Hold a private one-to-one from a shared agenda
Let both people surface work, support, and feedback needs, then record only agreed actions.
- Preparation
- Until both people review the agenda and agree any actions
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Task
- Run a private one-to-one
Before you start
Get what you need before you start
- Agree the purpose, cadence, privacy boundary, note access, retention, and escalation route.
- Give both people access to add agenda items before the conversation.
Steps
Work through the method
Use the listed inputs and tools. Check the evidence when you need to verify a step.
Hold the two-way review
Review each chosen topic, ask what support or decision is needed, and let either person correct assumptions or defer sensitive items.
Why it matters: A one-to-one should surface support and disagreement without turning notes into inferred sentiment.
- Input
- The shared agenda and agreed privacy boundary.
- Output
- Agreed actions, explicit no-action outcomes, and separately routed sensitive concerns.
Tools in this stepGitLab People HandbookEvidence for this step
GitLab describes a private shared one-to-one agenda where both people add topics and record actions.
GitLab: “The 1-1 Agenda” and “Conducting a 1-1”, accessed 26 September 2026
Close and restrict the notes
Confirm actions and owners together, remove unnecessary sensitive detail, apply retention, and set the next useful check.
Why it matters: A private conversation needs an accurate, minimal record and a known correction route.
- Input
- The conversation notes and agreed actions.
- Output
- A restricted action record or explicit no-action outcome.
Tools in this stepGitLab People HandbookEvidence for this step
GitLab describes a private shared one-to-one agenda where both people add topics and record actions.
GitLab: “The 1-1 Agenda” and “Conducting a 1-1”, accessed 26 September 2026Published ICO employment-record guidance requires employers to define their purpose and lawful basis, give workers privacy information, restrict access, keep records accurate, and set retention periods.
UK Information Commissioner's Office: “How long can we keep workers’ personal information?”, “How do we keep our records about workers’ personal information secure?”, and “What do we need to tell workers about the personal information we hold and how we are going to use it?”; published 5 February 2025, accessed 26 September 2026
Success checks
Check the result before you finish
- Both people can correct the record and see each agreed action and owner.
- Sensitive concerns follow the approved HR, safety, or legal route.
Failure modes
Watch for these problems
- Remove inferred morale, health, intent, or performance claims from the notes.
- Change the cadence when the current rhythm adds little value or harms safety.
Tools
Choose the tools you need
Tool
GitLab People Handbook
A public company handbook with concrete onboarding-checklist and shared one-to-one agenda patterns.
Check fit, limits and pricingSources
Read the sources behind this practice
Check what each source supports and where the advice has limits.
- GitLab: 1-1Official company handbook · Publication date unavailable
- UK Information Commissioner's Office: Collecting and keeping employment recordsPublished official UK employment-record guidance under review · Published 5 February 2025