Understanding whether your reports are happy or not is part of being a manager. It’s a core reason to have 1-1’s and if you don’t ask reports if they are happy

Understanding whether your reports are happy or not is part of being a manager. It’s a core reason to have 1-1’s and if you don’t ask reports if they are happy, doing what excites them, and whether anything should change, you shouldn’t expect them to offer it up unasked. If they do offer it up unasked, you are incredibly lucky and should treat it as a gift. 1-1’s are not a panecea, but they do provide a forum to have more difficult conversations when it’s still possible to do something about it.