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Explore top 1:1 questions to ask your manager, tips for effective preparation, and strategies to maximize each session's value.
When armed with the right questions, you can transform your one on ones with your manager from casual catch-ups to the most valuable hour on your calendar.
Read on for our pick of the very best one on one meeting questions for anyone looking to take their personal and professional development into their own hands.
Turn up to a one-to-one with your manager unprepared and you’ll pass up the perfect chance to get clear on what you need to do to get on track for a promotion, pay rise or professional development opportunities.
An easy and effective way to prepare for a check-in with your manager is to note down smart questions to ask your boss ahead of time in a one-to-one template. This will lay the groundwork for a productive one on one conversation where you and your boss touch on everything that’s important to you.
Your manager will appreciate it if they can always trust you and other direct reports to come to your meetings with a list of talking points, questions for first 1:1, constructive feedback and action items prepared.
To give yourself the best chances of rising up the ranks in your company and having great meetings with other team members, you should look to establish these things in every one-to-one with your manager (especially a new boss):
Here’s a closer look at how to tick each of those boxes with some simple questions you can ask in any one-to-one.
The most important part of any one-to-one is making sure you and your manager are on the same page when it comes to how you should be spending your time.
Focus on the wrong to-dos and you could have a stressful performance review session, set your career aspirations back, and potentially even put your job security at risk.
If you only walk away from a one-to-one with one thing, make sure it’s that you’re spending your time on what your manager wants you to by asking questions like:
Some bosses like to be kept in the loop with everything through a daily update. Others prefer you to figure out the small things yourself and only come to them when you need help on the big decisions.
Some managers like to communicate through Zoom calls, others through Slack. Some prefer their reports to take the lead on one-to-ones, while others like to set the agenda.
Book a demo of Assembly to quickly and easily set up one-to-one meetings across your organization.
Figuring this out and adapting to it is one of the smartest things you can do for your career prospects and your professional relationship (plus it shows off your leadership skills). In addition, work-life balance becomes easier and more enjoyable.
Ask these manager feedback questions during your one-to-ones to quickly get to grips with how to best manage up (or jot them down in your meeting agenda):
If your manager is in your corner they can open all kinds of doors for their employees to develop grow your skills. They can help you take on more responsibility, and build progress within the company.
Letting them in on your career goals and aspirations is therefore one of the best things you can do for your career growth and overall employee performance. After all, they’re the person who’ll have the biggest impact on where you’re heading beside yourself. You might be surprised about how far they can help you go.
Think about it from their point of view. Who are they going to trust with more responsibility: a teammate who doesn’t show any interest in stepping up, or a direct report that makes a point of discussing their career growth in each of their one-to-ones?
Ask these career development questions in your one-to-ones to show your manager you’re ready to take on opportunities when they show up:
If your manager could pick a dream trait for their reports to have, it would probably be a desire to seek out and listen to feedback.
Any manager worth their salt can help you get better at your job. Taking the initiative on soaking up the wisdom they have to offer will not only fast-track your skills development. It’s also a surefire way to form a great working relationship with them.
These are the questions to ask a supervisor during your one-to-one meetings to get better at what you do as fast as possible:
Remain calm and professional. Briefly rephrase your question for clarity. If they continue to avoid the topic, it might be best to table the discussion for later or seek guidance from HR if necessary.
Approach the situation respectfully. Express your perspective calmly and professionally, focusing on solutions rather than accusations. Be open to hearing their perspective and explore potential compromises.
The frequency depends on your workload, company culture, and individual preferences. A common timeframe is bi-weekly, but discuss with your manager to establish a mutually agreeable schedule.
Consider writing down your questions beforehand to gather your thoughts and practice phrasing them respectfully. You can also preface your question by expressing your hesitation and emphasizing your desire to learn or understand.
While some questions like understanding priorities and career development opportunities are relevant, tailor most questions to the specific role and company. Focus on acquiring information about the position and team dynamics, showcasing your research and genuine interest.
Don't wait for them to initiate all the discussion. Come prepared with your agenda and questions, and gently guide the conversation towards mutually beneficial topics.
While the main focus is work-related, briefly mentioning personal goals or aspirations can demonstrate your overall well-being and commitment. However, maintain professionalism and avoid oversharing.
Taking notes demonstrates your attentiveness and helps you recall key points later. However, ask your manager's permission beforehand and ensure your note-taking doesn't hinder the conversation flow.
One-on-one meetings are a valuable opportunity for both you and your manager. Use these questions as a starting point, adapt them to your specific needs, and prioritize open and respectful communication for a successful outcome.
There's a lot of traditional wisdom that says you shouldn't ask too many questions when meeting with your manager, especially questions to ask a new manager, or you risk seeming like you know it all. That's not the case (or shouldn't be with good company culture).
