Employee Engagement

Having frequent communication with direct reports is one of the most important things successful managers can do. And one of the best ways to keep up this communication is through regular one-on-one meetings with each of your team members. But how often should a manager have one-on-one meetings with their employees?

Keep reading to understand how you can set the best cadence for your one-on-one meetings, and stay aligned with each person on your team.

First, why having regular one-on-ones is important

There are many benefits to having one-on-ones regularly with the people you manage. Team leaders need to keep a high-level view of what everyone is working on, how they're collaborating with their peers, employee engagement levels, and overall team functioning.

One-on-ones are a key way you can maintain team alignment and drive employee performance.

Regular one-on-one meetings will help you to:

• Keep up with the status of ongoing projects.
• Coach each person's career development.
• Address any team issues or employee concerns.
• Carry out a difficult conversation privately.
• Build positive relationships with team members.

Essentially, having direct report meetings on a regular basis helps you understand what's going on with your team and every person on it. Whether you're sharing feedback, asking one-on-one questions, or catching up on goal progress, these meetings are how you stay connected with employees.

So, what's the ideal one-on-one meeting frequency?

A frequent meeting cadence is important for keeping up ongoing communication with your direct reports. The right frequency for your one-on-ones will be a little different depending on your team and company context, your management style, and your relationships with the employees on your team.

To help you find a guideline, we consulted some of the data from Officevibe, an employee engagement, feedback, and one-on-one software for managers.

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Data on the best conversation cadence between managers and employees

We analyzed over 30,000 employee feedback messages collected through Officevibe between 2017 and 2020. These are our findings of how people answered the question 'what would be your ideal frequency of communication with your manager?':

• Monthly or every 2 weeks was the frequency most often cited, found in 25% of the messages analyzed.
• 22% of the feedback cited weekly communication or several times a week.
• Only 8% of messages cited daily communication.
• Phrases like 'at least' and 'minimum' were used in 11% of the responses.

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The takeaway? Employees want to communicate with their manager somewhere between weekly and monthly. Feel free to use this as a guideline for how often to have a recurring one-on-one meeting with your team members.

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Factors to consider for setting a one-on-one schedule

Some things you can take into account as you plan your meeting schedule with employees are:

• The type of meetings you're having. Are you exchanging feedback, getting a status update, or checking in on a personal level? How often should you be meeting to fill that purpose?
• Are you new to the team, or is the employee? You might want to meet more frequently to make sure you're building a relationship and establishing good communication and trust.
• How many direct reports do you have, and what's a feasible frequency to make sure everyone gets a regular time slot in your calendar?
• Is the employee working on a big project or toward ambitious career goals? If so, more frequent meetings could help support their career development.
• Are you having virtual one-on-one meetings, or does your team work together at the office? If you're chatting more often in person, you might need fewer formal meetings with employees.

How long should a one-on-one be?

The length of your one-on-one meetings is tied to the frequency because you might decide to have shorter meetings more often, or longer meetings less often. If you only meet with your direct reports monthly, schedule a full 45-60 minutes to make sure you have time to cover everything. If you have weekly meetings, you might opt for 25-30 minute time slots instead.

What's the best day to have a one-on-one meeting?

There's no specific best day of the week for one-on-one meetings. But you can certainly consider what makes the most sense for each person in your team's context. Some things to take into account are:

• How do one-on-ones fit into the employee's work cycle? For example, at the start or end of a sprint.
• What other recurring meetings do they have? Can you schedule meetings to avoid cramming their calendar?
• Do they have a preference? You can even ask each employee to set their own regular meeting time.

Is it ever okay to cancel or skip a meeting?

Generally, you should keep every one-on-one meeting you schedule. Even if you have no set talking points, there might be a work or personal issue your employee wants to bring up. You could end up having an important one-on-one conversation you hadn’t realized you needed to have.

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It's usually better to grab a quick coffee or hop on a video call and check in for 5 minutes than cancel the meeting altogether. Especially for the sake of being a fair manager, you want to avoid missing meetings with your team members.

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Of course, there are some exceptions. If something urgent pops up and one or both of you can't make it, you might push your meeting to a later date. Just keep in mind that these meetings are really for your employees. Canceling or rescheduling last-minute could risk someone feeling like their scheduled time isn't important to you.

5 Tips to determine your one-on-one frequency

Follow these quick tips to set the right cadence for your recurring one-on-one meetings.

1. Test out different frequencies. Try having monthly meetings, weekly meetings, or biweekly meetings, and see what works best with each person.
2. Establish one-on-one meeting goals, whether it's to build personal relationships, coach employee performance, or track current projects.
3. Be consistent, whatever frequency of meetings you choose. Avoid rescheduling or picking a new day or time of day every other week.
4. That said, be flexible. Don't keep your meeting to the same time slot just because it's what used to work. Make adjustments as things change.
5. Check in with direct reports regularly to make sure your meeting frequency is good for them. Adjust your cadence according to their needs.

How to optimize your one-on-one meeting management

Every busy manager wants to improve their team's productivity as well as their own. When you're trying to schedule a weekly individual conversation with every member of your team, your calendar can fill up quickly. And if you're not arriving to those meetings prepared, you can end up feeling like precious time has been wasted.

Using a one-on-one meeting management tool like Officevibe can help. In the platform, you can access dozens of one-on-one agenda templates or build your own by adding talking points — and asking your employee to add some, too. Then, set action items that carry over to your next conversation so you can follow up on commitments. All of your meeting notes are stored in one place, and easily accessible for future reference, like planning performance reviews.

Eventually in your career as a manager, you'll have to sit down and have a candid conversation with an employee who's frustrated or unhappy. They might be upset with a colleague, disappointed about a performance review, or misaligned with the team or company direction. Whatever the case, approaching these difficult conversations is never easy, even for the most experienced manager.

When you have to deal with a difficult employee, one of the first things you should do is schedule a one-on-one meeting with them to talk things through. Having direct, honest conversations with your team members is a part of the job and crucial when challenges arise.

With a little bit of planning, you can make a one-on-one meeting with a difficult employee constructive, and lead this difficult discussion to a productive outcome.

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What's in this article

• How to manage a difficult employee in a one-on-one meeting
• All managers will eventually have a one-on-one with a difficult employee

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How to manage a difficult employee in a one-on-one meeting

Whether there's been a misunderstanding, conflicts between employees, or you sense something is off with one of your direct reports, you want to address it directly. A one-on-one meeting is the best place to deal with an unhappy employee because it's in a private setting, and you've created a dedicated time and space to address the situation.

These pointers on managing a difficult employee in a one-on-one meeting help you show up prepared and carry out the conversation more effectively.

Schedule the one-on-one meeting

First and foremost, you have to book a time to meet with your employee. Schedule your meeting time with enough notice that both of you can prepare, but don't delay difficult conversations with employees. The best timeframe is somewhere between a few hours and one business day in advance. Any more than that, it could cause anxiety or frustration to build. Any less, and they could feel like they're being put on the spot.

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Tip: Send the meeting invite out during the first half of the business day. If someone sees an invitation come through right before they log off, it could weigh on their mind through the evening. But if they get it in the morning, they have time to process it through the day and reach out to you with any questions.

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Set a meeting agenda

Send your employee a clear meeting agenda with the talking points you want to discuss. Even if you both know what the conversation's about, having it written down will help ease their nerves and let them prepare. Establish it as a two-way conversation from the start by letting them know that there will be time for them to bring up their own talking points or questions.

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Tip: If you're unsure how to structure this type of discussion, a one-on-one meeting template for difficult conversations could help.

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Enter the conversation with an open mind

It's unlikely that a tough conversation will turn productive if you enter it with the mindset that you're dealing with a toxic employee. Try to avoid making assumptions about what's made a person unhappy or why they're acting a certain way. You never know what might be going on behind the scenes or in someone's personal life. A positive approach makes a big difference in where the conversation will go, so work to break down your preconceived notions before you start a tough talk and make understanding your goal for the one-on-one meeting.

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Tip: Even the most positive people have bad days, so give your employee the space to vent or decompress if they need to. While you might want to move the conversation into the next steps, sometimes people need to lay everything out before they can start to action plan.

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Figure out why your employee is frustrated

When you're having a difficult conversation at work, it's good to start by trying to understand the other person's perspective. Ask your employee to share their experience and view of the situation. As you listen, try to understand what's behind their bad attitude or frustration. When you approach the discussion with empathy and understanding, the other person will be more open to sharing how they really feel.

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Tip: Try asking an open-ended one-on-one meeting question like 'What's been causing you stress lately at work?' or 'How are you feeling right now on the team?'. Avoid asking a direct question that could seem confrontational, like 'Why do you think I called this meeting today?'

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Acknowledge what they share with you

Whether or not you see things in the same light as your employee, you want to let them know that you've heard them and understood what they've said. Acknowledging someone's perspective doesn't have to mean agreeing with it. A simple 'I hear you' before you respond lets your team member know that you're really listening, and not just waiting for your turn to talk.

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Tip: Sometimes, it can be helpful to echo back what you've heard from the other person. But be mindful of when you choose to do this. If someone is agitated, they might take this as you reframing their perspective in a negative light or putting words in their mouth.

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Focus on performance, not personality

Whether or not it's an official performance review meeting, focusing the conversation on employee performance helps you keep it grounded in facts. When you slip into subjective opinions on how work should be done — or worse, take a judgmental approach — it's difficult to have a productive, meaningful conversation that leads anywhere. So try to ground a conversation with an underperforming employee in something concrete. Discuss their goals, deadlines, and other objective measures of performance.

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Tip: If an employee is on a performance improvement plan, aim to support their performance development more than monitor their progress. A manager's role is to empower and help an underperforming employee, not micromanage them.

