Written By: Nibha Varma
February 2, 2023
FEEDBACK! In today’s workplaces, I find that there are some key factors that contribute to a psychologically safe environment. One such factor is around feedback – This article is based on my research and experience in human resources when it comes to providing employees with effective feedback in the workplace.
As a start, I looked into the how, what, and frequency of feedback in the workplace. The impact of feedback on an employee cannot be minimized. Doing infrequently or incorrectly can easily lead to burnout, low self-confidence and decreased productivity.
So how and what feedback do you give employees? The ‘how’ to give feedback stems from actively listening to your employees. Active listening requires you to listen to the speaker and reflect on what is being said before responding. Listen for cues on big wins for them, work they are passionate about, and items that are meaningful to them. With active listening, you’ll be to relay that you’ve done a great job, but also what they did to produce great results. You’ll notice the difference between “you are awesome” and a more effective statement of “I saw the amount of work and attention you put into project X, and I loved how you supported it with data and research”. Feedback has to be impactful and meaningful to be effective.
The frequency of feedback is also so important. Feedback shouldn’t be on an annual basis, but an ongoing process that is based on everyday work. Consistent feedback and the right ratio of positive to negative feedback can lead to high engagement and performance. According to Harvard Business Review, the ratio of positive to negative comments for high-performing teams is, on average 5.6 (that’s almost 6 positive comments to one negative comment). For low-performing teams, it’s 3 (that’s 3 positive comments to one negative comment). Not only is that ratio important, but for leaders to create high-performing teams, they also have to be able to deliver feedback at least monthly.
Diving into that a bit further – Why is the positive and negative feedback ratio so important? Negative feedback shouldn’t be used as a motivational tool for employees. It’s critical for challenging and improving employee performance, but it certainly won’t push an employee to go above and beyond. It’s the positive feedback (based on facts) that will push an employee to continue what they are doing and build on it with creativity and determination.
With a changing world, how and what kind of feedback Leaders give to their employees has become extremely important. Some of these items that I discuss may seem obvious, but in order for Leaders to be effective, they have to be open to reflecting on their own style and learning new tools. If this article can be anything, it should be a challenge for every Leader to reflect on their style and think of any tools they can incorporate in their workplace and teams. Included are some additional resources and interesting stats that Leaders out there may find helpful:
Noteworthy Articles:
https://hbr.org/2013/03/the-delicate-art-of-giving-fee
https://hbr.org/2019/01/how-leaders-can-get-honest-productive-feedback
Great Reads:
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever – Written by Michael Bungay Stanier
Performance Conversations: How to Use Questions to Coach Employees, Improve Productivity and Boost Confidence – Written by Christopher D. Lee, Ph.D
Co-Active Coaching: The Proven Framework for Transformative Conversations at Work and In Life By Karen Kimsey-House, Henry-Kimsey-House, Philip Sandahl, Laura Whitworth