The task of employee feedback doesn’t always have to be a daunting one. We gathered what we think are 7 of the best ways to give employee feedback so that you can make the process a little less painful for both employees & managers!
Don’t Wait for Quarterly or Yearly Reviews
Did you know that as reported by The Balance Careers, “only 49 percent of employees find that reviews are accurate, while 90 percent of HR heads believe annual reviews do not yield accurate information”? This could be why companies are starting to get rid of the outdated idea of an annual employee review & are replacing it with a quarterly or even more frequent feedback sessions. By taking away the dark cloud of the “annual review” and providing more frequent opportunities, managers have a chance to give current feedback which provides valuable insights.
Be Specific
Employee feedback should be specific. A general comment like, “I think you could be doing better” will not resolve the concern. The more detail specifics you give, the more likely you will get the results you are looking for. The same goes for positive comments. By saying, “you are doing a good job”, your employee will not know which positive things they are doing that you would like to see more of. Although positive general feedback leaves them walking away feeling like a star student, it does not give them the opportunity to continue to perform to their best.
Try the 3×3 Employee Feedback Method
Originally proposed by Bert Decker in his book, “You’ve Got To Be Believed To Be Heard”, the 3×3 method is a way to effectively give feedback. By providing an employee with three strengths & three areas of potential development, they will see the changes as a challenge instead of a criticism. Decker, the man behind the method says, “Receiving three bits of feedback at a time allows people to make course corrections, like a guided missile, as they keep moving onward and upward.”
Provide Employees with the Tools to Succeed
Feedback means nothing if there is no way for an employee to make the corrections. Provide your team with the tools to effectively make the changes you feel is needed. Implementing tools like more support or additional training may take time at first but it will allow your employee to be more successful in the long run.
End Employee Feedback on a Positive Note
Many employees walk away from a feedback meeting feeling defeated. This is because often the positive things are said in the beginning to calm nerves but that means the constructive criticism comes at the end. By letting an employee walk away on the negative, they will forget all the positives they were once given. Try presenting the issues you feel need to be fixed at the start of your conversation & end it with all the things they do that you appreciate. You might be surprised how much they respond to it & how fast the results of your feedback is seen.
Related: Are Performance Appraisals Necessary in the Workplace Today?
Make Sure Your Employee Understands What Was Communicated
Just because the review is over, that doesn’t mean your responsibility to provide feedback stops. Following up is required to ensure that the concerns you raised were understood & are being improved upon. You can always set another meeting to discuss improvements and actions needed.
Related: 4 Steps to Embrace Next Generation Performance Appraisals
Looking for something a little more informal? Try asking questions to see if the improvements have been made or if there is any miscommunication about what actions should have been taken. You can also do something as simple as observe whether you see advancements in their quality of work. There is no point in providing feedback if you don’t follow up to make sure it was understood & being improved upon.
Try a Next-Gen Performance Management Software
The eloomi platform has been perfecting the way companies manage performance. It makes it easy to provide employees with goals & feedback, so they can make sure they are on track. Our performance management solution encourages open lines of communication between employees & managers without a regular sit down, face-to-face meeting to quickly provide feedback and support. eloomi also has easy to understand templates to evaluate potential and performance.
You can track your growth on a chart, get an overview of current skills & plan trainings. eloomi is a one stop platform to ensure your employees have the best feedback & ways to improve. And it saves you time and makes both the manager and the employee more productive. Want to see more? Get in touch and we’ll walk you through how you can put meaningful performance management into practice in your organization.
