There is a TON of research that shows if a manager checks-in once a week with their employees their performance typically will significantly improve over bi-weekly or less. It makes complete sense when you think about it.
Why? Here are seven reasons why weekly check-ins with employees matter.
- Show you care
- Help them stay on track and prioritize what’s most important
- Help them remove obstacles and roadblocks
- Provide feedback and support
- Challenge their thought processes and help them see better strategies, solutions, and tactics.
- Results from performance reviews won’t be a surprise
- Increase employee retention because 75% of employee quit because of poor managers and 90% of employees state their relationship is a top factor to stay at their company (and with their performance).
But this it depends on how the manager engages with their employees and the questions they ask. Weekly check-ins alone don’t ensure success.
So the next question that naturally arises is: What should a manager ask?
Here are four questions that you can go through in 10 minutes or less. It will ensure priority alignment and maximizes the chances for success that week.
- What are your top three priorities for the week (and why)?
- What’s going well with them?
- What are your challenges? Where are you stuck?
- What specifically can I do to help you?
Here are six additional questions managers can also use incorporate with their employees.
1) “What’s the best use of our time today?”
Or “What’s top of mind for you right now?”
2) “What does your ideal outcome(s) look like for the week?”
3) “What do you think is the best course of action for each priority?”
4) “Are you unclear about anything?”
5) “Do you have enough/right resources?”
6) “What was the most useful part of our conversation today?”
