One-on-one meetings are a key component of performance management. Holding them regularly—ideally, once a week, or at least once every two weeks—is key to helping employees harness their strengths.
According to Gallup, 80% of employees who have received meaningful feedback in the past week are fully engaged at work. Regular check-ins also play a pivotal role in building trust between managers and employees. In its research, Google found that managers with high ratings are more likely to hold frequent one-on-ones with direct reports. These conversations give them a chance to build rapport, address employees’ concerns, and learn about their aspirations, especially when they structure these meetings well. “Consistently great one-to-one meetings are the secret to improving team performance, morale and company culture,” writes Yolanda Lau on Forbes.
Having a robust list of check-in questions on hand will help you hold productive conversations with direct reports. You can choose one-on-one meeting questions that relate to current needs. In this article, we’ll explore how to structure your routine one-on-one conversations. Then, we’ll share a list of questions that managers and employees can use to hold productive dialogues.
Table of Contents
- Structure of One-on-One Meetings
- 45 One-on-One Meeting Questions for Managers to Ask Employees
- 40 One-on-One Meeting Questions for Employees to Ask Managers
- Tips for Having Productive Dialogues during One-on-Ones
- Next Steps after the One-on-One Meeting
Structure of One-on-One Meetings
You don’t need to spend a lot of time planning each one-on-one—in fact, you shouldn’t. By implementing a good template for these meetings, you’ll have a valuable conversation every time.
First, set up a consistent meeting schedule. Decide on a regular weekly time for one-on-ones and put it into your calendar as a recurring event. Schedule meetings in 30-minute blocks. That way, you’ll have time for an in-depth conversation, but it won’t drag on.
Then, create a shared doc to use for agenda-setting. Encourage employees to help set the agenda before the meeting, bringing up points they find most pressing. The meeting is the employee’s time—they should have the autonomy to guide the discussion.
Use a template doc with potential topics and one-on-one meeting questions for managers and employees. As you prepare for the meeting, scan over it and select the most relevant ones. Start off with a general question about how the employee is doing to help shape the discussion.
45 One-on-One Meeting Questions for Managers to Ask Employees
Here are some great one-on-one meeting questions for managers, grouped by particular topics.
Communication:
- How effectively are you and your team members communicating?
- How could I better communicate with you and the team?
- In terms of collaboration, what is working? What is not?
- What types of feedback have you benefited from? Where have you needed more?
- What could make team meetings flow more smoothly?
Motivation and Purpose:
- How did you feel over the past week?
- What are your priorities for the coming week?
- Do you have a good sense of how your efforts have supported the company’s mission? Please describe.
- How meaningful do you find your daily work?
- What do you find most stimulating or enjoyable?
- How often have you gotten to do those meaningful tasks over the past week?
Productivity:
- How productive have you been over the past week?
- What has held back your productivity (if anything)?
- If you’ve been more productive than usual, what made this possible?
- How could you enhance your productivity next week?
- Do you feel overworked or overly stressed? What changes might help?
- What time-management issues do you struggle with?
Autonomy:
- Are you able to decide how you do your work?
- Do you have enough creative autonomy?
- Do you have the necessary decision-making authority to perform your work efficiently?
- Do you need guidance in making such decisions?
- Do you need additional connections, relationships, or authorizations to work more effectively?
Growth:
- What did you learn this week?
- What do you wish you knew more about?
- What do you feel most interested in learning?
- What skills have you worked toward mastering this week?
- What type of stretch projects are you ready for?
- What learning experiences have you found most beneficial?
- What learning opportunities do you wish you had access to?
Achievements:
- What accomplishments from the past week are you most proud of?
- Have you experienced any small wins this week? Please describe.
- Have you made progress toward large goals?
- Have you experienced any breakthroughs?
- If so, what led to these successes?
- What hurdles did you have to overcome, and how did you do that?
Ambitions:
- Does your daily work connect to your career goals?
- Where do you envision yourself a couple of years from now? (There’s no wrong answer!)
- Can you see a clear pathway to that next stage of your career? What are the next steps?
- What barriers or hurdles are standing in your way?
- How can you surmount these obstacles, and how can I help?
Support Needed:
- How can I better support your efforts?
- What resources would you benefit from?
- What would most improve your experience as an employee?
- Would any other changes enhance your work—for example, changes to environment or collaboration style?
