How well do you know your team? When was the last time you held 1-1 conversations with your team members? This can be challenging in very busy work environments especially if you have people working remotely or one several different shifts. 

In spite of these challenges, it’s worth the effort. According to an article in the Harvard Business Review along with research provided by Gallup, communication is often the basis of any healthy relationship, including the one between an employee and his or her manager. Gallup has found that consistent communication – whether it occurs in person, over the phone, or electronically – is connected to higher level of employee engagement. Managers who hold regular team or 1-1 meetings with their employees are almost three times more likely to have engaged employees than managers who don’t. 

If having a meeting to “chat” with your employees is a new approach for you, I suggest that you communicate to them in advance saying you’ll be scheduling time with everyone for a check-in. This will help allay any fears. Let them know it’s an informal meeting for you to get a better sense of how people are doing and what challenges they are facing. This type of communication may not eliminate employees speculating about the reason for the meeting but setting the context is a step in the right direction.