Make those awful one-on-one meetings easier to get through. It can be nerve-wracking for an employee to know there’s a meeting with the boss, but they have no idea what the meeting will be about. It can also be stressful for the boss, not knowing the employee as a person or how they react in evaluations.
The first thing the employer can do is tell the employee to come up with 5 points to talk about. This lets the employee not only know what the meeting will be about, but it’ll take a lot of the stress out of the meeting. The employee will feel the boss is eager to talk about things of importance to them, personally. If the employee has no idea of what to write down, help them by saying the information needed is about the employee experience at work, suggestions for their job, etc. Having the employee choose the topics makes them feel valued and secure in their job.
Be Head of the Meeting Without Being Bossy
As a boss, be prepared. Know what the person’s exact job description is and have notes all ready to look at. Ask questions that need to be answered, and even plan how to end the meeting and suggest ways for the employee to move forward and improve.
Have the schedule cleared of everything else during the meeting. It doesn’t make anyone feel better when the boss is constantly checking the computer, phone and clock. Sometimes things come up, that’s to be expected occasionally, but clear the agenda for the time of the meeting so it can be over in due time.
If everything’s been discussed in 30 minutes instead of the hour set aside for the meeting, let them go back to work. Let the meeting out when it’s over.
The meeting is really for both the employer and the employee, so try not to take up all the time talking. Some bosses love to talk, but it’s not an enjoyable trait for the workers. Letting the employee talk lets the boss know what working for them is like.
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