PepTalk’s Top Employee One-on-One Feedback Templates for Leaders

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‍Delivering balanced employee feedback that is constructive yet motivating takes some skill. Team leaders – we’ve got your back. We’ve pulled together our top tips and templates on how to lead effective one-on-one feedback meetings!

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Open communication and regular feedback are 2 key pieces of the employee engagement puzzle, which leaders have the power to achieve through effective one-on-one meetings with their team members. 

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With the right preparation and planning, the best leaders facilitate regular meetings and check-ins that provide support and build a positive feedback loop. And many use employee one-on-one feedback templates to ensure a consistent, fair and structured approach across all of their team members. 

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Read on to find our top employee one-on-one feedback templates to add to your leader toolkit!

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The importance of one-on-one meetings with employees

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Let’s start at the beginning – why are one-on-one meetings important? Well,  research shows that employees regularly receiving meaningful feedback are around 4 times more likely to be engaged than their colleagues. Regular one-on-one meetings carve out dedicated time for these conversations to take place. 

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Formal one-on-one meetings and daily check-ins are effective tools that positively impact employee morale, motivation, and performance by keeping managers connected with their team members. 

While it might seem overwhelming to schedule and deliver one-on-one meetings for every member of your team, the payoff you’ll receive in the currency of engagement is 100% worth it… trust us! 

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How to run an effective one-on-one meeting

The good news? Research shows that 94% of surveyed managers hold one-on-ones. The not-so-good news? The same study found that only around 10% of employees think their one-to-ones are effective.  

There’s clearly some work to be done here! The best one-on-one meetings should be regular, well-organized, and include both tactical and strategic support for employees. In practice, this means scheduling recurring meetings to discuss both progress on day-to-day work and also the bigger picture items such as development, goal alignment, and barriers to success. 

Making one-to-one meetings a habit and sticking to the agreed cadence shows team members that they are valued and that their development is important. Many leaders use employee one-on-one feedback templates to ensure they arrive prepared and achieve consistency across all team members. 

Let’s dive into our top employee one-on-one feedback templates for managers to use!

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5 employee one-on-one feedback templates

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We’ve developed an ultimate list of the top 5 employee one-on-one feedback templates for managers to use: 

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• Weekly employee one-on-one feedback template
• Bi-weekly employee one-on-one feedback template
• Monthly employee one-on-one feedback template
• Year-end employee one-on-one feedback template
• GOOD employee one-on-one feedback template  

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( Click here to download your FREE templates today )

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1) Weekly employee one-on-one feedback template

Connecting with employees on a weekly basis builds a solid foundation of communication and allows managers to regularly discuss feedback with their direct reports. 

Around 50% of managers hold weekly one-on-ones with their team members. They provide the perfect opportunity to collaboratively find practical solutions and to address pain points before they turn into bigger issues. 

The below template shows how to structure a weekly one-on-one feedback meeting. 

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Weekly one-on-one template

Section 1 - Looking back 

• What went well this week? 

• Positive feedback, achievements and recent wins 

• What felt challenging this week? 

• Issues and challenges faced 

• What learnings were made this week? 

• Based on what went well and what was challenging 

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Section 2 - Looking forward 

• What are the priorities for next week?

• Deadlines, goals and short-term objectives 

• What support is needed for next week? 

• Consider any anticipated roadblocks 

• What learnings from last week will be taken forward?

• Things to do differently or change

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2) Bi-weekly employee one-on-one feedback template

Leaders with large teams may struggle to schedule weekly one-on-one meetings with every direct report. In fact, almost 70% of surveyed team leaders said that juggling team management with other responsibilities was their biggest challenge. 

Bi-weekly employee one-on-one feedback meetings offer a great solution for keeping communication consistent when a weekly timeframe isn’t possible. 

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Bi-weekly one-on-one template

Section 1 - Informal check-in

• Check-in on the last couple of weeks

• Build connection by taking an interest in life outside of work

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Section 2 - Looking back 

• What went well over the last 2 weeks? 

