Mid-Year Check-in: 3 Questions to Ask Your Employees

by Michael Holland – 

As we approach mid-way through the calendar year, it’s time for a mid-year check-in with each of your employees.  

While you’ve been regularly talking with your employees about their job tasks and performance, now it’s time for a different conversation.

Schedule an extra meeting with each of your team members.  Make it different: plan for it to be longer, go off-site or a different setting, send a message in advance so the employee can prepare for your conversation.  And then be ready to listen.

Here are 3 questions you should ask. . .

What are you proud of/have learned so far this year?

We want employees reflect on their work and activity and relationships.  We want them to be learning and growing.  One of the best retention strategies for top talent is to make sure they are regularly challenged and learning.

Oftentimes people don’t realize what they’ve learned until they stop and reflect.

Ask:  what have you learned?  How have you applied this?  What will you do differently because of this learning?

What’s one thing you want to change/work on through the remainder of the year?

This could be in a work process, a team effort, how they manage their work, a communication challenge….anything.

Have the employee identify what they want to do differently.

This will give you insight into where they want to improve, and increase their commitment to change.  It will also give you a primary area to coach them as you move forward.

What do I need to know?

Ask for feedback. What’s something I’ve stumbled on, something I could’ve been more effective with or communicated better?  What’s something that I’ve done that helps you to be successful in your work?  Are there adjustments in the way we meet, communicate that would held us?  What’s your perception of how are team teams?  Any suggestions for our team?

Engage the employee in a conversation about what is working well and what may need adjusting.  Show them you value their opinions and perspectives.

As you wrap up this conversation connect it with the aiming points/goals for the remainder of the year for the whole team.   

Coaching Thoughts – For You and Your Peers

• As you reflect on the conversations with employees, are there themes that appear?
• Were there any big surprises?
• What one thing will you work on as through the rest of the year?
• Grab a peer manager and together reflect on your experiences from the conversations.