Benefit Your Company With 360 Degree Feedback Tool

Many companies avoid carrying out a 360 degree evaluation of their employees because of the complexity. There are many misunderstandings about 360 degree feedback, which is unfortunate, because it can be an effective tool for improving performance, especially at higher levels of the organization. Let's take a quick look at what we understand, then look at four practical ways your business can benefit from 360 degree feedback.

What is 360 degree feedback?

Regardless of whether you use a 360 degree feedback tool or organize your own 360 degree feedback survey, the basic goal is the same: Collect feedback about an employee's performance by gathering information from multiple team members who interact with the employee. This usually includes the employee's manager, any direct reports and colleagues. In most cases, the employee also fills in a feedback form. Since all participants answer the same set of questions, the employee can see in a report where his or her own perceptions differ from those of colleagues. A 360 degree survey is organized around important target areas, and participants are asked to give answers on a rating scale as well as open answers. The answers in a 360 degree evaluation should always be completely confidential or even completely anonymous.

What are the advantages of 360 degree feedback?

1. Opens the communication channels

By using 360 degree feedback, employees in the company can comment on each other's work. This creates an environment that is rich in communication and makes it possible to raise and solve problems. Companies and organizations that communicate effectively are many times more likely to retain the best employees.

2. Better feedback from multiple sources

Getting feedback from colleagues, superiors and oneself proves to be more beneficial than getting feedback from a single person. Employees receive more frequent feedback, and feedback from colleagues (and direct reports) is just as useful as feedback from superiors.

3. Improved team development and communication

Team members giving each other feedback creates a sense of accountability and team communication is important. 33% of employees say that a lack of open and honest communication is what has the biggest negative impact on work morale.

4. Career development

360 interviews give employees valuable feedback on what they need to do to further develop their careers (98% of employees will not engage if they receive little or no feedback). With a 360-process, employees get more opportunities to find out what they do well, and what needs to be improved.

Are you ready to complete the 360?

1. 360 degree feedback and leadership

360 degree feedback is effective because it helps managers adapt to the competencies required for success: continuous learning, authentic teamwork, and personal awareness. By seeing themselves as others see them, managers can discover and improve productivity. They discover truths that others do not have the courage to tell them in person, because they are often isolated by virtue of their position. The result is, among other things, better interaction with employees and increased commitment, morale and productivity. If you're not sure what to ask to get the most insightful data possible, check out 100 useful phrases to include in 360 feedback surveys!

2. Find the right tool

Today's 360 surveys require minimal technical skills, and it is therefore easy to set up a survey from a desktop computer. The respondents answer via the Internet from work or from home - a great advantage for those who have little privacy at work. But like any other tool, it must be implemented by skilled, trained professionals.

Immediately after the last answer is submitted, the organizer can print a detailed report. This means that as little as a week can pass between the initial design of the survey and the preparation of the final reports. Users appreciate the ease of setting up and customizing the questionnaires, and they also like the quick turnaround time that provides an immediate return on investment.

Remember: 360 degree feedback is not a performance appraisal

A 360 degree evaluation is primarily for the benefit of the employee being evaluated, but it should not replace regular employee interviews or feedback. If a manager has specific performance issues with an employee, he or she should address this immediately and openly. In addition:

• A 360 degree evaluation is not a way of measuring performance goals.
• There is no way to determine whether an employee meets the basic job requirements.
• 360 degree feedback does not focus on basic technical or job-specific skills.

When 360 degree employee interviews are carried out carefully, they can give managers a refreshing boost - they can improve morale, contribute to increased productivity and increase the organization's competitive advantage. To avoid mistakes, managers must have a clear vision of how the process should be carried out, and whoever analyzes the results must have enough experience to interpret the feedback correctly. In addition, whoever analyzes the results must remember that all people react differently in different situations.

What are the four parts of 360 degree feedback?

The four parts, or steps if you will, of a 360 degree performance appraisal (another name for 360 degree feedback) are as follows:

1. Select group - decide who you want to get feedback from and why. Should it be from colleague to colleague, from manager to subordinate, from department or from everyone? Once you have decided which group you want to give feedback to, it becomes easier to focus. The variety in the choice of group is a big advantage of 360 degree feedback (as it is also called).

2. Conduct a full 360 degree evaluation - the group needs data (feedback) that it can learn from and use to create action plans to move forward. Think through how you can increase participation, so that you get as much clean and accurate data as possible.

3. Use powerful software with in-depth analytics. Hold meetings to close the feedback loop - give employees time to review results with their supervisors or HR staff. This is an important step to internalize the information presented, work on possible improvements and highlight strengths.

How to give good 360 feedback?

Honest feedback is the best 360 feedback you can give. One of the advantages of 360 degree feedback is that it contributes to development and improvement. You want the person you give feedback to to improve. If you keep that in mind, you'll do well!

What is a 360 degree evaluation?

A 360 degree evaluation is often confused with or used interchangeably with performance evaluations. In order to ease the pressure on the employees, it is necessary to understand that the 360 degree evaluation is more about self-examination and improvement for the employees themselves, and not about achievements or promotion opportunities. You use a 360 degree evaluation to collect feedback from multiple sources - colleagues, managers, management and subordinates - to identify areas of improvement and strengths. Although it may also contain questions about performance, it does not have the same purpose as direct performance evaluations.

In conclusion, 360-degree feedback emerges as a powerful tool for fostering communication, enhancing feedback quality, promoting team development, and facilitating career growth. IceHrm, with its user-friendly interface and advanced analytics, is your ideal partner in seamlessly implementing and deriving maximum benefits from 360-degree feedback processes.