Performance Management

Performance management is like a GPS for managers and employees — a handy system that continually helps track employee progress, navigate roadblocks, and recalculate when necessary, swiftly leading to the destination of improved individual and company performance.

In the past, performance management was centered around an annual review that judged how well an employee performed that year and how many goals they met. This system is increasingly being phased out, as some argue it demotivates employees by focusing more on what they did last year than improving their current and future performance for the good of the organization.

Instead, managers are now complimenting this traditional method with performance management, which centers on learning through regular, informal conversations with employees about their performance. This dynamic approach has companies, teams, and employees reaping the benefits.

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What is performance management?

Briefly put, performance management is a year-round conversation between a manager and an employee about their job performance and how they can improve and continue to sharpen their skills.

This ongoing process aims to boost individual performance and productivity by setting clear goals, measuring progress, providing feedback, training, and coaching, tweaking areas of improvement, and recognizing achievements.

Done right, performance management creates and sustains improved employee (and consequently company) performance, fostering an environment in which both can thrive.

⚡Performance management is undergoing a major transformation. Read more about where the method is heading and how leaders can use it to boost employee engagement and bolster career development.

Why performance management is important?

Performance management is a leavening agent, helping organizations (and everyone in them) rise to their full potential by improving performance all-round. It drives success by setting expectations, ensuring team alignment, and providing structures for managing, tracking, and evaluating employee performance.

A successfully implemented performance management system cuts down on time-consuming micromanagement, providing a vital blueprint for measuring your employees’ performance and identifying areas where they can benefit from improvement and training. With an effective performance management program, managers can understand what their employees are doing and how and why they’re doing it. On the flip side, employees will know exactly what’s expected of them on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. They’ll also be aware of how their performance is assessed and what they need to achieve to move to the next level.

In addition to this, an effective performance management system leads to:

• Better goal alignment: Setting aligned team objectives is more than just informing employees about the organization’s bottom-line goals. It encompasses individual, team, and organizational objectives in a way that encourages employees to work both individually and collectively toward them.
• Increased employee engagement and productivity: Providing regular feedback and recognition can lead to more motivated, engaged, and productive employees. In fact, one Gallup study shows that engaged employees are 18% more productive than their disengaged counterparts and their companies are 23% more profitable, too. Simply put, engaged employees are more motivated and eager to come to work every day.
• Improved managerial leadership: Consistent feedback and guidance also offer you the opportunity to routinely boost your coaching and mentoring skills. Plus, it helps develop employees’ skill sets, molding them into the company’s next generation of leaders and creating a circular system of knowledge-sharing within the business.
• Better talent retention: Employees who have frequent performance meetings and training sessions with their managers are statistically more likely to stay with a company (as in the case of Adobe, which managed to cut its involuntary turnover by up to 30% through its frequent check-in program).One of the main reasons for higher retention rates is down to incentivization; if employees know you’re working hard to develop them professionally, help them reach their goals, and reward their good performance, they’re more likely to stay with the company.
• Improved organizational performance: Helping your employees learn, develop, and perform better has a positive knock-on effect on a company’s performance, increasing revenue growth and improving customer satisfaction. Consistent monitoring of performance and skill sets can also unearth potential performance gaps within an organization, which can be addressed to strengthen its competitive edge and improve its performance.

The performance management cycle

Managing employee performance is a constantly evolving process, changing with the needs and requirements of employees, the organizations they work for, and the customers they serve. In this way, performance management can be seen as a continuous process of developing, monitoring, measuring, and evaluating performance, constantly working to align the success of employees with that of the organization.

The performance management cycle typically involves six key stages:

1. Planning

Performance planning helps set and manage expectations. The most effective ones include timelines and goals that are well-defined, measurable, attainable, and relevant — helping employees understand what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, by when, and the level of effort required. For better alignment, you could involve your employees in the creation of their own performance plan by discussing with them their responsibilities, performance standards, and developmental objectives. This helps employees visualize their path forward and allows senior management to identify training opportunities.

2. Monitoring

Monitoring and measuring an employee’s progress using key performance indicators (KPIs) is important to understanding whether or not they’re on the right track. Frequent check-ins, evaluations, and continuous feedback will help channel their efforts toward achieving company objectives and will alert you to any interventions that should be made before they become larger issues.

Helping teams set short- and long-term goals is a key part of improving employee engagement, boosting team performance, and empowering your employees to reach their full potential. With an Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) framework, you can help drive accountability and continuous alignment throughout your organization.

3. Developing

This stage involves working with employees to develop plans and strategies to address areas of improvement. Whether it’s by providing training and development opportunities, coaching, or mentoring, development is a key step in helping your employees and your organization achieve new levels of success.

Tip: If you’re wondering how you’ll have the time to structure and execute formal professional development sessions, rest assured they’re not always necessary. Instead, you can picture employee development as an ongoing process of checking in on people's morale and identifying any challenges they’re struggling with. From there, you can help guide or redirect them to get them moving in a positive direction.

4. Rating

There are various ways of rating an employee's performance. You can go for a more structured approach, basing your review on the KPIs and other measures laid out in your performance plan. For this, you might assign a score of 1-5 or use a performance appraisal form to document an employee’s strengths, areas of improvement, and development goals.

Alternatively, you can tackle it collaboratively, breaking each goal up and inviting your employees to describe how well they feel they did. This two-way approach can help build a greater sense of trust and mutual understanding between you and your employees.

5. Rewarding

Providing individual team members with recognition, bonuses, and promotions for a job well done doesn’t just fill them the boots with pride, it also incentivizes them to perform better. According to Deloitte, employee recognition programs experience a 14% improvement in employee engagement compared to those without these programs, leading to a 2% increase in profit margins and higher employee satisfaction.

You don’t need to wait till Christmas to reward employees. Pepper your people with praise and support throughout the year by trying different ways to increase recognition in your workplace.

6. Renewing

This final phase of the performance management cycle involves taking the insights gained in each stage and using them to continuously refine performance measures, revise goals and objectives, and update processes and procedures to ensure their ultimate effectiveness.

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Best practices for solid performance management systems

Given that only one in five employees perceive their company to manage performance in a way that motivates them to do their best work, it’s clear that the whole performance management process is due for a revamp. Of course, different models will work for different organizations, but we’ve identified seven best practices that you can start implementing today to create solid, effective, fair, and robust performance management systems.

1. Set SMART goals and track results

Setting performance goals is easily one of the most crucial elements of an effective performance management strategy. They provide clarity and accountability, ensuring everyone’s on the same page about what’s expected from them.

But having goals without tracking the progress made toward them blunts their effect. That’s because monitoring results helps you accurately assess whether your employees are meeting the performance expectations set out in their goals. They also help identify any roadblocks or issues that may be impeding progress, enabling tweaks to be made as needed.

To maximize the meaningful impact of your goals, it’s a good idea to follow tried and true goal-setting guidelines like the SMART method, which prescribes that your aims be:

• Specific: Clearly defined goals, roles, and expectations provide employees with a springboard to success. Knowing what your priorities are (whether it’s employee retention, engagement, or otherwise) makes goal-setting a million times easier. It also makes employees aware of exactly what’s expected from them.
• Measurable: To remain fair and free from implicit bias, you can use objective measures like KPIs to evaluate performance rather than relying on subjective opinions that may not be fully informed.
• Attainable: It’s great when employees reach for the stars, but starting out with realistically achievable targets forms a solid foundation for success. It also helps prevent burnout, as employees' boundaries are working within what is accessible to them at that time.
• Relevant: Market conditions can change rapidly, so regularly revisiting goals to ensure the company's aims are in line with the rest of the industry is essential. It's also a good idea to frequently reassess your company's and employees' priorities to ensure they too are aligned.
• Time-based: Breaking larger goals into achievable sub-targets is like setting up road signs on the path to your goals: it helps keep employees on track and manages expectations about what needs to be achieved and by when.

But just because you’re setting goals doesn’t mean they’re set in stone. Managers know that, in business, challenges crop up and priorities change. That’s why it’s important for goals to remain adaptable. Targets that help individuals and organizations to stay focused on what is most important while being flexible enough to respond to the unexpected, foster individual and organizational resiliency and learning.

Never underestimate the power of impactful goals. Concentrate on simplifying the foundations of solid goal-setting with our comprehensive guide.

2. Meet with employees on a regular basis

According to Officevibe data, 70% of employees surveyed say they’d like to touch base more regularly with their managers. That’s because a continuous performance management process that includes frequent one-on-one meetings is very effective. They can give insight into an employee’s performance and help spot collaboration bottlenecks and goal misalignments.

Providing continuous, real-time feedback in this way can help employees solve issues before they become problems. Who doesn’t want that?

Tip: Officevibe’s one-on-one software helps you touch base with your team more frequently and efficiently with its intuitive and easy-to-use meeting tools and templates.

3. Promote transparent, two-way communication

Meeting often is great, but it’s about as useful as mitts on a snake if you and your employee aren’t communicating well. Transparent, two-way dialogues with employees not only make them feel happy and heard but also helps foster trust, engagement, and knowledge sharing.

To improve communication at work, managers can set up regular meetings with their employees and teams, encouraging everyone to express their thoughts and ideas in a safe, judgment-free space.

Of course, this is easier said than done. That’s why it’s a good idea to employ the help of anonymous feedback tools that can help facilitate honest discussions and establish a vital sense of psychological safety.

4. Make sure feedback is meaningful

Continuous, meaningful, and constructive feedback helps employees align their goals and expectations, learn, self-correct, and grow. That’s because timely feedback that’s development-focused and grounded in truth encourages employees to be more receptive to comments and suggestions. It also makes them more likely to try new approaches, fostering a more profound culture of learning and inspiring greater innovation.

That said, giving good feedback is just as important as receiving it. Listening to employees’ feedback and concerns could highlight blind spots or areas of improvement that you weren’t aware of — and addressing these issues promptly will deepen trust and respect within your team.

You could also involve teammates in the feedback process, encouraging them to provide one another with constructive comments. This will help you gain a more holistic view of your employees’ performance and understand their pain points, leading to even more meaningful feedback.

Providing constructive feedback is the cornerstone of strong leadership. Learn how to give feedback like a pro to drive employee performance and engagement.

5. Offer employee development opportunities

Mentoring employees and providing them with training and skill-building opportunities makes them feel like their company is invested in their success, which can strengthen their engagement and reduce employee turnover. In fact, so important is supporting employee growth that one study found that nearly one-third of tech workers said self-improvement through employee development or tuition reimbursement was their most-valued job characteristic.

To get started, you can set up a one-on-one meeting with your employees to chat about their individual goals and how their skills can be developed so they can reach their full potential. You can also discuss setting up a skills development plan that includes being challenged in a more senior role or expanding growth and knowledge through a lateral move to another team or department.

Professional development and career growth are instrumental in retaining your top talent around. Have the career development talk with your team members with the help of this tried and true template.

6. Focus on employee recognition

Praise, whether it’s in the form of a public announcement, a quick email, or a thumbs-up next to the office coffee machine, is worth its weight in gold. That’s because rewarding good performance motivates employees to keep it up and stick around. It also contributes to building a culture of recognition within a company.

But when it comes to cultivating recognition, the buck shouldn’t stop with managers. Encouraging colleagues to chime in with uplifting words for their teammates builds a sense of support and appreciation. And employees needn’t just be praised for their successes either; recognizing their effort (even if they don’t meet their targets) could help take the edge off their disappointment and spur them to try even harder.

💌 Highlight strong efforts and make peer-to-peer recognition easy with simple and fun tools like Good Vibes.

7. Use a performance management software

Enhancing performance management programs with the right technology can help facilitate feedback, plan meetings, track a team’s progress, identify areas of improvement, and maintain alignment — all in one place. This streamlines the performance management processes, positively affecting managers, employees, and organizations.

In fact, in a study conducted by McKinsey, 65% of respondents claimed their company’s adoption of software that supports performance management has had a positive impact on both employee and company performance.

A performance management system that drives business results

At the end of the day, performance management isn’t merely a tool for managing performance; it’s a fundamental process in a company. It enables managers to transform strategies into clear priorities and guides employees in where to focus their time and energy, ultimately improving organizational performance.

