Colleague Check-ins – Performing at our Best

This year’s Society Steering Wheel has been announced and we have an exciting change to ‘Performing at our Best’.

From our Pulse Survey's our colleagues have told us that regular conversations with their managers have really made a difference to their performance, much more than an annual review did. Read our story today on why colleague check-ins can be so important for you as a Midcounties colleague.

What are Colleague Check-ins?

Colleague Check-ins are our new approach to ensuring our colleagues can perform at their very best. All of our colleagues will be able to regularly request time to 'Check-in' with their line manager to talk about their goals and expectations, their wellbeing, development or career.

Check-ins may have already been introduced to your trading group, or, will be coming very soon, so keep an eye out. They will also be replacing annual performance reviews, so we encourage all of our colleagues to check-in with their line managers regularly and make the most of increased communication, so we can really thrive as Team Midcounties. 

What do our Colleagues think?

Hear from Toby Moy, one of our Graduate colleagues who has used Check-ins to his benefit: “I check in with my placement manager once a week. My weekly check-ins with my manager are beneficial as they allow me to set out my priorities for the week and gives me a chance to present work I have been completing. They are also good from a general well-being perspective as it is a good opportunity for me to raise any issues I may be having both professionally and personally.”

Karen Parker from Co-op Childcare Sussex mentioned: "I asked all my team to bring in their preparation template along with their CDP folder to show off any achievements/ certificates. The checks in themselves feel less formal and create more of a relaxed feeling. We have an opportunity to check in with their wellbeing as well as set mini actions/goals that are achievable in a shorter time frame. It's great there is a section for manager notes to record any discussion.

The feedback from my team has been very positive and they also appreciate that a colleague can request a check-in any time which has provided a lot of reassurance. I certainly feel this is an important process for our Society, as the feedback I get is always positive. The team find out how they are performing, discuss any concerns along with the fact wellbeing is a focus at least twice a year.

It forms relationships with managers and creates more of a mutual understanding. The benefit of colleagues feeling like they can request a check-in any time supports morale and the feeling of being valued. It just means no build-up as any concerns can be dealt with quickly and efficiently. It’s also great because staff can also request a specific check-in if they want to discuss their career progression, or about their wellbeing or their learning and development."

All of the information you need on Colleague Check-ins can be found on Colleague’s Connect in the Policies section.

Click here for more information.

Remember to fill out this week's pulse survey (when open) to let us know if you are having regular check-ins with your management team.