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Give constructive, direct feedback

Sometimes managing a challenging employee means delivering negative feedback on something they've worked on or their behaviors. When you give tough feedback, you want to make sure that you're honest, direct, and most importantly, kind. Especially when you're giving behavioral feedback, it's important to be sensitive and avoid letting your frustration get in the way of being constructive. Your words have a real impact on people, so choose them mindfully.

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Tip: Before you give honest feedback, ask yourself: What is my intention with this feedback? What outcome do I hope to come from sharing it? How could the other person apply this feedback in the future?

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Get to know their career goals

Often, employees become dissatisfied when they don't see a future for themselves in their job. As a manager, you should be the go-to person for your team member when they feel uncertain or misaligned in their roles. But if you don't have a strong understanding of their career goals, it's hard for you to play that role and coach employees towards success. Excellent managers find the overlap between business needs and employee ambitions and set their team members up to move both the team and their career forward.

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Tip: Every 3-6 months, sit down with your direct reports and talk about their career development. Discuss how they might make strides towards this bigger picture in their current job and how you can coach them in your one-on-one meetings to get there.

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Take meeting notes throughout

You want to keep track of the one-on-one conversations you have with employees, especially when there's tension or you address any problematic or bad behavior. Having a clear record of what you've discussed helps you follow up in your next conversation. And if ever you need to address a pattern of behavior with an employee, you'll have concrete examples to draw from. Ideally, you'll be able to work through things together in your one-on-ones. But if you ever need to consult with your current HR managers, it's important to have meeting notes.

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Tip: A one-on-one software like Officevibe can help you centralize your meeting notes so you have a record of your conversations with each employee on your team. You can create shared one-on-one agendas and action items and keep private meeting notes in the app that only you can see.

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Close out with a conversation recap

Finally, the best way to end any one-on-one meeting with an employee is to recap the key talking points you went over. Save 5-10 minutes at the end of your discussion to share your takeaways and ask them to do the same. Based on this, you might set an action item or discuss a corrective action that your employee (or you) can take to address the situation. Either way, be sure to align and take a breather together so you both walk away feeling more on the same page and ready for the future.

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Tip: Follow up the conversation by sending your employee some bullet-point notes of what you shared and what you heard them share during the meeting. Include subjects to check in on in your next one-on-one and ask your employee if there's anything you missed.

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All managers will eventually have a one-on-one with a difficult employee

You're not alone in this, and you may not get it perfect. The most important thing is to adopt the right mindset and approach a difficult discussion with the intention of walking away with a little more understanding. When you treat your employees with respect, they'll do the same. And this makes even the most challenging conversations a little bit easier.

If you've ever had to manage an incomplete work team, you know it's hard. You need to put in extra work to support overworked employees, and might have to deal with low morale and low productivity. All this on top of the stress of finding a competent new hire to support the team. This is where you find yourself in the midst of the challenges of managing employee retention and turnover.

Although retention and turnover are terms that you’ve probably heard, they may be concepts that you don’t fully understand. Two calculations that seem relevant for HR but not so much for you as a manager. But managers have a big influence on employee retention rates. Not only that, but they’re the ones who suffer the most direct consequences when someone leaves their team. So, let's get down to business and talk about the nuts and bolts of retention and turnover.

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What is employee turnover?

The percentage of workers that leave an organization and are replaced by a new hire in a given time period is the company's turnover rate. When one employee leaves and a new employee fills their position, this is a piece of the company's turnover.

Terminology tip: When an employee leaves but not replaced, this is called employee attrition. Attrition happens when people retire, roles are abolished, or when the manager or company simply decides not to make a new hire in their place.

Types of turnover: voluntary and involuntary

Employee turnover can be involuntary or voluntary. Involuntary turnover happens when the organization decides to end the work relationship with the employee. It could happen due to poor performance, confrontational or inappropriate employee behavior, a breach in their contract, or some other valid reason.

Voluntary turnover, on the other hand, happens when employees decide to leave the organization of their own volition. This happen for many different reasons. Some causes of employee turnover include values misalignment, a more enticing career opportunity, or a lack of development opportunities.

Of course, some voluntary departures are unavoidable and not really related to the organization. For example, an employee whose spouse has been relocated or a colleague leaving to take care of an ailing family member. However, voluntary turnover is often avoidable, and it's important to closely monitor it by calculating it quarterly or even monthly.

What is employee retention?

Employee retention, sometimes referred to as a company's stability index, is the number of workers that stay in a company in a given time period. Retention also refers to all the strategies companies use to keep their employees happy and engaged, so they stay working for them. Working to understand and improve the employee experience within the organization is the first step.

A company where the employees feel valued and well treated is more likely to have higher retention. Think about your own job, have you been with the same employer for a while? If so, why? Growth opportunities, a good benefits package, a competitive annual salary, and a good work-life balance are some of the common reasons people decide to stay with an organization.

Employee retention vs turnover

Both turnover and retention are good indicators of an organization’s health. Each measures employee engagement and loyalty, which are ultimately linked to employee engagement and productivity. Put together, these measurements give a good idea of how stable a company's workforce is.

Retention doesn't bring new hires into the equation, but turnover does. Newly hired employees can't indicate anything in regards to retention because they haven't really 'stayed' with the company. However, if new hires decide to leave, that's definitely worth investigating.

Calculating employee turnover & retention rates

Tracking these numbers can help you understand and minimize turnover's negative impact and consider investing in employee retention strategies. Although at first glance they may seem like exact opposite concepts, that’s not actually true. How you calculate turnover doesn't line up with how you calculate retention. A good indicator of that is that the sum of both rates doesn't necessarily add up to 100%.

• Employee turnover is calculated by dividing the number of terminations by the average number of employees in a given timeframe, and multiplying this number by 100.
• Employee retention is calculated by dividing the number of employees that worked a whole time period by the number of active employees at the start of that time period, and multiplying this number by 100.

For example: Be Happy Corporation has 80% retention and a 23% turnover, which totals 103%. Why is that? Let's look at the calculations together...

Be Happy’s calculations show that in 2020 they had an 80% retention rate. They started the year with 100 employees, but only 80 of them worked all 12 months. They didn't take into account new hires, only employees who worked the whole year. On the other hand, Be Happy had 24 not-so-happy employees, who left the company during this time. With a monthly average of 105 employees, Be Happy ended up with an annual turnover rate of 23%.

How to fight turnover and increase retention

It's very important for managers to fight turnover and increase retention on their teams. Here are some strategies to help you out.

Perform exit interviews

These are interviews that take place once an employee has made the decision to leave the company. While you're unlikely to change their mind, you can seize the opportunity to get honest feedback about their departure. After a successful exit interview, you should have a good insights on how you might improve job satisfaction and engagement for your remaining team members.

Intervention by direct managers

Managers can help decrease turnover rates by simply listening to their team members. Based on the feedback they get, they can make changes or implement solutions to improve the employee experience on their team. Employee engagement surveys and one-on-one meetings are great opportunities to check in with what's going well and what's challenging for your team members. Officevibe sends out regular pulse surveys with easy-to-read reports for managers, collects employee feedback directly, and helps you host better one-on-ones, all in one platform.

Measure your eNPS with Officevibe

An important part of the engagement metrics in Officevibe is the employee Net Promoter Score, a tool that helps to track employees' loyalty and pride for the organization.

The eNPS is calculated by anonymously asking employees how likely they are to recommend working at your organization. On a scale of 1 to 10, those who answer 9 or 10 (i.e., are very likely to recommend working at your company) are considered promoters. Those who answer 7 or 8 are considered passive and those who answer 6 or less are considered detractors.

Although the eNPS doesn't necessarily reflect retention and turnover rates, it can give us a rough idea of how happy employees are, and how inclined would they be to explore other opportunities.

Now that you have a good idea of what turnover and retention are, you can put into practice the given strategies to boost employee engagement and minimize avoidable turnover and its negative consequences.

This article is a guest post from Softstart, the all-in-one onboarding platform to start your new hires off on the right foot.

As all good things usually come to an end, saying goodbye to great employees who leave in pursuit of different opportunities is something every manager will face. And every ending marks a new beginning. In this case, the hiring, onboarding, and training of fresh, new talent.

However, the pandemic has brought on a surge of resignations unlike ever before. Millions of employees are quitting at exponential rates now that restrictions are lifting and offices are reopening. What gives? And how can we prevent employees from leaving?

The truth is, the employee mindset has changed. A job is no longer just about the pay or even the perks. When it comes to work, people expect more, and employers must offer more to achieve better employee retention. It all begins with onboarding.

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What's in the article?

• The post-pandemic work dynamic
• How to prepare for your new hires
• How onboarding sets the tone for retention
• 5 Tips to improve your onboarding process

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Opportunities for the post-pandemic work dynamic

Many companies are now employing a new generation of employees. And for many of these new employees, work as it used to be simply doesn’t cut it anymore.

After all, remote work has given employees a true sense of work-life balance: less commuting, more family time, and the option of living somewhere you love rather than by convenience of office proximity. And employees who are happier and more fulfilled in their personal lives are ultimately more engaged, collaborative, and productive at work.

Remote work at large is now proven to work just as well as (if not better than, in some cases) full-time in-office attendance. Employees and employers have both experienced the benefits of an alternative work dynamic. As we move forward post-pandemic, these learnings are helping more and more employers identify opportunities to attract new talent and increase retention rates.

Smart employers are adapting their employment offers to match this new reality. They're offering flexible work agreements, and upgrading equipment, programs, and processes to better connect virtually. Many are also offering more internal mobility and cross-boarding opportunities, and investing more into things like personal development and mental health for their employees. They're seeing the ROI of investing in retention, and the true cost of turnover on their teams.

Looks like you really can have the best of both worlds!

As an employer, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you offer flexibility around where and when people do their work? 
• Are you fostering a supportive working environment? 
• Do you encourage bond-building between colleagues?
• Are you really getting to know your employees and what makes them happy?

Preparing to onboard a new generation of employees

With a surge in resignations comes a surge in hiring activities. Companies have quickly shifted their employment offers and adapted their company culture to “get it right” with this new generation of employees from the get-go. Here are some ways you can prepare for your new team members.

