Why have Frequent Conversations?

Regular conversations with your line manager are essential for your performance development. They provide an opportunity for you to discuss your goals, progress, and any challenges you may be facing. Your manager can offer guidance and support, and help you develop a plan to improve your performance.

Why is it important to have frequent conversations?

Let's look at some of the key benefits:

• Setting clear and aligned goals. Having regular conversations with your manager helps you to ensure that your goals are aligned with both your team's and the company's goals. Not only will this emphasise how your work is supporting these wider goals, seeing how your own contribution makes a difference will help you to stay focused and motivated.
• Getting timely feedback and coaching. Frequent conversations with your manager give you the opportunity to get timely feedback on your work. This feedback can help you to identify areas where you are doing well and areas where you can improve. Your manager can also provide you with coaching and support to help you develop your skills and knowledge.
• Building trust and rapport. Frequent conversations with your manager help you to build trust and rapport. This important relationship will make it easier for you to ask for help and support when you need it.
• An increased level of engagement and satisfaction. Employees who have regular conversations with their managers are more likely to be engaged and satisfied with their jobs.

Overall, having frequent conversations with your line manager is a great way to improve your performance and career development. Need some tips to get started?

Hints and tips on having frequent conversations

• Be prepared. Think about what you want to discuss before the conversation – review the ‘Conversation Prompts’ that appear in the conversation page, to help you prepare and make the most of your time.
• Be open and honest. Being honest with your manager about your progress, challenges, and goals will help your manager provide you with the best support possible.
• Be specific. When discussing your goals and challenges, be as specific as possible. This will help your manager to better understand what you need.
• Be proactive. Don't wait for your manager to come to you. You can easily schedule a conversation in Clear Review and make them recurring meetings too! Also, if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas, make notes in the conversation page so that you can bring them up with your manager during your conversation.

Real life examples

Here are a couple of workplace examples of the benefits of frequent conversations, from both an individual employees' perspective, but also from a line manager's point of view:

Sarah

A software engineer named Sarah was struggling to meet her deadlines. She was feeling overwhelmed and stressed. She decided to talk to her line manager, John, about what she was going through. John listened to Sarah's concerns and helped her to develop a plan to get back on track. He also offered her some additional support, such as helping her to prioritize her work and manage her time more effectively. As a result of her conversations with John, Sarah was able to meet her deadlines and improve her performance.

David

A customer service manager named David was having trouble with his team's morale. He noticed that the team was not as engaged and productive as they used to be. David decided to talk to his team members individually to find out what was going on. He learned that the team members were feeling undervalued and unsupported. David took the feedback to heart and made some changes to the team's culture. He started having regular one-on-one meetings with each team member to discuss their goals and progress. He also started providing more feedback and recognition. As a result of David's changes, the team's morale improved significantly. The team members felt more valued and supported, and they were more engaged and productive.

Reading these stories is great in terms of bringing to life how frequent conversations can help in the workplace, but have any studies been done which prove that there is a strong correlation between frequent conversations with line managers and employee engagement, job satisfaction, and productivity? Here a number of examples:

Evidence

• A study by Gallup found that employees who have regular one-on-one meetings with their managers are more likely to be engaged in their work. The study found that 67% of employees who had regular one-on-one meetings with their managers were engaged, compared to only 31% of employees who did not have regular one-on-one meetings with their managers.
• A study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that employees who have regular one-on-one meetings with their managers are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs. The study found that 89% of employees who had regular one-on-one meetings with their managers were satisfied with their jobs, compared to only 69% of employees who did not have regular one-on-one meetings with their managers.
• A study by the University of Warwick found that employee engagement can lead to a 21% increase in productivity.

Closing thoughts

There we have it! The evidence suggests that frequent conversations with line managers can be beneficial for both employees and employers. Employees who have regular conversations with their managers are more likely to be engaged in their work, satisfied with their jobs, and productive. Employers who encourage their managers to have regular conversations with their employees can benefit from increased employee engagement, job satisfaction, and productivity.

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