Constructive Feedback in The Workplace: Examples & Tips on How to Give It

2 years ago

The ability to give effective feedback to their employees is a key factor for a manager. One of the most useful things for a worker is to receive indications and comments regarding the activities he is carrying out, whether they are positive or negative. Often, however, the right weight is not given to feedback, especially positive ones, and an aspect that is instead fundamental for the growth of the individual within a work environment is neglected.

What Is Constructive Feedback?

Directly, constructive feedback is communication, usually between manager and employee, which seeks to show the employee what the positive points were and what aspects he/she needs to improve.

It serves to show your employee if he is going on the right path. This communication between manager and employee also helps their engagement in your company.

After all, with constructive feedback, the employee realizes that the company cares about their well-being and professional growth. In addition, this practice provides greater transparency and allows professionals to understand where they can improve and how they do it.

Types of Feedback:

As is known, feedback can be of two types:

Negative: information about work performance that needs improvement. The aim is not to underline the positive aspects, but to make it clear that the results obtained are perfectible;

Positive: aimed at emphasizing the success of a service, particularly satisfactory results or, in general, the positive aspects of a job or a collaborator in a given circumstance.

While negative feedback and destructive criticism are widespread enough, positive comments are far less so, often perceived as useless or taken for granted. Nothing more wrong.

Characteristics Of Constructive Feedback

Formulating positive feedback may seem like a trivial task, but in reality, it is a complex activity that requires care and attention.

Specificity: refer to real and limited facts, actions, and behaviors, not generic and vague qualities;

Sincerity: There is nothing sadder than a false compliment. Rather avoid and wait for another opportunity;

Timeliness: do not procrastinate. If a good job has been done today, let us know, at the most, tomorrow. Doing it in a month will do no good;

Utility: Feedback must be meaningful and help those who receive it to improve themselves and their work.

Benefits of Constructive Feedback for Your Service Team

When we talk about customer service, there are some ways to collect feedback, which allows the manager to direct efforts to provide an even better help desk.

But just as important as customer feedback is internal feedback. After all, as highlighted above, this practice helps to engage the employee in your company.

• Also, some of the benefits of feedback are:
• Directing the employee to improve professionally;
• Give due recognition to your employee;
• Align the established service strategy;
• It reinforces the self-knowledge of its employees;
• Draw a professional growth plan with each employee on your team;
• Encourage dialogue between everyone;
• Increasingly increase the quality of your customer service area;

Feedback Examples

Let's try to make a list of the most common cases, in which it is necessary to provide feedback, identifying for each one a way of expressing oneself, say " positive " and one " negative ".

Feedback On Work Performance:

Positive example: “last week you exceeded your production target by 20%. Great job, which is really helping us meet our plant production level expectations and meet financial goals. How did you do it?"

Negative example: "I verified that last month you exceeded the production target. This is why this month's target will be increased by 20%“.

Behavior Feedback:

Positive Example: “ Carolina, during this morning's meeting I noticed your closing attitude when you were commented on the data you presented. When Ilaria gave you that reservation on the type of calculations performed, you took a closed attitude, telling her to be calm because you know exactly what you are doing. With such an answer, the weather was icy for the rest of the meeting, you didn't help the group's cohesion. Be careful because you really need his support and try to recover from the situation ”.

Negative example: "Carolina, I didn't like your reaction with Ilaria during the meeting at all. It just so happens that you learn to control yourself so it just doesn't work! "

Feedback On Career Paths:

Positive example: “Christian, I am of the opinion that you have what it takes to be a leader. You have shown a good ability to lead and motivate the team, you just need to improve some aspects, but you can do it quickly. Do you accept the challenge of pursuing a career path? "

Negative example:" Cristiano congratulations, I promote you! "

Reputational Feedback:

Positive Example: “Valentina, I heard that our new employees came to you for advice on how to identify with our corporate values. You seem to be developing a reputation for being someone who truly understands how we do things here. You are a model of our values and I am sure that the new collaborators will appreciate your advice “.

Negative example: “ Valentina, I know that new collaborators come to ask you for advice. Be careful what you say. "

Feedback from Third Parties:

Positive example: “ Ilaria, I found that some of your colleagues in the department judge you to be excessively severe in judging their work. I have never noticed it personally but I am worried that others have noticed it and have become so annoyed that they come and tell me. Can you shed some light on this? "

Negative Example # 1: " Ilaria, I think you are too strict with team members. "

Negative example # 2: " Ilaria, Carolina, and Peppe have complained to me about your being too strict with them. What's going on? It's true? "

How to Give Constructive Feedback in the Workplace

Implementing this culture, despite being hard at first, brings many fruits to your company. So, let's get to know some good practices to improve feedback for your employees!

Prepare Feedback In Advance

To pass on positive feedback to your employee, it is important to prepare them. After all, it is necessary to collect information about the customers' happiness with the service they received.

In addition, noticing how he behaves with his team, his strengths, and his improvement, are also part of the complete constructive feedback.

It is also worth remembering to always write down the points that are part of this assessment. This makes it harder for you to forget the important points that make up the feedback.

Reserve An Appropriate Place For Feedback

If it's individual feedback, booking a room just for you and your collaborator is ideal to make the most of this moment.

After all, this way a third party does not interfere with the feedback, in addition to creating a welcoming environment that does not intimidate your collaborator.

It is also worth noting that this avoids any possible embarrassment that a more shy employee might feel.

Praise The Good Points

Valuing the strengths of your employee's work and the way he behaves with his teammates is always important to increase engagement and eliminate any fears that he may have to be fired.

In addition, when listening to the positive points of your work, your professional will feel more comfortable and receptive, making it easier to assimilate your words.

Show How Your Employee Can Improve As A Professional

One of the biggest benefits of feedback is to guide your employee on how he can improve as a professional.

Therefore, it is extremely important that you guide him on what he can do to increase his performance.

In this way, you can give a guide to your employee, who will know what it takes to receive a promotion, for example.

Consider Each Contributor's Feedback History

Having a history of feedback allows you to analyze each employee's learning curve.

In this way, it is possible to show your collaborator, his evolution and also guide some other points that he needs to improve, helping him to become an even better professional.

Define A Recurrence For Feedbacks

And last but not least, it is necessary to define a recurrence for feedbacks. They vary according to your need and can be fortnightly, monthly, bimonthly, quarterly... 

The important thing is to always have a recurrence. In this way, it is possible to have the learning curve of each employee.

To Sums It Up

To learn how to give positive feedback more effectively, you can do one very simple thing: ask. Ask those who received feedback how they felt and how they would have preferred to hear certain things. Ask a select group of colleagues, friends, or family to rate their ability to give feedback. Ask your co-workers if they have any suggestions on how you could improve the way you communicate with them and create a better relationship.

All this brings with it another fundamental skill: listening. If you ask but don't listen, it's all in vain. If you want to improve relationships with your employees but don't listen to them, it's all in vain.

As you try to improve your ability to give positive feedback, encourage your team members to do the same. And if it seems too big an undertaking, out of your reach, you can always try to involve an external coach, who will have a super parts point of view and will be able to give you valuable information and suggestions.