• Adapt to remote or distributed work: The hours employees gain from less commuting allows for more time to rest, or less financial strain with gas or late daycare costs, which creates happier, more productive employees. Offering workplace flexibility is a must in the modern workforce.
• Boost employee recognition: Employees have gone through a lot this past year, from losing loved ones, to cancelling milestone events, or suffering from isolation. Acknowledging achievements and rewarding hard work can go a long way in making people feel confident, seen and supported.
• Conduct stay interviews: Typically, companies conduct exit interviews with employees when they resign to collect feedback. But managers should be conducting stay interviews to gauge how things are going and improve the employee experience before it's too late. 
• Less corporate culture, more human culture: Employees spend more time at work and than they do with their families, so employers need to create an environment that they look forward to. Fostering colleague bonds, showing empathy and consideration, and applying small gestures of gratitude makes a difference.

Setting the tone for employee retention with onboarding

When trying to fix or improve anything, one must assess the foundation. Onboarding is the structure in which your new employees are welcomed into your company, ensuring they feel confident within their new role and team. Onboarding sets the tone for the rest of your new employee’s experience at your company, and good onboarding makes a big difference in employee engagement down the line. This is why onboarding is so important, and doing it correctly brings on many employee retention benefits.

After all, making a good first impression helps make a lasting one. A new employee’s initial excitement can turn into long-lasting pride and commitment towards their job. In the long run, engaged employees stay, and act as ambassadors for the company, a positive ripple effect of creating strong engagement from day one.

Plus, new talent tend to trust companies who demonstrate having high employee retention rates more. When more employees stay with a company, it sends the message that this company is one worth working at.

The proof is in the numbers

• Great onboarding can improve employee retention by 82%, according to a Glassdoor survey. The survey also suggested that great onboarding leads to 70% higher employee productivity.

• Employees are 2x more likely to look for other job opportunities if they’ve had a negative onboarding experience, as pointed out by Digitate.

• 50% of employees are more likely to stay after 3 years if they had a great onboarding experience, according to Contract Recruiter.

5 Tips to improve your employee onboarding process

While many companies have integrated onboarding as part of hiring and training new hires, many miss the mark. So if you’re going to onboarding employees, do it well.

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A company’s secret weapon for onboarding
Softstart allows you to create engaging, personal and meaningful onboarding experiences by offering you a variety of onboarding plans you can customize for each new hire. It’s a collaborative platform that works just as well for remote onboarding, where you can involve other team members to help design onboarding experiences to welcome newcomers—from recording video messages to building easy-to-follow checklists.

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Tip #1: Make it feel human

Whether onboarding remotely or in person, it’s important to keep things personable. With the mountain of work emails and chat messages we already have to deal with, onboarding activities that include other colleagues or video instructions recorded by real peers can make onboardings more engaging and foster connection. Managers can also schedule one-on-one meetings with new hires to build relationships from the start.

Tip #2: Incorporate team bonding activities

Onboarding journeys loaded up on training, reading, and form filling feel flat. Make sure to incorporate fun onboarding activities, like going for coffee with a fellow team member or organizing a meet-and-greet lunchtime event, to spice up the experience and also foster employee engagement. Apply the buddy system so your newcomer has an office friend from the start.

Tip #3: Keep your onboardings consistent...

According to HCI, one of the greatest challenges of onboarding experiences is inconsistency. Your employee onboarding program should reflect your culture, share foundational knowledge and offer a level of attention and support that is the same for every new employee.

Tip #4: ...And personalize each onboarding experience

Onboarding a new employee is time-consuming, and preparing one also takes time. You don't have to reinvent the wheel each time to give onboarding a personal touch. Creating a structured onboarding template that can then be adapted saves time, but allows for personalization where it counts.

Tip #5: Make it light, not heavy

When the average onboarding has over 50 activities, it’s important to make the experience feel clean, organized, and dynamic. Remember that new employees have a lot to take in when they're first hired, so it’s important to deliver them an onboarding that won’t overwhelm them.

A solid onboarding strategy leads to increased employee retention

The bottom line is that modern employee-employer relationships require human consideration, appreciation, and understanding. Employees now look for job value in intangible factors — like great company culture — and not just tangible factors like salary.

By providing a great onboarding experience, you’re not only setting your employees up to succeed in their role. You’re also setting them up to feel engaged and stay long-term with your company. That’s why investing in onboarding is a no-brainer: the ROI on productivity and turnover cost savings speaks for themselves.

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Try Softstart for free, to onboard better, together!
There are ways to streamline the process while still being able to create personalized onboarding plans for every new employee. The right onboarding tool makes all the difference.

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Managing a team is about driving people to succeed as a unit. And one of the keys to collective team success is coaching individual performance. This is why, as a manager, you need to understand how to run a one-on-one meeting effectively.

One-on-ones give you the opportunity to connect with your direct reports on a more personal basis. These meetings can be to set goals, deliver feedback, discuss performance, or develop a plan to help them thrive in their role. Essentially, one-on-one meetings can take shape in many different ways. If you want the meeting to be a success, you need to run it in a way that helps you and your employee achieve your end result together.

But how, exactly, do you do that? Let’s take a look at how to run effective, productive, and successful one-on-one meetings with your team members.

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In this article:

• How to make one-on-one meetings more productive
• 7 tips to run effective one-on-ones

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How to make your one on one meetings more productive

Your one on one meeting could serve many different purposes. Whether that’s forging a more personal connection with your employee, helping them navigate a work challenge, or filling them in on the details for a new project, you want both you and your employee to walk away feeling like you had a productive meeting. Here's how you can make the one on one process more productive—before, during, and after the meeting.

How to prepare for your one on one meeting

A successful one-on-one meeting starts before you actually sit down with your employee. Here are steps you’ll want to take ahead of the meeting to ensure that you and your employee get the most out of your sit down.

1. Set an agenda ahead of time

A shared agenda will give you and your employee a roadmap of how your one on one meeting will unfold, setting you up for a successful conversation. Before your one on one meetings, send your direct report an agenda that includes all the information they’ll need for the meeting. Don't forget to ask them to contribute any talking points that they want to cover, too.

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A typical meeting agenda should include:

• Details about the meeting (date, time, location, etc.)
• Topics that will be discussed
• Anything the employee needs to prepare and/or bring to the meeting

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2. Prepare questions (and tell your employee to do the same)

One-on-one meetings are a conversation, and sometimes the best way to lead a conversation is to ask questions. Open-ended questions are a great way to guide the conversation and exchange important information. But you don’t want to be thinking of questions during your actual meeting; if you try to come up with relevant questions on the fly, you could miss something important.

Prepare any relevant one-on-one meeting questions you’ll need during your conversation before the meeting, and ask your employee to do the same. That way, both you and your team member have time to think about what information you want to get from the conversation, and what questions you need to ask to get that information.

3. Draft a one on one meeting template

While the content of each one on one meeting will vary, having a go-to structure helps you make sure you're covering all your bases. Not only does having a one on one meeting template save you time (no need to start from scratch for every meeting!), it also ensures every employee gets the same experience.

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A simple one on one meeting template:

1. Informal meeting check-in (5 mins)
2. Discussing current workload (10 mins)
3. Looking ahead (10 mins)
4. Setting action items (5 mins)

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During your one on one meeting

Once you’re actually in your one on one meeting, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind to ensure everything goes smoothly.

1. Stick to the agenda…

You created a meeting agenda for a reason. So when you’re in the meeting, make sure to stick to it. Following your meeting agenda and one on one template ensures that you ask the right questions, cover all the topics you need to discuss, and get all the information you need before the meeting is over.

2. ...but also allow for some flexibility

Sticking to the agenda is important—but you don’t want to be so rigid that you miss an opportunity to connect with your employee or answer their questions. Leave room for flexibility in your meeting.

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For example: If your employee lets you know they’re struggling with a work-related challenge, don’t just stick to your template. Give them the space they need to talk through what’s going on.

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3. Take notes

You don’t want to forget what you talked about during your meeting, so make sure to take notes to refer to later. Having a written record of your one on one meetings can come in handy for a variety of management-related tasks, like tracking your direct reports' goals, planning performance reviews, and following up on any action items you and your employee set during your meeting.

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💡 Use a one-on-one meeting software like Officevibe to plan agendas and keep track of meeting notes and the action items you set with employees, all in one place.

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4. Give feedback

One on one meetings are the perfect opportunity to deliver feedback to your employee — so make sure you take advantage of it! Depending on the meeting topic, you might deliver feedback about their performance, their mindset, or their leadership skills. Just keep in mind that feedback can be a challenge for some people. If you have to deliver constructive feedback (or flat out negative feedback), make sure to do it with care, kindness, and an open mind.

Follow up after the meeting

The one on one meeting may be over, but your work isn’t! Here’s how to follow up after every one on one to make sure you see results.

1. Send your direct report a recap

To maximize the effectiveness of your one on one meeting, both you and your employee need to know what comes next. Having your key takeaways and a list of action items for both you and the employee helps make sure you're on the same page.

After your one on one, put together a short recap of what you discussed and the action items you set together. This way, you and your employee both know what you need to do before your next one on one. With this shared understanding, you both know what you’re responsible for, and will be more accountable to it.

2. Schedule your next one on one

One on one meetings aren’t a “one and done” situation. To see results, you need to meet regularly. After your meeting, set a timeframe that makes sense to get everything done, and schedule another one on one to follow up and continue moving forward.

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Find a cadence that works for you both and remain flexible. Bi-weekly is a great baseline, and you might be able to lighten it to monthly during slower periods or up it to weekly when things are happening fast.

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3. Connect in between to touch base on progress.

It can be easy for things to fall through the cracks between meetings, so make sure to touch base regularly outside of your scheduled one on ones. Send a quick message to ask how your employee is progressing around the halfway point between meetings. Provide support and adjust goals, timelines, or plans as needed.

