The university encourages managers to use the "one-on-one" approach to develop their employees and, where needed, use the university's "Discipline and Discharge" policy for situations requiring more formal action.
Key Concepts
Key Actions
Helpful Resources
Forms
Servant-Leadership Videos
Key Concepts
- Each manager has the responsibility to develop his or her employees.
- Each manager should facilitate a regular one-on-one meeting with each employee that he or she supervises. These meetings give an employee the opportunity to report on his or her responsibilities and assignments and give a manager the opportunity to listen, teach, correct, inspire, support, and motivate.
- Note: The frequency with which a manager meets with an employee in a one-on-one is dependent on the employee’s situation. A new employee, or an employee who has work-related issues, may need their manager to meet with them twice a week. At a minimum, managers should meet with each of their direct reports at least once per month.
- Where needed, administer formal corrective action using the university's Discipline and Discharge policy.
Key Actions
Have meaningful one-on-one meetings with direct reports on a regular basis. Actions to consider:
- Build your relationship with the employee.
- Review the employee’s goals and assignments.
- Provide feedback on the employee's goals and assignments.
- Address performance problems or other concerns.
- Communicate work expectations.
- Discuss the employee’s career development (i.e., seminars, classes, degrees, etc.).
- Solve problems.
- Teach, train, inspire, support, and motivate.
- Solicit feedback or suggestions.
- Listen.
Helpful Resources
These documents and websites provide resources to learn about performance management using a one-on-one approach. The philosophy behind this approach is that regular one-on-one contact between a manager and his or her employees leads to better communication, management, and development of those employees.
