The Importance of 1:1 Catch Up
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Hiring a good team of people is hard, which is why retention is very important.
As a manager, you want to make sure your team is happy. One of the best ways to do that is having regular 1:1 catch ups with them. You want to ensure they are feeling challenged with their work, address any issues they have and also give them constructive feedback on how they’re performing.
Treat 1:1 catch ups like any regular meetings - they are important and shouldn’t be cancelled. If they do, they should be re-scheduled. Don’t get into the habit of moving them though! You don’t want people to feel that they should be taken lightly.
A lot of companies are advocating for an open door policy. It’s great in letting your team know that they are always welcome to talk to you. But don’t just rely on it. Some people might not feel comfortable in telling you their problems, until it’s too late and they walk out the door.
On the other side of the 1:1 fence, it is just as important that you are transparent with your managers about the ups and downs at work. They want to make sure you’re enjoying yourself and if you’re not, give them the opportunity to improve things for you.
If you need more convincing about the importance of 1:1, check out this brilliant blog post from Mathias Meyer, CEO of Travis CI:
http://www.paperplanes.de/2015/10/6/the-most-important-thing-about-one-on-ones.html