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Don't overdo it. Make sure you give your employee a fair amount of time to progress on what you discussed before you check in. No one wants a micromanager, and when you follow up before they've had the chance to act, it can feel disempowering.

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7 tips for keeping one-on-one meetings effective

More strategies on how to run a one-on-one meeting that's focused and effective.

1. Schedule regular meetings.

For one on ones to be effective, they need to happen on a regular basis, so make sure to meet with each employee at least every month. Try out different meeting cadences with each employee to find the perfect one-on-one meeting frequency.

2. Make sure every one-on-one meeting has a goal.

Trying to cram too much into a single meeting can feel overwhelming (for you and your employee). Make sure you've clearly defined a purpose, whether that’s setting goals, delivering feedback, or discussing performance. You can even set goals for your one-on-one meetings with each employee.

3. Share your one-on-one meeting template with other managers.

A one-on-one meeting template creates a consistent meeting experience for all your direct reports. Sharing your template with other managers helps create consistency across your organization. If your employees have more than one manager or team leader, they know what they can expect during a one on one meeting, no matter who it’s with.

4. Ask for feedback.

Feedback is a two-way street, and one on ones are also an excellent opportunity for your employees to deliver constructive feedback to you. Make sure to ask your employees for feedback about what went well, what didn’t go so well, and how you can improve your meeting process to better support them.

5. Use video conferencing for remote one on one meetings.

If you manage remote employees, and you can’t host your one on one meetings in person, make sure to do it over video. Having a face-to-face connection (even if it’s through a screen) can help you better connect with your employees.

6. Don’t drag out the meeting.

One-on-one meetings should be long enough to cover everything you need to talk about, but not so long that your employee feels overwhelmed, bored, or disengaged. Keep your meetings around 30 minutes, and only set longer times for big meetings like setting goals or a performance review.

7. Leave things on a positive note.

It doesn’t matter what you plan to cover in your one on one meeting, you want your employee to walk away having had a positive experience. You can highlight what they’re doing well, celebrate a recent win, or talk about their career goals — whatever will help them walk away with a smile.

Now you know how to run a better one-on-one meeting!

So you can set recurring calendar invites with each employee on your team, and arrive at every meeting prepared.

As a manager, engaging your team is a non-negotiable if you want your employees to thrive in the workplace. Nowadays, skilled professionals are seeking the full package when it comes to their employee experience. This extends far beyond simply earning a livable wage; it includes finding purpose in your day-to-day, believing in your company values, and having a healthy work-life balance.

But engagement doesn’t just happen. It comes from collecting genuine feedback from your team and having honest conversations to see what’s working well and what’s holding people back, then working to emphasize the positive and improving the more challenging parts. Listening to your team shows them that you’re dedicated to keeping them happy and engaged, and empowers them to show up and do their best work.

This is your employee engagement action plan.

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The benefits of employee engagement

The benefits of managing a team of highly engaged employees are countless. Aside from higher employee productivity, your team will see:

• Higher employee retention
• Achieved collective objectives
• Less workplace stress
• Lower absenteeism rates
• Increased company profitability

Simply put, improving employee engagement is a vital part of developing high-performing teams. Read on to discover more benefits of employee engagement.

What is an employee engagement action plan?

Every great manager wants a team full of inspired, driven, and engaged employees. An employee engagement action plan can help leaders better motivate and stimulate their teams. As a manager, you can create an employee engagement action plan by assessing where engagement might be falling short, and then developing employee engagement strategies to improve those areas.

There is no one-size-fits-all employee engagement strategy, so your plan will depend on factors like your company's:

• Size
• Industry
• Work model
• Mission and vision
• OKRs

Just as teams, business goals, and strategies evolve and fluctuate over time, so do levels of engagement. That’s why a great employee engagement action plan isn’t just a one-time thing. Once you start taking action to improve engagement on your team, it becomes a regular part of maintaining team health and well-being.

Building an action plan to keep your employees engaged is an important step in improving employee morale and job satisfaction. Learn how to create the best employee engagement plan for your team with the steps outlined below.

How to build an employee engagement action plan

Step 1: Collect feedback through employee engagement surveys

Before you can start making any improvements or reassessing your objectives, you need to identify what might be keeping employee engagement on your team low, and what your people think is working well.

Sending your team a regular employee engagement survey is a great way to understand their experience and get employee feedback. When you analyze the survey results, you get a clearer picture of what’s bringing your engagement scores up, and what’s bringing them down. You may even spot some areas you didn’t know your employees were struggling with. This is the crucial knowledge that helps you build an excellent engagement action plan for your team.

Step 2: Focus on one thing at a time

Once you’ve sent out your engagement surveys and collected your employee feedback, your next step is to narrow down your areas of focus. Look through your results, choose a couple of areas to emphasize, and try narrowing it down to one metric if you can. This way, you can zero in on specific pain points or opportunities for improvement that could go a long way for your team, rather than spreading your focus in too many directions.

Remember that less is more when deciding which metrics to prioritize. The narrower your focus is, the more opportunity you have to make positive, impactful changes. If you’re unsure where to start, pay attention to the results that have the highest and/or lowest percentages, or focus on the metrics that tend to fluctuate more.

What should you keep an eye on while gauging employee engagement? Learn more about the top engagement metrics and sub-metrics every manager should watch out for.

Step 3: Define your employee engagement goals

When you've identified pain points keeping employee engagement low through your survey results, it's time to define and create specific team goals to reinspire your people. Clearly outline what you'd like to accomplish, which employee engagement initiatives will help you get there, and what the desired short or long-term objectives are.

Remember: if you want to meet your goals, they have to be realistic. Setting unattainable lofty goals and timelines can result in disappointment and further disengage your employees.

Step 4. Make the action planning process a team effort

You can’t make a great employee engagement plan without the help of your team. It’s important to get them involved early because many employees feel a disconnect between their experience and their manager’s perception.

1 in 5 employees feel a disconnect from their managers and wish for more frequent communication.

Officevibe Pulse Survey data

Start by working together to understand the engagement issues the team is facing before tackling them. From there, you can brainstorm solutions together and have everyone take on some action items in your plan. Developing an engagement action plan can help you foster a sense of togetherness and understanding in your team. By leaning into the specific key engagement drivers for your team, you'll learn what really drives your employees to succeed.

You can dig deeper into issues by discussing survey results in one-on-one meetings with employees. This helps you understand the employee experience and follow up on action items you set together. Officevibe helps you do this easily by turning engagement metrics into one-on-one talking points.

Step 5. Once you’ve got everything together, make an action plan

Now, it’s time to put your employee engagement initiatives into action. With data from your employee surveys, a better understanding of your team’s experience, and the ideas you came up with altogether, you’re ready to build your plan.

It’s important that all hands are on deck to get the most out of your engagement plan. Give your team members the opportunity to take on action items for themselves or volunteer to carry out certain tasks. While your team should consistently work on collective engagement action items, make sure this doesn't overwhelm them or add to their workloads. These employee engagement initiatives should ideally flow seamlessly into your day-to-day operations.

Step 6. Regularly follow up on the plan’s progress

For any manager, genuine open communication with your employees is key. As you roll out your engagement plan, keep your team posted on your progress and ask for their thoughts on an ongoing basis by implementing a feedback loop.

If you hit roadblocks together or things don’t go according to plan, make it a discussion and see how you can reassess priorities or try something else. Keep in mind that you may need to continue refining and changing your approach; sometimes when one engagement area is addressed, another focus area emerges. This is normal, and precisely why you want to maintain ongoing communication with your team.

Step 7. Keep measuring employee engagement metrics

Above all, remember that improving employee engagement doesn’t have a finish line – it's an ongoing process. These plans are designed to be continuous, and further evaluations and adjustments will eventually need to be made if you want to measure progress on your team. Don’t be afraid to reevaluate your engagement plan every month or two, set new goals, and tackle new metrics.

Sending out pulse surveys that cover the same metrics and asking employee engagement questions on similar topics can help you see how much positive change has resulted from your plan. Pulse surveys help you easily spot any fluctuations or trends because they measure the same metrics over time. Officevibe's Pulse Surveys are quick to answer and reports are easy to read, so they never take time away from you and your team doing what you do best.

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Examples of employee engagement action plans

Let's take a look at some common employee engagement areas that can prove challenging for most teams, and how you can go about building your action plan.

Note that the tables below provide simplified versions of employee engagement action plans. Use these templates as jumping-off points and really make them your own!

Employee well-being action plan

Professional development action plan

An employee engagement action plan for the long-term

You can always take quick steps to improve employee engagement on your team. But the best action plan is one that can be deployed long-term. This doesn’t mean it has to be a significant investment of time, effort, or money – it means it’s something you tend to do over time and adjust as needed.

Recap: How to build an employee engagement action plan for your team

• Review the data and identify which areas to prioritize. You might want to prioritize the lowest-scoring metrics from your engagement survey or any area that’s a current pain point for your team.
• Engage employees in action planning for these challenges. Your team knows their dynamic and workflows best, and have valuable insights on how they might improve things.
• Determine your goals and your endgame. Having a vision of where you want to end up gives you a clearer idea of how to get there. Make sure these goals are realistic and actionable.
• Follow up on progress. If you don't follow up and take stock of whether or not engagement initiatives are working, what's it all been about, then?

And with a sidekick like Officevibe's employee engagement solution to automate most of the work, you’ll be well-equipped to develop a plan that is tailor-made for your team.

But don't just take it from us: read how Officevibe has helped major enterprises like Alithya keep their employee engagement high in this recent interview.

The last business quarter is fast approaching, and managers and leaders across industries are starting to think about the year ahead. For many, implementing a solid employee retention strategy will be a top priority in the wake of 2021's historically high resignation rates. But what are the causes of employee turnover behind these departures?

