Getting started with employee check-ins

Regular employee check-ins, sometimes also called 1:1s, are a fundamental part of a continuous performance management program. They’re a series of scheduled, recurring conversations between managers and employees throughout the year. 

Some organizations keep these conversations fairly informal, while others use a more structured approach. The most important part of check-ins is to make sure they happen on a regular basis. They should also be properly documented. 

Depending on the organization or individual, check-ins can be done daily, weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly or at any other consistent interval.

Step 1: Questionnaires

The actual check-in conversation is documented by completing a questionnaire. Questionnaires are customizable forms that can include questions of different types: multiple-choice, open-ended, or rating questions. You create these on the Questionnaires page.

Within a questionnaire, you can define which sections apply to employees, and which ones apply to managers. Different questionnaires can also be created based on the types of check-ins. For example, you can define a questionnaire for senior team members, and another questionnaire for check-ins with newer hires. There’s no limit to the number of questionnaires you can create. Feel free to get creative here! 

Step 2: Schedule check-in sessions

Check-ins are scheduled ahead of time by either a manager or an HR administrator on the Check-ins page. Each check-in is then launched automatically at the right time based on the pre-defined schedule. 

Managers and HR admins can set the same schedule for an entire team, or define different schedules for each employee. New employees, for example, may need more frequent check-ins than a more experienced employee.

Step 3: Check-in process

Once the first scheduled check-in date is set, the check-in process begins. The employee will first receive an email notification 7 days before the due date to complete the assigned check-in questionnaire. Upon completion, the manager will receive an email notification inviting them to complete their part. 

This process will be repeated at the frequency set for each employee until you make a change to the schedule or set the status to Inactive.

Managers and administrators can easily view the status of employee check-ins from the check-in page.

If an employee does not complete the questionnaire before the next scheduled check-in, it will close. They will then be notified to participate in the next scheduled check-in.

All check-ins will be easily accessible to the manager and can be shared with the employee using the Share button directly from their Task list.