Good questions can get your manager to see things from a different (often better) perspective and learn more about your personal life.
The right questions will help uncover areas that need to be strengthened or improved and make your 1-1 meetings with your manager more productive (check out these questions for how to provide useful feedback for managers).
Whether or not you ever get to ask your manager these questions directly, they're a great way to evaluate your current job situation. You can use them to gauge where you stand career-wise and make sure you have a strong handle on your work-life balance. Keep these in mind as questions to ask new managers and set yourself up for success.
Take your one-to-ones with your manager to the next level with these simple questions, our five tips to make one-to-ones successful, and advice on how to give meaningful feedback to a manager.
Regular one-on-one meetings help improve communication, build trust, align priorities, and provide valuable feedback for career growth. They also create opportunities to discuss challenges, set goals, and strengthen the manager-employee relationship.
To make your one-on-one meetings more productive, prepare an agenda with key topics, bring questions related to your performance and career growth, actively listen to feedback, and follow up on action items discussed in previous meetings.
Avoid being unprepared, dominating the conversation, or only focusing on negative topics. Instead, balance your discussion with progress updates, constructive feedback, and career aspirations while maintaining a professional and solution-oriented approach.
After your meeting, send a brief summary of key takeaways, action items, and deadlines discussed. Regularly check in on progress before your next meeting to ensure alignment and accountability.
Get the foundational knowledge on creating an employee recognition program that boosts employee engagement and helps them feel valued.
Explore Guide
Yes, at Assembly, security is a top priority. Each quarter, we have ongoing security work that is everyone’s responsibility. While we maintain a strong security posture, it was important for us to prove to our customers that we do everything we claim to do. This led us to pursue a SOC 2 Type II report that would provide evidence of our compliance with industry gold-standard security practice.
There is study after study showing that employee recognition leads to increased engagement. This in return creates an environment where employees are happier and more motivated which increase productivity and reduces voluntary turnover significantly. In order to filled critical roles, companies tend to spend nearly twice the value of an annual salary. Assembly is an investment in your employees that supports your bottom line.
Yes, we will offer contracts for companies with longer-term agreements to help larger customers have more certainty around future costs.
The minimum agreement term is a 12-month subscription.
We do and for FREE! Any new customer needing further support to get started with Assembly to ensure you're set up for success can request custom onboarding support. Improving your employee experience is about much more than just using our amazing software; it’s about transforming your business to create a workplace that people love. That’s much easier to do with the personal support and advice from our passionate people experts.
At the time of redemption (when your employees exchange their points for a paid reward) you'll pay face value. If a reward is a $10 Amazon gift card, your cost will be $10. All paid rewards are billed for on a monthly basis.
The good news is that you don't have to pay for rewards upfront because we only charge you when points are redeemed, not when they're earned.
We offer discounts or educational or charitable organizations. In order to secure a discount, you'll first need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.
For all other organizations, we are willing to consider longer-term agreements in exchange for discounts. To set up annual plans or longer, you will need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.
If you're on a month to month plan, you can go here and cancel anytime. If you're having concerns or need help setting up your account for success, you can always book a demo with a customer support specialist.
If you're on a longer-term custom plan, you'll need to reach out to your customer support specialist to cancel your account or email us at support@joinassembly.com.
Great question! You can customize your core values to match your organization's to boost and track alignment. You can change your currency from the 🏆 emoji (our default) to any emoji of your choice. You can swap our logo for your own. You can also set up company culture rewards such as, "Lunch with the CEO," "Buy a book on us," and so much more!
While we recommend a peer to peer set up where anyone in your organization can give or receive recognition, you can set up Assembly however you want. If you need to limit the people who can give or receive recognition, that's perfectly fine and can be done from your Admin, here.
Assembly connects to the tools your employees use every day to offer an easy, seamless experience with minimal change management.
Assembly has integrations with HCM/HRIS systems like ADP, Google, Office 365, and Slack. We also integrate with communication tools like Slack and Teams so you and your employees can access Assembly wherever they work now.
That depends on the company's permissions set up. That said, over 90% of the employees on Assembly's platform are recognized on a monthly basis. That means nearly every employee across all of our customers are receiving regular recognition from their peers, managers, or leadership. We're extremely proud of this.
They are not required. You can use Assembly without having rewards set up. However, we don't recommend it if you intend to have a high adoption and usage rate. You can always keep the costs down by offering internal culture rewards that are fulfilled by you internally.
No, you can remove allowances from anyone or everyone. It's up to you but we do recommend using points whether they're worth a real dollar value or not. Companies that use points have a much higher engagement rate even if those points don't exchange for real dollars.
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