While unique global circumstances have influenced high employee turnover in the last year, many of the reasons people are currently citing for switching jobs are the same as they've ever been. The difference now is that prolonged uncertainty and major context shifts, both at work and in life, have motivated people to take action.

So, how can managers avoid getting hit by another wave of high turnover on their team? It starts with understanding what's impacting your employee turnover rate, and how to address the underlying issue.

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10 Top causes of employee turnover, and how to address each one

These common factors in staff turnover are important for every manager to be aware of. Knowing what might sway someone to leave helps you spot signs of disengagement early and act fast to boost job satisfaction. This way you can reduce voluntary turnover and retain your top talent.

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Your first action item: Schedule a stay interview with every member of your team to find out what they love about their job, and why they might look for a new opportunity. See what you can do to amplify their job satisfaction, and address any pain points.

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1. Work flexibility

Flexible work options are no longer a perk, but a key factor in people's job search. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, a 2019 survey from FlexJobs found that 30% of respondents had left a job, and 16% were looking for a new job because of the lack of workplace flexibility. So if your company doesn't offer workplace flexibility, your team members might start looking for a job that does.

What can you do about this as a manager? While you might not control workplace policy, you can certainly influence it by advocating for what your employees want. And more short-term, you can work within the structures in place to create more flexibility for your team.

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How to give employees more flexibility

• Ask every employee what types of flexibility are most important to them. Is it around remote work, flexible hours, a more flexible schedule, time off, or something else?
• Establish some team norms. What are your 'on' and 'off' hours? Can you block off time for focus work (or personal time)?
• Take any requests that are beyond your control to upper management or HR. Connect with other managers to outline some clear, common employee asks and present it together.

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2. Professional development

Employees want to learn and grow, and to have opportunities to apply themselves and develop their skill sets. If people are stuck doing the same tasks or don't have the chance to apply their strengths, it could drive them to look for a job that offers more in this area.

This is something managers have a lot of influence over. Start with understanding what areas each employee wants to develop and what skills they want to improve. From there, you can seek out and even create opportunities for employees to try new things and grow in their roles.

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Set some goals: Ask your employees what they want to achieve every 3 months and set some professional goals with them. Find the overlap between their personal ambitions and the team's objectives.

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3. Career advancement

Similarly to professional development, people want to make advancements in their career and 'move up' in their roles. Traditional models can make it feel like a promotion is the only way to do this. If that's not an option, getting a more senior position at another company could be appealing.

So, what can you do when there aren't more senior roles available? Like with professional development, it's about finding (or creating) opportunities for your employees' career advancement. Start by discussing each team member's long-term and short-term career goals. Ask them where they want to be in 5 years, and in 2 years.

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Visualize the future: Once you know what people want more long-term, you can talk through how they might move toward this. How can they take on more responsibility? Could you build a case together for a more senior role? Work together to map out a career path at your organization.

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4. Role clarity

When roles and responsibilities aren't clear, it can lead to a lack of team efficiency, team conflict, and missed targets. At an individual level, when employees start taking on tasks that are outside of their role it can make them feel as if they're not applying themselves or using their strengths. Employee morale could take a real hit, and if this goes on for too long, people could even start to feel like they're being taken advantage of. All of this could lead to a high turnover rate.

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Create role clarity on your team

• Meet one-on-one with employees every 3-6 months to go over their title and job description. Discuss the tasks and responsibilities associated with it and make sure you're aligned.
• Map this information out in a clear document that everyone has access to, so people understand how they fit into the team structure. Update it regularly as people join or leave the team.

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5. Burnout and wellbeing

Work-life balance and employee wellbeing are non-negotiable. Hustle culture was getting called out before a global pandemic prompted many people to reevaluate their priorities. And as more businesses make wellness and stress management top priorities, employees will seek them out if the company they're at doesn't follow suit.

Get ahead of employee burnout and break down norms that get in the way of work-life balance and personal wellbeing. This is essential to maintaining employee engagement, keeping up team performance, and retaining your best talent.

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Fight burnout and boost wellbeing

• Don't just remind employees to take time off, encourage them.
• Check in on people's stress levels during 1-on-1 meetings.
• Inform your team of any mental health resources available.
• Lead by example and sign out early, take personal days, etc.

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6. Sense of purpose

What are we here for? Employees want to know. It doesn't have to mean changing the world one advertising campaign at a time, but feeling like they're contributing to something is a key factor in employee engagement levels. If the work feels meaningless, employees could start looking elsewhere.

One of the best ways to build up this sense of purpose is to connect your team with the impact of their work. Taking the time to observe what happens once they hit the send button, close the deal, or finish the redesign helps them remember that they're playing a role in something greater than their day-to-day.

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Show your team their impact: Track and share results from key initiatives, share client testimonials with your team, and have brand ambassadors join group meetings to talk about the impact that your business has had on them.

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7. Clear expectations

Clearly defined expectations at both an individual and team level are very important to people feeling empowered to do their best work. This can be challenging for managers because they want to avoid micromanaging or being too directive. At the same time, there are always going to be business objectives and KPIs to hit.

It's all about finding the balance, because a lack of direction could make people feel like they can't succeed. And on the other hand, too much direction could make them feel like they're just there to push buttons. Either of these could create the risk of employees setting out on a job hunt.

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Find a middle ground: Make sure people know what's expected of them, and that they have enough freedom to help define how they achieve that end. This could mean setting clear and inspiring team goals for everyone to align around, or outlining a high-level roadmap for them to fill in together.

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8. Values alignment

It's important for people to feel that their own personal values are reflected in company values. But company culture is brought to life by how people at your organization act, and this includes upper leadership, you as a manager, and each employee on your team. If people feel like things aren't done in a way that aligns with their values, they could seek out an opportunity that feels like a better fit.

At the team level, you want collaboration, work methods, and decision-making to reflect people's personal values. Getting your employees to define their core team values together gives them a clear reference point that they can apply in these areas.

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Host a team values workshop

1. Have everyone share the personal values that they want reflected in their work experience.
2. Find the commonalities and vote on 3-5 that you want to turn into team values.
3. Come up with a few examples of how each value might show up in your day-to-day.
4. Write it all out and keep it in a shared team space.

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9. Personality clashes and conflict

This is a tough one, because sometimes it can come down to people just not seeing eye-to-eye. The thing is, we often learn the most by working with people who have a different perspective from us, and trying to understand where they're coming from. This is how we all start to think more critically, and ultimately, it's what creates smarter, more competitive teams and workforces.

While some personality clashes and interpersonal conflict are inevitable, fostering an open-minded company culture is the best way to prevent employee conflict from getting in the way of the bottom line. There needs to be room to agree to disagree and let go of ego. Everyone should to be willing to try things a different way and really listen to each other. And this dynamic must go in every direction, regardless of hierarchy or office politics.

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Lead by example: Managers and leaders must be receptive to feedback, open to ideas, and ready to embrace failure. Developing your management skills, becoming a stronger communicator, and nurturing team dynamics makes a world of difference in the employee experience on your team.

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10. Salary and benefits

People want to be paid fairly for their work, and have employee benefits that reflect their needs. If employees aren't satisfied with their compensation or they don't have the opportunity to move into a higher-paying role, they may look for a promotion elsewhere. And if the perks offered don't match an employee's reality, it won't be valuable to them.

Managers may not have the final say on someone's salary or the benefits offered. But, they can make sure every member of their team has a full understanding of how pay is determined and what perks they have access to. On top of that, they can give upward feedback to leadership and human resources to help them understand employee expectations and needs. And on a team level, they can tap into the resources and budgets available to improve the employee experience.

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Amplify the employee offer

• Transparency builds trust. Ahead of pay evaluation periods or annual reviews, meet with your whole team and walk them through the process. Explain how compensation is determined and give time for questions.
• Be the bridge between your direct reports and human resources or service providers. Talk with people about their needs and connect them with the resources available to them. Make accessibility a priority.
• If your team has budgets or time allowances for professional development, team building, training, or other perks, use it. Set people up to use these perks on an individual basis and take the lead scheduling time and making arrangements for your team to use them collectively.

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Understand the causes of employee turnover and keep your top talent

Many teams and companies have experienced high staff turnover in the last year, and if this speaks to you, you're not alone. By getting to the root cause of voluntary employee turnover, you can be proactive to avoid another wave of good employees leaving. Work with your team to improve employee satisfaction, and boost retention as you move forward.

As a manager, you always want to lead your team to new heights. In many aspects, management and coaching can be pretty similar. Because of this, managers can benefit from using a coaching approach with their team members. But before you can lead your team to a championship, you have to learn about your players. What are their goals? What are their strengths? Where can they grow? As the great coach Phil Jackson once said:

“The strength of the team is each individual member.”

Just like a coach, you have a roster of different players who probably have very different skill sets. If you want to take your team to the next level, you have to guide your employees to achieve both their individual and collective goals.

Luckily, scientific models like the GROW model exist to help managers like you to coach employees to success. Similar to private coaching sessions, one-on-ones are a great way to build solid relationships with your team members. To effectively coach employees in one-on-one meetings, you need to ask the right questions.

Use the GROW coaching questions from this article to build championship DNA within your team.

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What is the GROW coaching model?

The GROW coaching model helps managers make one-on-one conversations effective and impactful. By asking the right question at the right time, you can guide your team members to uncover their own solutions, and drive their own development.

The GROW coaching model

• Goals: What are the goals of the conversation?
• Reality: What is the reality or context of the situation?
• Options: What are the options for moving forward?
• What’s next: How do you want to proceed?

Keep this framework in mind when you structure your meeting agenda. Use the GROW coaching questions outlined below to coach employees through these four steps and toward setting action items.

Examples of GROW coaching model questions

Here are questions examples for each category of the GROW coaching model. Feel free to add these to your next one-on-one meeting agenda.

Questions for your team member about goals

Start by making sure you and your team member want the same thing out of the meeting. This can vary depending on a number of factors, so always check-in at the start of the conversation. Employees might need guidance, a sounding board, clarification, or something else. Use these questions to establish a common objective.

