How to Deliver Effective Feedback in the Workplace
3 min read
Feedback in the workplace is extremely important as it increases staff morale, helps to identify strengths and weaknesses, increases self-awareness and encourages personal and professional development. This feedback must be delivered effectively in order to lead to positive changes and outcomes. In this article we will outline why feedback in the workplace is so important and provide you with guidance on how you can deliver it effectively.
Why is Feedback Important in the Workplace?
Feedback in the workplace is important as it facilitates improvement. When delivered effectively, feedback provides employees with tangible and achievable goals rooted in their personal experience. There are many benefits to effective feedback in the workplace, these include:
- Increased Motivation – When employees receive positive feedback about their work they feel appreciated as their hard work is being recognised. This can help to increase motivation as employees feel empowered to continue their hard work.
- Greater Performance – When employees receive feedback that constructively highlights areas for improvement they are encouraged to reach a higher standard of work, especially as they know their efforts will be valued and recognised.
- Continuous Learning – Work can become repetitive and monotonous for some over time and this can lead to complacency. When employees become complacent they may become less likely to go above and beyond or to try new things. Constructive and frequent feedback, especially if it includes areas to improve, encourages employees to learn new things and attempt new ways to conduct their work.
- Improved Relationships – If an employee feels seen and is confident that their hard work is recognised they are more likely to go to their employer with problems. This strengthens relationships and gives employers and managers the chance to correct issues as soon as possible.
- Personal Growth – Feedback highlights areas for improvement enabling employees to strengthen their weaknesses and learn new skills. This increased self-awareness provides them with invaluable opportunities to grow professionally and personally.
- Increased Confidence – Providing feedback in light of a job done well can help to increase employee confidence in their work. This emboldens them to try new things and feel happier in their work knowing that they are doing a good job.
The benefits of feedback listed above are heavily dependent upon how feedback is delivered. In order to be effective, feedback should be clear, concise and purposeful. This ensures that any feedback given results in actionable steps and a means to improve, rather than simply being critical comments. Feedback should be constructive and this is integral to making it effective. Even if feedback is being used to highlight poor work, it is important that how an employee can improve is also mentioned in the same conversation.
Constructive feedback shows employees that their development and growth is at the heart of the conversation. By focusing on making feedback constructive you can encourage a growth mindset within your employees that reaffirms that even when things don’t go as planned, there is a lesson to be learned and a chance for growth.
Want to Learn More?
We have a wide range of courses that will provide you with the skills to deliver feedback effectively. Our Business Essentials Courses include courses such as Communication Skills Training and Leadership & Management training that will give you the confidence to offer constructive and effective feedback.
How to Give Effective Feedback
Giving effective feedback can be difficult, however there are steps that you can follow and points that you should aim to include in your feedback to help ensure that it is effective. Below you will find guidance on how to deliver effective feedback and some examples of how you can ensure your feedback is constructive.
Start with the Positive
It can be difficult to know where to start if you need to address poor work, however it is a good idea to start with something positive rather than diving straight into the negative. One way to approach this is a compliment sandwich, also known as a feedback sandwich. This approach encourages you to begin interactions with a positive, then to constructively focus on the behaviour or work that needs improving, before finishing with another positive. Individuals tend to internalise criticism much more than compliments and so framing criticism positively, such as alongside recognition of hard work, can help employees see the critique objectively and approach correction with enthusiasm.
Constructive feedback example:
Instead of ‘Your work isn’t written in line with our company voice.’
Try ‘I like how you’ve approached this piece of work. I have spotted a few instances where your writing style doesn’t match the company voice. I am confident that you have the ability to echo our company voice so please can you revisit these sections.
Be Specific
Your feedback should be direct and specific to make it beneficial. Avoid making generalised evaluations or asking vague questions. Put as much detail into your comment as possible to make sure that it is specific and actionable.
Constructive feedback example:
Instead of ‘You did a great job in the meeting!’
Try ‘Your presentation was well researched and delivered. I really liked your introduction as well, I think it was a strong start to the meeting.’
Instead of ‘Can you make your work a bit clearer?’
Try ‘Your spreadsheet is very useful and evaluative however the last two columns aren’t as clear as the rest of the document. Please can you change them so that they are inline with the rest of your work?’
Be Objective
Focus on factual information and use facts and figures where possible to justify your feedback. When being objective it’s important that you don’t base your judgments or delivery on personal feelings and emotions. Different types of feedback, such as 360 feedback, can also be beneficial when remaining objective as it is often anonymous.
Constructive feedback example:
Instead of ‘I don’t like how you answered that phone call.’
Try ‘You offered some useful advice on that phone call and helped the customer to reach a solution. However, in the future when answering the phone please be sure to give the customer your name before asking them how you can help.’
Give Actionable Advice
Feedback of any kind, whether positive or negative, should include actionable steps. It is pointless criticising an employee’s work if you don’t also offer clear ways for them to improve, regardless of whether you think it ‘should be obvious’ what they need to do. Without actionable advice feedback can quickly become purely criticism that leaves an employee feeling demotivated and unappreciated.
Constructive feedback example:
Instead of ‘You aren’t a very good public speaker, you should improve that.’
Try ‘Well done for leading that meeting I know that you aren’t particularly confident when public speaking. Next time try to look up more instead of relying on your notes. I have a book that you can read to help you feel more confident in this or we can practise before your next presentation so that you are more comfortable knowing what needs to be said without looking at your notes as much.’
Make Feedback Frequent
Aim to give feedback regularly so that employees know how they are doing throughout the year, not just at quarterly appraisals. This is especially important if you are unhappy with how an employee has completed a task. If you are unhappy with how the work has been completed but don’t tell the employee in a timely manner, they are likely to unknowingly continue making the same errors.
Constructive feedback example:
Instead of ‘We need to talk about your last piece of work. I’ll discuss it in our meeting next month.’
Try ‘I’d like to discuss this piece of work with you, do you have time this week to go through it?’
Communicate Face-to-Face
Where possible provide feedback face-to-face as this allows employees to ask questions in the moment. Post covid the working world has changed significantly and many people work remotely or in a hybrid fashion. In these instances feedback should be primarily delivered during a call rather than via email so that employees, regardless of where they are physically, can still ask follow up questions.
Constructive feedback example:
Instead of ‘I’ll email you feedback on your task.’
Try ‘I’d like to give you some feedback on your task. Please let me know when you would be free for a meeting/call this week to discuss it.’
What Makes Feedback Effective?
Effective feedback refers to feedback that is actionable and will successfully lead to a desired result, such as improved performance. It can therefore be helpful to not think of effective feedback as a fixed thing that can only be delivered in one way, but instead as any kind of feedback that leads to positive change.
As mentioned, any feedback offered should be clear, concise and purposeful to ensure that it is useful. When feedback is delivered in this manner it becomes effective. The efficacy of feedback can also be heavily dependent on who is delivering it. When sharing feedback it is important that employers use positive language and listen actively so that employees take on board what is being said and also feel as though they can freely ask questions or for more clarification.
Effective feedback also respects an employee’s autonomy and it can be beneficial to signpost employees to useful resources so that they can develop their skills on their own. Critical reflection and self-evaluation encourage an introspective approach that supports continuous learning. Moreover, encouraging a growth mindset and personal development goals fosters a holistic approach to feedback that enables improvement in numerous areas of an employee’s working life.
Feedback is incredibly beneficial and when delivered effectively can help employees, and by extension businesses, to improve and grow. Fostering an environment in which feedback is readily shared in a clear and concise manner supports a positive work culture and helps employees to feel seen and valued for their contributions.
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