Delivering Feedback

Employees crave feedback. According to OfficeVibe, 96% of employees say they want to hear feedback regularly.

In order for feedback to be effective though, managers need to provide it frequently, otherwise, employees get frustrated. If too much time goes by, and the employee continues to perform poorly without any feedback from their boss, the manager misses an opportunity to help the employee improve. If the employee is performing well without feedback, morale can decrease if they feel overlooked or unappreciated.

Indeed.com shares several common workplace scenarios you can use to provide positive feedback to employees:

• working overtime
• contributing to meetings
• submitting high-quality work
• needs a boost in morale
• has new responsibilities
• finished a difficult assignment
• helps their coworker
• does additional tasks outside of their role
• handles a conflict well
• meets their goals

Many managers reserve feedback for reviews, which too many companies continue to conduct just once a year. Ongoing feedback not only boosts morale, but it keeps employees engaged and helps them work towards goals.

Feedback can simply be recognizing hard work, or it can incorporate a deep dive on a project, looking at all of the employee’s actions and deliverables. This feedback can help the employee understand what they did well, how they could improve, and challenges to overcome. Ongoing feedback can also inform performance development goals – if a manager is consistently providing the same feedback, it could indicate a need for a new position, or an opportunity to work towards developing a specific skill set.

Feedback can be delivered casually in an email or at the end of a call, or formally through a written statement, or as part of an evaluation. No matter how feedback is delivered, it should be documented for future reference for a raise or advancement, or an eventual termination.

When delivering feedback, managers should allow an opportunity for the employee to respond and ask clarifying questions or explore opportunities for growth.

For companies struggling to reduce turnover and increase retention, ongoing feedback is a great way to keep employees motivated and engaged.

Contact us today to learn more about our modern approach to performance management and development that actually improves the manager and employee relationship. Don’t just take our word for it, see what our Customers have to say.