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1. What do we want to get out of this meeting?
2. I’ve noticed [issue to address], would you be open to working through this together today?
3. What exactly is the issue you’re trying to resolve?
4. Why is it important to resolve this situation?
5. What’s at stake if we don’t resolve it?
6. How would you measure success for this initiative?
7. How long do you feel it will take to resolve this issue?

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Examples of questions to understand the reality

Once you’ve set your shared intention for the conversation, your employee can fill you in on the details you’ll need to give feedback effectively. To coach your team member correctly, you need to understand their current reality. If someone is struggling to manage their work-life balance, there might be things going on in their personal life that you’re not aware of or you might not have a clear picture of their full workload. Asking open-ended questions, and a few more specific questions when needed, will help you have the right context to work through the situation together.

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1. What is working well right now?
2. What do you think is blocking you?
3. Have you already taken any steps towards your goal? Describe what you did.
4. If you haven't taken steps yet, how could you act on this issue?
5. What is happening now (what, who, when, and how often)? What is the effect or result of this?
6. Are you the only person affected by this current situation?
7. Are you the only person responsible for solving this issue?

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Questions to explore options with your team member

With a solid foundation for understanding, you can begin weighing different options for how to proceed with your team member. For example, if someone is disagreeing with a colleague on how to tackle a problem, you can discuss how they might speak with their coworker directly, or bring in other team members to make it a group decision. The effective questions outlined below will help you explore various approaches to the current situation during your one-on-one meeting.

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1. What have you already tried? What else could you try? What have you not tried yet?
2. What are the usual solutions available to you?
3. How would you approach the current situation if you had unlimited time or resources?
4. If you could start from scratch, how would you approach the situation differently?
5. Which of the options you have do you feel will help you accomplish your goal?
6. How could you do things differently?
7. How could you simplify the solution even further?
8. Who can help you succeed and how?

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Questions to decide what’s next

Successful meetings end with establishing next steps and setting action items that you can follow up on in your next one-on-one. It might be tempting to give your team members next steps when you have ideas for them, but coaching means guiding your employees to learn and find the answers on their own. These questions can help you clarify the output of your discussion, so you can both walk away feeling that you’re going in the right direction. You can use them to build an action plan that will help your employee to succeed with their goals.

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1. If you could do only one thing right now, what would it be?
2. Out of all your options, which one do you think is the best choice?
3. What do you choose to do in relation to the situation?
4. When? Why?
5. Do you feel confident with this choice? Why?
6. What will be your main challenge?
7. What else do you need to succeed?
8. What follow-up should be done to ensure you succeed?

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Managers need some coaching, too

Managers don't need to have perfect coaching skills to be able to lead their employees to success. By using the GROW framework, you can ask the right questions during your one-on-one meetings to take employee development to the next level, and keep every team member engaged.

Sometimes, it's all it takes to turn a team into a dynasty.

A new person has joined your team, or maybe you have recently become a manager. If either of these situations is true, it probably means that you have your first one-on-one meeting with an employee coming up, and you want to get it right.

One-on-one meetings are a useful tool to build trust with your team members, set clear expectations, and establish an open communication, and the first one is especially important. Your first one-on-one with any direct report is the stepping stone for your future work relationship and a key opportunity to connect with this person on a human level.

Prepare your one-on-one meeting structure

Having a one-on-one meeting structure helps you lead the conversation with confidence, and shows your new employee that you're organized, and you care. Using a one-on-one meeting template or agenda template is a good way to make sure the conversation runs smoothly.

Try this meeting agenda template specifically made for a first one on one with new employee!

1. Get to know the person

Before manager and employee, you are two human beings. Ask them about themself, and it feels natural, you can tell them a little bit about your background. But most importantly, listen to what they've got to say. This will set the tone for open communication, and help you build a real connection.

Tip: Having your first one-on-one meeting virtually? Break the ice with a quick 'show and tell' where you each talk about an item on your desk or in your space. Or, you could each select a video background that represents you in some way. Don't be shy to lighten the mood.

2. Ask about their drives and motivations

What are their favourite and least favourite tasks? Which projects do they normally enjoy? When you understand your team members' motivations, it helps you keep up employee engagement on your team. Getting to know their career goals and professional aspirations helps you empower them, which is "associated with stronger job performance, job satisfaction and commitment to the organization," according to Harvard Business Review.

3. Go over team communication channels and work processes

This is a crucial first step to onboarding any new employee, whether it's your team member or yourself. Catch them up to speed on communication channels and norms and how the team usually gets work done. Or, have them do the same for you. Establishing clear expectations around communication is key to avoid potential misunderstandings.

Tip: If you're a new manager, have your first team meeting early on as well to connect with everyone at once. This will help with getting to know your team's communication norms and other team dynamics.

4. Talk about constructive feedback

Offering feedback and guidance to your employees is part of your role, and knowing how to deliver it is key to a good relationship. So ask them how they like to receive feedback and what things they'd like to work on. Listening to them and accommodating their needs shows that you're there to support them.

5. Ask them how can you make their life easier

Ultimately, every one-on-one is an employee meeting, and meant to help them succeed. Pay attention to their requests and do your best to help them out. Showing your employees that you listen, that you acknowledge their fears and frustrations, and want to genuinely support them will increase their trust in you as a leader.

Share a meeting agenda with your employee

Having established an agenda prior to leading your first one-on-one meeting helps you keep the conversation focused and efficient. Share a simple agenda with your team member and ask them to add any talking point they'd like to cover.

Officevibe's one-on-one meeting software lets your create your meeting agenda in collaboration with your employee. Knowing the agenda beforehand gives people time to self-reflect and think about things they might want to bring up, so you both arrive prepared.

Be flexible with how the conversation goes

Although having a structure is helpful, a first one on one meeting can be informal and mostly about getting to know each other. Rely on your structure as a loose guide but let the conversation flow naturally. Remember, it's not a monologue. Listening to your employee and acknowledging what they've got to say is the most important thing in all 1-on-1 meetings. Let this person share their thoughts and vision to create open, two-way communication from day one.

Ask questions to let your employee share

Your first one-on-one meeting with an employee is a great opportunity to ask lots of questions and get to know each other. A good manager is a good listener. Prepare some one-on-one meeting questions to give your direct report a chance to share.

Questions for a first one-on-one meeting with an employee

1. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
2. What do you like best about your job (and what do you like the least)?
3. Where do you seek motivation?
4. What are your career goals?
5. How do you prefer to receive feedback?
6. What can I do to make you more comfortable at work?

Follow up in your next one-on-one meeting

You probably won't be able to cover all the topics in one day, and that's okay. Don't feel like you need to rush through it, and take the time to really listen to your employee's thoughts and questions. If you don't get to cover your whole agenda, you can pick up where you left off next time.

There might be questions that you won't know the answer to, or things that you will need to check for them. Don't be shy to say "let me get back to you on that." But make sure that you do get back to them. Set some action items at the end of the meeting and follow up on them the next time you have a one-on-one.

Tip: Decide on a time and day to set a recurring meeting during your first one-on-one. This way, you'll have regular meetings going forward, so you can always follow up. This is the best way to get the full benefits of one-on-one meetings.

You're ready for your first one-on-one with an employee!

We don’t need to wish you any luck because with these tools you’re set up for success. Just remember: a good one-on-one meeting is always more about listening than about speaking. Be present, take notes, and follow up!

Have you ever finished a full day of work only to feel like you haven't accomplished anything important? Many managers, whether seasoned or newly minted, often qualify themselves as busy, but not always productive. While it's no surprise that being busy is par for the course when you’re a manager, being busy doesn't always mean you’re being effective with your time. In fact, it can be an indicator of just the opposite.

The best managers know that the secret weapon to get out of this cycle of busyness is to hone their delegation skills.

When you learn how to delegate work effectively, it lets you focus on the most important parts of your job, while removing low-impact work from your plate. Plus, it can help employees work on new projects, learn new skills, and stay engaged.

If you find yourself struggling to prioritize your high-impact work, consider intentionally delegating more tasks to people on your team.

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In this article, you'll learn

• Why delegation skills are critical for managers
• Are you afraid to delegate? You’re not alone!
• How to know if a task is delegation material
• Putting it to practice: How to delegate work effectively

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Why delegations skills are critical for managers

As a manager, your role is to help prioritize, steer, and drive work that will generate the highest value for your team and company. If you’re stuck running reports and managing the day-to-day minutia, you won't be able to take the high-level view you need to strategize and make decisions. Beyond creating space to focus on high-impact work, delegating tasks provides great learning and development opportunity for your team, and for you.

For example: you may be able to quickly and easily outline a marketing campaign. But while this kind of task may be important, it might be the kind of thing that would be better for your team to take on. If an employee has never taken the lead on this kind of project, handing this task off will allow them the opportunity to flex new skills.

30% of employees don’t feel like they have someone who contributes to their growth and development.

Officevibe's Pulse Survey data

By delegating work, you can contribute to your employees' ongoing growth and development. This will keep employees engaged, which comes with a host of benefits for your team. Plus, you clear up time on your calendar to focus on your own personal and professional development.

Are you afraid to delegate? You’re not alone!

Why is it so hard to delegate sometimes? We asked this question to some managers in our network. While many managers recognize the value in delegation, they can struggle when it comes to letting go of their work. Here are a few common reasons why:

1. Maintaining team focus

While the intention here is good, it's all about finding a balance. You don't want to distract your team, but if you never pass the ball, they might feel like you don't trust them or you're not willing to share the fun and exciting work. Giving people a chance (and the proper time to take it on) will build your team's trust in you as a manager and keep employees engaged,

2. More upfront work

Delegating can feel difficult in the beginning as it may take someone else twice as long to get the task done as they ramp up. This is, however, is short-term thinking and will cost you more time in the long run. Your employees won't build up their skill sets, and you'll continue struggling to keep up with a never-ending to-do list.

