Checking in on the progress of your direct reports doesn’t need to be a long and stressful process. Employee check ins are an easy way to keep track of the performance of your employees without making it seem like an actual performance review.

Employee performance check-ins are one-on-one conversations between managers and employees about their goals and objectives and their performance plans. These help you gain an understanding of what your employees are working on and the issues they face from time to time and help you resolve it without having to wait for annual performance reviews. This article will talk about the importance of staff check in and some steps to make it more productive and engaging.

Also Read: The ultimate check-ins list for performance appraisals

What is employee check in or staff check in?

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Employee check ins or staff ins is a great way for managers to touch base with their team. They give managers and employees a chance to get on the same page without the stress of the check-in being treated like an actual meeting. Contrary to the annual staff performance reviews that are time consuming, create a negative experience and decrease employee morale, employee performance check-ins encourage transparency and promote continuous feedback. 

Check In Process

The basic process for conducting an employee performance check-in is that managers and employees typically meet for a few minutes and have a quick chat over the work that has been done over a particular period of time. Alternatively, it can also be carried out in the form of a structured questionnaire which can then be followed up by a face-to-face meeting. Effective managers use employee check-ins to gain insight into how their direct reports work, what works for them and what needs to change. Check-ins require you to immediately acknowledge the issues addressed and act on them. 

Also Read: Benefits of employee check-ins in organizations

Employee Check In Frequency

The frequency of staff check-ins is different based on different workplace cultures, the type of work and the employees you work with. Depending on the complexity of goals set for your direct reports, you can either have Weekly check-ins, Monthly check-ins or quarterly check-ins. The staff check-ins should be open to be initiated either by managers or by their direct reports. 

Also read: Employee check-ins for remote employees

The cadence of an employee performance check-in can be based on what the organization is comfortable doing. Staff check in works better when they adhere to a structure with a preset questionnaire based on various departments in an organization. These set of questions can be used as a framework to guide the check-in. This helps both the managers and employees understand the purpose of the whole process and makes the whole experience feel easier and more productive. 


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