Best Structure for Employee Check-In Meetings

As a manager one of the most important things you can do for your employees is checking in with them. The best way to ensure they’re getting your undivided attention is by sitting down and having a check-in meeting.

There are two parts to having a successful check-in meeting. The first part is making sure that the employee feels comfortable sharing and being honest with their feedback to their employer. The second part to having a successful check-in meeting is being sure that as the employer you are being clear and transparent as to what is expected of your employee for the coming term. This could include a handful of things.

Employee Needs

One of the best ways to set the mood for a successful employee check-in is by allowing time for you and your employee to sit down and have an honest and meaningful conversation. The time depends on the areas you want to touch base but be sure to have your schedule cleared so you don’t feel the need to rush through your meeting. Your employee deserves your undivided attention.

You need to be sure to set the appropriate tone for the meeting. This may take some reflection time on your part before the meeting even gets started. You need to be open-minded and ready to listen before heading into your meeting to get the best results out of it. Allow your employee to tell you about how they feel they’ve been doing in their everyday work. Ask them what you can do to help them be successful and be ready to make a game plan for this.

Employer Needs

When it comes to employer needs it is important to have clear expectations for what is expected of your teammates. You need to communicate these effectively to your employees. This may look different depending on your organizational structure so it is important to reflect on how this may need to be communicated to your team. Take time during your meeting to set up these expectations and work through whether or not your employee is meeting the expectations set before them.

Remember: the goal for these meetings is for everyone to leave feeling better than when they came in. It’s important to accomplish something in your time spent together whether that be creating a plan of action, having a better understanding of expectations, or even both.