But beyond bettering a business’s bottom line, a solid performance management system is agile and adaptable and uses effective employee development software tools and methods that focus on people. It also ensures that employees understand their roles, receive constructive feedback, and have access to the support they need to do their best work.

In short, performance management is what gets employees rowing in the same direction to the best of their individual abilities, nurturing the environment of support, motivation, and inspiration that both people and businesses need to flourish.

Performance management and employee engagement are two critical aspects of the workplace that are also closely connected. While performance management focuses on setting and achieving goals and targets, employee engagement is about creating a positive and fulfilling work environment.

The best way to understand the relationship between the two is to consider that performance management and employee engagement activities have a symbiotic relationship — and a manager’s job is to ensure both feed into the other for the better.

Read on as we explore the link between performance management and employee engagement, providing you with actionable tips and tricks to boost engagement through performance management best practices.

What is performance management?

Performance management is a structured process that helps managers and employees set and achieve goals and targets together.

When done well, the benefits of performance management are vast and include better team alignment, increased task and goal completion, and stronger relationships and trust. The pros not only influence individual performance, but have a ripple effect on the success of the business as a whole, ultimately helping a company improve their bottom line. 

The performance management process typically involves 4 stages:

Stage 1: Goal setting 

It’s important to use a goal-setting framework such as objectives and key results (OKRs) or SMART goals, when defining goals with employees. There are many out there, so use the one that best meets your needs.

⭐️ Take it to the next level! While it’s a manager’s job to guide and oversee performance management, always encourage employees to suggest and create their own goals that align with company objectives as a way to encourage participation in the process and help them feel empowered in their own performance.

Stage 2: Performance feedback

Make sure to provide feedback constructively and regularly, focusing on specific behaviors and outcomes rather than personal characteristics. Feedback goes both ways, so asking employees for their perspectives on performance and solutions can be enlightening!

Stage 3: Performance evaluation

Use objective criteria and data to evaluate performance, and remember that evaluations are best used as a basis for career development discussions, rather than solely for the purpose of salary and promotions.

Stage 4: Performance improvement

Provide additional resources and support for improvement, especially if employees look to level-up. The performance journey is an ongoing and agile cycle, so monitoring progress, providing support, and adjusting plans as needed should be done on a continual basis.

The connection between performance management and employee engagement

There is an undeniable link between performance management and employee engagement. Engaged employees are likely to perform at a higher level, achieve their goals, and do so with less stress. This inverse is also true; effective performance management practices help improve engagement and keep the virtuous cycle going.

What does effective performance management look like?

• Giving regular performance feedback to employees based on their progress towards their goals, which also helps create a sense of purpose and direction.
• Encouraging employee participation in the goal-setting process, ensuring that they have a sense of ownership over their work.
• Providing opportunities for growth and development, such as training and mentoring, to help employees feel valued and invested in their work.

Why is engagement critical for high performance?

Engaged employees are critical for high performance: they are more productive, better collaborators, and likely to stay with the company longer. In contrast, disengaged employees can lead to decreased productivity, lower morale, and higher turnover rates. Hence why focusing on employee engagement is non-negotiable to achieve high performance.

✊🏼 Enlist employee commitment from the whole team. Look out for these 5 key traits of high-performing teams and make them your north star.

Improving engagement through effective performance management

To improve employee engagement through performance management best practices, we’ve got helpful tips any manager can apply to their day-to-day.

Before we dive into things, it's important to understand the bigger picture of employee engagement. Read about the 10 key factors of employee engagement and how they can help you raise the baseline.

Schedule regular meetings and performance reviews

Regular, one-on-one meetings and performance reviews provide employees with feedback on their progress, offer opportunities for improvement, and help managers identify any roadblocks. You can use these opportunities to recognize and celebrate employee achievements, offer constructive feedback, and set clear goals and expectations. Make sure to create the perfect one-on-one formula for less formal touch-bases, and have a thoughtful performance review structure to get the most out of these meetings.

Scrap the conventional and discover how business leaders are changing the game of performance reviews by leaving behind traditional performance reviews and other archaic processes.

Set clear goals and expectations

When employees understand what is expected of them, they are more likely to feel motivated and engaged. Managers can ensure clear communication by setting goals and communicating expectations clearly — adjusting along the course.

Make goals sweet and to the point with these 9 employee goal setting tips for every manager.

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Give feedback, often

Feedback helps employees understand where they stand, what they are doing well, and what they need to improve. You can and should provide feedback regularly, offering both positive and constructive feedback that is actionable and specific.

Deliver feedback in an empathetic and motivating way with these 22 constructive feedback examples and tips for managers.

Recognize achievements and efforts

Everyone needs to feel valued and seen. When employees feel appreciated, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated. You can recognize employee achievements through simple gestures like private thank-you notes and company shout-outs.

Modern employees want to be appreciated and valued. Move towards a culture of recognition with these 8 tips to increase recognition in your workplace.

Nurture employee development

Nobody looks to stay stagnant in their career, and employee development provides employees with opportunities to grow and develop their skills, and feel proud in their own progression. You can support employee development by providing key development goals as well as relevant training, mentoring, coaching, shadowing and other opportunities for growth.

Kickstart the conversation in your next one-on-one using our career development talk template.

Set and track performance metrics (OKRs)

Performance metrics like OKRs are an excellent way to measure progress and ensure alignment. Managers can use performance metrics to set clear goals, measure progress, and provide employees with feedback on their performance.

You really don’t have to start from scratch. Try using our goals and OKR tool to make your life easier and personalize your plans so they contribute to both employee performance and your organization’s growth.

Using performance management to improve employee engagement in different scenarios

Different scenarios at work require a different performance management approach. Here are best practices and examples of what to say for the 4 most common scenarios you might find yourself in as a manager.

Scenario #1: New hires

Provide clear onboarding and training, set achievable goals, and regularly check in to give timely feedback and support. This will help new hires feel welcomed and valued, and set them up for success.

Welcome to the team! We’re excited to have you on board. To make sure you have a smooth transition, we've set up an onboarding plan for you, which includes training sessions, shadowing opportunities, and regular check-ins with your supervisor. We'll also set achievable goals for you to work towards in your first few weeks. Don't hesitate to ask any questions or reach out for support.

Scenario #2: Underperforming employees

Use performance management to identify the root causes of poor performance, provide feedback, and create development plans to help the employee improve. By doing so, you can show that you care about the employee's growth and development, and help them become a more productive member of the team.

I've noticed that you've been struggling to meet the expectations we've set for your role. Let's have a chat about what might be causing this and how we can support you. I'll make sure to provide feedback on specific areas to focus on, and we can work together to create a development plan that outlines clear steps to help you achieve your goals. Regular check-ins will help us track your progress and make any necessary adjustments, so I’ll make sure we have those scheduled too.

Scenario #3: High-performing employees 

Provide employees with opportunities for growth and development, recognize and reward their contributions, and seek their feedback on how to improve the performance management process. This will help keep high-performers engaged and motivated, and set them up for continued success.

You've been doing an excellent job, and I wanted to take a moment to recognize and thank you for your hard work. I'm committed to supporting your continued growth and development in this role, so I would like your feedback on how we can improve the performance management process. I'll also provide opportunities for you to take on new challenges and responsibilities that align with your career goals.

Scenario #4: Remote employees 

Use video conferencing and collaboration tools to facilitate regular check-ins and feedback, provide clear goals and expectations, and create opportunities for virtual team-building and recognition. By doing so, you can help remote employees feel engaged and connected, despite being physically distant.

Since we're working remotely, I want to make sure we're still able to communicate effectively and that you feel supported. We'll use video conferencing and collaboration tools to check in regularly and provide feedback. I'll set clear goals and expectations for you to work towards, and we'll create opportunities for virtual team-building and recognition. Let me know if you have any suggestions on how we can improve our communication and collaboration as a remote team.

Performance management and employee engagement are key to success

Employee performance management and engagement are not only important for the success of individual employees, but also for the overall success of a company. And as a manager, you can feel empowered knowing you play a big role in boosting productivity, reducing turnover, and improving collaboration by prioritizing employee engagement in your performance management process.

By focusing on engagement, you can help your employees thrive and achieve their full potential, which can enhance overall team performance and contribute to better business outcomes.

In our first Vibe Check episode, Julie Jeannotte, HR Expert and Researcher at Officevibe, chats with Andrea Kalavsky, People Consultant at peopleOsophy, to talk about all things alignment. More specifically, they dive into how prioritizing and maintaining alignment around a company's mission, values, goals, and general outlook keeps employees engaged in the long haul (and less likely to look for greener pastures).

Read on and watch the full episode to learn how you can get your team to row in the same direction, even in rough seas.

Watch the episode to learn about:

• How organizational alignment leads to better business outcomes
• How HR and leaders can foster and contribute to alignment
• The importance of prioritizing alignment in each stage of the employee life cycle
• The role technology plays in aligning employees and teams

How People Ops leaders can pilot alignment at work

Company-wide alignment isn't a given. It's something that organizations must actively work towards. And as our guest, Andrea, points out in this episode, People Ops teams have the power to pilot businesses to success by helping leaders, managers, and employees leverage the right tools and processes.

Use her key tips to get you started on the right track:

1. Help employees at all levels understand the power of listening mechanisms and how to use them. These can be all-hands meetings, one-on-ones, team forums, or employee engagement platforms like Officevibe.
2. Use these mechanisms as moments of connectivity where you can listen to and learn from one another. Psychological safety and trust are paramount to get your team fully in sync and aligned.
3. Give your team a voice to help you uncover misalignment. Evaluate pain points so that you can properly pivot your strategy or process.
4. Do the same to highlight your wins. Celebrate what's going great, contributing to a stronger company culture, and leading to better business outcomes.
5. Don't shy away from using technology as a sidekick. It enables you to analyze and quantify employee sentiment so you can act on hard facts.

📺 Watch the full episode if you want more advice and insights from Andrea's professional journey in people operations.

Meet our illustrious guest

Andrea Kalavsky

Coach, advisor, mentor, and leader (in no particular order)

Andrea’s route to People leadership has been non-traditional. She started managing tech, social, and digital teams before realizing she was a people People person.

Since then, she’s worked in some small (and large) people-centric, mission-driven companies, including Innocent Drinks, Daylesford Organic, People Against Dirty (the people behind Method and Ecover), Koru Kids, and a handful of deep-tech post-seed start-ups.

Driven by a strong desire to experiment and do things differently, Andrea is naturally attracted to places and people who aspire to change their industries or categories for the better.

...And our Vibe Check host!

Julie Jeannotte

Officevibe’s HR Expert & Researcher

Julie’s (or JJ as we like to call her) life’s mission is to help organizations understand the value of placing their people at the heart of their strategy and business. Her background, research, and innate curiosity give her a unique perspective on day-to-day team challenges and the ever-evolving world of work.

Anyone who knows JJ knows this: she’s a wildflower who speaks from the heart. Inspired by the uniqueness of individuals and driven by the power of collectivity, she focuses on bringing out the best in humans to create meaningful change.

Vibe Check: A conversation series filled with real talk & genuine advice

Vibe Check, Officevibe's brand-new conversation series, is a place where we have open, honest, and authentic conversations about the human side of business. Our goal is to help you achieve better business outcomes with people-led initiatives.

To set your business up for success, you need real, proven advice. And we have the right experts to give you just that. No sugarcoating or beating around the bush. Just real talk and genuine advice from people who've been there, done that. That's what Vibe Check stands for.

So, what’s a vibe check? It’s a phrase for asking "how are you really doing?" It opens the door to meaningful conversations between colleagues, professionals, but most importantly, human beings.

Workplace meetings are integral for all high-performing teams, whether the meeting is for planning, brainstorming, decision-making, feedback exchange, or to have a retrospective. But too often, meetings feel unproductive or lacking in structure.

Setting team meeting goals (and one-on-one goals, too) helps everyone stay focused on the topics that are most relevant. Starting a meeting with a clear objective can encourage collaboration, empower employees to generate ideas, and cut wasted time.

Read on to learn more about how you can have more productive meetings and save time by setting clear, effective meeting goals.

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What are meeting goals?

