Receiving constructive feedback and recognition for work performed is a vital element of any job function. That’s because effective employee feedback can bridge the communication gaps in an organization and promote a feedback mechanism that improves performance.
When business leaders observe, realize, and respond to employee performances with the right attitude, many positive impacts are observed across the departments.
According to a LinkedIn survey, 69% of employees say they would work harder if they felt their efforts were better recognized. A related study by Forbes also revealed that recognition is the number one thing employees expect from managers to inspire productivity. While workplace dynamics are slowly changing, enabling employee-centric experiences will always be a timeless pursuit for any organization.
When establishing a business, building a strong company culture is a collective effort where employee experiences play the biggest role. However, the biggest influence on work life comes from the way leaders respond to changing situations.
In this post, we explore employee feedback and the role it plays in building a valuable organization, with practical tips and helpful employee feedback examples.
Tips to Give Effective Employee Feedback
Keeping your employees motivated and satisfied with work plays a major role in creating a productive work culture. To do so, business leaders are required to step up and take an approach based on empathy and concern for the welfare of their teams.
To ensure that you give effective employee feedback, always start with a strong introduction and end on an encouraging note. That’s when employees respond the best!
Tip: Begin your feedback with a good introduction
When providing feedback, maintain positive relations with the employee. Especially when you want them to improve, you must keep things relevant to them as an individual and their job function.
Some ways to start your employee feedback could be:
- “We’ve covered a lot of ground but…”
- “Let’s figure out how to fine-tune your current approach next time…”
- “X needs attention, but you are performing well at Y.”
- “I see an opportunity to fine-tune this area of operations…”
- “I understand why you started the campaign like this…”
It’s important to set clear expectations, but the way you start a conversation matters.
Tip: Pair negative feedback with positive affirmation
Another aspect of grabbing the employee’s attention and interest in what you have to say is by being smart about your feedback. An effective employee feedback approach is to provide negative feedback paired with some positive affirmation.
Some areas that you can cover with this type of constructive feedback are:
- Improvement: You may say something like, “I’ve seen you do well at this function, and I look forward to you growing into the role here…”
- Dependability: You may experience setbacks with highly dependable individuals, which can be tough for managers to address without any emotion. You may say something like, “I love your energy and how you meet the deadlines all the time to become an integral part of this team. We need that. But I’d like to see you start to…”
- Adaptability: For instances of employees who switch between priorities to take on additional responsibilities, you should recognize it with positive affirmation. You may say something like, “I’ve seen that you are flexible with your role in the team and enjoy the extra work you’re putting in to reach…”
- People skills: An effective employee feedback method to recognize a great job is to praise your employee’s skills with customers, which in turn keeps the morale high.
- Innovation: Recognizing creativity and innovation is a great way to improve individual and team performance. Through positive feedback, you may acknowledge their ideas and give credit where it’s due.
- Organizational skills: Appreciating the organized manner that your employee works in is a noteworthy approach to leadership that has the power to uplift an entire team and organization.
It is vital to remember that excessive negative feedback will ruin your relationship with employees, draining them and their colleagues of their morale. So, keep things positive, and you’re likely to get the best results that improve your company culture.
Use the best practices for continuous feedback to deliver the way you would have expected a manager to deal with you, if you were in their shoes.
Examples of Positive Feedback
Whether it’s the recognition of a good attitude or the acknowledgment of their hard work, there are plenty of ways to inspire effective employee feedback.
Here are some examples:
1. Express your appreciation for your employee’s contribution
“What a great way to start the year; I enjoyed your presentation yesterday. I hear the client was overjoyed with taking the next step and becoming a partner. Good job. I truly appreciate all that you are doing to achieve your goals.”
2. Identify and highlight the good qualities of an employee
“I notice how calmly you responded to the customer’s grievances. You were patient with him and listened to everything. At the same time, you were very resourceful in reassuring the customer that you were there to help. Certainly, customer service is important to us, and you displayed the strength of it.”
3. Notify employees when you see that they’re setting an example for others
“Rudra told me that she has found the new sales tool to be very useful and productive, based on your recommendation. Thanks for supporting our initiatives to implement better workflow and setting an example for others with your positive attitude.”
This type of performance management is key to ensuring that employees continue to deliver their best. When words of encouragement come from their leadership, employees tend to work smarter and better together.
Examples of Constructive Feedback
However, not always can you shower employees with words of appreciation. When employees do not perform, there’s a different approach you can take.
Through constructive feedback, you can ensure that you drive your point across about what went wrong, while ensuring that the employee is receiving feedback with a positive attitude. Your goal is to help them, not stir them up or vent!
Some examples of constructive feedback are:
1. Handling unprofessional behavior
“Many of your peers have reportedly voiced their concern about some of the jokes you tell during lunch. Some find it offensive. This organization has a strict policy that requires you to refrain from any comments or jokes that might hurt the feelings of others. I expect you to recognize and take corrective action accordingly.”
2. Failure to meet goals
“We have performance reviews to ensure the success of you and the business. Your objectives are attached to the organization’s goals, which in turn impacts overall performance. I am concerned that you haven’t met the targets. I’d like to know more about why that happened and what we can do to make sure you make the best of what you bring to this team.”
3. Errors and mishaps
“Unfortunately, the collateral we used for the email campaign had the wrong logo. I know that digital assets can be hard to manage in such volume, but I feel that our process is well-established. I’d like to understand your perspective on why this error occurred and how we can prevent such issues from arising in the future.”
Ultimately, a good leader is one that continuously strives to understand their people and take measures to make their work life better. In turn, these words of encouragement and regard turn into a productivity boost for the entire organization.
For best practices of effective employee feedback, use a performance management tool like Mesh so that you, as an employer, can get the necessary insights to give timely feedback to your teams.
With Mesh, you’ll be able to create an environment where feedback is the norm. Book a free demo with us today!
