What is a 1-2-1 meeting?

The 1-2-1 is a monthly focused meeting between a Manager and a direct report and is a semi-structured discussion about individual performance, Key Performance Indicators (KPI) achievement and a review of progress against individual goals and objectives. The body of the discussion is based on documented evidence.

What does it do?

  • The meeting provides a framework for the Manager and team member to review the team member’s performance and achievements during the previous month. The following should always be covered as a minimum.
    • Performance against KPIs (Including Quality)
    • Achievements & objectives met
    • Competence improvement & areas on which to focus
    • Future development & support
    • Attendance and time keeping
  • Regular contact between each team member and their Manager facilitates the opportunity to establish a joint view of performance to agree a firm development plan

Who is responsible for it?

  • The Manager is responsible for arranging the 1-2-1, the direct report however is responsible for ensuring a high-quality record/output results from the meeting i.e. a 1-2-1 form and an Action Plan. Hand written and committed to by the direct report.
  • The direct report is responsible for attending the meeting fully prepared with evidence of the areas where their performance has improved since the last session.

When is it used?

  • The Manager of the team is responsible for ensuring that each team member receives a 1-2-1 every month. In teams where size makes this difficult; managers should aim to complete three to four 1-2-1s each week.
  • Direct report should take ownership to chase if a 1-2-1 was cancelled.

Who needs it?

  • All team members should have 1-2-1s. Properly executed these meetings will always result in improved performance

What does it do?

  • It is a 30 to 60 minute meeting, conducted face to face in a private setting. Although it follows a set format it is intended to be a genial session where the parties build trust and an open relationship.