- How is your work/life balance, and how can we strengthen it, if needed?
40 One-on-One Meeting Questions for Employees to Ask Managers
In turn, these one-on-one meeting questions for employees will enrich the discussion.
Communication:
- How effectively am I communicating with you?
- Could I enhance how I communicate or collaborate with coworkers?
- How can I participate more effectively in team meetings?
- How could I enhance how I communicate with clients?
- What communication norms could we adopt, as a group?
Motivation and Purpose:
- How does my work support the company’s mission?
- How can I tap into a greater sense of purpose in my daily work?
- How could I more strongly further the company’s mission and vision?
- What does the team most need from me right now?
- What brings you more energy and enthusiasm in your own work?
- How can I start doing more projects or tasks that I find meaningful?
Productivity:
- How do you view my productivity over the past week?
- What would exceeding expectations look like?
- Am I focusing on the most crucial priorities?
- If not, what should I focus on more?
- How can I overcome X barrier to my effectiveness?
- What time-management tips do you think I’d benefit from using?
Autonomy:
- Could I have more decision-making authority for my component of X project to streamline the workflow?
- I have some ideas for how to enhance my work process. What do you think?
- I’d like to have more autonomy over how I work. Is this possible?
- To excel in this role, I need to build relationships with X and Y. Could you introduce us?
- Can I have access to any necessary systems that will enhance my effectiveness and autonomy?
Growth:
- What types of stretch projects do you think I’m ready for?
- What are the most critical steps I can take to grow my capabilities?
- What key strengths should I focus on enhancing?
- What are the main weaknesses I need to overcome?
- Would the company consider providing X learning opportunity to support my efforts?
- What leadership trainings could I pursue?
Achievements:
- What do you view as my most substantial achievement this week?
- Do you think I’m meeting my KPIs (or on track to do so)?
- What should be my number-one goal for the coming week?
- What KPIs should we set for that goal to define success?
- Can I have access to X learning opportunity to support these objectives?
- Could you connect me with XYZ resources?
Ambitions:
- What future career moves will leverage my strengths and let me do work I find meaningful?
- To move toward my career goals of XYZ, what next steps should I pursue?
- Could I take advantage of additional mentoring opportunities?
- What education or credentials do I need?
- Will the company help me earn them?
- Can I take on responsibilities that will help prepare me for these next steps?
Tips for Having Productive Dialogues during One-on-Ones
Use a tool that assists with agenda creation, provides sample 1-on-1 meeting questions to choose from, and allows you to log notes from each discussion in a central place. Good performance review software can assist with light check-ins and maintain a record of these conversations. Tracking these discussions and their outcomes will help you plan effective one-on-ones every week. Moreover, it will assist in conducting employee appraisals and self-reviews.
You can also refer back to input you’ve shared over the past week through an instant feedback tool. Can you spot any trends, or do you have additional reflections to share? Look at progress toward KPIs via performance management software, too.
Then, to make one-on-ones more meaningful, focus conversations on these key areas, says Gallup:
- Sharing appreciation for their specific efforts.
- Clarifying expectations about their role.
- Checking in on how collaborations are going, and sharing advice.
- Drawing out their particular strengths.
Make space to discuss morale and motivation as well. At least once a month, check in about longer-term goals and dreams.
Ask your most important one-on-one questions close to the beginning of the meeting. Sometimes one especially relevant check-in question can spark a twenty-minute discussion on its own.
If your one-on-one meetings seem too long or too rushed, consider what to change. “It benefits no one if the meeting drags on for no reason or if you feel rushed through it,” Jill Duffy says in The Everything Guide to Remote Work. You may either be covering too few points or too many.
Next Steps after the One-on-One Meeting
Directly after each one-on-one, write down key takeaways in a bulleted list. Share them with the employee and save them for your reference.
During the coming week, look back on these points. Check in with employees about challenges you discussed, learning opportunities they plan to pursue, and progress on projects. Use instant feedback tools to share bite-sized observations and encouragement. And offer more in-depth input via a phone or video call, or in person, when needed.
By holding thoughtful one-on-ones with compelling check-in questions, you’ll understand how to support each employee better. And direct reports will have a stronger grasp of their role and how to fulfill it. Moreover, job satisfaction and engagement will rise exponentially as you build solid relationships through productive one-on-one meetings.
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