The 2019 State of One-on-ones Report is an in-depth analysis of how over 200 managers across 30+ industries approach one-on-one meetings. It covers key findings, challenges, and best practices for effective one-on-ones, based on data from managers collectively managing 985 direct reports and over 1,280 years of management experience across 5 continents. Download the full report for more details.
Over 200 managers from more than 30 industries participated in the 2019 State of One-on-ones Report, collectively managing 985 direct reports and bringing over 1,280 years of management experience.
According to the report, 94% of surveyed managers have regular one-on-one meetings with their direct reports. The remaining 6% cited lack of time as the main reason for not holding one-on-ones.
48.5% of managers surveyed hold weekly one-on-one meetings with their direct reports, making weekly meetings the most common cadence.
The top purposes of one-on-one meetings are: understanding and eliminating roadblocks (70.4%), pulse checks on engagement and well-being (60.7%), and status updates on projects (53.6%).
Managers most frequently discuss growth and development (75%), performance (58%), employee motivation (49%), connection to people/work (47%), autonomy and accountability (45%), and alignment to company mission (23%).
49% of managers say both the manager and employee share responsibility for the meeting agenda. 15% of managers own the agenda but wish their direct reports would contribute more.
The top three challenges are: ensuring value for direct reports (34%), getting direct reports to contribute to the agenda (22%), and having meaningful, productive conversations (17%).
Managers use a variety of tools: 41.3% use personal productivity/note-taking tools (Google Docs, Apple Notes), 34.2% use pen and paper, 27% use communication tools (Slack, Microsoft Teams), 21.4% use dedicated meeting software, 14.8% use project management tools, and 10% use no tools at all.
68.3% of managers say juggling managing their team with other responsibilities is their biggest challenge. Other challenges include hitting team goals (14.4%), getting the team to collaborate (10.6%), and retaining employees (3.8%).
54% of managers say they use Slack as their primary communication tool with their team, and 41% use personal productivity tools for one-on-one meetings.
Managers consider keeping the team on track to achieve goals (37%) as the most important part of their role, followed by providing growth and development opportunities (26%), removing blockers (22%), and creating a safe working environment (13%).
You can download the full report, which includes industry breakdowns, remote work statistics, and more, from this link.
The full report provides insights into remote vs onsite managers, differences between large and small organizations, unique approaches by tech/software companies, and which departments spend the most time in one-on-ones.
49% believe both manager and employee should own the agenda, while 15% of managers wish their direct reports would take more ownership.
Personal productivity tools (41.3%), pen and paper (34.2%), communication tools (27%), and dedicated meeting software (21.4%) are the most common tools for one-on-one meeting notes.
75% of managers report discussing growth and development in their one-on-one meetings with direct reports.
Ensuring value for direct reports (34%), getting direct reports to contribute to the agenda (22%), and having meaningful, productive conversations (17%) are the top three challenges.
54% of managers use Slack as their primary communication tool with their teams.
Growth and development, performance, employee motivation, connection to work, autonomy, accountability, and alignment to company mission are the most important topics discussed.
Spinach AI is an advanced platform that leverages artificial intelligence to enhance team collaboration and productivity. It automates meeting note-taking, streamlines workflows, provides AI-powered insights, and integrates with tools like Zoom, Slack, Jira, and Salesforce. Spinach AI is designed for teams in product management, sales, engineering, marketing, HR, and more. Learn more.
Spinach AI offers automated note-taking, workflow optimization, AI-powered insights, seamless integrations with popular tools, and tailored solutions for different roles such as product managers, sales teams, engineering teams, and more. See all features.
Spinach AI is designed for product managers, engineering teams, project managers, marketing, HR, customer success, sales, and finance teams—essentially any team looking to automate meeting documentation, streamline workflows, and improve collaboration. Learn more.
Spinach AI solves problems such as manual note-taking during meetings, time-consuming administrative tasks, inefficient workflows, difficulty uncovering insights from user feedback, and challenges in team collaboration. It automates and streamlines these processes for better productivity. See how.
