TL;DR
- A skip-level exists to hear what does not survive the journey up, to sense-check how management is working, and to keep senior people connected to the work. It is not an assessment of the employee and not a complaints channel about their manager.
- Set five rules before the first one: tell the manager, see everybody rather than a chosen few, agree what you will and will not repeat, keep a steady rhythm, and say up front that some things cannot be kept confidential.
- Ask about the work, the team and the organisation, and ask about the manager in a form that invites description rather than complaint: what helps you most, what would you want more of, what would you change.
A skip-level is a conversation between a manager and somebody two levels below them, without the person in between. Done well it is one of the few ways a senior manager hears something inconvenient early. Done badly it is a rumour mill with a calendar invitation, and the manager who was skipped spends a fortnight wondering what was said about them.
This article covers what the meeting is for, the rules that keep it useful, the questions, and what to do with what you hear. It describes the position in Great Britain and is general information, not legal advice.
What people raise in these conversations has to go somewhere afterwards. See how New Dynamics continuous feedback keeps questions and concerns moving between people who work together.
What it is for, and what it is not
For: hearing what does not survive the journey up, usually because it sounds small or because nobody wants to be the one to say it. Sense-checking how management is working in practice. Keeping senior people connected to the actual work rather than to a summary of it.
Not for: assessing the person in front of you, which belongs to their manager. Collecting complaints about that manager. Or substituting for a conversation you owe the manager directly. If you are running skip-levels because you do not trust somebody's management, you are postponing the problem and involving their team in it.
HSE names Support, "the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues", and Relationships among the six areas of work design that affect health and productivity. A skip-level is one way of finding out whether either is working, which is useful as long as everybody knows that is the purpose.
Five rules before the first one
- Tell the manager. Before, not after. Say why you are doing it, that it is routine, and what you will tell them afterwards. A manager who learns about it secondhand will reasonably assume the worst.
- See everybody. Not the three people you find easiest. Acas notes that less favourable treatment "might include: excluding someone from opportunities or benefits" and can happen without intent; access to a senior manager is a benefit, and a rotation that reaches only the confident distributes it badly.
- Agree what travels. Themes go up and back to the manager; individual comments do not, unless the person agrees or the matter is serious. Say this at the start of every meeting, not just the first.
- Keep a rhythm. Quarterly or twice a year, for thirty minutes. One-off skip-levels during a crisis look like an investigation, because they usually are one.
- Be honest about confidentiality. Say plainly that if something comes up that involves safety, harassment, discrimination or anything serious, you cannot sit on it, and explain what would happen next. People can then choose what to tell you.
The questions
Six or seven, with silence after each.
The work. What are you working on that you are pleased with? What takes longer than it should? What would you stop doing if it were your decision?
The team. Who should I know about who is doing good work I might not see? What does your team do well that other teams could learn from? Is there anything the team talks about that never reaches me?
The manager. Ask in a form that invites description rather than grievance. What does your manager do that helps you most? What would you want them to do more of? If I could change one thing about how the team is run, what should it be?
The organisation. What do we say we value that you do not see in practice? What is the most frustrating process you deal with? What would you have asked me if we had not met today?
Them. What would you like to be doing in a year? What support would make the next six months better?
Three ways to ruin it: defending the organisation in the moment, taking notes on a laptop so it feels like a record, and asking "so how is your manager?" as the opening question, which tells the person exactly what the meeting is about.
What to do with what you hear
Themes, not transcripts. Collect what several people say and feed that back to the manager as themes, in a conversation rather than an email. One person's comment attributed to them, even gently, ends the practice.
Act on two things. Something the team mentioned that you can fix, fixed within a month, and said out loud. Nothing else persuades people that the meetings are real.
Close the loop. Tell the team what you heard in aggregate and what is happening about it, including what is not changing and why.
Route anything serious properly. If what you hear is bullying, harassment, discrimination or a safety issue, the skip-level is not the process. Acas says that where someone has a problem at work "it's usually a good idea for them to raise it informally first", that the employer "should respond even if the problem's raised informally", and that a formal grievance procedure exists for cases that are serious or where the informal route has not worked. Tell the person what you are going to do, involve HR, and do not leave it sitting with you.
For remote teams
Schedule them deliberately, because a skip-level never happens by accident when nobody shares a building. Video rather than phone, thirty minutes, and send the questions in advance if the person is quiet, which gives thinkers a chance to prepare. Our post on the meeting rhythm covers how this sits alongside the manager's own meetings, and the open door policy covers access to senior people the rest of the time.
Frequently asked questions
What is a skip-level meeting?
A conversation between a manager and someone two levels below them, without the person in between. Its purpose is to hear what does not travel up, to sense-check how management is working and to keep senior people close to the work, not to assess the employee or review their manager.
What questions should you ask in a skip-level meeting?
Ask about the work, the team, the organisation and the person, and ask about the manager in a form that invites description: what helps you most, what would you want more of, what one thing would you change about how the team is run. Six or seven questions is plenty for half an hour.
Should you tell the manager about a skip-level meeting?
Always, and beforehand. Explain that it is routine, say what you will share afterwards and what you will not. A manager who finds out secondhand will assume the meeting was about them, which is usually enough to damage the relationship you depend on.
How often should skip-level meetings happen?
Quarterly or twice a year, for about thirty minutes, with everybody in the team rather than a chosen few. One-off skip-levels held during a crisis read as an investigation, because they generally are one.
Are skip-level meetings confidential?
Treat them as private but not secret, and say so at the start. Themes can be shared, individual comments should not be without agreement, and anything involving harassment, discrimination or safety cannot be kept to yourself. Telling people that in advance lets them choose what to raise.
What if someone complains about their manager in a skip-level?
Listen, do not promise anything, and establish what they want to happen. For most things, encourage the direct conversation and offer to support it. Where the matter is serious, explain the routes Acas describes, which start informally and can become a formal grievance, and involve HR rather than handling it alone.
Your next step: run four and fix one thing
- Tell the manager what you are doing and why, before you book anything.
- Book thirty minutes with every member of the team over the next quarter, not a sample.
- Use six questions, and say nothing for five seconds after each one.
- Pick one thing you heard more than once, fix it within a month, and tell everybody that is why.
For a fuller method on asking, listening and acting, read and download our employee feedback guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.
Want what people raise to land somewhere it will not get lost? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current meeting rhythm. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.