• Positive feedback, achievements and recent wins 

• What felt challenging over the last 2 weeks? 

• Issues and challenges faced 

• What learnings were made over the last 2 weeks? 

• Based on what went well and what was challenging 

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Section 3 - Looking forward 

• What are the priorities for the next 2 weeks?

• Deadlines, goals and short-term objectives 

• What support is needed for the next 2 weeks? 

• Consider any anticipated roadblocks 

• What learnings from the last 2 weeks will be taken forward?

• Things to do differently or change

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3) Monthly employee one-on-one feedback template

Depending on the seniority of team members and the size of the team, monthly one-on-one meetings with each employee might be the most suitable option. Informal communication should still be maintained throughout the month, but the monthly meeting provides a structured opportunity to walk through a thorough agenda.  

Unlike weekly and bi-weekly meetings, monthly one-on-one feedback meetings focus more on higher-level monthly goals and challenges. 

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Monthly one-on-one template

Section 1 - Informal check-in

• Check-in on the last month

• Re-build connection and take an interest in life outside of work

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Section 2 - Looking back 

• What monthly goals and objectives were achieved? 

• Positive feedback, monthly highlights and wins 

• What felt challenging this month?

• Any goals that weren’t achieved, or barriers that were faced

• What learnings were made this month? 

• Based on what was achieved and what was challenging 

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Section 3 - Looking forward 

• What are the priorities for the next month?

• Deadlines, goals and monthly objectives 

• What support is needed for the coming month? 

• Consider any anticipated roadblocks or developmental support

• What learnings from the last month can be taken forward?

• Things to do differently or change

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4) Year-end employee one-on-one feedback template

The end-of-year employee one-on-one feedback template is designed to be a high-level reflection on employee performance, highlighting accomplishments and growth as well as challenges that have been overcome. 

Leaders should also encourage employees to reflect on their longer-term career aspirations and things they would like to focus on in the coming year.  This template is a useful tool that will support managers to facilitate productive conversations and simplify the often complex annual review process! 

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Year-end employee one-on-one template

Section 1 - Looking back 

• Review annual goals and objectives 

• Including year-end rating for each goal and discussion 

• What have been the main growth areas this year?

• Barriers that were overcome, development and progression

• Final reflections on the year

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Section 2 - Looking forward 

• Goals and objectives for the coming year

• Broken into quarterly and/or monthly deadlines

• Development areas for the coming year

• Training, development or support needed

• Future career aspirations

• Long-term, medium term and short term

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5) GOOD employee one-on-one feedback template

Using the GOOD employee one-on-one feedback template allows managers to focus the meeting around goals, obstacles, opportunities, and decisions. Its main objectives are to exchange feedback, recognize challenges, and collaborate on future resolutions. 

While there is not necessarily a fixed cadence for GOOD one-on-one meetings, we find the format most beneficial to employees when meetings are delivered at least quarterly. Remember that employees are 5 times more likely to perform at their best when they feel they are being listened to, so make sure the opportunity for them to provide feedback is frequent enough! 

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GOOD employee one-on-one template

Goals

• Review agreed goals
• Check-in on progress or barriers in achieving goals
• Discuss any adjustments that need to be made

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Obstacles

• Talk through any challenges 
• Consider any changes that need to be made to overcome the obstacles 
• Discuss support that needs to be provided 

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Opportunities 

• Talk about future opportunities and career progression 
• Discuss what learning or development is needed to realize these opportunities
• Review growth opportunities within the role

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Decisions

• Walk through next steps 
• Agree on actions that both the leader and employee will take before the next meeting

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For even more support and guidance on bringing structure and consistency to your employee feedback meetings, check out our 6 Employee Feedback Templates to Motivate Your Team! 

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PepTalk makes it easy to connect with your team

The PepTalk platform enables leaders to engage and connect with their teams, encouraging them to perform at their best. Features like our Team Check-In, TeamTalks and PepTalk Paths support employee-leader communication and build one-on-one relationships. 

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Book a demo to find out what the PepTalk platform can do for you and your team! 

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