Meeting goals are the thing you'd like to accomplish by the end of any given meeting. Because meetings are typically time-bound, you want to set specific, achievable meeting goals that respect people's time.

For example: Your meeting objective might be to share performance feedback with your direct report, then have them define action items based on your conversation. But it might be unrealistic to expect that they'll come up with a game plan to implement your input on the spot. Instead, you can schedule a follow-up meeting and give them time to do some action planning.

You can also define broader, long-term meeting objectives for recurring meetings. And each time you have the meeting, you can set smaller, more specific meeting goals.

For example: A long-term meeting goal might be to improve efficiency on the marketing team. More short-term team meeting objectives could be to start by auditing how the team plans and executes their work, then look for opportunities to streamline it. Finally, team members can implement these changes and come back to follow up on how it's going after a set time.

Why it's important to set meeting goals

When employees are jumping between many meetings in a day, it's easy to get distracted or lose focus. Effective meeting management helps keep the conversation on track, making it more likely you'll achieve your common goal. Starting your business meeting by laying out specific goals and a clear agenda gets everyone on the same page.

Goal setting ahead of meetings offers the following benefits:

• Time saved: Setting goals ahead of time keeps participants focused and on schedule. It also reduces the need to give a lot of context at the start of the meeting, saving everyone time.
• Increased productivity: Rather than talking in circles, meeting goals help everyone focus on the relevant information. They help you respect the meeting agenda and avoid going down rabbit holes that are out of scope.
• Better project completion rates: Every successful meeting helps keep your team aligned as they progress on a project or initiative. More effective meetings make it easier to accomplish each project efficiently and on time.

In a remote and hybrid world of work, meetings play a big role in shaping a team's culture. Check out VIBE: Human-generated culture, a zine produced by Officevibe to help teams curate the best version of themselves.

Setting the right meeting goals for every type of meeting (with examples)

There are a number of team meeting purposes, just as there are various types. Here are a few common types of meetings with great examples of objectives for each one:

Planning meetings

Planning meetings can be with a whole team of people or one-on-one between managers and their direct reports. These meetings are for when you have a clear goal, and it's time to figure out how to achieve it.

Planning meeting goal examples:

• Prioritize the roadmap for next quarter in accordance with team goals
• Set milestones towards an employee's professional development goals
• Determine how a team's workload will adjust when someone departs

Problem-solving meetings or brainstorms

Brainstorms and problem-solving meetings are a time for team members to get creative, exchange their different perspectives, share ideas, and often plan a project or initiative. These types of meetings can take place when teams are facing a specific challenge or simply as a way to work towards their measurable goals.

Brainstorm goal examples:

• Identify 3 ways to improve poor customer service reviews
• Come up with an A/B test to improve click-through on a landing page
• Find new ideas to make social media channels more engaging to younger audiences

Tip: Try the RACI framework to establish clear roles and ownership in team projects. This framework helps keep things clear as a team embarks on a new project. It can be used to support decision-making, planning, and execution.

R: Responsible person who plays a leading role in executing the project
A: Accountable person in charge of managing and delivering the project
C: Consulted people who contribute to the project or provide feedback
I: Informed people who are kept in the loop throughout the process

Feedback meetings

Exchanging feedback is crucial to employee, manager, and team success. Employees at all levels need feedback from their peers, manager, and any direct reports they have. Often, a meeting is a great place to have these conversations. Setting meeting objectives helps keep feedback relevant, structured, and clear.

Feedback meeting goal examples:

• Collect input from various perspectives on a piece of work that's in progress
• Let an employee know that their hard work is noticed and valued, and explain how it contributes to the team and company objectives
• Find out what your team members think you should keep doing, start doing, and stop doing as their manager

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Retrospective meetings

Retrospectives help teams reflect on past work to identify success factors and improvement opportunities. When you're having a retrospective meeting, the goal is to understand how you can streamline, optimize, or otherwise improve your performance next time. These are also a great way to build team trust by reminding everyone that you're in this together.

Retrospective goal examples:

• Draw hypotheses about why a certain project didn't perform as you'd expected
• Discuss what held the team back from completing your workload in the last sprint
• Exchange tactics that kept you productive and focused at work in the last month

One-on-one meetings

Finally, one-on-one meetings are absolutely integral to employee engagement, performance, and success. Managers can meet with their team members once every week or two to discuss all the topics that are pertinent to the employee's individual development. One-on-ones are also a great opportunity for managers to give employees recognition for their hard work.

One-on-one meeting goal examples:

• Setting clear goals that align with an employee's professional development ambitions as well as team objectives
• Reviewing an employee's job description to make sure it's still relevant and representative of their day-to-day work
• Sharing constructive feedback on an employee's work or coaching them through a challenge they're facing

Tip: Don't forget to set a clear agenda for every one-on-one! And, be sure to take notes so you have meeting minutes to refer back to next time.

How to set goals for your meetings in 5 simple steps

Setting goals is an important part of leading more productive meetings — but how do you set a great goal? Follow these 5 steps to set better meeting goals from here on out:

1. Identify your desired outcome

Understanding the purpose of the meeting helps you set a measurable goal. If you project yourself into the future after the meeting's been had, what would the optimal results be?

The desired outcome could be to push a project forward, have a decision finalized, or be equipped to take the next step on something.

2. Summarize your meeting objectives

With a clear outcome in mind, you're ready to set goals for your meeting. Try to summarize each goal in one sentence to keep them as clear as possible. By having your goals in writing, you make it easier to track and follow up on them in the future.

3. Ensure your objectives are realistic

Meeting goals should be attainable. You want to avoid being too ambitious and needing to schedule a follow-up meeting because you didn't get through your talking points. So whether you have one goal or several, just be sure it's realistic when you consider the length of your meeting and who will be attending.

4. Share the meeting objectives with participants

Give meeting participants the meeting goals in advance so they can prepare any materials, ideas, or suggestions ahead of time. The more clarity people have on why they're being invited and what their role will be in the meeting, the more equipped they'll be when they show up.

Ahead of your meeting, send out an invite that includes the goals, an agenda, and anything people need to know or prepare for. You can even tag attendees alongside specific agenda items to let them know where their input will be most valuable.

5. Measure your goal progress

You might achieve your meeting goals, or you might not. Either way it's important to keep track of what your meeting accomplishes and any next steps to follow.

You might assign action items to different people and schedule a follow-up. Or, you might end up setting additional goals for a future meeting. Whatever the case, be sure to take note of your progress at every stage.

Setting clear meeting goals with Officevibe

Setting goals is an essential part of making every meeting a success. But planning and monitoring those goals can quickly become a workload of its own. To more effectively set, track, and measure your goals, try Officevibe's goals and OKR tool.

Not only does Officevibe become your goal-setting sidekick, it also creates transparency for your teams. All of your goals are set, stored, and tracked in the same place, helping employees at every level of the organization focus on making the most meaningful contribution.

Success in the workplace is about more than mere aptitude. It turns out that having the right attitude is essential, too. As a leader, you aim to set your team up for all aspects of success, and to get there requires providing feedback – both positive and negative.

Once you’ve recognized that feedback can be impactful, the next step is figuring out the best approach to provide employees with actionable advice that supports their growth and development while benefiting your company as a whole. This article includes a framework that will help you foster successful employees by providing helpful feedback, specifically on behavior and attitude.

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Feedback for employees with a positive attitude

You already know that a regular pat on the back for a job well done is Management 101. But have you made it a habit to acknowledge an employee when they demonstrate a supportive attitude?

Sharing positive feedback with the employees who maintain a stellar attitude makes them feel seen. Acknowledging their good work and the cheerful attitude with which they approach their duties can inspire your people and motivate them to excel.

While a simple “great job!” can suffice in a pinch, we recommend adopting the SBI Framework, an abbreviation for Situation-Behavior-Impact. This model gives you a template for providing specific employee feedback that clarifies the significance of the employee’s behavior, avoiding ambiguity about what inspired the praise.

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SBI is best demonstrated with an example:

A client called to express frustration about the delay in their order (situation). You remained calm and assisted them with poise and grace (behavior). By the end of the conversation, your client was smiling and expressed that they didn’t mind waiting a few extra days.

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You can use this technique to point out when a high-performing employee stepped up with a great outlook. Describe how the employee’s actions positively impacted other team members, embodied the company’s mission, or diffused a stressful situation.

You can also practice SBI when offering constructive criticism using the same formula.

How to evaluate an employee with a bad attitude

Praising an employee for having a great attitude can make you feel like you’re floating on cloud nine. By contrast, sharing negative feedback with an employee who needs improvement in this area could feel like discipline.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. If you have a difficult employee, you can potentially turn the situation around with constructive feedback. By taking a systematic approach to feedback, you’ll be able to gauge whether a direct report’s attitude can improve or you have a poor performer whose lousy behavior is acting as a heavy anchor on your team spirit.

Identify the type of negative attitude your employee is demonstrating

A bad attitude can manifest itself in more than one way. Symptoms can include one (or a combination) of the following:

• Refusing to take on tasks because it’s “not my job”
• Blaming others for mistakes or shortcomings
• Failing to take initiative
• Not being fully present in meetings or activities
• Acting disrespectfully toward managers or colleagues

Once you identify these behaviors, you’ll be equipped to provide feedback that helps the employee develop and maintain traits that better serve your team.

Avoid attacking personality

Calling attention to areas where someone needs to improve workplace performance can put an employee on the defensive and make them feel like they’re being attacked. Avoid making the feedback personal, and instead, focus on the negative behavior.

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An employee feedback example:

Instead of: You’re always five minutes late for meetings. This disrespects your colleagues’ time.

Try saying: I noticed that you’ve been struggling to get to our Monday meetings on time. Do you have other responsibilities or something else on your schedule that conflicts with that time?

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Be specific and provide examples

Feedback is most helpful when it’s specific. Avoid generalizations, and focus your observations on concrete events.

For example, you could say something like, “I appreciate how passionate you are about the Oxford comma, but when you called James out for not putting it in his PowerPoint presentation, those words were harsh.” It points to a specific incident that your employee can recall.

By contrast, “your outbursts at meetings violate our company policies” might leave your employee wondering what you’re referring to, especially if they don’t think their actions have ever constituted an “outburst.”

Be direct

It’s not always easy to deliver feedback to someone, but wavering is not helpful and dilutes the quality of your message.

Often, managers try to soften the blow by sandwiching their criticism between two statements that sound like praise.

For example: "You do great work (praise), but when you consistently deliver your projects past the deadline without communicating the delay (criticism), it hurts our company reputation even though the projects themselves are done exceedingly well (praise)."

Here, the manager is trying to get the point across that late delivery and lack of communication are unacceptable. Still, the criticism gets lost in an attempt to acknowledge what the person does well. The employee could easily gloss over the crucial feedback about work performance and never improve delivery time.

End on a high note

Managers need to encourage their team and motivate them to be their best selves. Even if the feedback serves to identify areas of negative behavior, you should still provide some encouragement.

Wrap up employee evaluations with ideas about how the employee can improve. Explain that you want them to succeed at the company and that growth is a continual process. Set goals and measure progress routinely to ensure that your employee is on the right track to meeting expectations.

Performance reviews – what to say to an employee with a negative attitude

As the term suggests, an employee performance review often focuses more on actual work performance and less on attitude. If performance evaluations are only done on an annual basis, there’s bound to be a lot of material to cover.

Addressing an employee’s poor attitude could take a back seat to more concrete metrics, especially if your employee tries to steer the conversation away from the topic.

• Make sure they know in advance that attitude is something you evaluate.
  Include a list of topics that you'll cover in the performance evaluation. This proactive measure avoids an ambush and sets the stage for a seamless transition into a discussion about attitudes.
• Discuss how their approach affects results.
  Point out examples where their lack of cooperation or bad behavior impacted coworkers or the company’s bottom line.
• Focus on the positive.
  Offering balanced feedback helps create a sense that you're on your employee's side. You respect them as a person, even if you don't appreciate some aspects of their behavior.
• Listen to their point of view.
  Sometimes what you don’t say is just as important as what you say. Give your employees time to share their perspectives or side of the story. Even if you disagree with their approach, take the time to listen. You may get insights that help address the negativity issue even more effectively.
  
