Open the conversation
- What part of your work still feels worth doing well?
- What has changed for you over the last month or two?
- If you could change one thing about your week, what would it be?
1:1 questions
1:1 questions for when a report seems checked out
Low engagement is a signal, not a verdict. These questions help you understand what changed — workload, growth, recognition, or fit — without putting the person on the defensive.
Copyable template
Use this manually, or let EvalSuite capture it automatically from real meetings.
Find the lever
- What would make the next month feel better than this one?
- Where do you want more — or less — from me as your manager?
- What is one thing we could try before our next 1:1?
Ask about energy, not just output
Output questions feel like an audit. Energy questions invite an honest answer. Anchor the conversation in what is draining or motivating the person rather than what they did or did not ship.
- What part of your work has felt most worthwhile lately?
- What has been draining more energy than it should?
- When did the work last feel genuinely good?
Find the friction you can actually remove
Some disengagement is about workload or process you can change this week. Separate the fixable friction from the deeper questions of growth and fit so you act on what is in your control.
Watch the trend across 1:1s
One flat 1:1 is noise; three in a row is a signal. When prior conversations and follow-ups are connected, you can see whether engagement is recovering or sliding — and respond before it becomes a resignation.
Workflow example
Rather than "is everything okay?", a manager asks "what has drained your energy this month, and what would make next month better?" — and revisits the answer in the next 1:1 to see if anything changed.
Example output
The visible output should be concrete enough to inspect.
- An honest read on what is draining the person
- At least one friction the manager can remove
- A clearer picture of growth or fit concerns
- A trend to watch across upcoming 1:1s
Related and canonical pages
This page links to related acquisition pages and canonical docs instead of duplicating support content.
- /solutions/one-on-one-meeting-tracker
- /solutions/manager-coaching-workspace
- /glossary/one-on-one-meeting
- /resources/one-on-one-questions/career-growth
- /demo
- /solutions/one-on-one-meeting-tracker
- /help/faq
Use this manually, or keep the loop in EvalSuite
EvalSuite adds the durable layer: capture, follow-through, history, and review-ready context.