3. They don’t want to let go of power

This might also boil down to a manager's lack of trust in their team. Or, they could worry that if they hand over their work to others, they may be seen as redundant. However, the best managers know the team’s success is their success and don’t feel threatened when helping others shine.

4. They don’t know how

Some managers may have simply never delegated and don’t know how to do it. When you're the manager, you may feel pressure to know how to do everything and have all the answers. It can feel intimidating to exercise a new skill like delegation. The great news is you’ve probably hired employees who are more qualified than you on certain tasks, so passing on work to them benefits the entire team.

How to know if a task is delegation material

If you’re not sure if a task is suitable for delegation, there are tools that can help you break it down.

Use the Eisenhower decision matrix

This priority quadrant method helps you reflect on what you can delegate. Based on the decision matrix, items that are urgent but not important can be delegated. This is a quick way to reduce your to-do list as a manager.

You also might consider items that are important and non-urgent as good opportunities for delegation. These types of tasks don't have the same time restrictions, but are still meaningful. So they can be a chance for employees to take on something new, with the time needed to learn.

Ask development questions in your 1-on-1s

Another great way to understand what to delegate is to look for opportunities in your 1-on-1 meetings with employees. Ask them what kind of work they would like to take on and plan ahead so they'll have the time to try new things. You can ask them questions like:

• Is there any work happening on the team that you’d like to be more involved with?
• Are there any tasks I currently work on that would be helpful for your growth to take on?
• What would a stretch opportunity within our team look like for you?

Based on their answers, you can look at your workload and see if there are any tasks that would match up with their interests and start delegating those.

Putting it to practice: How to delegate work effectively

You understand the importance of delegating work, and you're empowered with what can be delegated. Now, you're just wondering how to delegate work effectively, and what steps to take to redistribute some of your workload.

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4 Steps to effective delegation

• Step 1: Decide who would benefit most. Thinking through your team, who would be most engaged or enjoy learning from this task? Who seems to have an interest in taking on more?
• Step 2: Make sure the person in mind has the bandwidth to take on additional work. You can do this through quick check-ins or 1-on-1 conversations.
• Step 3: Make sure you’re giving clear instructions on what needs to be done, what you expect, and where the person can go for resources and information they need to complete the task. Set clear timelines, and remove any roadblocks for them.
• Step 4: Follow up and be available to support them early on-whether this be through a demo of the work, or a collaborative working session.

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By spending time on steps 3 and 4, you’ll reduce the likelihood that your employee misses the mark and ends up creating more work for you.

While it may feel like more effort and work upfront, spending time early on helping your team develop the skills they need to take on new tasks will free up your time to become a more strategic business partner in the future.

Are there any tasks that you’ve been afraid to let go of? Try out these new skills today and let us know how it goes!

This article is a guest post from Softstart, the all-in-one onboarding platform to start your new hires off on the right foot.

Every manager wants an engaged, high-performing team of all-star employees. And when you bring someone new onto your team, you want them to feel like they're a part of that dynamic. Onboarding is the structure that welcomes your new employees, ensuring they feel at home in their new role and setting the tone for their new work environment. But the importance of onboarding goes beyond a new hire's first weeks and months. Good onboarding impacts employee engagement and their overall performance. In the long run, onboarding even has an affect on employee retention on your team.

When people are set up for success and properly integrated into the team, it sets the tone for their experience as an employee at your company. And the intangible benefits of proper onboarding — from making employees feel empowered, excited to work, and like they are a part of something — lead to real, tangible outcomes.

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Keep reading to learn...

• 4 reasons to focus on proper employee onboarding
• The importance of onboarding: examples
• A tool to support your onboarding efforts

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4 reasons to focus on proper employee onboarding

Onboarding is investing in the short-term for a new employee’s long-term success. You can’t expect a newcomer to do well without equipping them with the right knowledge, resources, and support. And numbers don’t lie — investing in onboarding impacts a company's bottom line. Applying effective onboarding practices will:

1. Build employee engagement: When you take the time to onboard a new employee, you’re not only providing them with a clear path to success, but also strengthening their sense of belonging. An engaged employee makes a loyal and committed one, and companies with engaged employees are 21% more profitable.
2. Support employee performance: What do engaged employees do? They show up with better focus and apply themselves more to the tasks at hand. They are generally happier, more collaborative and perform better overall. A study shows that happy employees perform 20% better than unhappy ones.
3. Increase team success: A clear sense of direction and the motivation to get there makes every employee a better teammate. When you reinforce everyone’s capabilities, no one has to overcompensate for a lack of productivity. And strong workplace collaboration can increase successful innovation by 15%.
4. Reduce employee turnover: Engaged and happy employees will stay longer at a company. Financially, this is the ideal scenario. A company can spend on average $3,000 to onboard a new employee, but it can cost them up to six times that amount to replace someone due to low employee retention caused by poor onboarding.

The importance of onboarding: examples

These examples highlight how a new hire's onboarding experience shapes their employee experience with your company and your team. As a manager, you'll play a key role in how people feel as they join your team, so take note.

An example of unsuccessful onboarding

Annie was excited to start her new job as a Graphic Designer, but she quickly lost her enthusiasm after her first week. She felt lost in trying to figure out how to access resources and follow team processes, and she had no idea who to turn to. She gave her new job a chance but continued to feel unsupported. Annie didn’t want to keep working for an organization that clearly seemed disorganized, so she quit after just 3 months. 

Annie is part of the one third of people who leave an employer after less than six months due to poor onboarding.

Statistic from Business News Daily

A situation like Annie’s could have been avoided had her manager used a complete employee onboarding checklist that included:

• Taking the time to do tool tutorials
• Assigning a go-to person for help and guidance (buddy system)
• Having regular daily or weekly touch points, especially in the first month

An example of successful onboarding

Jon loves his new job. Sure, it’s not always easy. But he knows exactly what he needs to achieve and feels supported day-to-day, which motivates him to rise to the challenge every time. Whenever he's not sure what to do or has to tackle a task he's unfamiliar with, he can turn to his team and get someone to walk him through it. Plus, he wouldn’t let his team down because he knows that his contribution, like everyone else’s, is valuable.

Jon’s experience isn’t by accident. Employers that provide a good onboarding structure like his can see up to 54% greater productivity with their new employees — along with 50% greater retention.

Statistics from Urban Bound

What key onboarding best practices can contribute to employee success stories like Jon’s? Here are some ideas:

• Setting clear objectives and milestones on a timeline
• Regular touch points to give and receive performance feedback (after 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days)
• Moments for team communication and bonding

A tool to onboard new hires with care

An effective onboarding program covers both the practical and the human side of joining a company. And with so many factors to consider to create the perfect onboarding process, managing onboarding each new hire isn't a one-person job. But, short of time and resources, it often feels like it has to be. Using an onboarding tool can help take some of the pressure off.

Softstart helps you create memorable and effective onboarding experiences effortlessly, so you can spend more time building your employees up rather than building onboarding plans. The software comes with ready-to-use, customizable templates to build onboarding plans for every new employee. It’s a collaborative platform that your team can access online, so you can get team members to contribute to welcoming their new colleagues.

Don't underestimate the importance of onboarding

Companies who take the time to invest and care about their new employees’ onboarding experiences get employees who care about their employers in return. Setting your new hires up to be engaged long-term is a worthwhile business investment. Now that hiring activities are spiking up again, are you ready to start onboarding on the right foot?

If you want your employee engagement and performance to grow, your team needs to feel seen, appreciated, and recognized for their efforts. And, as a manager, that means letting them know you see, appreciate, and recognize them.

In other words, it's vital to make employee recognition a priority. We know you're busy, so we put together some words of appreciation and examples for common situations that call for recognition.

Use the employee recognition examples in this article as inspiration for expressing gratitude and showing your entire team they're valued.

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Key takeaways:

• Recognition is at the heart of employee engagement. When managers, peers, and leaders show appreciation for good performance, efforts, and participation, employees are more motivated to excel.
• Managers can use the employee recognition examples provided in this article as inspiration to customize and create their own messages of appreciation.
• There are additional ways to create a culture of recognition at work — from company-wide acknowledgments, employee awards, moments of celebration, and professional development opportunities.

Employee recognition messages examples

As a manager, we get that you might not have extra time in your day to plan elaborate employee recognition ideas. However, quick words of appreciation can have a huge and positive impact. The employee appreciation messages listed here are meant to serve as inspiration. We recommend adding your own personal touch rather than copying and pasting generic recognition messages.

Messages for top performance

Giving a nod to great work makes employees feel seen and valued, and helps keep them motivated. If they put in the notable effort, or go the extra mile to get results, showing appreciation is always warranted. Whether you’re continually impressed or an employee has started to really stand out, giving them the shoutout they deserve is never a bad shout.

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💡 Here are a few employee recognition examples you could share with someone on your team whose performance calls for some shine:

• “Your outstanding performance is an inspiration to us all. Keep up the amazing work!”
• “Thank you for always putting your best foot forward! Your performance is always top-notch, even when you take on more work.”
• “You’ve really raised the bar this quarter. A performance like yours is a huge asset to the whole team.”

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Messages for reaching goals

Employee goal-setting is an important part of helping your entire team reach their full potential. But setting goals is only one part of the process. If you want to keep your employees motivated, you need to recognize (and celebrate!) when they achieve those goals.

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💡 Here are a few employee recognition examples you might use after they hit one of their goals:

• “There was never a doubt in my mind you'd accomplish this, but now that you have, I just want to say congratulations on hitting your goal!”
• “Incredible job hitting this goal! You really knocked it out of the park.”
• “You consistently impress me with your ability to not only set ambitious goals but to achieve them.”

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Messages for teamwork

For an entire team to function, every member has to do their part to contribute to the company’s success. But for some team members, simply showing up and doing their job isn't enough. They go above and beyond what their role calls for while supporting their coworkers and elevating the team.