  🔥 Pro-tip: Implementing an employee feedback tool can also help you get points of view anonymously. Officevibe facilitates this process by collecting employee feedback on your terms and making it easy for you to disseminate the data.
  
• Begin sentences with "we" and "I," not "you."
  For example, say things like, "I feel like you don't respect the other employees that work here because…" and "We noticed that you've been critical of your coworkers." Avoid accusatory statements like, "You are failing to meet meeting attendance expectations."

Providing employee feedback on attitude outside of the performance review

You don't have to wait for an annual performance review to provide feedback to your team. In fact,

Officevibe data suggests that feedback shouldn't be limited to the confines of a formal performance review. Instead, a more organic process can benefit employees because they get more timely feedback that they can put into practice right away.

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Adding regular coaching sessions can dramatically improve your company culture. Employees stay motivated year-round and are engaged in a constant feedback loop. Contrast this to an annual review process where employees might only focus on their attitudes in anticipation of a performance review tied to a yearly salary increase.

One-on-one meetings

Addressing negative attitudes is best done in a one-on-one, private setting. To make these meetings as stress-free as possible, we recommend following a couple of guidelines:

1. Provide some (but not too much) notice.

You'll want to give the other person some time to prepare, but you also want to avoid having them stewing in turmoil while they imagine the worst possible outcome. We suggest scheduling up to one business day or a few hours in advance.

2. Create and share a meeting agenda.

Outline the talking points you'd like to cover and share the agenda with your employee. Invite them to add any issues they'd like to address in the meeting as well.

3. Take notes.

Document what you discussed and your employee's responses. Keep a record of the conversation for annual performance reviews or discussions with Human Resources.

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Tip: Officevibe's one-on-one meeting software lets you schedule these conversations, create shareable and editable agendas, centralize notetaking, and set up recurring meetings. The software even includes templates that you can use to help facilitate difficult conversations.

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Informal chats

Sometimes a formal meeting isn't the best way to discuss negative attitudes. This is especially true if the behavior needs to be addressed immediately.

The key to remember with an informal chat is timing. There are a couple of things to consider here:

🧯 If tempers are hot, allow everyone to cool off before approaching your employee.

⌛ Although the chat isn't exactly a formal meeting, you'll still want to give the person notice and make sure they're in a good headspace to have a constructive conversation.

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When you need to act promptly, another way of providing feedback is through emails. The key is to give constructive criticism and show your are supporting your employee. We have a few sample emails to provide feedback on behavior to get you covered.

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How to talk to an employee about attitude in a constructive manner

Remember that famous saying? It goes like this: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Our best advice to approach constructively discussing an employee's attitude is to put yourself in their shoes. How would you want your colleagues to approach you if you were grumpy, frustrated, or having a tough time at work?

As you plan your talking points, consider your employee's perspective and deliver your message compassionately.

Encourage an attitude adjustment

Suggesting that someone adjust their attitude might seem easier said than done, but some gentle approaches can help the conversation be less awkward and more constructive.

Understanding the source of the negativity can go a long way toward fixing the root cause.

Consider these possible scenarios:

1. They're unaware of their bad attitude.

It's possible that your employee had no idea they were behaving in an unacceptable manner. We all have blind spots!

2. They're dealing with a personal challenge.

Maybe a family member is sick, they're having relationship problems, or there's another obstacle that's made life more difficult for them. It's natural to have a shorter fuse when curveballs are thrown our way, but your employee should understand that taking it out on coworkers is not the best outlet.

3. Other employees have complained.

As a manager, you can't be everywhere at once, so you might not have directly observed the workplace behavior. Gather evidence about the incidents and approach your employee with examples of what happened and suggestions for improvement.

Become a pro at providing employee feedback

When employees show up with a positive attitude, they foster an environment of teamwork and high performance, learn new skills quickly, and are motivated to be their best selves.

Even though it can be challenging to offer constructive criticism in the workplace, it's an integral part of personal and career growth. It also takes practice, so we encourage you to put the tips in this article to good use in your management style.

Business leaders are responsible for ensuring employees can bring their best selves to work every day. But they can’t do that without giving performance feedback. Unfortunately, performance reviews are often too irregular or vague to be valuable.

You can keep your employees from joining these statistics by providing regular and specific feedback. Keep reading for guidance to make the most of your next performance review and improve overall performance management.

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The importance of giving feedback to employees

It’s human nature to want to know whether we’re doing a good job and how we can do our jobs better. Employees may feel like they aren’t performing at the top of their game but not understand why. Others may feel unstoppable but unappreciated because no one ever tells them “nice work” or “way to go.”

Providing employees feedback is how managers put gas into their fuel tanks in the forms of recognition, empathy, guidance, and the chance to be heard. When employees know their leadership invests in them, they are more engaged, loyal, and invested in return.

💡 The numbers may surprise you. Knowing the statistics on the importance of employee feedback lends real insights to back your next move.

Official employee performance review process

For many employers, performance management takes the form of an official performance review, held at regular intervals like once a year, once a quarter, or once a month, although annually is traditionally most common.

In performance reviews, managers highlight achievements and improvement areas during the last period. They may reference the employee’s work, attendance, deadline adherence, time management, problem-solving skills, and communication skills, usually using a quantifiable grading system.

Although commonly the only performance evaluation given to an employee, this formal performance review process is not always sufficient. According to our Pulse Survey data on feedback, 32% of employees wait at least three months before getting manager feedback.

We’re not saying official performance reviews are pointless. When managers provide timely, relevant feedback outside of the annual review, they encourage employee growth and create a culture of open communication.

Make the most of annual performance reviews

A manager can make the best use of a formal assessment by being prepared and getting specific. Preparation for performance reviews may include tracking employee performance with regular notes and seeking improvement points from the other leaders around them.

It’s essential to ask other managers and team leads for their perspectives because they may have noticed something you missed. Ask questions like:  

• How well do they communicate?
• What company processes are they following or not following
• What do you admire about them?
• How could this employee improve in your eyes?

You’re fishing for specific examples that you can reference in the performance review.

Your employees won’t know what to do with vague feedback like “You don’t communicate professionally.” But when they encounter something like “Avoid using profanity in the future as you did with this client at this time,” the expectations are clear.

When we prepare, we get specific. When we get specific, we identify actionable growth opportunities for our employees.

Pro tip: Learn from others' mistakes. Read 7 mistakes managers make when giving annual performance reviews so you can avoid them the next time around.

Providing performance feedback outside of official performance reviews

Managers will benefit from not letting annual reviews be the only time they offer employees feedback. One-on-one meeting conversations, informal chats, and team chats outside of the official employee performance review provide the chance of a productive discussion without the pressure of a formal performance evaluation.

Before the meeting

Before meeting with an employee one-on-one or for an informal chat, an employer should check in with them. If the employee has an off day or is dealing with significant personal stress, they will probably not be open to receiving feedback.

A meeting with an employee can quickly move in the wrong direction if they are not in a good state of mind. Before the meeting, a manager should ask the employee whether now is a good time for them or whether another time would be better.

Likewise, feel free to move meetings you have already scheduled if you are not in the proper mindset. Your employee will understand and likely appreciate that you want to ensure a positive, productive conversation.

One-on-one meetings

Meeting with an employee one-on-one is a great way to provide monthly or weekly feedback. Face-to-face meetings are often more productive than emails or voice calls.

Sitting with an employee eye to eye (even over a video chat) offers a more personable experience. The simple act of showing up and sitting down with an employee shows them that you are willing to take the time for them in your busy schedule.

Face-to-face meetings prevent miscommunication. Have you ever sent a text message and then realized it could come across in a completely different way than you meant it? The same thing can happen over email or even over the phone.

🌳  One-on-one meetings don’t have to be at the office. Moving the discussion to a neutral location like a park or café can encourage honesty from both parties and facilitate a more candid conversation.

Informal chats

You don't always need to schedule feedback discussions in advance—sometimes arise that are best addressed at the moment.

Brief, informal chats with employees allow leaders to address performance issues with immediate feedback. When we wait for those formal reviews, we miss out on opportunities like this. Real-time feedback can curb minor issues before they become problematic.

Managers will also benefit from positive informal chats. Stopping by to offer congratulations for an employee’s accomplishments puts gas in the tank by boosting confidence and engagement.

Team meetings

It may benefit a manager to offer feedback in a group rather than one-on-one. When managers give feedback to a group of employees, they don’t single out anyone, and the group gets to move forward as a team.

Offering feedback to a team also creates accountability. Each team member is more likely to follow through with a change if the other members strive toward the same goal.

Instant messaging

Although full reviews and detailed feedback are best delivered in person, instant messaging platforms allow employers to easily and quickly offer support and guidance.

Instant messengers are especially helpful for sending quick affirmative feedback, like “Great job on that last assignment” or “This client appreciated your hard work yesterday.” These messages may seem small, but they have a significant impact.

What should be included in an employee performance feedback discussion?

When leaders discuss an employee’s performance, a balanced conversation will offer the most valuable feedback. Even the “rock star” employee wants to know how they can challenge themself to improve.

Positive feedback

Sometimes, leaders forget the importance of positive feedback, but it is just as vital as its counterpart. An employee who hears only critical feedback will likely feel invalidated and unmotivated.

High-performing employees also need their props. If a person struggles with self-doubt, take extra care to highlight when they are modeling positive behaviors and producing quality work.

Negative feedback

Managers may avoid giving negative feedback because it’s tricky, but employees can’t grow if they don’t know where to improve. The key is to be constructive.

Critical feedback should aim not to tear an employee down but to build them up.

Constructive feedback

Managers build up employees through well-positioned feedback. Think constructive, not destructive, and use measurement-oriented rather than vague language.

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Destructive feedback is observational. Constructive feedback is actionable. It doesn’t just point out a problem; it also offers solutions to that problem.

When managers offer their direct reports constructive feedback, they encourage employee engagement over detachment.

Learn more on how to give constructive feedback to employees

How to deliver negative performance feedback as constructive feedback

As a manager, it's your role to help your employees develop professionally and contribute their best efforts towards the common team goals. That means establishing a dynamic where feedback can flow freely and employees are open to critique to implement positive change. Feel free to check out these employee feedback examples to help you navigate different situations you might face as a manager. Delivering constructive negative performance feedback is more than softening the blow.

Follow these best practices next time you need to give negative feedback and want to do it constructively.

Do it in private

Sometimes, leaders make the mistake of talking to an employee who is not meeting expectations in the presence of other employees. If you’ve ever been criticized in public, you understand that this practice is toxic to employee satisfaction and positive company culture.

A manager should always provide feedback to an employee in private unless they address an entire team of people, even if it’s positive. Some of us feel just as awkward with public praise as we do with public beratement.

Empathize

Managers and employees alike are human beings who respond with strong emotions when they realize they’re not meeting expectations.

The employee may seem defensive, but this is a normal response. Instead of interpreting defensiveness as defiance, leaders should consider how they might react in that position and approach the situation with empathy.

Be direct

Effective employee feedback is direct with clear expectations and concrete examples that offer solutions.

Offer solutions

An employee's performance won't improve through vague directions like ''You need to work faster'' or ''That wasn't good enough.''

Managers can offer actionable feedback by referencing past behavior or specific past work with examples of how to do better.

For example, ''That wasn't good enough'' may become ''These types of assignments require more detail than you included here. Let's look at a good example together.''

Don’t lecture

Most people don’t respond well to being lectured. Offering feedback should be a two-way street, where the employee feels comfortable expressing their own experiences, opinions, and struggles.

Managers can turn lectures into conversations by giving their employees time to process information before continuing, asking them follow-up questions, and letting them contribute to growth solutions.

How to get feedback from a performance review

How do employers know when they have performed an effective performance review? How do they know which leadership skills they need to improve to offer the best feedback?

They ask their employees.

In general, employees know what helps them improve performance and what does not. One of the best ways to get employee feedback is through surveys. Employee surveys allow anonymous, on-point, and consistent feedback — so you always have a pulse on how your team is fairing.

You can ask questions on everything from the latest company announcements or how they feel about receiving feedback. It's an insightful way to capture regular feedback to know your people better and make sure you're on the same page!

