15 Questions Every Manager Should Ask in 1:1s

The Power of Great Questions in 1:1 Meetings

As a manager, the questions you ask in 1:1 meetings can make or break the conversation. Ask the wrong questions, and you'll get surface-level answers. Ask the right questions, and you'll unlock insights that lead to better performance, stronger relationships, and higher retention.

This guide provides 15 essential 1:1 meeting questions that every manager should have in their toolkit. These questions are designed to uncover what's really happening with your team members, identify challenges early, and support their growth and development.

Questions About Workload and Capacity

1. "How is your current workload? Is it sustainable?"

This is one of the most important 1:1 meeting questions you can ask. It helps you identify if someone is at risk of burnout before it's too late. Listen carefully to the answer--employees often understate their stress levels.

Follow-up questions:

• "What tasks are taking more time than expected?"
• "Are there any projects you'd like to delegate or deprioritize?"

2. "What percentage of your time is spent on high-impact work versus administrative tasks?"

This question reveals whether your employee is stuck in busywork or focusing on what truly matters. If the ratio is off, you can help them reprioritize or remove blockers.

Questions About Challenges and Blockers

3. "What's the biggest challenge you're facing right now?"

Simple but powerful. This question surfaces issues early so you can address them before they escalate. It also shows you care about their success.

4. "What would need to change for you to be more effective in your role?"

This open-ended question invites employees to think about systemic improvements. You might discover process issues, tool limitations, or resource gaps that are impacting the entire team.

5. "Are there any decisions or approvals you're waiting on that are blocking your work?"

Bottlenecks often hide in approvals and decision-making processes. This question helps identify where you can unblock your team.

Questions About Growth and Development

6. "What skills would you like to develop over the next 3-6 months?"

Regularly discussing growth shows you're invested in their career, not just their current output. This question helps you align development opportunities with their interests.

7. "What part of your work would you like to do more of? Less of?"

Understanding what energizes and drains your employees helps you assign work that plays to their strengths and interests. This leads to better performance and higher engagement.

8. "How do you feel about your career progression here?"

If employees don't see a path forward, they'll start looking elsewhere. This question helps you understand their career goals and ensure you're providing growth opportunities.

Questions About Support and Resources

9. "How can I better support you in your role?"

This question shifts the focus to what you can do for them. It shows humility and a genuine desire to help. Be prepared to act on their feedback.

10. "Do you have all the resources, information, and access you need to do your job effectively?"

Sometimes the smallest blockers--missing software access, unclear documentation, or outdated tools--can significantly impact productivity. This question surfaces these issues.

Questions About Engagement and Motivation

11. "What part of your work are you most excited about right now?"

Understanding what motivates your employees helps you assign work that aligns with their interests. It also gives you insight into their engagement levels.

12. "If you could change one thing about how our team works, what would it be?"

This question invites constructive feedback about team processes, communication, or culture. Employees often have valuable insights you haven't considered.

Questions About Feedback and Recognition

13. "What feedback would be most helpful for you right now?"

Instead of giving unsolicited feedback, ask what they want to work on. This makes feedback more impactful because it's requested and relevant to their current goals.

14. "What's something you've accomplished recently that you're proud of?"

This question helps you understand what they value and gives you an opportunity to recognize their achievements. Many employees don't share their wins unless asked.

Questions About Well-being and Sentiment

15. "On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your overall well-being right now? What would make it a 10?"

This question directly addresses employee sentiment and well-being. It's quantitative enough to track over time but open enough to invite discussion about what's impacting their score.

Pro tip: Tools like Workcom track sentiment scores over time, helping you spot trends and address issues before they impact retention.

How to Use These 1:1 Meeting Questions Effectively

Don't try to ask all 15 questions in every 1:1 meeting. Instead:

• Rotate through different categories based on what's most relevant
• Ask follow-up questions to dig deeper into interesting responses
• Take notes on the answers so you can reference them in future meetings
• Act on what you learn - asking questions without taking action undermines trust

The Most Important Question of All

While these 15 questions are powerful, there's one question that matters more than any other: "Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?"

This simple question often reveals the most important topics--the ones employees are hesitant to bring up. Make this a standard closing question for every 1:1 meeting.

Conclusion: Questions Are Your Superpower

Great managers don't have all the answers--they ask great questions. These 1:1 meeting questions will help you build stronger relationships, identify issues early, and support your team's growth and success.

Start incorporating these questions into your next 1:1 meeting, and watch how they transform the quality and impact of your conversations.

Looking for a tool to help structure your 1:1 meetings and track these conversations? Workcom provides ready-made question templates, note-taking, and sentiment tracking to make your 1:1s more effective.