[_moof]

God, I hate 1:1s. In years on the job I've never had one that was useful. Managers already know what's going on because they're getting daily updates plus a weekly staff meeting. The rest of the time, please just leave me alone so I can work!

[frakt0x90]

If your 1:1 is just status updates, that's not useful, I agree. It should be focused on things that only the manager can give you feedback on. Career growth, work feedback, training opportunities, budget for XYZ, etc. Things you want to get out of work that can't be supplied by your peers.

[_moof]

Maybe you've been lucky to have better managers than me. IMHO managers should be giving continuous feedback; it's been a long time since I had a manager whose input on my career growth mattered; and I seek out my own training opportunities. When I've brought up issues in my 1:1s that are making it difficult to work effectively, I've gotten lip service at best. When I've said week after week that I need specific support, I haven't gotten it. It's honestly been over a decade since I've had a manager who was helpful in any way.

[ivan_gammel]

>IMHO managers should be giving continuous feedback

That would be great, however it is not always possible. Your manager may not be closely involved in your work, so for meaningful feedback they must bring focus from somewhere else. When calendar is packed with all sorts of meetings, it is easier to reserve dedicated time slot for you and guarantee that you will get all the attention this way. You may have never encountered a good manager, but they do exist. When I met one, I have got a massive decade long push in my career because of what I learned on those 1:1s.

[Swenrekcah]

My experience is quite the opposite, 1:1s are the only meetings I regularly look forward to.

[irrational]

Please tell us more, because I'm in accordance with the other person. What do you talk about in your 1:1s? Are you driving the conversation or is the manager? What are the topics of conversation? How long does it usually last?

My manager always say that my 1:1 are the easiest for him. I've asked him what in the world the other people are talking about that don't make them as easy, but his response is so vague (to maintain confidentiality) as to be useless. Not that I really want a longer 1:1...

[Swenrekcah]

It's a 30 minute slot but usually runs a little over that. We first chat about how life is going for a short while, then topics anywhere from job satisfaction, personal or teamwide improvement potential, specific products or technical issues, performance inhibitors, anything that is on our minds with respect to the job at hand really.

[Groxx]

That's pretty much what mine are. Some off-top-of-head rambling that sometimes reveals larger-scale stuff because the manager has other context, some "perf this year is likely to focus on X, please do that" reminders, some "getting exhausted by X, would prefer to not do it, what numbskull even came up with this".

It's for stuff that doesn't tend to come up in other ways, because there aren't jira tasks for mood. We skip about half of them when nothing in particular stands out for that week.

[arcboii92]

Just a random guy chiming in to say my favourite 1:1 was when Fallout 4 released and we spent the entire time talking about the game. We then made a pact that we'd save up our leave so we could take a week off when the next Elder Scrolls game was released....... I have so much leave saved up.

[apeescape]

As a remote worker, 1:1s have been a great way for me to get to know my managers and make friends with them (well, friends who have the power to fire you, but anyhow). I've loved picking their brain on various topics, not limited to things related to work.

Then again, if you dislike your manager, the meetings can be pretty jarring. Sometimes you just don't have that chemistry with them. And some managers try too hard to make 1:1s "useful" according to their taste, which really makes them just another reporting session you want to avoid.