The Art of the Check-in: Strategies to Cultivate a Culture of Growth and Trust

The Art of the Check-in is a strategy to cultivate a culture of growth and trust. It involves a shift from treating employees as resources to treating them as valued, respected human beings. To drive a positive employee experience, managers and HR leaders must support three types of check-ins: goal-setting check-in (1-3x per year) to align the employee’s goals, projects, and tasks to organizational goals. Goals should be easy to recall, coherent, and challenging but possible. Managers should allocate time each quarter to enable employees to focus on learning and growth.

The most important details are that the ongoing check-in should be collaborative, trust-building, and growth-focused, and that the career check-in should focus on the employee's short-term and long-term career progression. The check-in should include questions around their goals, collaboration, recognition of what is going well, and discussion of feedback from across the organization. Check-ins are an essential part of the employee experience, providing employees with feedback and the opportunity to receive continuous feedback. Best practices include allowing the employee to drive the content, keeping them separate, embracing a growth mindset, open up, and actively listening. Check-ins are essential for organizational success, as employees are the most vital asset and keeping them engaged is key to organizational success.