Monthly One-on-One Meeting Template

Why have one-on-one meetings monthly?

One-on-one meetings provide a dedicated space for managers and employees to connect on a personal level and talk about work-related issues honestly, therefore they are necessary in modern workspace.

Some organizations prefer monthly check-ins, while others like weekly one-on-ones, but they navigate into different ways.

• Weekly 1-on-1 suits small teams that hope to build a close relationship; if you lead a large team who are doing similar roles, however, monthly 1-on-1 meetings are better suited as your time is limited. 

• Weekly 1-on-1 focuses on the weekly updates and addresses immediate problems within the team; while monthly meetings will focus issues on a higher level like how to improve team collaboration. 

What's inside this monthly 1-on-1 meeting template 

When you look at the monthly 1-on-1 meeting template, you'll notice that it is segmented into different sections. You can copy the template and make changes that suit your case.

1. Opener questions

 Icebreaker questions are one way to stir up a positive note between employers and employees. Such questions make subordinates feel comfortable and therefore more willing to share their thoughts with you. 

You can start with questions about the employee’s life outside of work; for example, “What do you like to do in your spare time?” ; or simply celebrate good news within the organization to motivate your team. 

2. Goals and progress

The first thing to include in a monthly one-on-one agenda is to review our goals and what progress we made in the last month. This helps us determine if we are moving in the right direction and identify any beneficial experience or roadblocks.

In the review process, never forget to highlight short-term wins to get employees motivated. You can consider asking:

• What has been achieved since the previous monthly 1-on-1 meeting?

• Do they have any progress/statistics to back up your success claims ?

• Are there future goals that we need to set?

3. Roadblocks

If we haven’t met our expected goals or the project got stuck, we must identify the obstacles affecting the progress stage. Hence, the leader and subordinate should discuss these challenges and find ways to nullify them before they become a thorn in the organization's flesh. 

Such problems can range from the presence of a sterile work environment to the inadequacy of resources. 

Here are questions to consider in this section:

• What is hindering you from the road to success?

• What can the team, individually or collectively, do to assist in overpowering the roadblock?

4. Open evaluation and feedback

Two-way feedback boosts effective communication.

Not only should you give advice to your direct reports, but also listen to their feedback. Remember, when the employees feel that they are heard and taken care of, they will feel motivated and thus be more engaged in the workplace. In other words, feedback covers the feelings of the subordinate about your support, the struggles they have in the workplace, and what they’d like to see improve in their working environment or the overall plan of the organization.