Do you remember the scene in Narnia, where Aslan, the Lion King, was lecturing Edmond for his poor performance? Lucy was happy to see Edmond and she was about to run to him, but Peter stopped her because it was a continuous check-in that was happening because of Edmond’s journey on a wrong track. And the forces of Aslan joined together as they all believed in Aslan’s cause and won against the witch. Now, what happened to Yondu? Yondu never managed his team’s performance and never cared about what interests them or makes them trust him. And the result is, he was held as a prisoner and only one person stood by him.  

What do we learn from them? A manager who takes an interest in his/her employees’ professional growth can take the organization on the path of success. A manager who does not act as a mentor but a nagging boss fails and his team gets out of his hands just like Yondu lost his ship and left with only one person behind him.  

How to Manage Performance Through Continuous Check-ins?  

An effective performance management system is a continuous process that includes more conversations between the manager and employees. A study suggests that most high performers accept that they have more dialogues with their managers on performance, goals, progress, and action plan. Continuous check-ins help in increasing morale and productivity along with the quality of work of the workforce. It also ensures alignment and a working workflow structure. These continuous interactions make the once-in-a-year performance appraisal one-on-one meeting meaningful.  

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Through continuous check-ins, the managers can also deliver constructive feedback that adds value to the employees’ work. Remember Aslan? Whenever someone needs help in Narnia, Aslan helps them along with a lesson worth remembering. But Yondu is not like that, he has not behaved like a coach. Similarly, the managers should help the employees out through their feedback, not just criticize. The feedback should be a mix of appreciation, identification of areas of improvement, and guidance.  

 How to Make Virtual one-on-one meetings successful?  

Remote working is becoming the new norm and most organizations are even considering going remote completely because it provides them the advantage of low operating costs. But the organizations are not equipped to manage performance effectively. Automated systems, uninterrupted connectivity, and strong work culture are inevitable to make the most out of remote working. When employees work remotely, they feel isolated and so there has to be constant engagement with the remote workforce to make them stay committed to work. So, how to make your one-on-one virtual meetings successful?  

Here are a few tips to help you out.  

1. When you conduct meetings virtually, video calls should preferable. Body language, which is the most ignored factor in communication, cannot be taken lightly when it comes to virtual communication. The body language conveys the intentions to the receiver, and it is quite helpful in strengthening the employer-employee relations. Besides, when an employee sees the manager, he/she is ready to speak about the pain points. The manager can easily learn the well-being and concerns of the employees.  
2. Remote working helps employees to maintain a perfect work-life balance. Therefore, instead of following inflexible timings, it is better to ask the employees what time works best for them for a one-on-one meeting and schedule a time that works for both.  
3. One-on-one meetings should happen with every team member, not only with one to criticize his/her performance. That approach will diminish the morale of the employees.  
4. The meetings should not be conducted for the sake of doing it, the manager and employee, both should be prepared with the necessary points and data to have a conversation that improves the performance and productivity.  
5. Do not look for notes, points to be discussed, and the quality of internet connection during the call. It wastes your precious time.  
6. Create the right environment before you attend the meeting so that there are no distractions during the call. Have an office set-up in a separate room so that no one disturbs you during the call or alert your family about the meeting.  
7. Do not just discuss and leave the meeting. Create an action plan to overcome the pain points and produce quality work on-time.  
8. Record the conversations leveraging technology to refer to so that each meeting is not vague or repetitive.  
9. Make sure it is an interactive session, not a monologue.  

 Don’ts of One-on-One meetings  

One-on-one meetings are a part of relationship building between the manager and employee. If the employer and employee do not trust each other, the meetings lose their purpose. When the trust factor is strong, employees open up about their concerns. As a manager, here are a few don’ts you must follow.  

• Do not use the confidential information shared during the meeting against the employee.  
• Not trying to understand the issues of employees and treating them as liars.  
• Not taking action on the issues confronted by the team.  

Thus, if you avoid the above-mentioned points, the performance will increase and perhaps, surprise you. Leverage the suitable technology that supports continuous check-ins, one-on-one meetings, etc.