A one-to-one conversation should give a colleague room to discuss work, obstacles and development with their manager. If it consists only of reading tasks aloud, a shared task list could often do the same job. Use the time to understand context, make decisions and agree support that changes the person's ability to deliver.
Acas recommends regular informal performance conversations alongside more formal reviews and recognises that reviews can surface support and training needs. The routine below concerns ordinary check-ins. It does not replace the organisation's formal processes for sensitive employment matters or individual concerns.
Use a small shared agenda
Invite both people to add topics before the meeting. A useful structure is: what is going well, what is blocked, what needs a decision and what the colleague wants to develop. The agenda should leave space for the person's priorities rather than being filled entirely by the manager's updates.
Choose a setting where the conversation can remain private and focused. If an urgent issue requires a separate specialist conversation, arrange that through the appropriate process. Do not press someone to share personal information that is unnecessary for understanding or supporting their work.
Discuss an example rather than a label
“Communication needs improving” is too broad to act on. A more useful starting point is: “The delivery update did not include the revised date, so the packing team could not plan the order.” Ask what happened, which information was available and what would help next time.
The colleague may reveal that the supplier sent an uncertain estimate or that nobody had authority to confirm the revised schedule. That changes the response. The manager can help define how provisional dates are labelled and who decides when to publish an update. A label about communication would have obscured the dependency.
Make support concrete
When someone raises an obstacle, agree an action within the manager's control. “I will speak to the system owner about your missing access by Wednesday” is more useful than “Let me know if you need anything.” Also check whether competing tasks make the expected workload unrealistic.
For development, connect learning to a real opportunity. If the colleague wants to improve planning skills, they might prepare the next small project brief with a review before it is shared. Agree what success would look like and how much support is available. A course is one option, but it is not automatically the right answer.
Balance feedback and listening
Ask the person how they view the example before deciding its meaning. Recognise specific effective work too: “Your handover included the pending decision and owner, so the next shift knew what to do.” This gives the colleague information they can repeat rather than generic praise.
Leave time for feedback about management. Questions such as “Which decision have you been waiting on from me?” can uncover a practical bottleneck. Listen without trying to rebut every point immediately. Where you disagree, explain the constraint and explore an alternative that the colleague can understand.
- Both people can add topics before the conversation.
- Examples describe observable work and its effect.
- Obstacles are checked for access, authority and capacity issues.
- Support actions name an owner and a date.
- Development connects to a realistic opportunity to practise.
- The next check-in revisits important commitments.
Record only what helps follow-through
Keep a short, appropriately protected note of agreed actions and development objectives. Share the relevant record with the colleague. Avoid collecting unnecessary personal detail or creating a private narrative the person cannot correct. Follow your organisation's record-management and privacy arrangements.
A useful check-in does not guarantee that every issue can be solved immediately. It makes constraints visible and commitments explicit. If the same obstacle returns repeatedly, examine the wider process or workload rather than allowing the conversation to become a recurring acknowledgement with no practical change.
Sources and further reading
This original guide was prepared with AI assistance. Examples are illustrative. The edition date is an assigned date in this 2026 catalogue. See our editorial policy and report a correction.