It doesn't always need to be about work, at work.

Some people love to come prepared for their one-on-ones, while others get busy throughout the day. Personally, I enjoy freestyling a lot in one-on-ones because I believe that free conversations can lead to unexpected results.

One day, during a one-on-one with a colleague, I started by asking about her family and how she was preparing for her future child. We covered all the basic topics like the shopping list, house preparation, and mental readiness. Before we knew it, an hour had passed. Her remark at the end was amazing. She said something like, "I never imagined we could talk about non-work-related topics in these sessions."

Life is part of work, and work is part of life. That's why we call it balance. They cannot exist without each other, at least that's how I see it. To me, it's more important to know a person and understand how they're truly doing. If work is more important to them, it will naturally come up, but more often than not, it doesn't.

Sensing that she might be going through a sensitive period, I simply wanted to check on how she was holding up. Fortunately, I had the experience of observing my wife during our preparations for the arrival of our son, which helped a lot in understanding the situation.

So, it's perfectly alright to pause, be still and take an hour to check how your colleague is doing or get to know them better. You don't always need to be a manager or a lead to do that. This creates a human connection beyond their role. In the future, it won't just be "Alex, the Software Developer." It will be "Alex, the person.". This in turn will offer the space so needed to move forward.