By offering them a chance to provide feedback, managers can better address employee needs and encourage a company culture of trust and loyalty.

Anonymous employee feedback

When employee feedback is anonymous, managers can focus on self-evaluation on how to best offer guidance to their employees without the risk of internal tension.

A direct report may even bring something up anonymously that they would have otherwise kept to themselves. These issues are often especially vital to address as they are the ones that eat away at company morale because no one feels comfortable talking about it.

Use employee feedback survey results to guide the conversation

When employees have a safe space to give an employer a performance appraisal, they feel appreciated and heard. They are likely to take more initiative in changing company processes that may be hindering their performance.

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If you are a business leader who wants to improve communications between managers and employees, Officevibe's Employee Feedback Tool is the perfect solution. Modern managers use it to dig deeper into performance issues through regular employee feedback surveys and follow-up questions. Plus, the tool allows employers to collect employee feedback regardless of the number or location of employees.

Improve communication with remote workers, allow anonymous feedback, and easily track all of it in one place with Officevibe.

Is maintaining a schedule of virtual one-on-one meetings the first thing that gets dropped when your calendar starts to fill up? We get it. But we’re here to share why remote one-on-one meetings should be at the top of your priority list.

To start, ongoing communication between managers and employees leads to better team alignment, stronger employee performance, and higher job satisfaction for the people on their team.

When you’re working remotely, it’s easy to feel disconnected. The disconnect can be even more prominent in the manager-employee relationship and is a key reason to prioritize virtual one-on-one meetings. Without these regular syncs, managers can feel like they’re not keeping up with their direct reports, while employees may start to feel unseen.

In the era of Zoom fatigue and opting for more asynchronous communication, any recurring meeting risks starting to feel redundant. But don’t let remote one-on-ones fall to the wayside! With a little bit of effort, you can make these critical meetings as productive and impactful as they were at the office—maybe even more so.

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• The important role of one-on-ones for distributed teams
• In-person vs. virtual one-on-ones: what’s the difference?
• Running effective one-on-one meetings with remote employees
• 5 Tips for better virtual one-on-one meetings
• Ideas to make remote one-on-ones more energizing

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The important role of one-on-one meetings for remote and distributed teams

Our research into the distributed workforce has taught us that the thing remote and hybrid teams struggle most with is connection.

Remote workers often start to feel disconnected from their work, team, manager, and company mission. Maintaining regular one-on-one meetings can help with this.

Remote managers’ meetings with individual team members help them stay up-to-date with everyone’s workload, goal progression, and any challenges they’re facing. And for employees, one-on-ones help them keep their manager informed and drive their career development.

But beyond all the practical benefits of one-on-one meetings, there is the human benefit. When managers and employees talk regularly, they maintain their personal connection. From maintaining trust to spotting signs of disengagement or dissatisfaction, this dedicated time is essential for managers to support their direct reports properly.

In-person vs. virtual one-on-ones: what’s the difference?

There are a few key differences between virtual one-on-ones and in-person meetings. These factors can pose challenges for making remote meetings feel authentic and productive. Here’s an overview:

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In person one-on-ones

• Easier to pick up on nonverbal cues like body language
• Can be done in a more casual setting, like at a coffee shop
• Going back-and-forth is easier and conversation flows
• Casual check ins feel more natural

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Virtual one-on-one meetings

• A video call can be a barrier to complete communication
• Usually happen from a workstation, at home or the office
• Each person takes turns speaking so as not to interrupt
• Small talk may feel stilted

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Once you acknowledge some of these differences, they’re easier to account for. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with tips and ideas to make every one-on-one meeting better, no matter how it happens.

Running effective one-on-one meetings with remote employees

To make the most out of your time together, it’s important to run your one-on-ones effectively. Some of the best practices for virtual one-on-ones are the same as in-person meetings, but they’re worth keeping in mind.

Before your remote one-on-one

Ahead of your virtual one-on-one meeting, make sure to set some talking points and create a shared meeting agenda. A shared agenda helps both a manager and their direct report know what they’ll be discussing. It’s easier to arrive prepared!

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Select from dozens of one-on-one meeting agenda templates in Officevibe.

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During your one-on-one virtual call

A meeting check-in is always a great way to start video calls. Getting a sense of how both people are coming into the meeting helps you start things off on the right foot. Ask questions, cover your talking points, and remember to take meeting notes.

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Not sure what to ask? Select from our 40 one-on-one questions for busy managers.

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After your one-on-one meeting

No matter what you discuss in your one-on-one meeting, it’s always important to follow up. Send a quick recap of the key takeaways and any next steps from your meeting, and set any agenda items to revisit next time.

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Pro tip: At the end of every one-on-one, send a calendar invite for your next meeting and set some discussion points you’d like to follow up on.

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The power of virtual one-on-one meeting software

Did you know you can use a one-on-one software like Officevibe to plan, carry out, and keep track of every meeting? Having productive conversations is easy with a collaborative meeting agenda where managers and employees can add talking points. And it’s easy to stay organized and keep track of what you discussed in past meetings when your notes are all stored in one place.

5 Tips for better virtual one-on-one meetings

These 5 one-on-one meeting tips help you have more productive and impactful remote one-on-ones.

1. Share feedback, and ask for it. It’s always a good idea for managers and their direct reports to exchange constructive feedback. The more people make a point of it, the more it becomes second nature.
2. Opt for video calls whenever possible. Sure, phone calls can be a nice break from back-to-back remote meetings. But to have effective one-on-ones, it’s worth it to have that face-to-face communication.
3. Discuss career progression. Career conversations are essential for employee engagement, personal growth, and long-term retention. Make a point of setting and tracking goals and focusing on development.
4. Practice active listening. When managers ask one-on-one questions, they should strive to really listen to what their direct report shares. Turn off notifications and your second screen, and focus on what’s happening in the virtual meeting room.
5. Save status updates for team meetings. Everyone on your remote team can benefit from a project update, so use your time together for these discussions. A one-on-one meeting should focus on the individuals’ needs, goals, and challenges.

Ideas to make remote one-on-ones more energizing

Like all remote meetings, virtual one-on-ones can start to feel draining when it’s just another meeting time booked in your calendar. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Here are some ideas to make your remote one-on-ones more energizing and engaging.

• Switch up your remote work environment. Try taking your video call from a different room, or step outside.
• Establish a new ritual. Reserve your first 5 minutes for making a cup of tea or coffee together while you check in.
• Make it a walk and talk. Switch off your video and take a walk around the block while you chat on the phone.

Keep virtual one-on-one meetings refreshing and productive

Every time a manager meets with a direct report, they have the chance to understand each other better and drive team member performance, engagement, and success. Remote work doesn’t have to be a barrier to making these recurring meetings count. Make the most of every remote one-on-one with the tips, best practices, and fresh ideas outlined in this article.

If you’ve ever spent time hiring and recruiting new employees, you’ll understand why it can be so disappointing when a person you’ve nurtured and helped grow suddenly departs. The negative rippling effects can be felt throughout your team and even your organization, especially if you're experiencing high employee turnover.

On the flip side, when you’re able to increase employee retention, you’ll enjoy a more stable team, consistency in work being delivered, and improved culture. Trust and connection take time to build among colleagues, and there are many benefits of employee retention for your team.

In the wake of the 'Great Resignation', what can leaders learn about how to retain their new hires? Understanding the benefits of employee retention and putting a strong retention strategy in place is as important as ever.

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First, what is employee retention?

Employee retention refers to the length of time someone stays with a company. It can also refer to the efforts employers make to keep their staff around more long-term. These efforts are usually ongoing and can adapt to the changing needs and expectations of the workforce. They're a preventative measure to avoid good employees leaving.

While a certain level of turnover is to be expected, too much turnover can be costly, and hurt employee morale. At a team level, managers can employ different retention strategies and tools to reduce employee turnover and keep their top talent from leaving their team.

💡 Learn more about the connection between employee retention and turnover, and employee retention statistics.

The importance of employee retention

Before we jump into the benefits of employee retention, let’s quickly touch first on the importance of employee retention.

Why is employee retention important? When employees leave your organization, it disrupts teams and causes overall productivity to take a nosedive. In fact, according to the 2012 Allied Workforce Mobility Survey, it takes on average eight months for a new employee to reach full productivity.

Employee turnover is also extremely expensive. In the 2020 Retention Report, the Work Institute estimates that replacing an employee costs an organization 30% of the employee’s annual salary—and that’s a conservative estimate.

See more employee retention statistics and facts right here.

Clearly, keeping your top performers around is a must. That is why we recommend you bring your attention to the importance of employee retention as you lead your team through big changes.

So, as a manager, what are the best ways to support your team through your company’s internal growing pains—and improve employee retention in the process?

Focus on your people!

In our recent article about improving employee retention, we outline the following steps to improve retention and lower turnover:

1. Make work-life balance a non-negotiable
2. Identify and invest in your team members 
3. Set crystal clear expectations
4. Don’t forget to celebrate wins
5. Focus on helping your employees grow
6. Ask your employees what they’d like to see change
7. Follow through on their feedback

10 Benefits of employee retention

Companies and managers who are able to retain their talent will experience a handful of benefits, like...

1. Stronger employee loyalty

Long-term employees may feel more confident and calm when your team or organization goes through a change or time of uncertainty. They can also act as company ambassadors and change agents on your team. Loyal employees can help onboard new hires and keep their teammates calm and grounded through change.

People who stick around are demonstrating their loyalty. And, employees can become more loyal to your organization the longer they stay. The employee-employer relationship can develop over time, with each party becoming more committed to the other.

If you want loyal employees, give people room to grow from day one. Offering career development opportunities and creating a plan for growth is key to improving employee retention. Showing that you're committed to people's career growth will make them more committed to you.

2. Fewer transitions

Better retention means fewer role changes and personnel shifts on teams. It takes time and effort for teams to form, storm, norm, and finally perform. When you don’t interrupt this process, teams can move through their team development more quickly, and get to a place where they're able to collaborate and perform at their best.

3. A more developed workforce

The longer an employee stays with your team, the deeper their skills and expertise become. Not only that, they'll build a deep knowledge of the company mission, business practices, and client base. Experienced employees spend less time learning about the organization, and more time getting meaningful work done.

Make learning a part of the day-to-day. Encourage employees to keep developing their skills and carve out time in their workday to focus only on development. Host lunch and learns and cross-team meetings regularly to keep people aligned and learning from one another.

4. A properly resourced team

When a specialized employee leaves the team, it may take time to find a replacement. As a result, employees who may not have the same expertise are often called upon to fill in the gap.

While there are some positive aspects of taking on 'stretch assignments', having to take on another person’s role on top of their own can be stressful and draining. Not to mention, it takes time away from them doing what they do best and focusing on their development.

For example:

Your top digital marketer leaves your team. Suddenly, your graphic designer, social media strategist, and content creator are all redirecting their time toward the tasks your digital marketer used to accomplish. While they may be happy to jump in, eventually this will lead to an overall decrease in productivity and job satisfaction as people aren't applying their core skills and strengths.

It's important to make sure that teams are properly resourced with the right specializations. Keeping your specialized employees in the company ensures you don’t feel pressed to fill any employment gaps.

5. Improved customer relations

When you have an employee who has worked on your team for an extended amount of time, they tend to have deep expertise in the products you sell. This means that when customers have questions or need support, tenured employees can serve them quickly and efficiently. Building strong customer relationships is an important part of keeping your clients happy, and your business performing.

But this is also important for all the parts of your business model, not just customer-facing departments like sales and success. Your product development team, marketing team, financial team, and even your operations team will benefit from a strong knowledge of your clientele.

6. A healthy company culture

Every great leader wants to have a strong company culture and recognizes the benefits for both their staff and their customer base. A good retention rate is a great measure of strong company culture. Keeping employees around long-term is a sign that your culture is healthy, inclusive, and adaptive. It shows that people have a positive employee experience at your organization.

Not only that, but a good retention rate also nurtures your company's culture. As people grow individually within your company, this will bring depth to the way your culture expands and adapts. And when new employees join and see that there are many long-term employees around, it's a good signal to them and will put them at ease.

