Give the gift of feedback more than once a year

05/11/09

Various workplace surveys over the years have shown that less than half of employees are receiving frequent and ongoing feedback regarding their performance.

Especially with Generation Y entering the workforce, delivering constant feedback to employees is critical to any business’ success. Every employee, but particularly the younger generations, not only want ongoing feedback - they thrive on it.

These days, it’s hard to avoid hearing news about the latest wave of employee layoffs or how bad the unemployment rate is. Your employees need to be reassured that their job isn’t next in line for the chopping block, or at least a friendly “heads-up” if they’re in a dangerous position.

Constructive feedback lets employees know that they’re either on the road to success or that there’s something they need to work on to make it to that road. Knowing that they’re on the right track will give a boost to employees’ self esteem, ultimately making them a more confident and productive part of your business.

When employees don’t receive regular performance feedback the results can be disastrous. A lack of feedback causes employees to lose confidence in their work, become anxious and insecure about their work, lose track of priorities, lose enthusiasm for their position and will eat away at their commitment to the organization.

Even if an employee is producing fantastic work, it is still important to let them know that they’re doing a great job. Knowing how and when to give employees feedback can ensure they keep producing quality work to keep your business strong.

Follow a few of these tips to make employee feedback an every day occurrence in your organization:

• Put employee feedback at the top of every supervisor’s priority list. Train supervisors to find a way, everyday, to show at least one employee that their performance makes a difference. Encourage managers and supervisors to look for new ways to encourage their staff and communicate on a personal level regularly. Stress that employee feedback is not just something that comes along once a year with a performance review, but something that is ongoing and requires dedication.
• Focus on positive and constructive feedback. Employee performance feedback doesn’t always have to be positive, there’s always room for improvement. When delivering constructive criticism, remember to be specific and give employees clear actionable items that they can work on in order to improve.
• Catch ‘em in the act. Employee feedback doesn’t always have to occur during a scheduled meeting time. Train supervisors to recognize employees’ work, both good and bad, in the moment they spot it. Catching them in the act also lets employees know that their managers are paying attention. Late feedback may look like an afterthought to employees and could do more harm than good.
• Track your feedback. Depending on how many employees you supervise, spreading feedback around equally can be difficult to keep track of. Develop a tracking system to serve as a visual reference that everyone is getting the feedback they need. Keep track of when you gave feedback, the reason for it, and refer to your tracking sheet regularly.
• Don’t procrastinate on scheduled performance reviews. No matter how often your provide employee performance reviews, stick to your schedule. Pushing performance reviews back because you’re not ready shows employees that their performance doesn’t matter. If you’ve been keeping track of your feedback, employee reviews should be a breeze since the conversation has been going on all year long.

If you can’t remember the last time you gave one of your employees feedback, step out of your office and strike up a conversation. Make it a part of every day to show an employee that you appreciate and depend on their work. And remember - keep it up. Soon you’ll be delivering regular feedback without even thinking about it.