Constructive Feedback
The 10 guidelines for good constructive feedback
When it comes to constructive feedback for HR managers, it’s all about performance. Ultimately, everyone agrees that feedback is one of the most valuable parts of any HR review or performance management cycle.
Additionally, it is vital to an employee’s continued professional development. So why is it still such a hot topic of discussion? That’s because deciding when and how to give feedback is not a science, but an art.
What is constructive feedback?
Constructive feedback is useful information or suggestions given to team members to help them achieve a productive outcome. It is specific, based on observation, and focuses on an employee’s performance, skills, behavior, or ability to work with others in a positive light.
When do you give constructive feedback?
Feedback can be given formally (e.g. as part of regular feedback rounds as part of a performance management cycle) or informally as the need or opportunity arises.
How do you give constructive feedback?
The most important thing to remember about constructive feedback is this: Ultimately, it’s about empowering employees to develop their skills. They should know where they stand in relation to the expectations of their current (and future) role.
Do employees like constructive feedback?
Talented people want to do their work effectively and develop professionally. Feedback is one of the most important tools to promote both of these goals. Whether it’s praise or criticism, feedback should always support these goals.
Why is constructive feedback so important?
Ultimately, the result of a company-wide feedback process is a positive, motivated workforce. This benefits everyone, especially the company.
How do you know when employees need constructive feedback?
Studies repeatedly show that receiving feedback is important to employees. In fact, some surveys show that almost all employees (96%) think this is important, and over 80% say they value feedback. This applies even if the feedback is negative, which can be considered even more important.
It is also clear that employees prefer to receive feedback frequently, weekly or at least monthly, and not just as part of the scheduled performance review. The ability to check in regularly and receive advice increases both employee confidence and overall engagement.
So what is the answer? It’s less productive to worry about when an employee needs feedback, but rather how often you can give them feedback and what makes sense for your time. After all, an employee will almost always appreciate it. Of course only if it is given correctly.
What about managers?
Managers who provide feedback also receive good reviews. In one study, team leaders who gave the right amount of feedback received 8.5 out of 10, while those who gave too little or too much feedback received significantly lower ratings.
Feedback benefits employee performance on two levels. The obvious takeaway is that constructive feedback helps them do their jobs better and grow professionally.
Through feedback, employees can:
- Learn how to improve in their daily tasks.
- Understand your strengths better in order to further develop them.
- Find out what weaknesses they can improve.
On a less noticeable but equally impactful level, constructive feedback also builds trust and strengthens relationships between managers and their direct reports.
It helps managers move from a “directing” role to a “coaching” role, with both parties working toward a common outcome.
Constructive feedback for engagement and employee retention
If we go beyond employees’ desire for frequent feedback, this communication channel also impacts employee engagement and retention rates. For many HR managers, these two aspects are probably two of their biggest challenges.
Research shows that team members who regularly communicate with their managers are three times more likely to be engaged at work than those who don’t.
In this sense, positive feedback is a powerful driver of engagement. In fact, according to a large international study, employee engagement scores are three times higher for employees who receive recognition.
Not surprisingly, the same study found that employees are twice as likely to quit when their work is not recognized or when there is no employee recognition program in place.
The data confirms what you already know: Employees want to know how they’re doing, and they want to know often. If your company doesn’t have mechanisms in place to ensure they receive this feedback, your valuable talent will move on.
What is the best approach to feedback?
For far too long, constructive feedback has been limited to formal performance reviews that take place annually or, ideally, every six months. This type of structured feedback between managers and employees still has its place as part of an employee’s professional development plan.
However, employee reviews that are conducted on an ongoing basis are far more useful. The requirement to provide feedback should be built into a manager’s remit: frequent formal reviews as well as informal ad hoc feedback.
Feedback should be given at every important milestone or event involving an employee. This allows them to better understand the impact of their performance (good and bad) on business operations.
It is also crucial for maintaining daily motivation and productivity. The more an employee feels recognized and supported, the more likely it is that this will be an important retention strategy.
Guidelines for meaningful constructive feedback
How your company organizes feedback depends on various factors, such as: the size of the company, the company culture, the role of the employees, etc. Therefore, it does not necessarily make sense to provide a feedback template.
What is more useful is guidelines that ensure that these conversations have an impact. This ensures the ideal result for the company: motivated, committed employees.
1.Focus on results
We’ve already mentioned this, but it deserves even more attention. Constructive feedback is not just about praise or criticism. It should be aimed at achieving the desired result. This is the starting point for formulating and exchanging feedback.
Some examples of results could be:
- A change in behavior (e.g. an employee who is chronically late returns to work on time)
- A continuation of the same excellent work
- An increase in responsibility
The manager’s job is to give the employee feedback that encourages them to continue their previous work. Or, alternatively, to change.
2.Provide feedback based on observations
Managers should be careful to separate opinion and observation when providing feedback. Good feedback is based solely on the employee’s behavior that the manager has observed.
It doesn’t matter if the manager believes that an employee who is regularly late is lazy. Constructive feedback leaves out these personal judgments or interpretations: “I noticed that you’ve already been late for two days this week, and I’m worried about how that’s affecting the rest of the team’s workload.
