A skip-level meeting allows senior leaders to hear what is going on in the company directly from employees. These meetings can give you valuable insight into how your business is performing, but only if you conduct them correctly.
[Read more: How to Ask Your Employees for Constructive Feedback]
What is a skip-level meeting?
During a skip-level meeting, a senior level executive meets directly with an employee without their manager present. For example, the regional manager could “skip over” the manager to meet directly with the employees that person supervises. These meetings give executives unfiltered insight into what is going on within the company and can help them learn about issues they may not have known otherwise.
Skip-level meetings can help senior-level managers build rapport with employees they don’t usually interact with. They also help managers gain valuable feedback about how the leadership is performing.
Executives spend most of their time on big picture issues, so it’s easy for them to lose sight of the day-to-day issues employees deal with. Skip-level meetings give executives unique insights into the challenges that employees deal with. They also help employees understand how the work they do fits into the company’s bigger picture.
[Read more: How to Retain Your Best Staff]
Skip-level meetings shouldn’t be a secret—the manager you’re “skipping over” should know the meeting is happening.
Skip-level meeting best practices
Skip-level meetings can provide a fresh perspective and help you spot opportunities for growth and improvement within the company. If you’re considering implementing skip-level meetings, here are some best practices to follow.
Try to meet one-on-one
If you can, try to
meet one-on-one with different employees. If this isn’t possible, you
can meet with a group of employees, but the feedback you receive may be
more filtered. An employee who is having problems with their manager may
be hesitant to address these concerns in front of a group of their
co-workers.
Meeting one-on-one will help put employees at ease and
assure them the things they say won’t have negative repercussions.
Choose an informal, neutral place to meet, like a coffee shop.
[Read more: How to Make Employees Feel Like Family]
Hear multiple perspectives
If an employee raises a concern about their manager, it’s important to seek out multiple sources of information on the issue. Not every complaint you hear will be entirely accurate—some employees may leave information out or exaggerate negative interactions. Receiving feedback from a variety of sources will help you validate these concerns.
Keep it transparent
Skip-level meetings shouldn’t be a secret—the manager you’re “skipping over” should know the meeting is happening. Let them know the meeting is occurring, the purpose behind it, and what you’ll do with any information you receive. Being transparent will minimize problems and prevent managers from feeling like you’re checking up on them.
Come to the meeting prepared
Before attending a skip-level meeting, you should know what company goals you’re trying to accomplish. Come up with questions ahead of time and share them with the employee’s manager so they’ll know what will be discussed. Here are a few examples of questions you could ask:
- Do you have the resources needed to perform your job effectively?
- What is the best thing about your job? What’s the worst?
- Is there anything preventing you from performing better at work?
- Is there anything you believe the leadership team could be doing better?
Listen and follow up
The purpose of a skip-level meeting is to learn more about your employees’ perspectives. Once you ask a question, be prepared to listen actively to what employees have to say. Encourage them to share anything that’s on their mind, and never interrupt or invalidate an employee’s concerns.
After the meeting, you should follow up with that individual by email and thank them for being honest with you. If they shared any problems with you, give them a timeline for how you plan to address these issues.
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