Skip-Level Meetings – Sample Emails to Managers and Staff

1.5 min read

After reading our article on How to Use Skip-Level Meetings Effectively, get started with these sample emails to inform managers and staff.

For informing managers

Hi ________,

This year, I’ll be doing skip-level meetings with your team members, which means that I’ll be having one-on-one meetings with each of your direct reports a few times throughout the year. I’ll use this time to build relationships and invite them to share insights about our organizational leadership, culture, and strategy. I might also get feedback about you and your management.

These meetings are for me to listen, build connections, and gather information with the ultimate goal to help everyone work more effectively and get better results. I’m going to mostly be in listening mode, which means I won’t be making any decisions, problem-solving, or having conversations with your staff that they should be having with you directly. My goal is to gather information without undermining your management. If there are any patterns, common feedback, or interesting questions that come up that are relevant to you, I’ll share them.

If you have any questions or concerns, let’s talk about it at our next check-in!

Best,
________

For informing staff members

Hi ________,

This year, I’ll be doing skip-level meetings, which means that I’ll be having one-on-one meetings with the direct reports of the managers that I manage. These meetings are a chance for us to get to know each other and for me to hear your perspective on how things are going in the organization. I’m going to be in listening mode for most of this meeting, which means I don’t intend to make any decisions or circumvent your manager in any way.

I’ll be asking for your thoughts and ideas on our organizational leadership, culture, and strategy, and for feedback on your manager. If you have any questions or other ideas to raise, I’ll be happy to discuss them during our meeting.

I look forward to talking with you soon!

Best,
________

Resource Metadata

Types
Topics
Check-ins
Managing Managers

Related Resources

Resource Type
Article / publication

How to Use Skip-Level Meetings Effectively

Skip-level meetings are one-on-one meetings that managers hold with staff other than the people they manage directly. They’re helpful for building relationships, gaining insight into your team and organization, and getting feedback about the managers that you manage.

4.5 min read
Resource Type
Article / publication

How to Manage Skip-Level Relationships

Interacting with your direct reports’ direct reports—with care, attention, and consistency—has significant benefits. Here are three specific tips for navigating skip-level relationships successfully.

6 min read
Resource Type
Tool / Template

Managing Managers Toolkit

This toolkit contains an overview of the tools in your management toolbelt and a checklist of the skills, behaviors, and practices to spot for when managing managers.

5 min read