Feedback between managers and their teams can be a daunting task. But it’s essential to build a healthy, resilient, productive workplace culture. Feedback forces us to focus on our strengths and weaknesses, and how our behaviours and actions impact those around us and company success.
Perform & Engage 365 creates positive feedback behaviours for your people. The Perform & Engage 365 framework encourages regular, light-touch check-ins that are proven to boost engagement and performance.
Feedback needs to be frequent
Feedback is most effective when it's delivered as soon as something has happened. In fact, it's been argued that feedback is most effect no later than 72 hours after the event that incited it. But while checking in with all your employees every three days may be a bit much, building feedback into your workplace’s weekly routine means you can respond to issues and successes as they arise.
Feedback needs to be two-way
Typically, workplace feedback is between an employee and their line manager. Managers account for the vast majority of variation in engagement stats and play a key role in guiding employee development. But while performance management is the main purpose of workplace feedback, it’s not the only one.
If you want a highly engaged workforce, you need to ensure that feedback flows in both directions. But importantly, that you’re actually listening to what your people say. Properly leveraged, employee feedback can play a key role in enhancing your workplace culture.
Feedback needs to be transparent
Trust is a key component of how to build a feedback culture at work. This is especially true considering that managers need to be able to get open and honest feedback from employees.
Only 55% of employees agree their managers are transparent. So, to encourage honest feedback with any degree of reliability, you’ve got to create a sense of trust and safety around your feedback process.
If you can have an honest conversation without anonymity, then there are much greater avenues for further discussion.
Feedback needs to be specific
Hearing that you've done a great job is good to hear, but it won't help you to improve. The more specific you can be with the feedback you give, the better chance your employees will have to make a difference to their performance.
Feedback needs to be actionable
Once you've received feedback from your employees, it's important to let them know the actions you're taking as a result. This could be letting them know that you've heard their idea but won't be taking it forward, or that you need to park it for now.
Whether it's good, bad or indifferent, the key thing is letting your people know that you've done something with their feedback.
💡 Top tip: Download our feedback cheat sheet for managers at the bottom of this article to learn how you can deliver better feedback to your team.