If Your One-on-Ones Keep Getting Shorter At Work, Pay Attention to This Pattern

Most organizations in the U.S. usually have periodic individual discussions between leaders and their employees during which issues such as giving feedback, discussing objectives, and addressing various challenges are raised for a certain period of time.

Once the frequency or duration of those interactions starts decreasing without any apparent reason, employees become aware of that change rather soon. Such an observation may be perceived as insignificant at first sight, since individual discussions serve a number of purposes, including showing concern.

A Pattern Employees Tend to Notice

It is common for workers to report a trend whereby meetings that took half an hour at some point were cut down to quarter-hour, then to ten minutes, even leading up to non-meetings.


As per the advice given on The Muse website, one-to-one meetings should be conducted in order to give regular feedback and direction to the employees, and the lack of consistency is usually seen by employees as a lack of interest.

The above scenario does not necessarily mean that something negative will happen, but without any information, most people make assumptions, which tend to be negative.

Why Managers May Pull Back

Not all instances of decreasing meeting time are necessarily done by managers out of maliciousness; there might be instances when such managers are trying to handle internal business issues and restructuring efforts without yet informing their team members.

Findings and practical advice shared through the work done at Baylor University indicate that managers should keep lines of communication open, but unfortunately, they do not do so in actual situations due to changing dynamics.

The decline in communication could be an effort on the part of managers to prioritize other things or simply a result of their being unsure how to go about communicating change.

How Employees Read the Change

Shorter meetings will be viewed by workers as more than simply a change in schedule since they have a strong connection with the perception of their value within an organization and their overall security.

The reduction of time spent in meetings with managers may imply doubts for the worker on the importance of their contribution or even their safety in the company.

According to The Muse, the lack of employee support leads to dissatisfaction in the workplace and increases anxiety as workers struggle to comprehend the meaning of these changes for them personally. Such emotions are conditioned by the importance of meetings as reassurance for employees.

The Link to Trust and Morale

Effective communication is an important tool for the development of trust between employees and management, and any abrupt shift from the established pattern will have a negative impact on this process. Employees' concern will grow when they notice the manager trying to shorten or skip the meetings in question.



The Muse claims that the establishment of open dialogue between parties relies upon frequent personal contact and that the absence of these meetings can have a negative impact on the atmosphere in the workplace.

What Research Says About Engagement

Employee engagement is greatly correlated with the frequency and level of communication between employees and their managers, and research shows that regular one-on-one sessions with managers are crucial for motivating employees.

According to Baylor University, the probability of employees staying motivated is very high for those who have frequent sessions with their managers, and a lack of communication makes them less engaged and productive.

A decrease in meetings can result in a loss of engagement and thus a decrease in motivation on a subconscious level.

The Role of Clear Communication

Transparency, according to the experts, is considered one of the best means of avoiding confusion and unnecessary tension caused by change in the workplace. Baylor University advises that managers need to clearly convey any modifications made to meetings and communication processes because this will help employees see the big picture without jumping to conclusions.

This way, people won't have to figure things out for themselves, which might cause problems.

A Small Change That Feels Bigger

A reduction in face-to-face interactions may be seen as a trivial adjustment, but for some employees, the importance of shorter meetings is emotional and professional because it shows the level of care that management provides.

Although not every instance where a reduced meeting takes place indicates a problem, the recurrence of such an action without an explanation might be interpreted negatively by some employees.

Realizing this aspect allows us to understand why employees respond so passionately to something seemingly so simple, because communication in the workplace is not only verbal but also temporal and continuous.