Basically, it should be noted that managers should not jump to conclusions. Observable, empirical data is important, and it’s okay to draw certain conclusions, but inferring a person’s character is not a productive starting point.
3.Be very specific
Whether the feedback is positive or negative, details are important. Employees need to understand exactly which actions are valued and which are not so they can do more of them or correct what isn’t working.
Without details, feedback like “You did a great job on this project” sounds nice, but it doesn’t help. It might even be perceived as disingenuous. Instead, aim for specific statements: “You worked well within the schedule and expectations” or “I like that you provided weekly updates on project deliverables” or “You created an excellent communication opportunity for everyone involved in the project.”
The same goes for negative feedback. Instead of “I noticed that your work is often late,” an employee learns much more from constructive feedback like “I noticed that this month’s project report was due on Friday, but I didn’t see it. That was This was also the case last month. This makes it difficult for the leadership team to track our performance goals. How can we work to improve this?
This makes your feedback much more “real”. Real in the sense that there are events directly linked to the behavior so that an employee has a template to repeat that positive behavior (and also avoid repeating negative behavior). There is also a roadmap for improvements, which you as a manager are also responsible for.
4.Constructive feedback is direct
Giving feedback can sometimes be uncomfortable (especially if it’s negative), but there’s no point in beating around the bush. Managers should get to the point by communicating the most important information directly.
Some human resources experts previously advocated the “sandwich method,” which involves combining negative feedback with positive feedback to soften the blow.
That may sound good, but it undermines trust. Employees will see through the insincerity and be more likely to ignore the real message (or simply not deal with it and instead only focus on the positive).
It’s better to address feedback directly using the guidelines in this list. This makes things more direct, clear, and generally more appealing to the employee hearing it. Your message will get through.
5.Avoid “you must” and “yes, but” language
When it comes to feedback, the expression is important. In addition to language that focuses on observations (“I noticed,” “I observed,” “I see”), managers should also avoid certain phrases.
When managers begin their feedback with “You need to…” (Example: “You need to make your presentations shorter.”), it implies that the employee did something wrong and immediately puts the person on the defensive.
A simple switch to: “When you gave your presentation today, I felt that it was too long and contained more details than the audience needed” is more descriptive and focuses on the action, not the person.
Managers should also avoid mixed messages (also known as “yes, but” messages) that mix positive and negative feedback: “You did very well in the presentation today, but it was way too long.” These statements seem confusing and inauthentic to employees – they are an attempt to gloss over a negative reaction.
The same applies here: direct feedback is best.
6.Focus on the present, past and future (in that order)
This suggestion goes hand in hand with feedback that gets to the point. Constructive feedback, especially when it is negative, works best when it is given in a specific order.
It should start with the current situation: what is the problem that needs to be addressed? In this situation, managers and employees should feel encouraged to explore what is working and what is not at the moment.
The feedback then turns to the past:
- Has this happened before?
- What did the employee do or not do to improve the situation?
This discussion can then naturally lead into the future, with questions about concrete steps to successfully move forward.
7.Celebrate Masterful Moments
One of the best ways for managers to give positive feedback is when an employee does something particularly well. For example, if the person in question aced a presentation or satisfied an angry customer.
This is often referred to as a “mastery moment.” A moment when an employee has mastered a topic or situation and has truly embodied what ideal performance looks like in your company.
This is the right moment:
- Name the performance.
- Explain why this moment is important to the company.
- Encourage showing more of this type of excellence.
It only takes a few minutes to celebrate these successes, but the impact on employee motivation can last a long time.
8.Provide feedback as soon as possible
Aside from feedback provided during performance reviews, which may be months apart, it is good practice to provide feedback as soon after a performance incident as possible. This way, everyone involved has the details still fresh in their minds.
If the feedback is negative, it means the leader will hopefully address the issue before it gets out of hand. In the case of positive feedback, quick recognition can act as a powerful motivator.
However, timely feedback also has its pitfalls. Negative incidents can be disturbing. Managers may need to take some extra time to calm down and organize appropriate feedback.
Therefore, it is often better to wait a day and ensure that the feedback is truly constructive than to rush into a meeting with the employee and offer criticism that does not allow for learning and progress.
9.Seek face-to-face feedback
Tone of voice and body language help give constructive feedback in a way that builds trust and achieves the best results. This is why it is more effective to conduct face-to-face feedback sessions (virtually or in person).
However, it is also important to provide feedback in a timely manner (as described in the previous point). So if the quickest way to provide informal, positive feedback on a job well done is via email or message, then managers should choose that route.
However, there is rarely a good substitute for personal contact, especially when it comes to giving constructive feedback and optimally managing performance.
10.Take notes diligently
Managers should take careful notes of the feedback they have given their employees and not rely on memory.
This is particularly useful during performance reviews where promotions, raises, and professional development opportunities are discussed.
Sharing notes in these one-on-one meetings helps both parties identify patterns and trends in performance and behavior, making it easier to plan the next steps in the employee’s performance plan.
Constructive feedback that increases performance
When employees are clear that constructive feedback is aimed at promoting their success in their current job and in their longer-term career, it is usually well received, even if it is negative.
Most employees will readily apply and learn from this information, and leaders who truly understand how to give good feedback will provide your company with a valuable service by increasing engagement and retention.