I’ve never had weekly 1:1s. That’s the first time I’m hearing about this idea. Sounds dreadful. In general, throughout my career my mental health and by consequence productivity were inversely correlated with the frequency of meetings. I perform terribly under micromanagers and excellent under hands-off managers. When I need something from my manager, I message them on Slack (honestly I’d prefer mail, but the culture now sets different expectations).
Ask HN: What's your opinion on weekly 1:1s?
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Re: Ask HN: What's your opinion on weekly 1:1s?
#32I used to think they were completely unnecessary.
Now that I'm full WFH, I think they are useful, as long as both you and the manager are sensible about it. It gives a weekly timeslot to address any concerns, ideas for improvement, or whatever work-related thing you might need to discuss (e.g.: time off).
Quite often there's nothing to discuss. We join the meeting, state that there's nothing on either side to address, and then we say "ok, have your 25 minutes back, cya next week".
Re: Ask HN: What's your opinion on weekly 1:1s?
#33Mid-thirties here.
Normally I think of them as unnecessary ceremony, but in my current project they just sort of happen in-between and I'm happy that they do, because my manager is simply good at his job and takes care of any blockers that might be there.
But if I got a person visibly younger than me trying to "coach" me on life and productivity again or any woo of this sort, I would decline these meetings entirely and perhaps both me and the company could have another go at evaluating whether I'm a "cultural fit".
Re: Ask HN: What's your opinion on weekly 1:1s?
#34I think I can manage myself well enough and when I need his help or vice versa, I just schedule an hour together.
A lot of people don't do this, and your manager has no way of knowing whether you will or not. Some devs will just sit and be unhappy for months and then leave. Your manager is trying to do better and give you an opportunity to proactively raise things. Maybe he also wants to make sure you know about changes ahead of time. These are positives.
I have monthly 1-2-1s with my boss, and I check in weekly with my team. Those meetings are scheduled for about an hour, but if everything is fine we just end the meeting after 2 minutes.
It works pretty well.
Re: Ask HN: What's your opinion on weekly 1:1s?
#35Weekly is too frequent (micro-managing), bi-weekly is way more balanced. Also they should not be stretched to one hour, they should cover only the things you both have to say and then ended.
Re: Ask HN: What's your opinion on weekly 1:1s?
#36It feels like there's a real dichotomy in the industry now and 1:1s are one aspect of it.
Some people enjoy frequent, active communication - daily standups, weekly 1:1s, all the Agile ceremonies. They work socially and rely heavily on collaboration to make progress as a team.
Others find frequent interruptions for all those regular meetings disruptive and unhelpful. They're comfortable working autonomously and prefer to communicate spontaneously when the need arises.
I don't think this is an introvert/extrovert thing. It's more like a process/people thing. Ironically the first group often describes itself as being Agile but it's the second group that usually is.
IMHO a team needs to pick its path and if it needs to grow then it's best to bring in others who want to follow the same path (and to discuss their style early and openly during the hiring process). The same person might thrive with the right team but be very uncomfortable and leave quickly if the culture fit isn't right.
Re: Ask HN: What's your opinion on weekly 1:1s?
#37Weekly 1:1 with your manager should provide benefits for you and for your manager. Different people have different needs and the benefits such 1:1s provide may feel more or less useful. For the employee, it’s a way to receive undivided attention from the manager. You can ask followup questions on an initiative that may not be right for a group call. The manager can share some context about what is happening that is m…
Did ChatGPT write this?
Re: Ask HN: What's your opinion on weekly 1:1s?
#38Weekly 1:1 with your manager should provide benefits for you and for your manager. Different people have different needs and the benefits such 1:1s provide may feel more or less useful. For the employee, it’s a way to receive undivided attention from the manager. You can ask followup questions on an initiative that may not be right for a group call. The manager can share some context about what is happening that is m…
Did ChatGPT write this?
Now you say it.
Re: Ask HN: What's your opinion on weekly 1:1s?
#39I think weekly is too often
We have daily scrums for a reason, right?
Re: Ask HN: What's your opinion on weekly 1:1s?
#40As a fellow 40+ I find a weekly 1:1 very valuable!
It gives me a chance to manage upwards, give my opinions on team dynamics, on upper management, etc.