Remember, a healthy company culture is one that evolves over time. As you onboard new team members, they'll bring a breath of fresh air to your established norms. One of the healthiest values you can create on your team or at your organization is open-mindedness and a desire to learn and grow.

7. Increased connection on your team

The longer team members stay with a company, the more opportunities they have to connect on a personal level and strengthen their collaboration. As teammates develop trusting relationships and open communication, they get into a groove and start to do great work together. Employee retention helps foster camaraderie among staff and a sense of psychological safety.

8. Better institutional knowledge transfer

Remote and distributed teams are here to stay, and companies are facing major changes in how they share and store their institutional knowledge. They will have to rely less on informal information exchanges, and more on formal documentation and creation of knowledge bases.

Managers and HR professionals alike will be heavily relying on those long-tenured employees to help them tackle this problem. Maintaining a high retention rate will help slow knowledge loss down on your team.

If your turnover is high, and you’ve not had the chance to properly document your team’s institutional knowledge, you’ll be playing catch-up for a while. These troubles will become expedited especially as new folks join and are looking for written guidance.

9. Consistency in process and systems

Creating strong systems and work processes for your team can be challenging in the best of circumstances. And when people are coming and going often, it's even tougher to maintain a rhythm with your team and keep people working well together.

Once you’ve established your workflows, having the people who contributed to them around to keep up maintenance and introduce new team members to your work methods is really helpful. This will boost team productivity and organization.

10. Increased ramp-up time

Long-term employees can help upskill their colleagues and train new team members as they join. This helps everyone ramp up quickly and increases their ability to deliver faster results. Training and getting new people up-to-speed can mean additional costs for employers. When your current staff is equipped to help out, it means more efficiency all around.

Why employee retention matters

We’ve covered some of the most important benefits that employee retention will have for you, your team, and your company. Besides the above benefits, here’s why keeping a pulse on your employee retention rates matters:

1. Turnover costs: Gallup reports that replacing employees costs 1/2 – 2x their annual salary. Filling a role that pays $50k a year can cost between $25k and $100k!
2. Domino effect: When one employee leaves, others start to question whether they should, too. Turnover can quickly snowball and have a big impact on the people who stay.
3. Employee satisfaction: It’s no secret. When your employees are happy and feel values, they do better work! A focus on retention means working to meet employee needs and expectations, leading to better satisfaction and engagement.

How health benefits affect employee retention

3 in 4 employees want employers to provide mental health programs, benefits, and solutions.

Headspace for Work 2021 Mental Health Trends Report

Having a robust and flexible perks and benefits package (both health benefits and personal perks) will go a long way in making your employees happy, and help you reduce employee turnover.

Make these employee retention benefits a reality for your team

While you can never prevent someone from leaving your team, you can try out some employee retention strategies (like running a stay interview, for example) to find out what your team needs. Do your best as a manager to make sure each employee feels seen, heard, and taken care of, and you’ll reap the rewards and benefits of employee retention.

We've heard it before: the remote and hybrid work models are the "new normal." Since many companies have found that they can operate just as well (or in some cases, even better) from home, HR teams, senior leadership, and managers have been diligently crafting new policies to create a better experience for all employees regardless of where they're logging in from.

While many parts of the workday have stayed relatively the same, one thing has definitely changed: the way we hold meetings. For large-scale discussions or town halls, the switch to virtual meetings has made things easier by simply booking a time slot and sending a meeting link instead of scrambling to find a room that can fit dozens of employees. Though some elements may have been streamlined in the shift to remote working, keeping your employees engaged during a virtual meeting poses its own set of unique challenges.

Try some of the following best practices to start hosting successful, more engaging remote meetings and hold your team's attention every time.

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Learn our best practices for successful remote team meetings

• What are the challenges of leading a remote team?
• 17 remote meeting best practices for team leaders and managers
• How to lead better online meetings for better remote teamwork

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What are the challenges of leading a remote team?

The time your team has together, whether in-person or virtually, is crucial to keeping everyone connected, engaged, and productive. Because meetings (both one-on-ones and team meetings) play such a vital role in a team's healthy functioning, they're a great place to focus your attention.

Are you noticing a dip in your employee engagement? Try these 12 ways of increasing engagement for your remote team members.

Getting a grasp of some of the challenges your remote team is facing helps you make adjustments to your meeting calendar that will have the greatest impact.

Common remote team challenges

• Maintaining regular communication within the team and across departments
• Staying aligned on team priorities and broader objectives
• Dealing with technical difficulties and adjusting to new tools and procedures
• Navigating nonverbal cues that come with face-to-face communication
• Finding new ways to collaborate remotely and work together efficiently
• Staying connected on a personal level and maintaining workplace friendships

Connect with your remote team

Want to better understand your distributed team's reality? Try sending them an engagement survey. You can use a tool like Officevibe's Pulse Surveys to track overall team sentiment and send a custom survey to ask questions on remote work or any other topic.

17 remote meeting best practices for team leaders and managers

Team meetings are a core part of the workday in nearly every industry. They provide employees with a shared space to bounce around ideas and form stronger team bonds. So let's dive right into how you can run successful and engaging remote meetings by trying out these best practices, sequentially.

Before your remote meeting

It goes without saying that you need to prepare ahead of any meeting you're leading, and remote meetings are no different. Before logging on to your discussions, prep yourself with some (or all!) of these best practices.

• Ask yourself: could this meeting have been an email? It might seem obvious, but taking a step back to pose this question could save you and your team members a lot of time to work on other tasks. Maybe the topic of your meeting could be covered in a quick email exchange, through a Slack channel, or over a good old-fashioned phone call. If that's the case, save the meeting for a more appropriate time.
• Choose the right tools and platforms. From Zoom and Teams to WebEx, there is no shortage of remote meeting tools and platforms. Explore which platform works best for your team and which will help you facilitate communication.
• Send a meeting agenda. Make time to organize your thoughts and send invitees the agenda for the meeting so they can prepare themselves as well. Giving your employees an idea of what's coming up can help them jot down any questions they might like to raise in your team meetings, general town halls, and even one-on-one sessions.
• Cover the right topics. The time managers and employees have individually in one-on-one meetings is important for covering topics that aren’t meant for a group setting, like performance, career goals, or anything personal.
• Schedule meetings logically. Not only is it important to plan out what you will be discussing in your remote meetings, but it's equally as important to factor in when you're holding said meetings. Unless absolutely necessary, avoid scheduling meetings outside of regular operating hours and late on Friday afternoons as your employees will likely be tapped out from the day or week and less likely to participate. If you have team members working in multiple time zones, schedule the virtual meeting within a time frame that is respectful for all.

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During virtual meetings

You've booked the time. You've invited the right people. You've gathered your thoughts. Now, let's discuss how to effectively manage things during your virtual meeting.

• Set general housekeeping rules. It's best to get technical details out of the way at the very beginning of your online meeting. If there is a presentation, remind team members to keep themselves on mute and jot their questions down in the chat box or save them until the end. Sometimes a lengthy meeting is unavoidable, so scheduling breaks and giving your people a breather will make for a more successful remote meeting.
• Introduce new hires. As the meeting leader, take a moment at the beginning of the conversation to introduce new employees to the rest of the team. Starting a new job can be intimidating enough as it is, so prioritizing a great onboarding process can go a long way in making your new hires feel welcome in this digital space.
• Encourage people to turn their cameras on... but don't make it mandatory. While video conferencing can be a great way to connect with your teammates, everybody has different comfort levels when it comes to being on camera. And as a people leader, you have to put the well-being of your employees first and respect individual boundaries.
• Make time for small talk. If most team members are working remotely or under a hybrid model and have fewer opportunities to chat, make time for personal and informal conversations at the beginning or end of the session. This will help your team build the same meaningful connections that would burgeon naturally during in-person meetings.
• Remember to take notes. This one may seem like a given, but it's easy to miss an important talking point if you're experiencing technical issues or not recording the meeting. Ask someone in the session to help track meeting minutes and meeting notes if you need a hand.
• Let people know ahead if you’re recording. On that note (pun intended), let meeting attendees know if you're recording the session. Not only is it a courteous gesture, but if you have people working in different time zones, it can help them know what they have to attend live and what they can catch up on later.
• Give everyone the opportunity to speak. Divide your time equally so everyone has the opportunity to share what they’re working on and raise any blockers they’re facing. Your virtual meeting can be a great opportunity to share ideas and gain insight from your colleagues.
• Recognize effort and achievements. Virtual meetings are a great opportunity to shout out recent wins and highlight team efforts. You can give kudos during one-on-ones or in a larger team setting if your employees are comfortable with it, or take a beat to encourage peer-to-peer recognition.
• Keep it engaging. Successful virtual meetings are engaging meetings. If you're holding a day-long brainstorming session or workshop, keeping your employees engaged for the entire meeting can be challenging, but it shouldn't stop you from trying! Take a few minutes for icebreaker activities, and if the platform you're using allows for it, test out the poll, quiz, and breakout room features.

💡Whether you're managing a remote team or a hybrid workforce, it's of the utmost importance that you connect with your people on a genuine level. Check out these fun employee engagement ideas to keep building relationships with your team!

After your online meetings

What you do after holding your remote meetings is just as important as the session itself. Make sure everyone is on the same page with the following tips.

• Schedule follow-ups. Even if you share the agenda ahead of time, it's easy to get sidetracked from the main topic in your remote meetings. If there are things that still need to be addressed, schedule a one-on-one or another team meeting within a realistic timeframe to keep new ideas fresh in your mind.
• Share a recap. This is where your stellar note-taking abilities will come in handy. If you're managing remote teams, not all of your employees will be in the same time zone and able to attend the session. Make your workplace more accessible by sending a recap with the meeting's main points and if you recorded the session, send that along, too!
• Set action items and track goals. After your remote meeting, it's important to share, in writing, the next steps with your team. Setting goals and clear expectations help your team stay on track and is crucial for bolstering employee engagement.

Pro tip: Send out a custom survey after your meeting to get feedback from your team. Ask how they felt about the agenda, talking points, and output. They might have suggestions for how you can keep participants engaged and improve things for future meetings.

How to lead better online meetings for better remote teamwork

When you really understand the challenges your remote or distributed team is facing in their day-to-day, you can use that to improve your remote meetings and make them more engaging. Improved communications make a world of difference for the better functioning of virtual teams, and meetings are a key part of those communication practices.

Keeping your team engaged is at the heart of a productive and happy workplace. Whether you're managing a fully remote or hybrid team, you can start applying some best practices to your team meetings and make the most out of your time together.

When organized efficiently, a team meeting can be one of the most powerful tools in your workplace arsenal; it can enable closer collaboration, help with brainstorming, and facilitate communication with the whole team.

When a team meeting is used incorrectly, though, a manager or meeting leader might end up looking out at a sea of disengaged faces on their screen or in the conference room. The trick, then, is to establish the purpose of your team meeting and the subsequent action items even before hitting send on your invite. Knowing how to run your meeting ahead of time can make all the difference and avoids the dreaded meeting fatigue.

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What is the purpose of a team meeting?

The name says it all: a team meeting is one that allows all the members of a unit or organization to convene, communicate, and collaborate on shared objectives. There are different types of team gatherings, though, and each serves a different purpose. To run an effective team meeting, take the time to evaluate your needs and plan accordingly.

In any organization you'll find the following types of team meetings:

• Daily status updates. These quick check-ins help employees update their colleagues on what they're working on and are a great place to ask for support on upcoming projects in real-time. The daily cadence isn't necessary for all teams, but it can be very useful for development teams working on time-sensitive sprints, for example.
• Weekly team meetings. If scheduled on a Monday, a weekly team meeting can be helpful for aligning priorities and addressing issues or roadblocks. They’re also a great moment for managers to reflect on the previous week's work and give recognition for strong team efforts.
• Town hall meetings. Large-scale meetings like town halls gather the entire team and are a great opportunity to have an open discussion on high-level topics like strategies and company roadmaps. These are helpful for aligning people across teams or departments.
• One-time meetings. This is the type of meeting that managers schedule as needed and as important things come up that need to be addressed in a timely fashion. For example, if there’s a major change that will impact the team, like a departure, strategy shift, or restructuring.
• Retrospectives. Post-mortem, debrief, wrap-up; regardless of your preferred moniker, a retrospective meeting is one that takes place at the end of a project or campaign and gives you the chance to look back on your work. In retrospective team meetings, units take the time to review results and understand what went well, and take note of what can be improved on for future projects. Retrospective meetings help a team improve its methods and grow stronger as a group.

