Building great relationships with each employee is the key to running a thriving business. Regularly scheduling one-on-one meetings with employees is the best approach to establishing those relationships, enhancing employee loyalty, and boosting employee retention.
These meetings establish rapport with employee members and offer them practical assistance. From the outset, one-on-one sessions may sound daunting. However, they provide the biggest opportunity for both parties to freely express their thoughts, concerns, and aspirations. A Gallup survey has revealed that employees that participate in one-on-one meetings regularly are 3 times more likely to be engaged compared to those who don’t. Also, these meetings are beneficial for building trust over time.
Keep reading if you’re looking for ways to improve your meetings as we’ll go over the top tips on how to ask effective employee one on one questions.
How to Make Your First One on One Employee Meeting Successful
The first one-on-one meeting can be scary, regardless of whether there is a new manager, a new team member, or both. But this is also a fantastic chance to get to know and introduce yourself. It’s a perfect opportunity to develop open communication and set the tone for your future meetings.
Tips for a Great First One-on-One Meeting
To kickstart the meeting, introduce yourself by sharing a personal fact. Then try to discover more about the employee by asking about their interests or hobbies. Next, make it a two-way exchange to build rapport. Share your career growth vision and ask them to describe their career goals and aspirations.
Keep the topics simple; you’ll have plenty of time and opportunities for in-depth conversations in future meetings. Finally, set a date for your next one on one employee meeting and decide whether you’re ready to schedule a weekly, biweekly, or monthly sessions in your calendars.
Tips for a Better Conversation Flow
Once you break the ice and schedule regular meetings, it’s essential to keep the conversation flow. To ensure the employee feels like they can share anything, always place them first and focus on listening. Allow the employee to speak and prompt them to discuss problems and seek assistance if needed.
You should also avoid wasting too much time on status reports since you can get the necessary information on the project’s progress during team meetings. In one-on-one conversations, emphasize the unique employee performance and always give constructive feedback. This is the moment to express your ideas and make suggestions.
Finally, record the meeting even if you are only taking meeting notes for your personal records. A lot might arise in a one-on-one conversation, and you don’t want to forget some important points.
Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash
15 Employee One on One Questions to Ask
Starting and maintaining effective one-on-one meetings may seem difficult, but you can make them successful with a proper meeting agenda. However, the following list of questions and conversation starters can serve as a model for your sessions. With time, you may modify the questions and include a variety of topics to meet your needs and those of your business and employees.
Check-In Employee One on One Questions
1. How have you been?
Open the one on one employee meeting with something simple yet personal to determine how the worker feels about the meeting. For instance, giving a specific response would mean they are looking forward to the meeting, whereas a general reply shows they are anxious.
2. What have you accomplished since our last meeting?
Asking about their greatest successes both at the job and outside of it will highlight your genuine interest in the person. From there, express appreciation or try to make a connection on a more personal level with them.
3. Do you have any concerns about the upcoming week/month? Can I help you?
Encourage employees to talk openly about challenges. Assure them that you are there to assist them in improving their performance. Make sure you also find out what they have planned work-wise for the upcoming week or month. This will help ensure everyone works on the appropriate assignments at the proper times by aligning on key outcomes.
Career-Related Employee One on One Questions
4. What professional achievement are you anticipating this year?
Continuing the meeting with some more career talk can help you understand your employee’s career goals and aspirations and can assist you in giving them the tools they need to get there.
5. What aspect of your work inspires you most?
The employee response to this question can assist you to determine an employee’s future area of specialization. Using this insight, you can encourage their professional growth and assign them projects they’ll enjoy.
6. Do you believe your current role aligns with your long-term goals?
You can determine if that individual is suitable for the role based on the response to this question. It might also assist you in giving the employee adequate tasks or offering them a job that suits their objectives.
Employee One on One Questions Regarding Obstacles
7. What do you believe to be an obstacle to reaching your professional goals?
The next set of one on one questions should reveal both personal and professional obstacles. By revealing what prevents the employee from reaching their objectives, you have the chance to change that.
8. Do you believe that anything or anyone at work impedes your ability to do your job?
You should uncover potential issues within the organization brought on by other staff members, tools, or even business processes as this gives the company a chance to improve its processes.
9. Do any non-work-related issues make it difficult for you to focus on your job?
The question gives a full picture of what the worker might be experiencing. Understanding personal and work-related difficulties will help you grasp what they are dealing with and provide you the chance to offer solutions.
Employee One on One Questions to Assess Satisfaction
10. How satisfied are you with your present position, responsibilities, and job?
Happy employees contribute to higher productivity. Understanding how your employee feels about the duties and tasks assigned to them is critical. In addition to evaluating employee satisfaction, you may go deeper and let them elaborate on the topic. This may also indicate whether or not a promotion is warranted.
11. Do you believe your work is making a positive impact on the business, industry, or world?
You’ll modify the question based on your business’s size, objectives, and core beliefs. However, the employee’s answer should help you in determining the employee’s level of motivation for their job.
12. Do you consider your job and personal lives balanced? If you don’t, why is that so, and how can we make it better?
This inquiry reveals details about your regular organizational procedures and whether the workforce is adequately or excessively occupied. Additionally, it offers perceptions of a worker’s psychological profile, enabling you to apply that knowledge to improve the work-life balance.
Self-Improvement Employee One on One Questions
13. Do you think you get enough feedback? How often should feedback sessions occur, in your opinion?
The responses to this question gauge how the employees feel about providing feedback and whether they believe it is necessary. It indicates that these sessions are practical if the worker wishes to increase input frequency. If the situation is reversed, it’s a sign that some aspects of the one-on-one session weren’t up to par.
14. Do you have any criticisms and recommendations about the business and me?
You should ask your fellow employees for their thoughts and suggestions because the goal is to create a two-way feedback loop. You might learn something useful and insightful while also giving your staff members a sense of empowerment. In addition, they are sure to remember you favorably if you take one of their recommendations to heart.
15. After this meeting, what can I assist you with? Do you have any questions or concerns?
It’s crucial to leave the meeting with an open-ended question so that additional conversation can continue, even after the one on one employee meeting has concluded. It’s also a fantastic approach to decide what will be discussed at the next meeting. On the other side, it allows workers to voice their opinions freely.
Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash
The Bottom Line
High-performing businesses are driven by maintaining constant contact between employees and their management. Team members must maintain alignment with the larger objectives and have a sense of purpose for their personal and professional development opportunities.
Use the strategies, one-on-one meeting best practices, and advice this comprehensive guide provides to ask effective questions and get the most out of your sessions. Whatever your position, there is always space for improvement, and one-on-one interactions provide valuable insight that’s crucial for making that a reality.
