job

276% increase in the probability an employee feels like they are close with their leader

251% increase in the probability an employee feels like their leader is an advocate for their career

“We have one-to-ones monthly because the work we do is quite stressful. I find that if we don’t have them regularly, we have more problems. Sometimes, when it has been three months, morale in the team goes down. One-to-ones help address issues as we go along, not wait 12 months to fix.”
—FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANT, UK

Secondly, co-created conversations are ideal, as they make the meeting meaningful to both employees and leaders. Both leaders and employees should work together to set the agenda and craft a purposeful conversation. Additionally, as the structure of one-to-ones become more formal and rigid, meaningfulness decreased.

Finally, the best one-to-ones include four parts:

1. Constructive feedback
2. Recognition
3. Time to brainstorm new ideas and approaches
4. Opportunity for development

“Both the leader and the employee should have an idea of what the meeting will cover. They should not have a meeting just to have a meeting, they need to be prepared for what the meeting will accomplish.”
—FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANT, AUSTRALIA

When all four elements are part of a one-to-one meeting, perceptions of employee experience and workplace culture both improve:

However, if a one-to-one is used only to provide the department or company updates, there is a negative effect on sense of opportunity (decreases 14%), appreciation (decreases 19%), and leadership (decreases 7%).

One-to-ones provide an opportunity to prevent emerging issues from becoming bigger problems. They allow the employee and leader to address issues as they happen, rather than waiting until the end of a project or several months later. A word of caution, though: one-to-ones can lead to feeling micromanaged if too much course-correction is involved.

“Hold presence, be fully with your person right now. There is nothing else in the world that needs your attention. This is the most important thing you have to do right now. Hold these people as magnificent. Intend for them to shine. And they will step into that. They will feel your presence, your regard for them, and your intent. And if there are concerns, you will navigate them together.”
—ANESE CAVANAUGH, CONTAGIOUS CULTURE⁵

RECOMMENDATIONS & IMPACT

One-to-ones are a critical component of positive workplace cultures. As a tool, they can influence all six Talent Magnets. But it’s not enough to hold them regularly, they need to include the right best practices:

1.

One-to-ones should be informal, relaxed, and feel more like a regular conversation.

They should happen “in-the-moment” and often. When one-to-ones become a natural habit, employees feel more at ease and valued. They also feel more confident in opening up to their leader and being transparent about their concerns and challenges.

When one-to-ones feel more relaxed and informal, we see a 212% increase in the probability of a favorable leadership perception.

“The best one-on-one is personalized to me and my concerns, or what I want to address. It is informal, approachable, and we’re not afraid to say something. It may include hearing winning stories about other people to motivate me by how others achieved a deal so I can apply that to what I’m trying to do.”
—FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANT

2.

Employees and leaders should both have input into the content of the one-to-one.

Co-creation is a necessary part of successful one-to-ones. Leaders can take time to act as mentors to their people, check in, give guidance, and provide coaching in areas that employees request help or want to focus on. This leads to a 388% higher probability of favorable leadership perception.

Possible items to include for one-to-one meetings:

1. What’s new? What’s going on?
2. Positive feedback, discuss achievements
3. Current issues, areas where they need help from leader
4. Discussion/brainstorm solutions
5. Employee growth/development plan, coaching, areas for improvement
6. Plan of action/next steps
7. Any other questions/concerns

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3.

Employees and leaders should both prepare for the one-to-one.

Employees want one-to-one meetings to be very action-focused. They are looking for specific steps from their leaders to break down barriers, coach them on areas to improve, and follow through on personal development plans.

This takes preparation—from both parties. There is a 127% increase in an employee’s perception of their leader when the employee is encouraged to prepare for their one-to-one. When leaders prepare, there is a 219% increased probability of favorable leadership perception by employees.

While one-to-one meetings are not new, their potential is rarely realized. Leaders who take the time to prepare for and co-create meaningful, informal, frequent, one-to-one conversations have an easier time anticipating and preventing the problems that make people leave organizations. They create development opportunities, show appreciation, and provide the mentorship and support that builds positive micro-experiences. One-to-ones are part of a continuous performance management process that enables employees to learn, grow, and feel successful. By not leveraging one-to-ones, organizations are missing an incredible opportunity to reduce burnout and positively impact the employee experience.

“My one-on-ones look like this with a lot of mentorship, and I feel so excited about going to work. I’m a lifer at my company and these regular one-on-ones are contributing to that. It would make me more enthusiastic about going to work and having the company in my future. In 10 years I wouldn’t think about being somewhere else because the culture would be different.”
—FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANT

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ONE-TO-ONES—4 KEY TAKEAWAYS

One-to-one meetings are a point of connection between employees and their leaders

Co-created, informal one-to-ones are the most meaningful

One-to-ones should happen frequently and not be too structured

Agendas should include time for development, recognition, and mentorship

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