And those team members deserve some serious recognition.

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💡 Here are examples of messages that recognize team members who exceed expectations and contribute to the team above and beyond their roles:

• “Thanks for your contribution today. You went above and beyond and the team really appreciates you!”
• “Thanks for being a great team player. Your efforts make our team stronger!”
• “I just want you to know that your commitment to this team and your willingness to step up and do what needs to be done – even if it falls outside of your job title – don't go unnoticed.”

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Messages for outstanding dedication

Exemplary work ethic always deserves to be recognized since these employees can serve as an inspiration to the whole team. Dedicated employees are the backbone of the organization and should be valued by everyone. The success your team achieves together is thanks to their consistency and commitment. Help keep up the momentum by sending a message of appreciation.

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💡 Here are a few employee appreciation quotes to recognize a great employee for their consistent dedication:

• “No matter the situation, you always rise to the occasion! Thank you for your unwavering dedication; it doesn’t go unnoticed.”
• “Thank you for being such a reliable member of this team. We appreciate your work ethic so much!”
• You always put in 100% and we see it. Thank you for helping us all succeed.

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Messages for growth and improvement

As a manager, your role is to empower your team members to be their best selves at work. If your employees soak up feedback and constantly work towards improving their skill sets, kudos should definitely be served.

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💡 Here are a few employee appreciation messages to show your team you notice and celebrate their improvements:

• “You accept feedback like no other and it’s a pleasure to see you flourish in your role!”
• “Your drive for constant improvement is contagious. Thank you for inspiring the team to be the best they can be.”
• “Over the last few months, we’ve noticed a huge improvement in X skillset. Your effort does not go unnoticed and we’re proud to see you grow.”

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Messages for unique expertise

A great team is one that’s made up of diverse skill sets and perspectives. Leveraging your employees’ strengths not only gives them the chance to show what they’re capable of but is also beneficial to the whole team by helping them achieve goals together. Drop an appreciation note the next time someone on your team steps up to bring their unique skills to the table.

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💡 Here are some of the best employee appreciation quotes to recognize someone’s standout skills:

• “Your expertise on X really gave us valuable insights. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us all!”
• “We’re so impressed with your expertise on X. You’re awesome at what you do and you bring great value to the team.”
• “Thank you for bringing your unique perspective to the table. Your expertise is impressive and inspiring.”

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Messages for a work anniversary

You want to keep top performers on your team for as long as possible. And one way to do that? Acknowledge when they've put in a full year on your team or reached other milestones. Celebrating work anniversaries is a great way to show employees you appreciate their hard work and dedication. And hopefully, keep them committed to your team through their next anniversary.

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💡 Here are a few examples of employee appreciation quotes to share with your team when they're celebrating a milestone anniversary with your team/organization:

• “Happy work anniversary! You make this company a better place to work every year you're here.”
• “Another work anniversary, another year. I'm grateful to work with you!”
• “Over the past year, you've shown up, you've worked hard, you've supported your team, and you've knocked your goals out of the park. Happy work anniversary. We're so lucky to have you! Can't wait to see what's coming in the year ahead.”

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Messages of appreciation for a noteworthy attitude

An employee who shows up to work with a great attitude can completely change the vibe of the team. They're easier to work with, they're fun to be around, and they make for a more positive, supportive work environment. Good energy goes a long way in the workplace, so why not pay the employee happiness forward?

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💡 Here are a few employee appreciation messages you can pass along to help keep the good energy flowing:

• “Working hard is important. But working kindly is just as important, and you've nailed both! Thanks for being such a pleasure to work with.”
• “Your upbeat attitude is contagious, and it makes our team (and our organization!) better. Thanks for bringing positivity to work every day!”
• “Your optimism, happiness, and overall positive attitude is an asset to this team. Thank you for being you!”

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Messages of recognition for efforts during hard times

All the examples we've covered so far have been about recognizing employees when things are going well. And while it's important to recognize your team when things are on the up and up, it's just as important to recognize them when things aren't going so well.

Motivation has a tendency to dip when times are hard. For example, during a challenging project, when a key team member leaves, during times of transition or change. 

If you want to keep your team moving forward during challenging times, a little employee appreciation and recognition go a long way.

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💡 Here are a few employee appreciation messages you can use to recognize your team's efforts when work is more challenging, hard, or uncertain:

• “I know things haven't been easy. But I just wanted to thank you for always showing up and supporting this team, even when it's hard.”
• “Things have been tough, but every day you show up, roll up your sleeves, and make things happen. Thanks for pushing through, we appreciate you!”
• “It's easy to show up with a smile on your face when things are going well. But you've continued to show up with a smile on your face, even when things have been tough. Thanks for all you do!”

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Additional words of appreciation for employee engagement

Recognition is a key tool to motivate and inspire employees. By being generous with employee appreciation messages, managers can ensure everyone in the team feels acknowledged, recognized, celebrated, and inspired to do their best work. 

But are employee appreciation messages a responsibility that falls solely on managers? Appreciation can come from everywhere — from peers to leaders. And it should! 

Peer-to-peer recognition examples

Colleagues have the unique ability to provide kudos to one another, especially when it comes to highlighting day-to-day collaboration wins. They notice the small efforts, like helping out with a task or providing advice, that might not always make their back to managers.

It’s important to encourage peer-to-peer recognition among team members. Not everyone has a way around words, so managers can provide a few examples to help break the ice of employee appreciation messages between colleagues.

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💡 Here are a few peer-to-peer recognition examples for employees to use as inspiration to show appreciation for their colleagues:

• “Thanks so much for your help earlier on X. I was stuck and your advice was very useful. You really know what you’re doing!”
• “I appreciate every time you offer to get us coffee before a meeting. We get so caught up in the stress of the day that these little moments of consideration mean a lot!”
• “I admired the way you delivered that presentation to the client earlier. You spoke confidently and helped deliver the message clearly. I was impressed!”

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Leadership message to employees examples

Leadership recognition can be powerful. For one, these messages can feel more special because they are from members of the company that employees might look up to and aspire to. A message of appreciation shows an employee’s efforts don’t go unnoticed by decision-makers — which can be extremely encouraging, especially if that employee is vying for a promotion.

But leadership messages to employees also signal to employees that members at the top of the company pyramid are taking an active interest and involvement. Leaders don’t always have the same opportunities to interact with everyone day-to-day. This type of recognition shows a level of attention and care from leadership that can sometimes go unnoticed. 

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💡 Here are some key messages leaders can use to show their recognition to their workforce:

• “I want to express my sincere appreciation for your hard work. Your efforts haven’t gone unnoticed and were acknowledged at our last leadership meeting!”
• “X told me it was your idea to suggest an improvement of our processes. I am impressed by your problem-solving mindset and encourage you to keep sharing your great ideas!”
• “I’ve noticed consistent feedback from your peers that your team-oriented attitude has made a positive impact on everyone. Thank you for being a part of what makes this company great to work at!”

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Recognition at work examples that go beyond words

No two people are made the same, and every employee has a different ideal when it comes to appreciation. Public recognition might be great for the extroverts on your team, for example, while some may lean more towards actions beyond words. Here are a few positive recognition examples that come to life outside of the standard written message format:

Employee of the Month awards

This one might seem old school, but Employee of the Month awards are a time-honored tradition in many workplaces! They’re a way to publicly recognize star employees and celebrate outstanding performance across an organization. They create moments of praise that boost morale, motivate employees, and nurture a positive company culture.

Of course, employee award programs don’t have to be confined to the once-a-month formula. Spot bonuses to incentivize a sales quarter or weekly digital recognition boards populated by peers are examples of employee award programs. Whatever aligns with your company practices and culture!

Moments of celebration at work

Team celebrations or work anniversary celebrations are opportunities to acknowledge milestones, achievements, and special occasions together. Whether it’s a team lunch, cake to celebrate a colleague’s workiversary, or after-work team drinks to acknowledge a special project completed — moments of celebration shared together instil pride within employees and strengthen bonds between team members.

Professional development opportunities

When a company invests in its employees’ professional development, it’s a powerful demonstration of recognition. It communicates: We see how hard you work, we believe in your success, and we’re here to help you strive. Offering development opportunities like training, skill development, or career advancement lets employees know they are worth being bet on. 

Professional opportunities come in all shapes and forms. They can be access to online learning, mentorship programs, or even sponsored attendances to industry conferences your employees would love to be a part of.

Flexible work options

Now, this one might not be an obvious team member recognition tactic — so allow us to explain! While flexible work options are more commonplace these days, they aren’t necessarily a given. But if managers want to boost appreciation and recognition, they might want to consider this creative work scheme. How so?

When employees are offered the option to adjust their work schedule, it shows that they are trusted to complete their tasks even outside of normal hours. It tells them that their level of responsibility, commitment, and autonomy is recognized. This can be a great reward system that gives an allowance for employees to use for personal events or projects that require them to adjust their work hours.

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Looking to transform your company culture? Click here for some essential employee recognition tips that are sure to help motivate your modern workforce and contribute to a culture of recognition!

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Making sure your recognition program is right for your team

Your company values its employees, so it’s important to tell them. A recognition program can be beneficial to any company or organization. In fact, research by Bersin suggests that engaging your employees through recognition tactics will reduce turnover by 31%. 

So how can you tell if your recognition program is effective for your team? It can be as simple as getting them involved from the start. Using Pulse Surveys is an easy way to invite employee feedback so that you can continuously improve your work culture and recognition efforts. If you’re still unsure where to start, Good Vibes by Workleap Officevibe can help with its simple, human way to recognize team members. Rather than public recognition like praise walls, Good Vibes prompts team members to send employee appreciation messages spontaneously, encouraging peer-to-peer recognition. It’s a feature that provides team recognition examples that can be personalized. Employees can simply pick a card, adjust it in their own words, tag a peer, and let them know how great they are.