skip level meeting

Definition

A one-on-one conversation between an employee and their manager's manager, bypassing the direct supervisor. Designed to provide leadership visibility but often feels like your boss is being investigated.

Example Usage

My skip level meeting with the VP was awkward—she asked what my manager could do better, and I had to decide how honest to be about the micromanaging.

Origin

Popularized in the 1980s-90s as organizations became more focused on employee engagement and preventing management isolation

Fun Fact

Intel pioneered skip level meetings as part of their 'managing to the database' culture, where data-driven leadership required direct access to workers doing the actual work.

Source: Organizational communication and management practices

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