One-on-ones are regular meetings between leaders and direct reports that contribute significantly to people’s development, letting managers know their employee’s challenges. For the meetings to be even more effective, it is important to rely on one-on-one software, with features that better organize the topics discussed and allow clearer feedback from professionals regarding the performance of their leaders.

In this material, we provide more details on the importance of this practice and explain how a platform contributes to it. Keep reading and learn more!

Why are one-on-ones essential to the company?

In the book The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Netscape, Opsware, and A16Z founder Ben Horowitz talks about how he nearly fired an employee for lack of one-on-ones, as he considers them crucial for building solid organizational cultures.

“In the absence of a well-designed communication architecture, information and ideas will stagnate and your company will degenerate into a bad workplace [if there aren’t 1:1s],” he emphasizes.

One-on-one benefits for employees

One-on-ones benefit both professionals and the company. For the former, they offer the feeling that someone cares about them on a personal level and provide an opportunity to discuss topics that encompass their development and career.

In addition, they help them be heard in the professional environment, so that managers understand their personal challenges, know what affects their productivity in daily life, and are up-to-date on their progress on the main demands directed towards them.

Benefits of one-on-ones for companies

One-on-ones also bring significant gains for companies. First, they create a better flow of information from the bottom up, so that decision-making is more proactive rather than reactive. If there is dissatisfaction with any topic, the manager will understand what is happening and draw up an action plan before the person becomes demotivated and even asks for a dismissal.

This is also a time for constant feedback exchange, which allows for better targeting and development of your talents’ careers. As a result, and crucial nowadays, people’s engagement increases—according to a study conducted by Gallup analyzing Brazilian market trends, only 27% of people are actively engaged, while 15% are actively disengaged.

Finally, it can improve the relationship between leaders and direct reports, which can reduce turnover and absenteeism rates.

Why invest in one-on-one software?

Now that you know what one-on-ones are and their importance to the company, we will introduce you to topics explaining why you should invest in a tool that supports this strategy. Come with us!

Schedule conversations according to your company’s reality

Number 1 on the list is the possibility of scheduling conversations according to the company’s reality. Today, managers need to focus not only on tasks and deliveries, but also on people.

With this solution, you can choose the cadence that best fits the needs of the business and create a culture in which people (management and professionals) get closer, align themselves, and focus on development.

Record important points of the conversation

If you don’t have a one-on-one tool, there is a risk the topics discussed will fall by the wayside, especially when what is talked about is not kept organized. Using the tool, all your notes are registered.

In a later conversation, leaders can consult what decisions were made in the previous meeting, what tasks were assigned to their direct reports, and, in the future, get an “x-ray” view of the employee journeys at the company.

Create agendas to guide conversations

Direct reports can create agendas in advance to better steer the conversations. Therefore, the meetings are more productive and provide management with better insights into the topics the person wants to discuss during the meeting.

Leaders receive scores for one-on-ones

It is important that you, as a leader, question your stance toward one-on-ones. With the tool, direct reports can anonymously assess how the conversation went. In addition, it’s possible to add tags and write comments that point out positive and negative aspects of the meeting.

As a result, leaders have greater clarity and better guidance about what they are doing well and what should be improved, so meetings are more effective.

Sync one-on-ones with calendars

Finally, the tool allows one-on-ones to be synced with Google Calendar and Outlook, which improves meeting management.

In this article, you were able to understand the benefits of one-on-one software, the advantages of this practice for the business, and see how routine can be made easier with the use of a tool.

If you’d like to know more about the subject and want to implement the practice in your day-to-day work, contact us, talk to our experts, and have your questions answered!