Employees can freely express in a “safe space” what is going well, what they are struggling with, what questions they have, and barriers they may be facing

Managers can provide guidance and encouragement

Helps employees feel confident in their work and decisions they are making

Creates a culture of continuous improvement and success

Establishes a trusting relationship between an employee and their manager

Have a regularly scheduled time to meet for 30-minutes every week.

Use a standard agenda and both parties come prepared for the discussion … but be flexible if needed depending on the discussion.

Make it conversational and focused on the needs of the employee. This is their time to share their thoughts and get manager input.

Include personal topics that the employee is willing to share like family updates, interests, medical issues, etc. (but don’t pry)

Show your genuine care and concern for the employee

Check-in questions such as “How are you feeling today? (green/yellow/red)

What is going well for you? What are you proud of?

What is your biggest challenge right now? Let’s talk about that.

Where do you need help in the coming week?

Here is some input I have that might be helpful to you.

Do you have any questions/comments about any team or company topics?

Do you have any suggestions for changes or improvements?

Any personal events we should cover such as PTO, medical appointments, family situations, etc.?

Don’t skip the meeting. Occasional re-schedules are OK with advance warning. Show your support by making this a priority.

Don’t replace it with casual unplanned conversations or having an “open door policy.” This should be a separate, scheduled, focused meeting.

Don’t use this for other purposes like discussing a detailed work project or talking about long term objectives. Those should be separate meetings.