Stand-in Managers and 1-to-1s

Overview

When a manager takes a break (such as parental leave, sabbatical, or extended absence), their 1-to-1 responsibilities need to continue. Learn Amp's stand-in manager feature automatically reassigns in-progress 1-to-1s to a designated stand-in, ensuring check-ins continue without disruption.

This article explains how 1-to-1s are affected when managers go on break, what happens to existing and future 1-to-1s, and how the handover process works.

Functionality Breakdown

When a manager is marked as "on break" with a stand-in manager configured:

What Happens Automatically

• In-progress 1-to-1s are reassigned to the stand-in manager

• Future 1-to-1s from existing cycles will be issued to the stand-in

• The stand-in becomes the reviewer for affected team members

• The original manager is recorded as "replaced" for audit purposes

What Stays the Same

• Historical (finalised) 1-to-1s remain unchanged

• The original manager is preserved in audit records

• When the manager returns, relationships can be restored

Manager Replacement Tracking

Learn Amp tracks manager replacements so you can see:

• Who the original reviewer was

• When the replacement occurred

• That it was due to the manager being on break

This maintains a clear audit trail even when reviewers change mid-cycle.

How It Works

Before the Break

1. Administrator sets up a stand-in manager for the user going on break

2. The stand-in must be from the same company

3. The stand-in cannot themselves be on break

When the Manager Goes on Break

1. Administrator marks the manager as "on break"

2. The system automatically:

   • Reassigns all incomplete 1-to-1s where they are the reviewer

   • Updates future cycle assignments

   • Records the original manager for each affected 1-to-1

3. The stand-in receives notifications for their new 1-to-1 responsibilities

When the Manager Returns

1. Administrator marks the manager as returned from break

2. The system can restore original manager relationships

3. New 1-to-1s will be assigned to the returned manager

4. Any 1-to-1s completed by the stand-in remain attributed to the stand-in

Pre-requisites

For stand-in manager functionality to work:

• A stand-in manager must be configured before going on break

• The stand-in must be an active user in the same company

• The stand-in cannot be on break themselves

• The manager going on break cannot be acting as a stand-in for someone else

Role Requirements

Quick Start Guide

Setting Up a Stand-in Manager

1. Navigate to Settings → People in the sidebar

2. Find the user who will be going on break

3. Click to edit their profile

4. In the Manager section, set the Stand-in Manager field

5. Save changes

Activating the Break

1. Navigate to Settings → People in the sidebar

2. Find the manager going on break

3. Click to edit their profile

4. Enable the On Break toggle

5. Confirm the action

The system will automatically reassign 1-to-1s to the stand-in.

Returning from Break

1. Navigate to Settings → People in the sidebar

2. Find the returning manager

3. Click to edit their profile

4. Disable the On Break toggle

5. Confirm the action

Impact on 1-to-1s

For Team Members (Reviewees)

For Stand-in Managers

For Original Managers

Special Considerations

Team-Based Assignments

If 1-to-1s are assigned to teams where the manager is going on break:

• The team can also have a stand-in manager configured

• Both user-level and team-level stand-ins are checked

• The appropriate stand-in takes over based on the assignment type

Partial Coverage

If a stand-in manager isn't configured for some relationships:

• The system will notify administrators

• Those 1-to-1s may remain with the original manager (showing as potentially problematic)

• It's important to configure stand-ins for all manager relationships

Survey Responses

When a manager goes on break:

• Any draft reviewer responses they had entered may be cleared

• The stand-in starts with a fresh reviewer section

• This prevents partial or conflicting data

FAQs

Q: What happens to 1-to-1s the manager already finalised?
Nothing—completed 1-to-1s are historical records and remain unchanged. They still show the original manager as the reviewer.

Q: Can a manager see their team's 1-to-1s while on break?
No—when on break, the manager loses access to their team's 1-to-1s. The stand-in manager has access instead.

Q: What if the stand-in manager also needs to go on break?
You cannot mark a user as on break if they are currently serving as someone else's stand-in. You would need to configure a different stand-in first.

Q: Can I set up a stand-in without activating the break?
Yes—you can configure the stand-in manager in advance. The reassignment only happens when you actually mark the manager as on break.

Q: What happens when the manager returns?
New 1-to-1s will be assigned to the returned manager. Any 1-to-1s that were reassigned during the break and completed by the stand-in remain attributed to the stand-in.

Q: Can the original manager see what happened during their break?
They can see finalised 1-to-1s completed by their stand-in once they return, as they regain access to their team members' records.

Troubleshooting