Question 1

How do 1-1 meetings work?

Accepted Answer

We are so glad you asked! We've written a comprehensive guide on 1-1s for managers as well as for employees if you'd like to dive deeper. The gist is that employees and their team leader should set aside time on a regular basis to have a 1-1 discussion. This is a way to spot potential problems before they become a big deal.

Question 2

When did 1-1 meetings originate?

Accepted Answer

1-1s were first discussed in High Output Management, by Andy Grove (CEO of Intel) in the early 1980s. We strongly recommend you buy this book as soon as you can - it's the best book on management that we've ever read.

Question 3

When should I hold 1-1 meetings?

Accepted Answer

For new employees, we recommend that you have 1-1 meetings every week. When the employee is up to speed, you may want to consider holding it every other week. Keep in mind, 1-1s (and the topics of discussion) are determined by the employee, not the manager.

Question 4

How does the Friday 1-1 template work?

Accepted Answer

Our focus is on helping lay the foundation before the meeting happens. People are more honest behind a screen. If you ask the right questions, you can eliminate the first 10-15 minutes of a one-on-one (which tends to be awkward).  You can use Friday to ask for agenda items and information before the meeting happens, which can accelerate better conversations. We believe this is the highest impact thing you can do to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the meeting.

Question 5

How does asking for agenda items help the 1-1 meeting?

Accepted Answer

There are a few benefits to this approach: If there's no rough agenda, a meeting can drag on and on. While it may be necessary at times to have a lengthy 1-1 meeting, it's also important for the employee to put thought into what they'd like to talk about. It reduces awkwardness - I've been in dozens of awkward 1-1 meetings because both parties are trying to figure out what they'd like to talk about. If you have an agenda, it helps establish necessary structure. People are more honest behind a screen - people will add agenda items that they would never bring up in-person. Many customers have mentioned that asking for this information asynchronously ends up enabling better conversations. You can read more about how Friday can help you significantly reduce the number of 1-1 meetings while retaining effectiveness here.

Question 6

What can I customize in the 1-1 template?

Accepted Answer

Pretty much everything :) Questions (pick from a variety of types) Timing (coming soon - time-shift off a calendar event) Notifications (where the information is pushed) Where the prompt is sent (Slack, email, or both) The Friday workflow builder makes it easy to run virtually any communication workflow you can think of. The only requirement is that it must be a recurring event. You can browse sample templates to learn more.

Question 7

Who can see the responses?

Accepted Answer

Unlike other apps that show all the information collected to Human Resource departments, you determine who can see the results. For the 1-1, we think it should only be seen by the leader and the employee (just like the meeting itself). There's no need for anyone else to spy on the conversation.

Question 8

How much does this cost?

Accepted Answer

It's free to get up and running on Friday. Premium features are $6/person per month and includes: Send according to someone's timezone See more than 3 weeks of data Unlimited integrations Easily run reports and track completion rate over time Export data to CSV/PDF Google Calendar integration

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One-on-One Meeting FAQ

How do 1-1 meetings work?

When did 1-1 meetings originate?

When should I hold 1-1 meetings?

How does the Friday 1-1 template work?

How does asking for agenda items help the 1-1 meeting?

What can I customize in the 1-1 template?

Who can see the responses?

How much does this cost?

Helpful One-on-One Resources

The Complete Guide To One-on-One Meetings

Employee Guide to One-on-One Meetings

Why Your 1-1 Meetings are Inefficient

Great Team Meeting Templates

Sprint Retrospective

Daily Scrum

Weekly Check-In

Have better 1-1 Meetings

Friday is a completely customizable canvas that dramatically improves communication at work. Try it out for free.