Giving feedback is one of the fundamental parts of organizational culture that contributes to the growth and development of the organization. It also promotes individual growth for employees and increases job satisfaction in the workplace.
Employees need to be aware of their performance and their role in the organization’s growth so that they can improve themselves and focus on their strengths and weaknesses. Providing constructive feedback boosts employee productivity and engagement, and helps companies meet their strategic objectives.
There are challenges in delivering constructive and beneficial feedback to employees. In this post, we’ll give you 12 tips that will help you provide effective employee feedback.
- Give feedback in private
Keep it private, first of all! You must give feedback to your employee privately, where you are alone and nobody listens to you. The presence of a third party in your feedback meeting can cause employee frustration.
You can hold up 1:1 meetings to give feedback to your employees.
- Be clear and honest
Your feedback should be clear and honest. First, specify what case you’re providing feedback on, so your employees can understand exactly what you’re talking about, and then tell them what you’re thinking about their performance sincerely.
- Provide constructive and continuous feedback
According to researchers, most employees expect to receive constant feedback from their managers. Feedback should be helpful and improve employee performance over time.
- Give feedback at the right time
Be careful to give feedback at the right time. If feedback is not given at the proper time, it can lead to undesirable outcomes.
- Focus on performance, not the individual
Remember, you should give feedback about what your employee does, not what your employee is like! Do not give feedback on the personality of employees, comment on their performance.
- Avoid bias
Another thing to consider is bias when giving feedback. Sometimes hidden and unconscious bias affects the feedback that managers give to their employees. You should find solutions to overcome biases and then provide useful employee feedback.
- Talk about impact
When giving feedback to your employees, talk about the impact their performance has on other team members and the workflow. This gives employees more insight into the effect of their work on the entire team.
- Look for solutions
Do not forget that one of the essential reasons for providing feedback is to find a solution if needed. Work on solutions with your employees and ask how you can help them to improve their work.
- Convey a sense of empathy
Try not to be harsh when giving feedback. This can cause your employees to become stressed and frustrated. Show empathy and let the conversation goes smoothly to reach your desired result.
- Provide balanced feedback
When giving feedback, point to both the positives and the negatives, and strike a balance to get a better result.
- Make it a two-way conversation
Engage your employees in feedback sessions and let them talk about what they want.
- Don’t be sure you are right
Do not just look at things from your side. Always keep in mind that you may not be right. This is where the importance of two-way conversation comes into play.