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What is a one-to-one meeting?
A one-to-one is a regular, private conversation between a manager and one person in their team. It keeps work, wellbeing, support and development on track between appraisals, and gives the employee protected time to raise their own points.
Keep it short and regular, and protect the time. A one-to-one that is often cancelled tells the person it doesn't matter. Move it rather than drop it.
A one-to-one meeting agenda
The template uses the same agenda every time, so both of you know what to prepare. Start with what was agreed last time and finish with new actions.
- Actions from last time: what's done, what's stuck and why
- Wellbeing and workload: how things are going, and anything getting in the way
- Work and priorities: progress on current work and what's coming up
- Support and development: training, coaching or resources that would help
- The employee's items: anything they want to raise
- Feedback both ways: what's working, and anything either of you would change
- New actions: each with an owner and a due date
One-to-one questions to ask
A few questions for each part of the agenda. Pick one or two, not all of them, and let the conversation follow what matters to the person.
Wellbeing and workload
Questions to ask
- How are you, honestly?
- How manageable is your workload at the moment?
- Is anything getting in the way of doing your job well?
Work and priorities
Questions to ask
- What's gone well since we last met?
- Where are you stuck, and what would help?
- What matters most before we next meet?
Support and development
Questions to ask
- What support from me would make the biggest difference?
- Is there anything you'd like to learn or try?
- How is your development plan going?
Feedback both ways
Questions to ask
- What should we keep doing?
- Is there anything you'd like feedback on?
- What's one thing I could do differently as your manager?
A filled-in example
How a finished record reads for Ryan Clarke, a fictional warehouse team leader, in his monthly one-to-one with Laura Bennett. Notes stay short, and every action has an owner and a date.
- Manager
- Laura Bennett
- Date
- 1 October 2026, 30 minutes
- Last actions
- Forklift refresher booked for two team members on 14 October. Peak season rota draft shared
- Wellbeing
- Covering a vacant shift lead role and finding it tiring. Agreed it can't run past October
- Work
- Pick accuracy above target this month. Inductions for three new agency workers on track
- Development
- Would like to start a team leader course in the new year. Laura will check the training budget
- Feedback
- Laura thanked Ryan for the agency inductions. Ryan asked for quicker answers on overtime requests
- New actions
- Laura checks the course budget by 15 October and recruits shift lead cover by 31 October. Ryan publishes the November rota two weeks ahead, by 17 October
- Next date
- 29 October 2026
One-to-one vs appraisal vs supervision
The three meetings do different jobs, and many teams use all three. In health and social care in England, CQC Regulation 18 says staff must receive the support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisals they need to carry out their role.
What it's for
One-to-one
Work, support and wellbeing
Appraisal
Review a period, set objectives
Supervision
Reflect on practice and standards
How often
One-to-one
Weekly to monthly
Appraisal
Once or twice a year
Supervision
Set by policy and role
What it produces
One-to-one
Notes and owned actions
Appraisal
Objectives and a development plan
Supervision
A record with agreed actions
Make one-to-ones count
For new starters, Acas recommends informal check-ins throughout probation and regular check-ins after it ends. Use the probation review template for the formal reviews and this one for everything in between.
- Let the employee add their items first
- Start with last time's actions, so nothing quietly drops
- Write each action as a task with an owner and a date
- Keep notes short and share them soon after the meeting
- Bring development plan goals in, rather than saving them for the appraisal
Check-ins and follow-up in SkillProof
On the Growth plan, SkillProof includes governed check-ins with explicit follow-up scheduling, so follow-up is planned rather than left to memory. Supervision and one-to-ones is a review type an owner switches on in Settings, and development actions, training and objectives stay with each person.
Professional and Enterprise add independent review moderation, which doesn't create a performance score.
Official guidance used for this guide
Checked
CQC Regulation 18 and Acas probation guidance used for this article.
Questions this guide answers
What should be on a one-to-one meeting agenda?
Start with actions from last time, then wellbeing and workload, work and priorities, support and development, the employee's own items and feedback both ways. Finish with new actions, each with an owner and a date.
How often should one-to-one meetings happen?
Often enough that nothing waits long for an answer: weekly or fortnightly for new or busy roles, monthly for settled ones. Keep the rhythm steady and move a meeting rather than cancel it.
What is the difference between a one-to-one and an appraisal?
A one-to-one is a short, regular check-in on work, support and wellbeing. An appraisal reviews a whole period, usually once or twice a year, and agrees objectives. Notes from one-to-ones make the appraisal easier.
Who should write the one-to-one notes?
Either of you, as long as you agree who does it. Keep the notes short, record each action with an owner and a date, and share them soon after the meeting.
Is the template free?
Yes. The Word template is free to download and edit, with no sign-up required.