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Comment by santiagobasulto | Hacker News Reader

Everybody bashing 1-on-1s, but they're really important. A 1on1 doesn't need to last half an hour and be full of red tape. The best managers I've had do a 5 minute check, but ONLY WITH YOU: hey, how are you doing? everything alright? Any issues (personal or professional)? And off you go to keep on working. But you know what? You feel they care and they listen. In these quick 1on1s we've learned multiple important things. For example, the "what do you think is a big time waster" question is usually brought up here, and it's very useful to have the point of view of the dev team.

We're all devs and we love to live isolated: we thrive sitting in a corner with our headphones and coding. But remember we can't escape our human nature. Having someone that listens to you exclusively for 5 minutes, once per week is very valauble.

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As a manager, I don’t do 1-1s for my sake. They’re exhausting affairs, the end of my 1-1 days end in me basically losing all the energy required to work.

I do 1-1s because they’re one of the most effective tools in my toolbox to check in on my team, get early warning on problems, and maintain quality relationships with everyone.

> I don’t do 1-1s for my sake.

I would argue that they are not for only you (the manager) but for your team. Biases could trick you into a false sense of security here. Of course it all depends on the team and environment. My toolbox is not yet as robust. 1-1's are a vital part of keeping a pulse on my team and staying connected.

Edit: Formatting

For sure. I’m just pushing back against the unsaid but extremely common belief that managers do these things for their own sake. I do them because they’re good for the team and good for the directs, albeit in different ways.

> I don’t do 1-1s for my sake

I think I miss-interpreted this statement. I took it as you saying you don't do them at all. Sorry!

> pushing back against the unsaid but extremely common belief that managers do these things for their own sake

Totally agree!

Ah, yeah I could’ve worded that more clearly.

>> the end of my 1-1 days end in me basically losing all the energy required to work.

aren't 1:1s a big part of your required work?

Yes, and they’re the last thing I do that day, because I’m drained afterwards.

I wouldn’t call them a big part of my job, depending on how we’re measuring “big”. They’re important, but they’re not the largest amount of time on my calendar by a long shot.

I agree. Employees don't always have problems to bring up in 1on1s but, when they do, it's better for them to vent sooner rather than later so that it can be taken care of before it can spread to other employees.

It's like the frog in boiling water thing. If you do a 1on1 every quarter, you're much more likely to have missed issues that are now full-blown emergencies instead of a quick, breezy conversation in your office.

It’s also better to give negative feedback early and with unambiguous details during a 1x1. It gives them better opportunity to fix things, and reduces hurt feelings and disappointment come yearly review time.

They’re also a really good opportunity to focus on career questions — where do you want to end up, what kind of projects will be best for getting you there, etc.

For me, doing 1-on-1s is like taking the pulse of the company.

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