The importance of team meetings

Like their one-on-one counterparts, team meetings (or staff meetings) have a host of benefits, contribute to team cohesion, and encourage participation. Let's dive into the benefits of effective team meetings and how they boost collaboration.

Key benefits of team meetings

• Getting everyone on the same page. Regular team meetings are a great way to develop team alignment. When people connect frequently, they’re more in sync with what they’re working toward together and each of their roles in that mission. Team meetings are also an effective way to help your team understand its objectives, goals, and responsibilities. This also helps individual employees understand how they fit into the bigger picture.
• Building trust and rapport. High-performing teams are happy and comfortable teams that know, trust, and understand each other. Getting everyone together creates genuine connections between colleagues, regardless of whether they're in person or virtual.
• Improving communication. Effective team meetings allow for information sharing and for the flow of new ideas. Without body language and vocal inflection cues, some things can get lost in translation via email or over a Slack message. If you're trying to share a major announcement like a staff restructuring, a team meeting can create a channel of open communication and leaves space for questions or comments.
• Creating space for feedback. As a team leader, encouraging employee feedback is essential for future success. Make efficient use of your meeting time and open the floor for comments and problem-solving at the end of your session. Team meetings are also a great opportunity for imparting feedback on past or current projects.

When do you need a team meeting?

To make the most of your team's time, there are a few key considerations before scheduling your meeting.

Purpose

It goes without saying that you should have the purpose of your staff meeting established before inviting your team. Visualizing your end game can help you stay on topic and help establish clearer next steps.

Timing

An important part of your team meeting preparation boils down to when you schedule it. Flex your leadership skills and make sure you set time aside before the launch of a new campaign or project to discuss ideas and review details that will impact your employees' tasks. While scheduling a team meeting at 4:30 p.m. on a Friday is sometimes a necessary evil, avoiding inconvenient time slots can go a long way toward keeping your team engaged.

Frequency

Determine whether this session will necessitate future meetings. If you're tackling an ongoing project with different components, scheduling several touchpoints over the course of your campaign can be helpful for keeping your team members in the loop.

Format

While many companies now offer the option to work remotely, consider it might be beneficial to gather on-site for your meeting. Sometimes employees need only be surrounded by like-minded creative people to get their creativity flowing.

7 Best practices for running productive team meetings

1. Define the goal of the meeting

We've said it before and we'll say it again: establish the goal of your group discussion before sending your invites. Having a clear objective can make all the difference in keeping your team engaged and will (hopefully) deter your employees from reaching for their phones to scroll through social media.

2. Set a team meeting agenda

Effective team meetings are ones where all members feel like they're contributing. Send out a clear agenda so that your employees can come prepared with questions, comments, and ideas. This is also a good opportunity to share any other scheduling details including the length of the meeting, if there will be any intermissions, or if there will be interactive break-out sessions.

3. Invite the right people

Including the right meeting participants is key to a successful team meeting. Reflecting on the goal of your meeting and clueing in the right people can help you avoid scheduling many more unnecessary follow-ups, and ensure that the appropriate people are informed every step of the way.

4. Encourage feedback

Effective team meetings are all about collaboration. Make sure that you're making time for questions and comments throughout the meeting or at the end of the session to allow your employees to speak their minds. Similarly, it might be beneficial to share overall feedback from other teams or from members of leadership to help move projects along.

5. Summarize and determine action items

If a team member can't make a virtual discussion, it's good practice to record your meeting and send out the link for review or send out a detailed summary with the main discussion points. From there, you can determine the appropriate next steps and assign tasks.

6. Follow up on action items and track progress

Stay on top of your to-do list by following up on action items. If need be, schedule a follow-up meeting to ensure you're accomplishing team goals in a timely fashion. Following up on action items also helps overcome any roadblocks and resolve issues before they escalate.

7. Consider team meeting alternatives

While team meetings are helpful and necessary under the right circumstances, sometimes a different format lends itself more appropriately to the context. If there are fewer items to address, consider an asynchronous meeting where team members either record a short video explaining their tasks or fill in a shared Excel spreadsheet.

Make the most of your team meetings

A good team meeting allows all members of your unit to collaborate, share ideas, voice concerns, and ask questions. Go a few steps beyond with the considerations and best practices above, and you'll take each of these benefits to new heights.

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With the right leadership and conversation tools, your focus can stay on setting and reaching your objectives without getting lost in the admin of it all. Leave the meeting organization and tracking to a digital sidekick so you can set team meeting priorities, take notes, and establish action items with ease.

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As a people manager, your ability to coach and mentor your employees makes all the difference. To flex those coaching and feedback muscles, you need to add regular one-on-ones with your direct reports to your repertoire. If you already have, take it up a notch and ask yourself: are you making the most of those conversations? Do you have clear objectives for the time you spend with employees?

Without an established purpose, meetings can start to feel directionless and even like wasted time. When it comes to one-on-one meetings, this can lead to employee disengagement, a lack of direction in professional development, and even leave employees feeling disconnected from work on a personal level.

Goal-driven meetings help you maximize the time you have with employees and make sure conversations lead to real results. So what are the main one-on-one meeting goals, and how can you set some of your own? Keep reading to find out!

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Why is meeting with your direct reports important?

As the name suggests, a one-on-one is a meeting between two individuals working together at an organization. While they can happen between peers, leaders, and any mix of two people, the most common are one-on-ones between managers and their direct reports. That's because employee-manager relationships are some of the most important to nurture at work.

Regular conversations with employees help managers drive their entire team to success by making sure every player has what they need to do their best work.

Benefits of effective one-on-ones for both managers and employees

By digging deeper into the benefits of one-on-one meetings, you'll quickly see that a purpose-driven one-on-one is a win-win for both managers and their direct reports.

When planned with intention, one-on-ones help you:

• Set expectations: One-on-ones are a great time and place to align on goals and clarify roles and responsibilities. This helps you build a more autonomous, high-performing team, so you can focus on leadership and strategy.
• Gain confidence: Having regular touchpoints helps you build your managerial abilities and instincts. With time, problem-solving will become second nature and you'll be primed to guide employees in the right direction every time.
• Delegate work: Leading successful teams means delegating work to the right people. One-on-ones help you decide who's best for the job (or who has the biggest interest) while clearing up time in your agenda for more strategic work.
• Create a safe space: Employees who trust their managers are more comfortable talking through issues with them. When done right, one-on-one meetings can provide a safe space for employees to ask questions, raise flags, and address challenges they're facing so they don’t end up feeling stuck or disengaged.
• Build human connections: It's nearly impossible to build relationships and rapport with people you don't talk to often. Having a dedicated and recurring time to speak with each team member individually will foster connections and allow everyone to get to know each other better.
• Discuss career growth: One-on-one meetings give employees the chance to discuss their professional development and career ambitions. By supporting them through their growth, managers can make employees feel valued and ultimately improve their engagement levels.

4 Common one-on-one meeting goals

When it comes to setting one-on-one meeting goals, you don’t have to start from scratch. Here are some common objectives managers look to achieve with these important employee check-ins.

1. Relationship building

Research shows a positive correlation between employees who have a strong relationship with their boss and their productivity at work. This is why positive employee-manager relationships are so critical to developing high-performing teams.

One-on-one meetings are one of the best ways to get to know your employees, build relationships, and maintain personal connections. They give you a chance to actively listen to your employees, hear their problems, and answer questions they might have.

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Questions to build solid work relationships

• What is currently energizing you outside of work? (Be sure to answer this one too!)
• How can I better set you up for success in your role?
• What can I do to improve your overall happiness at work?

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🤝 Fostering great relationships at work can be as easy as one, two, three (… and four). Follow these four steps to building better relationships with your team members.

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2. Employee engagement

The importance and benefits of employee engagement really can’t be overstated. People want to feel connected, motivated, and like they’re having an impact at work. Engagement is complex and can be impacted by an array of factors, including job satisfaction, recognition, and well-being. So naturally, measuring and acting on engagement takes time and dedication — making it a perfect objective for a series of one-on-ones with your direct reports.

Individual conversations with employees are a good moment to gauge people’s engagement levels because they allow you to collect useful qualitative information. They're the perfect time to ask open-ended questions to better understand what’s motivating (or demotivating) the people on your team.

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Questions that help you engage employees

• What do you enjoy most about your role?
• What kind of projects would you like to work on this upcoming quarter?
• Are you currently struggling with anything? If so, how can I help?

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🎯 Reach this goal quicker with an employee engagement solution. Keep track of one-on-one meetings and supplement them with regular engagement surveys, so you can measure trends and fluctuations over time.

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3. Career development

Having a clear career path and goals that align with that vision helps employees feel like they’re moving in the right direction. People want to know that they have room to grow on your team and at your company.

Some managers use one-on-one time for career chats. Spending focused time talking about professional development and self-improvement with your employees will help them stay engaged and invested in the team. It also lets them know that you care about their growth and are invested in their success.

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Questions to support career growth

• What skills are you looking to build in the next year?
• What are your upcoming career goals?
• How can I best support you to achieve these goals?

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Not sure how to bring up someone’s future career path or connect it with the team goals? This career development talk template will nudge you in the right direction.

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4. Exchanging direct feedback

For people to grow and achieve their goals, they need to exchange feedback with one another. And while it may be surprising for some, employees love and want to get constructive feedback from their managers — usually as often as possible. It helps them know what they're doing well, but most importantly how they can improve. The same goes for managers. Getting honest feedback from your employees gives you actionable insights to better support your team.

One-on-one meetings are one of the best settings for sharing constructive feedback (and sometimes even negative feedback) with employees. It comes with the territory of being a coach, and an important practice so no one is surprised when it’s time for bi-annual or annual performance reviews.

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Questions to spark a feedback loop

• Have I given you any feedback recently that you'd like me to further explain?
• Are there any projects you would like me to give you more constructive feedback on?
• Do you have any constructive feedback about my management style?

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Track your feedback: Make sure you’re taking notes in every meeting and setting action items you can follow up on. With one-on-one software like Officevibe, you can easily store all your meeting notes in one place, so planning annual reviews is a breeze.

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How to set realistic one-on-one meeting goals (with your direct reports)

Before scheduling recurring one-on-one meetings with all your team members, establish what you’re both looking to get from them. Based on these goals, you can work together to create meeting agendas and set talking points that will help you really drive those desired results.

One-on-one meetings are a time to get a status report, tackle challenges, give feedback, track employees’ career goals, and delegate tasks. That’s a lot, so pinpointing what your short-term and long-term goals are will help you keep your one-on-one conversations focused.

With the broader goals outlined above in mind, you can set more specific goals for your one-on-one meetings. These could be the same for every employee on your team or different based on their individual aspirations and roles in the team. For example, one employee may be keen on meeting specifically for feedback and coaching. Others might prefer to spend their time discussing their career aspirations and goal progress.

Steps for setting (and achieving) great one-on-one meeting goals

1. Set your goal: You may choose to set a new goal each week or spend a few weeks focusing on the same goal. Check in at the start of every meeting to make sure you’re on the same page and know how you want to use your time.
2. Identify milestones: Define success and set some milestones so you can assess and track if you’re meeting your goals with your employees. Follow up frequently to see when it’s time to move on from your current goal or goals, or when you might need to spend more time covering a certain topic.
3. Take notes: Have a dedicated space for meeting notes, whether it’s a Google Doc or a tool for one-on-ones. This makes it easier for you to arrive prepared at every meeting without adding to your workload.
4. Use a meeting agenda: A one-on-one meeting template keeps you on track to cover the most important talking points and make the best use of your time. You can even collaborate on the meeting agenda with your direct report so you can establish the primary goal of your meeting together.
5. Follow up: Make a practice of following up. Get in the habit of adding an agenda item for your next one-on-one each time you wrap up, so you always follow up on commitments.

