A skip-level meeting is a 1:1 conversation between an employee and their manager's manager (the "skip-level"), bypassing the direct reporting line. The meeting surfaces issues, builds relationships, and provides a channel for feedback that wouldn't come up in direct 1:1s. Skip-levels are typically scheduled quarterly or semi-annually as a complement to (not replacement for) regular 1:1s with the direct manager. It's the management tool that catches what hierarchical reporting misses.
The purpose:
Surface manager issues: employees rarely tell their direct manager that the manager is part of the problem. Skip-levels create a safe channel.
Build relationships across levels: connects senior leaders to individual contributors ...