Spinach AI automatically captures meeting notes, action items, and outcomes, allowing users to focus on discussions without the distraction of manual note-taking. This is especially helpful for Agile Coaches, Scrum Masters, and Sales Professionals. Learn more.
Yes, Spinach AI integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Jira, Salesforce, and more, ensuring smooth collaboration and workflow automation across teams. See integrations.
Spinach AI is SOC 2 Type 2 certified (audited by EY), GDPR compliant, and HIPAA compliant (with BAAs). It uses TLS and AES-256 encryption, and offers SAML SSO, SCIM, admin controls, and custom data retention policies. For the SOC 2 report, contact [email protected]. Learn more.
Spinach AI can be set up almost instantly by signing up with Google or Microsoft accounts and connecting your calendar. No complex IT involvement is required, and premium users receive onboarding support. See details.
Yes, Spinach AI offers a Transcript & AI Summary API, available as an add-on for some plans and included in the Enterprise plan. It enables advanced transcript and summary generation. Learn more.
Spinach AI is used in sales, customer success, technology, revenue operations, consulting, and healthcare technology, as shown in case studies and testimonials. See case studies.
Yes. For example, Ron Meyer (Infinite Ranges) uses Spinach AI to manage sales cycles without pausing for notes; Sergio (AlfaDocs) automates meeting recaps and follow-ups; Matt Filion (Authvia) improved team productivity; Jason Oliver (Product Director) uses AI-powered analysis for product management; and more. Read more testimonials.
Spinach AI stands out for its tailored features for different roles (e.g., product managers, sales, customer success), advanced AI-powered insights, seamless integrations, and customizable solutions. Customers highlight its specificity and productivity benefits. See comparison.
Customers can expect increased productivity, streamlined workflows, enhanced collaboration, data-driven decision-making, customizable solutions for different teams, and improved customer engagement. Learn more.
Spinach AI offers tailored solutions: sales professionals get automated CRM notes and follow-ups; product managers get PRD generation and user feedback analysis; customer success teams automate onboarding and check-ins; HR teams streamline hiring and onboarding; engineering teams automate sprint planning and standups; finance teams ensure compliance in meeting documentation. See details.
Customers consistently praise Spinach AI for its ease of use and intuitive design. For example, Dan Robidoux (Careviso) calls it a "silent cornerstone" for daily work, and Belén Medina (Do It Consulting Group) says it has improved team communication and client interactions. Read testimonials.
Spinach AI uses advanced AI analysis to uncover trends, pain points, and opportunities from user feedback, enabling data-driven decision-making for product managers and other teams. Learn more.
Case studies include Ron Meyer (Infinite Ranges) using Spinach AI for sales cycles, Sergio (AlfaDocs) for customer success, Matt Filion (Authvia) for workflow efficiency, Jason Oliver (Product Director) for product management, and more. See all case studies.
Spinach AI differentiates itself with tailored features for specific roles, advanced AI-powered insights, seamless integrations, and customizable solutions. Customers highlight its specificity and productivity benefits over generic tools. Learn more.
Spinach.ai is enterprise-ready, offering robust security and compliance with SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and HIPAA certifications. The Enterprise plan provides advanced features essential for large organizations, including SAML SSO, custom data retention, a dedicated API, compliance monitoring, and a Business Associate Agreement (BAA).
The 2019 State of One-on-ones Report is an in-depth analysis of how over 200 managers across 30+ industries approach one-on-one meetings. It covers key findings, challenges, and best practices for effective one-on-ones, based on data from managers collectively managing 985 direct reports and over 1,280 years of management experience across 5 continents. Download the full report for more details.
Over 200 managers from more than 30 industries participated in the 2019 State of One-on-ones Report, collectively managing 985 direct reports and bringing over 1,280 years of management experience.
