📅 Do team check-ins actually boost performance, or are they just micromanagement in disguise?

[Marie]

Hey Togglers! Let’s get real for a moment—team check-ins.
Some of us swear by them as productivity magic. Others… not so much. Are they a way to stay aligned, or do they sometimes feel like Big Brother peeking over your shoulder?
Let’s find out what you think!
Vote below:

How often should check-ins really happen to keep the team on track without feeling like micromanagement?

• Daily – Keep that momentum strong!
• Weekly – Enough to stay aligned without overdoing it.
• Bi-weekly – Perfect balance of touchpoints.
• Monthly – Less talk, more action.
• Never – Trust the team to manage themselves!

We’d also love to hear your take in the comments ! What makes a check-in useful (or useless) in your experience? Do you keep it quick and focused, or is it more of a deep-dive? Share your insights so we can all learn from each other’s successes (or horror stories ).

[lucas]

If we are talking about meetings, weekly or bi-weekly is the best. But communication should happen whenever needed (over-communicate!), and I feel like under normal circumstances, it varies from once each couple of days to multiple times intraday.

In the end, it is the maturity and trust in the team that will lead the way; after all, each team has its own pace and characteristics and should be led in a way that fits it.

[Marie]

Yes! Couldn’t agree more! Every team operates differently, and it’s essential to adapt to what works best for them. Regular meetings like weekly or bi-weekly can provide structure, but open communication—whether it’s daily or as needed—is what keeps everything flowing smoothly.

[Rasa]

Weekly check-ins work great. They not only help the team stay on track but also pushes me to better reflect on my process and timeliness. We use biweekly check-ins for more in-depth discussions or handle them on a one-off basis if we’re working on something more complex.

I also think it’s a good practice to check with the team how often these check-ins should happen. Some projects or processes might require more frequent ones, while others could be managed async or with less frequent talks. So… it depends

[carson]

I’m going with Daily, but with the caveat that daily attendance should not be mandatory.

I would love to know the results cross referenced by the submitters self-assessed intrinsic vs extrinsic motivations. Maybe these differences, and the project context, are what lead to that “every team is different” line of thinking, but why not do both? Let those who want to be left alone, and can be trusted to do so, alone, while giving those who want the check-ins as motivation that option too.

For the extrinsically motivated folks, those daily check-ins can be the thing that gets them going, or the thing that gives them anxiety. As long as it’s not done as micro-mangement or due to lack of trust.

A daily, optional check-in also gives people a coveted “break” built into their days on the days they need one.