Peer One-on-Ones: What is it? With Whom? And How Often?
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You have probably encountered the practice of one-on-one meetings before in your career.
Many companies encourage them as a best practice for management, and many managers swear by them as a great tool for relationship building with employees.
But, what is a “peer one-on-one”? Read on to find out the difference and how to have peer one-on-one meetings.
What is a peer one-on-one?
Normally, one-on-one meetings are scheduled by managers with their direct reports. It is a dedicated time to connect and talk about various topics, like what is going well, roadblocks, or professional development.
A peer one-on-one takes the same concept, but applies it to a meeting between coworkers at the same level.
This may mean people who work together on a team, or perhaps those in different departments or teams throughout the company.
The key here is that you are meeting with your peers, not your superiors or subordinates. There should be no power dynamic at play, and both people should view the other as an equal.
Why have peer one-on-ones?
Peer one-on-ones will benefit workers in several ways. Most importantly, they build rapport between coworkers and allow people to get a better sense of how everyone operates together.
The nature of peer one-on-ones means that there are some differences in what they aim to accomplish:
Develop and reinforce cross-functional teams.
Share knowledge and ideas.
Understand the role of others and how to work better together.
Create a sense of camaraderie.
Get to know teammates on a deeper level.
Maybe a Product Manager wants to get input from an Engineering Manager counterpart about future product plans.
Or perhaps, you have been struggling with something and could learn from a teammate who has worked out a system for getting it done easily.
A peer one-on-one with them would be the perfect opportunity to exchange helpful advice.
How to have great peer one-on-ones
1. Decide who it would be beneficial to meet with.
Ideally, you should meet with people you work with often or who work on a related aspect of your main area.
2. Set a time and frequency
Managers try to set one-on-ones with reports once every week or two. Peer one-on-ones don’t have to be as frequent, perhaps every other month.
You don’t want to clutter people’s schedule with meetings, but you also don’t want to let too much time go by without catching up.
3. Get together
Peer one-on-ones don’t have to be a “meeting” in the traditional sense.
You can keep things casual by going to lunch or coffee, or have a brainstorm conversation in the office common area.
The important thing is that you set aside time to connect with your peers and then follow through.
What to talk about in peer one-on-ones
It can be helpful to start off talking about little things or asking questions to get to know your coworker better.
Once you have established a friendly professional relationship, focus on how you work together and which duties overlap and coincide.
Peer one-on-ones are most beneficial if they are used to improve both participants' approach to work.
Here are a few insightful questions you can ask during a peer one-on-one meeting.
What do I do that has the most impact on your work?
How can I help with _____________?
Is there anything we can work together on to increase efficiency?
Is ___________ working out well? If not, why?
Do you have any advice when it comes to __________?
What’s your recommendation for this upcoming task?
Is there anything you want me or my team to know?
What is the biggest challenge you are facing currently?
Have you done any useful training or courses lately?
What kind of professional goals are you working toward?
How could we improve the ways our team works together?
Interested in finding out more about one-on-ones? Check out our other resources on the topic.
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