Five Ways to Make Your One-on-One Meetings More Effective

Failing to use time with direct reports in a meaningful way — or, worse, skipping these meetings altogether — can lead to higher attrition and drag down organizational goals.
In the rush of day-to-day responsibilities and deadlines, pausing for a regular one-on-one meeting can feel like a waste of time. And for many, it not only feels unnecessary but also painful and stilted. According to research conducted at Humu, these feelings are so common that 1 in 4 people don’t have regular one-on-one meetings with their managers or direct reports at all.

Unfortunately, things can go wrong without these regular touch points. People who don’t have one-on-ones with their managers are more likely to leave their organizations. And although skipping these meetings might give some time back to managers, they are more likely to miss out on opportunities to build trust and alignment within their teams. So, what can managers do to make regular check-ins more effective?