[Negitivefrags]

The idea of a monthly one on one scheduled meeting is rediculous.

If you are not talking to all your people every day as a matter of course, they are basically unmanaged. For the love of god don't schedule any meetings. You shouldn't need to since you are just part of your employees flow of work.

The employee / manager relationship should be one in which either party can feel free to just raise any concern the moment that it comes up. Meetings are not how that occurs.

[Shatnerz]

> The employee / manager relationship should be one in which either party can feel free to just raise any concern the moment that it comes up.

This is true in an ideal world, but not everyone is comfortable being direct with superiors. Regular 1-1s establish a baseline and a foundation that can be built on. Plenty of people will delay raising concern until damage has already been done. Regular, private communication lets the manager get ahead of these issues and handle morale problems before they surface.

[BlargMcLarg]

Here's a better idea: stop fostering cultures where saving face is more important than trying to get things done. These 1:1s supposedly help working to it, but there are limits to what a manager can do, on top of who a manager is themselves.

These 1:1s are becoming what every process inevitably becomes. A strict panacea which turns out to not be a panacea at all.

[Shatnerz]

Agreed regarding culture. This should always be the goal. Unfortunately it is rarely the end result as humans aren't perfect, so some pieces still need tending to.

It's not that 1-1s are a panacea. They are more a mitigation strategy to catch human issues early and address them before they surface and roll into a bigger problem.

[johannes1234321]

Day to day operations are mostly focussed on the daily routine or issues suddenly appearing. However there is a set of things which doesn't come up in such discussions and in my experience it is good to have somewhat regular moments of "let's take about anything outside the routine, not related to the next release" and having those scheduled helps some folks to collect notes. I'm fine with such a meeting being five minutes, but sometimes it brings up topics which fly under the radar otherwise.

[dustymcp]

This forced 1:1 is the worst..

[tiew9Vii]

Agreed.

If I have an issue, I’ll go speak to who I need to when I have an issue.

Maybe it’s because I’m introverted, a person of few words and no nonsense but I’ve always found 1:1s to be corporate lip service. I’m in a place I’m happy, my employer happy with my work and I have no interest in career paths etc. That doesn’t mean I’ve no interest in being better/doing better work, which I’m constantly doing, I just have no interest playing the game going through different org chart paths as happy where I am and certainly don’t want to do management.

1:1’s are offical company time so if you share your being stressed or other issues I’ve seen that used against people before, it’s not a private confidential chat, it’s a manager/employee chat.

I find it’s best for me to smile, nod my head and ask the other person how they are.

Experiences outside of corporate I found it more genuine the ceo randomly saying hey do you want to get a coffee/lunch instead of a prescribed scheduled 1:1.

[TobbenTM]

Is it really forced tho?

People are busy, you some times don't get the chance to sit down and just talk about anything on your mind. Something else than the current backlog or whatever.

By scheduling regular meetings, it doesn't mean you _have to_ spend an hour talking about whatever, it's a block in your calendar where _you can_. In my experience, these are never forced, but rather an opportunity any party can use to chat, if none get the chance outside of it.

[KTallguy]

Agreed, it shouldn't feel forced.

Some people really don't like 1:1s and that's down to individual personalities. Also company culture can make 1:1s feel meaningless if the conversation that happens is never actionable.

I try to see where the person is coming from and adjust my approach. If their concern is not in my power to change, I escalate to my lead when appropriate.

A sibling comment mentioned that chatting about how you're stressed or frustrated can be used against you... I've had that experience and it was terrible. I think it all comes down to having a good manager, and unfortunately you can't always choose.

[danparsonson]

If there's time to schedule a regular one to one, why isn't there time to instead schedule a meeting when a team member has something on their mind to discuss?