How to ask an employee or coworker for a difficult conversation

When to use it

Use it when you need to discuss something serious with someone. “We need to talk” creates dread. Naming the topic and suggesting a time lets them prepare and shows it's a work conversation, not an ambush.

Example

In an email or Slack message

In Slack: “Could we grab 15 min today to talk about the handoff process? 2:00 or 4:00 work for me.” Giving two times makes it easy to reply.