Have more productive meetings with clearly set goals

With so much distraction in our lives, setting goals for our meetings helps you stay on track, organize your time and resources, and ultimately keep building a thriving team. This way, you can run more effective meetings with your team members and make the best use of everyone’s time. What will your next one-on-one meeting goal be?

As the old saying goes, you only get to make a first impression once. That's why as a new manager, your first staff meeting is so important. Chances are employees are feeling curious (or even apprehensive) about having a new supervisor. Your first team meeting offers the perfect opportunity to put people at ease, make a great first impression, and kick things off on the best possible note.

So how exactly do you do that? How do you ensure your introductory meeting with your new team goes off without a hitch and sets you and your people up for success moving forward?

With a bit of preparation, clear objectives, and a flexible meeting agenda, you'll be ready to run your first staff meeting as a new manager like a seasoned pro.

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How to prepare for your first staff meeting as a new manager

A critical part of a successful meeting as a new manager is making sure you're well prepared. There are a few things you'll definitely want to do ahead of time to ensure that your first staff meeting is a success and that your new team has the opportunity to get excited about working with you.

Set a clear objective

You can't say a meeting is successful if you don't know what you're trying to accomplish with it. This is why you want to set meeting goals for one-on-ones as well as team meetings. Before your first meeting as a new manager, think about your meeting goals, whether that's breaking the ice with your new team, or talking through your first project.

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Setting meeting goals helps you save time and increase productivity during these moments with your team. Get inspired by our meeting goal examples for every type of meeting!

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Outline important topics to cover

While you don't have to write a script for your meeting, you do want to have a general outline of the topics you'd like to cover.

For example: If your meeting objective is to break the ice with your new team members, you may want to cover topics like your professional background, management style, and leadership philosophy.

Prepare talking points

Once you know what topics you want to cover, you'll also want to prepare a few specific talking points for each topic. Think about what topics will be more suited to a team meeting setting, and which ones might be better covered in one-on-one conversations.

For example: You may want to prepare one or two anecdotes or accomplishments to share with the group, plan an icebreaker exercise, or prepare a meeting check-in activity.

Coordinate team meeting logistics

You want to work out all your meeting details ahead of time. Think about whether you're hosting an in-person or remote meeting, where you'll meet (a physical space or meeting room, or a virtual one), and who needs to be there. Be sure to share those details with your meeting attendees in your calendar invite or as soon as possible.

Ease your new manager nerves

If you're feeling a little nervous or apprehensive about leading your first staff meeting, it's perfectly normal! Doing anything for the first time can be nerve-wracking — and running your initial meeting with your team is no different.

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Tip to handle pre-meeting nerves: Schedule some time in your calendar right before your meeting to put your mind (and nerves) at ease. You can use this moment to go for a walk or do a few deep breathing exercises before your meeting.

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How to run your first team meeting

Once you've done your prep work, the next step in the process is actually running your first team meeting. Here are a few pointers on how to run your first staff meeting that will help you achieve your meeting objective, connect with your team, and lay a solid foundation for a successful and productive team experience.

1. Break the ice with your new team members

This is your new team's first time attending one of your meetings — and, in some cases, may even be their first time meeting you. As mentioned, there may be some curiosity, apprehension, or nerves floating around. Before you dive into your meeting content, take some time to break the ice and put everyone (yourself included!) at ease.

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Icebreaker tip: Start off your meeting with a quick get-to-know-you game or a round of icebreaker questions.

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2. Keep the meeting structure flexible

It's important to have a meeting agenda but you don't need to be so committed to it that you miss an opportunity to have meaningful conversations or interactions with your new team. During your first staff meeting, you definitely want to come prepared with your topics and talking points but also keep things flexible enough to let conversations, questions, or interactions unfold organically.

3. Make it an interactive experience

No one likes to be talked at for an hour straight. Look for ways to involve your team and keep them engaged in the meeting content. This will keep them present during your scheduled time and let them know from the start that you're prioritizing participation and employee engagement.

For example: After you walk your team through your background, you might also go around the room and have each employee introduce themselves and their roles.

4. Keep the meeting a manageable length

It doesn't matter how engaging your first team meeting is, if it goes too long, people are going to have a hard time staying engaged. Try to keep things as concise as possible and aim to keep your total meeting time under an hour. If you have to go longer, make sure to schedule time for breaks.

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Remember: Once you meet with your new team, it's a good idea to meet individually with your team members, too. There are many benefits that come from one-on-one meetings, and keeping that in mind will help you make the best use of each scheduled meeting.

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5. Leave time for employee questions

Your first staff meeting is your first chance to introduce yourself to your new team, but it's also your team's first chance to meet and get to know you. As such, they'll probably have questions, so make sure to leave plenty of time at the end of the meeting for a team Q&A. You'll have the chance to ask all of your own questions during your one-on-one meetings.

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Meeting Q&A tip: Try to see this as an opportunity to get to know your new team's challenges and concerns. You might not have all the answers to their questions, and that's okay! Note them to come back to next time, and make sure to follow up.

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6. Be yourself and show your personality

Part of being an effective manager is connecting on a personal level with your new team. This will make for better communication, stronger trust and respect, and ultimately, better working relationships. Building trust and authentic connections happens when people get to see who you really are. So when you run your first staff meeting, let your personality shine through!

For example: If you're a witty person, crack jokes. If you have a hobby you're passionate about, talk about it. The more “you” you let your employees see, the more quickly you'll connect with them.

7. Have some next steps planned

When you end your meeting, you want everyone to walk away knowing exactly what's expected of them and what comes next. Have a few next steps prepared for after your first staff meeting, and let your employees know what those are. On top of that, you might set a few next steps from whatever comes up during your meeting time.

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Next step ideas: Schedule one-on-one meetings with each new team member, host a training session on new systems and processes, have a brainstorm for planning projects, or book a time to collaboratively create team values and principles.

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A new manager's first team meeting agenda template

Still feeling a little unsure of how to navigate your introduction meeting? Not to worry! Whether you're just getting started with staff meetings, or looking to bring more structure to your scheduled times, meeting templates can help keep you on track. This helps you cover all your agenda items before your team meeting is over.

Here's an example of a first team meeting agenda template to help you visualize the structure of your meeting space, and stay on track when the meeting is actually taking place.

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45-minute first staff meeting agenda

1. Greet the team, introduce yourself, and ask your new team members to introduce themselves. (5 mins)
2. Do an icebreaker activity. (5 mins)
3. Let your team know your expectations as a manager. (10 mins)
4. Ask about the team's strengths and challenges, their input on what they'd like to see change as you step into a management role, and what they'd like to stay the same. (15 mins)
5. Give the team the opportunity to ask questions. (10 mins)

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How often should you run staff meetings?

Once you've got your first staff meeting under your belt, the next thing on your agenda is determining the right meeting cadence for your team. In other words, as a new manager, how often should you plan to run staff meetings?

There's no magic count for team meetings. Some teams meet every day, some meet once a week, and some meet once a month. The frequency you'll need to host all-team meetings will depend on your team, your objectives, and the projects you're working on.

• Scenario #1: Your team has a looming deadline on a project with many moving parts. So you make sure to have daily team meetings for as long as there are several time-sensitive tasks to manage.
• Scenario #2: You're managing a team of introverts who feel drained after getting all team members together. So you decide to host fewer staff meetings and give everyone more time for focused individual work.

How to manage meeting with your team

When deciding your meeting cadence, it's also important to balance out group sessions with one-on-ones. Depending on the size of your team, what they're working on, and each employee's individual needs, you might opt to run one-on-one meetings more frequently than team meetings, or vice versa. Just make sure that you're making time for both because developing personal relationships with each team member is equally important as creating a positive and healthy team culture.

Generally, you'll want to meet with your team at least weekly or bi-weekly. It's important for you to stay on top of what they're working on, but also to give them dedicated time to raise any challenges they're facing or share their wins. Meeting with your whole team is an opportunity for alignment and connection, maintaining that sense of collective purpose.

FAQ on your first meeting with employees as a new manager

As a new manager, your first meeting with employees sets the tone for your working relationship and establishes the foundation for a successful team dynamic. It's natural to have questions about how to make this initial meeting meaningful and effective.

In this FAQ section, we've compiled answers to common queries you may have about your first meeting with employees.

By following these tips, you'll be well-prepared to navigate this important milestone and build a positive rapport with your team members. And remember, these tips are just as good for any other future meetings (not just the first ones!).

What should I include in the agenda for my first meeting with employees as a new manager?

In your first team meeting with employees as a new manager, it's important to have a well-planned agenda. Start with a warm welcome and introductions, followed by sharing a bit about your background and experience. Discuss the team's purpose and goals, establish expectations and responsibilities, and provide time for questions and open discussion.

How can I effectively introduce myself and establish a positive relationship with my employees during the first meeting?

To establish a positive relationship with your team members, be approachable and friendly. Show genuine interest in their work and contributions, and actively listen to what they have to say. Share your leadership philosophy and values to give them an idea of your approach. Express your commitment to supporting the team's success and creating a positive work environment.

What strategies can I use to make employees feel comfortable and engaged during the first meeting?

Making team members feel comfortable and engaged during the first team meeting is crucial. Create a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued. Encourage team members to participate and be actively involved by using icebreaker activities or team-building exercises. Acknowledge and appreciate their contributions, and be transparent and honest in your communication.

How should I address any concerns or anxieties that employees may have during the first meeting?

Addressing any concerns or anxieties team members may have is important to foster a positive atmosphere. Encourage open discussion and questions, and respond to their feedback with transparency and honesty. Acknowledge their concerns and empathize with their feelings. Offer reassurance and support, and make a commitment to address their concerns in future meetings.

What are some key communication techniques I should employ to ensure a successful first meeting with employees?

Communication is key to running a successful first team meeting. Use clear and concise language to convey your message effectively. Maintain eye contact and positive body language to show your attentiveness and interest. Practice active listening and ask follow-up questions to ensure understanding. Provide context and examples to enhance understanding, and consider using visual aids or presentations to convey information effectively.

How can I set clear expectations and goals for employees during the first meeting as a new manager?

As a new manager, it's important to set clear expectations and goals for your employees during your first meeting. Effectively communicate your performance expectations, encompassing both individual responsibilities and contributions to overall team goals, in a clear and concise manner. Collaborate with each employee to establish measurable goals that align with their skills and aspirations. Follow up on goal progression and provide consistent support as this will lay the foundation for a successful and high-performing team.

What steps can I take to encourage open dialogue and active participation from employees in the first meeting?

Encouraging open dialogue and active participation during meetings creates an inclusive and collaborative environment. Create a safe space for open discussion, ask open-ended questions to encourage input, and value diverse perspectives and ideas. Encourage team members to share their thoughts and opinions, and recognize and appreciate their contributions during the meeting.

How do I handle any conflicts or disagreements that arise during the first meeting with employees?

If conflicts or disagreements arise during the first meeting, handle these difficult conversations with empathy. Listen to all parties involved in a respectful manner and seek to understand the root cause of the conflict. Facilitate a constructive dialogue to find common ground and encourage compromise. If needed, follow up with individuals privately to address any lingering concerns with all parties involved in a respectful manner.

Should I discuss individual performance or address any performance issues during the first meeting as a new manager?

During the first team meeting, especially with new team members, it's best that you set expectations and goals rather than address individual performance issues. If there are immediate performance concerns, address them privately. Express your commitment to providing regular feedback and support for employee growth. Drive home the importance of open communication regarding performance throughout the meeting.

What follow-up actions should I take after the first meeting with new team members to maintain communication and address any outstanding concerns or questions?

After the first team meeting, always follow up to maintain communication and address any outstanding concerns or questions. Send a follow-up email summarizing the key points discussed and any successive action items. Schedule regular team meetings to keep communication channels open. Encourage employees to approach you with any concerns or questions they may have. Conduct one-on-one meetings to address individual needs or concerns, and seek feedback from team members on the meeting and their overall experience.

Your first meeting with employees as a new manager is the best opportunity to create a positive working relationship and collaborative work environment. It's vital to embrace this opportunity to connect with your team members, understand their perspectives, and inspire them to achieve shared goals. Plus, this will have a huge (positive) impact on team culture!