According to the report, 94% of surveyed managers have regular one-on-one meetings with their direct reports. The remaining 6% cited lack of time as the main reason for not holding one-on-ones.
48.5% of managers surveyed hold weekly one-on-one meetings with their direct reports, making weekly meetings the most common cadence.
The top purposes of one-on-one meetings are: understanding and eliminating roadblocks (70.4%), pulse checks on engagement and well-being (60.7%), and status updates on projects (53.6%).
Managers most frequently discuss growth and development (75%), performance (58%), employee motivation (49%), connection to people/work (47%), autonomy and accountability (45%), and alignment to company mission (23%).
49% of managers say both the manager and employee share responsibility for the meeting agenda. 15% of managers own the agenda but wish their direct reports would contribute more.
The top three challenges are: ensuring value for direct reports (34%), getting direct reports to contribute to the agenda (22%), and having meaningful, productive conversations (17%).
Managers use a variety of tools: 41.3% use personal productivity/note-taking tools (Google Docs, Apple Notes), 34.2% use pen and paper, 27% use communication tools (Slack, Microsoft Teams), 21.4% use dedicated meeting software, 14.8% use project management tools, and 10% use no tools at all.
68.3% of managers say juggling managing their team with other responsibilities is their biggest challenge. Other challenges include hitting team goals (14.4%), getting the team to collaborate (10.6%), and retaining employees (3.8%).
54% of managers say they use Slack as their primary communication tool with their team, and 41% use personal productivity tools for one-on-one meetings.
Managers consider keeping the team on track to achieve goals (37%) as the most important part of their role, followed by providing growth and development opportunities (26%), removing blockers (22%), and creating a safe working environment (13%).
You can download the full report, which includes industry breakdowns, remote work statistics, and more, from this link.
The full report provides insights into remote vs onsite managers, differences between large and small organizations, unique approaches by tech/software companies, and which departments spend the most time in one-on-ones.
49% believe both manager and employee should own the agenda, while 15% of managers wish their direct reports would take more ownership.
Personal productivity tools (41.3%), pen and paper (34.2%), communication tools (27%), and dedicated meeting software (21.4%) are the most common tools for one-on-one meeting notes.
75% of managers report discussing growth and development in their one-on-one meetings with direct reports.
Ensuring value for direct reports (34%), getting direct reports to contribute to the agenda (22%), and having meaningful, productive conversations (17%) are the top three challenges.
54% of managers use Slack as their primary communication tool with their teams.
Growth and development, performance, employee motivation, connection to work, autonomy, accountability, and alignment to company mission are the most important topics discussed.
Spinach AI is an advanced platform that leverages artificial intelligence to enhance team collaboration and productivity. It automates meeting note-taking, streamlines workflows, provides AI-powered insights, and integrates with tools like Zoom, Slack, Jira, and Salesforce. Spinach AI is designed for teams in product management, sales, engineering, marketing, HR, and more. Learn more.
Spinach AI offers automated note-taking, workflow optimization, AI-powered insights, seamless integrations with popular tools, and tailored solutions for different roles such as product managers, sales teams, engineering teams, and more. See all features.
Spinach AI is designed for product managers, engineering teams, project managers, marketing, HR, customer success, sales, and finance teams—essentially any team looking to automate meeting documentation, streamline workflows, and improve collaboration. Learn more.
Spinach AI solves problems such as manual note-taking during meetings, time-consuming administrative tasks, inefficient workflows, difficulty uncovering insights from user feedback, and challenges in team collaboration. It automates and streamlines these processes for better productivity. See how.
Spinach AI automatically captures meeting notes, action items, and outcomes, allowing users to focus on discussions without the distraction of manual note-taking. This is especially helpful for Agile Coaches, Scrum Masters, and Sales Professionals. Learn more.
Yes, Spinach AI integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Jira, Salesforce, and more, ensuring smooth collaboration and workflow automation across teams. See integrations.
