In a busy week, why would a manager make time for a 1-on-1 with a direct report? It can seem like an over-administrative thing to do. But not so fast. There are important benefits to conducting regular 1-on-1s. Let’s explore them below.
Key Benefits
- Increased employee loyalty
- Increased efficiency and productivity
- Quicker turnaround when off track
Increased employee loyalty from 1-on-1s
Not only do 1-on-1s build consistent performance communication channels between employees and their managers, but they can help build and strengthen relationships between both parties. 1-on-1s also create a sense of loyalty to the team. For many employees, frequent conversations can help them feel more committed to both the company and their role. And weekly coaching can result in employees developing new skills that ultimately enhance engagement.
Increased efficiency and productivity
As a manager, imagine knowing when your team members have a concern you need to address. 1-on-1s offer the perfect forum for employees to voice their concerns and challenges. Letting your team know that they can come to you for immediate attention is important, but setting expectations that non time-sensitive issues will be covered during 1-on-1s can help prevent constant interruptions over chat or in person which can cause you to lose focus. Edward G Brown, an efficiency expert, noted over 4 hours in our day are spent dealing with interruptions. That’s half your day!
Quicker turnaround when off track
This is a benefit that is so impactful, regardless of industry. Steffen Maier, co-founder of Impraise, notes in his article “How to Run Effective 1-on-1s“: “A lot of things can go right or wrong in four working weeks. If you want to make an impact then, it would be too late.”That’s why you need to select a cadence that works best for your team size. Even if you spread your 1-on-1s out over a biweekly schedule, keep them consistent. Consider this scenario.
Last quarter an employee was working with a new customer and wanted some input from their manager. Unfortunately, the employee’s 1-on-1 was pushed by a week.
Waiting another week was not an option. The customer would not have received their deliverables for another week. That’s not great business model. As a result, this could have turned into lost opportunities and a broken customer relationship. So, as you can see, the ripple effects of delayed 1-on-1s have huge impacts on performance.
Having a regular cadence for 1-on-1s keeps team members, objectives, and KPIs on track. Yet, if challenges arise, having the chance to address them on a weekly basis allows for quick turn turnaround time.
Key takeaways
You and your teams may experience other benefits that you consider to be at the top, which is great!
Bottom line is: Conducting 1-on-1s regularly will increase your team’s loyalty. And within their positions, increase productivity and efficiency. This is because there’s more time to turn around when they slide off track. Imagine if these were the only benefits? The great news is, they aren’t—these are just a few.
How Paycor Helps
Paycor builds HR solutions for leaders. With Paycor, you can modernize every aspect of people management, from the way you recruit, onboard and develop your team, to the way you pay and retain them. See how Paycor can help the leaders of your organization solve the problems of today and tomorrow.