How to Give Employees Constructive Feedback

Anyone who manages employees understands the importance of honest feedback. After all, how else can your team members grow, develop, and contribute toward building a thriving organization? Yet many of us shy away from this kind of straightforward talk with our workers—probably because we’re afraid that they’ll take it the wrong way.  

Constructive feedback helps people to grow, improve, and develop into effective and reliable employees. Keep reading to learn about common feedback mistakes and effective feedback strategies. By providing constructive, helpful feedback, you can create a healthy work environment and positively impact your company.

What Not To Do When Giving Employees Feedback

Improving employee performance requires a multipronged approach. Giving employee feedback is one of the best methods. However, it’s vital to understand feedback best practices. Take a close look at what you say and how you say it! Be careful not to say something in such a way that makes the person defensive and less likely to make the desired behavioral changes. 

What are common mistakes to avoid when giving employees feedback? Some managers only speak to workers when something has gone wrong. They don’t praise them when they’ve done an excellent job. This constant criticism can create a hostile atmosphere, which is not helpful if you want someone to deliver their best work!

Beware of these feedback faux pas:

• Speaking up just when something goes wrong.
• Providing non-specific praise (e.g., “Great job!”).
• Putting off feedback until an employee’s behavior or performance is highly problematic.
• Reprimanding a team member in front of others.
• Criticizing a person’s performance without suggesting how they can improve.
• Not scheduling frequent performance reviews.
• Not allowing the employee to respond and voice their concerns or difficulties.

Delivering feedback effectively is a valuable skill that requires practice and honing.

Be Firm But Polite: Feedback Skills For Managers

Constructive criticism techniques are essential to building good relationships with your team, motivating peak performance, and reducing employee turnover.

Here are some feedback tips to achieve the best results:

1. Practice proactivity. Address issues early to avoid unpleasant confrontations. Have regular meetings with staff to give and receive friendly feedback. Regular communication conveys that you’re accessible to them and that their success matters to you.
2. Be timely. Give employees feedback quickly so they can immediately change their actions and behavior. Otherwise, they won’t know if they should continue as they have been or make changes. 
3. Give specific examples. Although providing negative feedback is difficult, it’s essential to be as straightforward as possible. Illustrate your feedback with concrete examples.
4. Provide solutions. Offer specific steps that employees can take for future improvement. 
5. Stay positive. Balance your constructive criticism by letting employees know what they’ve done well. Positive feedback helps motivate team members and makes them feel that the company values them.
6. Be direct. Show sincerity and empathy, letting the employee know your criticism isn’t a personal attack.
7. Present a progress plan. Outline the behavioral changes that you expect and give the employee a timeline for those modifications. Plan a follow-up meeting.
8. Show how their performance directly affects company goals. Demonstrate the value of their contributions with examples of how their positive work behaviors enhance how the company serves its customers.
9. Document positive and constructive feedback. Employees and their supervisors can better understand how they’re doing when the company documents performance throughout their time at the organization. 

What is an example of constructive feedback? Instead of telling an employee, “I don’t like your attitude,” say, “When you miss your deadlines, then ignore me when I ask you about it, it looks like you don’t care about this company or the quality of your work. Can you explain why you do this, so I can understand how you’re feeling?” When giving employee feedback, it is crucial to frame any criticism as an opportunity for growth rather than a punitive measure.

Culver Careers—Your #1 Resource for Hiring Top Talent

At CulverCareers, we highly value constructive feedback. So, please let us know if you have any thoughts about giving employee feedback. We’re highly skilled at matching the best talent with the ideal organization so that both can thrive. In addition to the right experience and technical skills, a candidate must be open to constructive feedback for employee development. Giving feedback to employees helps them achieve their potential while providing immense value to the organization.

Is it a challenge to hire the best talent to drive your business forward? Contact Culver Careers, a leading recruitment agency connecting businesses with top candidates.