Spinach AI is SOC 2 Type 2 certified (audited by EY), GDPR compliant, and HIPAA compliant (with BAAs). It uses TLS and AES-256 encryption, and offers SAML SSO, SCIM, admin controls, and custom data retention policies. For the SOC 2 report, contact [email protected]. Learn more.
Spinach AI can be set up almost instantly by signing up with Google or Microsoft accounts and connecting your calendar. No complex IT involvement is required, and premium users receive onboarding support. See details.
Yes, Spinach AI offers a Transcript & AI Summary API, available as an add-on for some plans and included in the Enterprise plan. It enables advanced transcript and summary generation. Learn more.
Spinach AI is used in sales, customer success, technology, revenue operations, consulting, and healthcare technology, as shown in case studies and testimonials. See case studies.
Yes. For example, Ron Meyer (Infinite Ranges) uses Spinach AI to manage sales cycles without pausing for notes; Sergio (AlfaDocs) automates meeting recaps and follow-ups; Matt Filion (Authvia) improved team productivity; Jason Oliver (Product Director) uses AI-powered analysis for product management; and more. Read more testimonials.
Spinach AI stands out for its tailored features for different roles (e.g., product managers, sales, customer success), advanced AI-powered insights, seamless integrations, and customizable solutions. Customers highlight its specificity and productivity benefits. See comparison.
Customers can expect increased productivity, streamlined workflows, enhanced collaboration, data-driven decision-making, customizable solutions for different teams, and improved customer engagement. Learn more.
Spinach AI offers tailored solutions: sales professionals get automated CRM notes and follow-ups; product managers get PRD generation and user feedback analysis; customer success teams automate onboarding and check-ins; HR teams streamline hiring and onboarding; engineering teams automate sprint planning and standups; finance teams ensure compliance in meeting documentation. See details.
Customers consistently praise Spinach AI for its ease of use and intuitive design. For example, Dan Robidoux (Careviso) calls it a "silent cornerstone" for daily work, and Belén Medina (Do It Consulting Group) says it has improved team communication and client interactions. Read testimonials.
Spinach AI uses advanced AI analysis to uncover trends, pain points, and opportunities from user feedback, enabling data-driven decision-making for product managers and other teams. Learn more.
Case studies include Ron Meyer (Infinite Ranges) using Spinach AI for sales cycles, Sergio (AlfaDocs) for customer success, Matt Filion (Authvia) for workflow efficiency, Jason Oliver (Product Director) for product management, and more. See all case studies.
Spinach AI differentiates itself with tailored features for specific roles, advanced AI-powered insights, seamless integrations, and customizable solutions. Customers highlight its specificity and productivity benefits over generic tools. Learn more.
Spinach.ai is enterprise-ready, offering robust security and compliance with SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and HIPAA certifications. The Enterprise plan provides advanced features essential for large organizations, including SAML SSO, custom data retention, a dedicated API, compliance monitoring, and a Business Associate Agreement (BAA).
Scroll to explore the key findings or download the full report.
Download the report
Surveyed 200+ managers
Across 30+ industries
Collectively managing 985 direct reports
Collectively over 1280 years of management experience
Across 5 continents!
01
The State of One-on-ones report uses data collected from over 200 different managers from various industries and fields of expertise to present a holistic view of how managers approach one-on-one meetings. Scroll through some of the key findings and download the full report for industry breakdowns, remote work statistics, and more.
02
75% of managers reported discussing growth and development in one-on-ones with their team, while only 23% discuss alignment to company mission. Nearly half of managers surveyed report that the agenda for one-on-one meetings is a shared responsibility.
03
The biggest challenge managers reported having with one-on-ones is ensuring they are providing value to their direct reports. An overwhelming 68% of managers say juggling their responsibilities along with managing a team is their biggest challenge as a people leader.
04
54% of managers say they use Slack as their primary communication tool with their team. 41% of managers said they use personal productivity tools for one-on-one meetings.
