Skip-level meetings can ease restructuring - includes suggested skip-level interview questions

HR Magazine, June, 1994 by Robert J. Inguagiato

Here's a way for managers of reorganized work units to get to know employees one or more levels down and to build trust.

Downsizing, re-engineering, restructuring and many other organizational shifts are causing units, departments and divisions to be combined and changed in dramatic ways. Often, the manager who inherits this new situation needs to quickly and efficiently acquire a working knowledge of the new entity. One of the best sources of information is employees.

No doubt managers will want to speak with their new direct reports to get their viewpoints on the "lay of the land." But there is another source of information available. By skipping a level or two and getting acquainted with the employees who are removed from their direct supervision, managers may gain even more insight into how things work.

WHAT IS A SKIP-LEVEL MEETING?

This meeting is a type of structured interview. The general purpose is to give managers an opportunity to gather employees' thoughts about the organization and to learn of their satisfactions, dissatisfactions and recommendations for the future. The skip-level meeting is also a way for managers to inform employees about their goals, standards, the type of work culture they would like to establish, and--most importantly--show that they care about the employees.

When there has been a merger of disparate parts of an organization and significant employee problems have surfaced, skip-level meetings can provide detailed, firsthand data that are useful in refining the operation and in improving work relationships. But employees are quite likely to be a bit suspicious of these meetings and uncertain about how the information will be used. If the manager can ensure confidentiality, the trust level between him or her and the employees will be enhanced.

The human resource professional can assist managers by coaching and advising them on how to interview their newly acquired employees effectively to build a bridge of trust. Here are some guidelines that HR practitioners can provide to managers. What follows is essentially a sequence of events and questions to assist managers in uncovering valuable information about the new employees they have inherited. You or the manager probably will want to add, delete or modify the questions to fit your style and your organization's needs.

A SKIP-LEVEL INTERVIEW PROCESS

A note of caution should be observed at the beginning of such interviews. It may be difficult and uncomfortable for employees to respond to the initial questions. There are two primary reasons for this reluctance:

1. Employees may not have experienced such an interview before and consequently do not know what to make of the process.

2. For many employees, there has been enough evidence of broken trust and confidence that they fear recrimination--after everything is said and done, they still have to work for some of the people they are providing information on. Be prepared to be supportive and patient.

Scope of the interview. I recommend starting the interview with some fundamental inquiries primarily to initiate rapport and trust and to put the interviewee at ease. This strategy is recommended instead of going right to the point, which the manager may be tempted to do.

Once the employee seems to be somewhat comfortable, the interview can move into the more sensitive topics. Often, the interviewer may have to follow up an employee's response with a clarification question in order to understand and use the point being made. Questions such as the following, when asked in a genuine way, can provide eye-opening information:

1. Tell me more about that?

2. What did you mean by ___?

3. Oh?

4. I'm a little confused; can you help me out?

Flow of the interview. Listed below are three types of questions to consider for skip-level meetings. Using this scheme will allow the interviewer to manage the flow of the conversation from light, safe topics to more sensitive, revealing topics. For certain, every employee will move at a different pace in responding.

The questions are focused on three areas:

1. Biographical data: These questions are designed to set the stage, ease the interviewee's fears and provide relevant data on the person's background, which may be useful later in fine-tuning the organization.

2. Individuals and their jobs: These questions are designed to give input on the employees' feelings and understanding of their jobs as well as their perception of the values and rewards of their micro-organization. Also, this phase may provide an opportunity for them to disclose their aspirations, frustrations, and satisfactions with their jobs.

3. Organization and management: These questions are designed to gather data about the managerial styles people work under, including the amount of feedback and leadership they receive. Also, this phase of questioning will often provide employees an opportunity to talk about the obstacles in the organization that prevent them from doing their jobs more effectively and may bring forth their suggestions for positive change in the organization.