What is feedback?
Feedback is an evaluation of your work from your peers, superiors and/or customers. It is one of the most important means of identifying your shortcomings, understanding your strengths and applying them to your work. Feedback can be given informally on an ongoing basis, or at formally scheduled check-ins. In some careers, particularly in the creative and hospitality industries, feedback is integral to the job and something employees and employers can expect to receive from everyone they interact with. In other careers with cut-and-dry performance metrics, or where people may work more independently, such as the skilled trades, your job performance is much more clearly represented by your work and less provided by peers and superiors. Feedback should be given directly in relation to the task on which the feedback is being given. Do not wait until an employee needs a performance improvement plan before finally giving them feedback they needed long ago.
Effective feedback
Effective feedback is constructive and objective, and a key part of performance management. It gives the recipient concrete, actionable advice to work with in order to improve a shortcoming or harness a strength. Effective feedback usually involves specific reference to something that has been done or something that needs to be done, rather than a vague reference to what should have or could have been done. The feedback sandwich method is a popular way to deliver effective, constructive feedback.
Effective feedback is also direct. It isn’t communicated in a group setting. It is tailored to the individual and the task at hand. It doesn’t always need to be formally delivered and tracked, but doing so can be a good way to build on past feedback and ensure an employee is on a good trajectory with their career growth.
Ineffective feedback
Ineffective feedback is unfortunately much more commonly given than effective feedback. That is because feedback is a skill that many people don’t bother learning or training on. Ineffective feedback usually takes the form of a confrontation or an insult. It combines multiple grievances into one and bombards the recipient with these all at once. It does not focus on specifics and does not offer any next steps or action plan.
Ineffective feedback is very often subjective. It is based on the personal opinion or feelings of the person giving it. It is indirect, and sometimes given to a group of people at once instead of one-on-one. When feedback focuses on personal traits or immutable characteristics such as physical appearance, it can veer into illegal territory and go against human rights legislation.
Types of feedback
There are a variety of feedback methods used by employees and employers, and no single method is better than any other. Instead, they are highly dependent on who is giving the feedback and who is receiving it.
Manager to direct report
This is the most common feedback, involving a manager giving feedback to their direct reports. Giving feedback is a core responsibility of working in a management position, so it is important that your managers know how to properly give feedback in order to maximize your employees’ potential. Managers give feedback to their direct reports about their performance, while also identifying ways the employee can improve. Managers often combine feedback with opportunities for the employee to pursue, whether it’s skills training, more responsibility or any other measure they can take to show that they are willing to make positive changes.
Manager to manager
Managers most often receive feedback from senior management or executives at the company, in addition to feedback from their direct reports (more on that later). This is usually high-level feedback pertaining to their management style, their team’s performance or whether or not they are achieving company goals. Management is often responsible for communicating and helping to implement company policy, so manager-to-manager feedback is often related to whether or not company policy is being followed by their teams. Employee engagement and company culture are also usually management’s responsibility, so manager-to-manager feedback can touch on topics such as team morale and the progress of any internal initiatives.
Employee to employee
Employee-to-employee feedback is less formal than other approaches. Many employees don’t respond well to receiving feedback on their performance from people who aren’t their managers, but they do appreciate receiving appreciation for a job well done and being informed of any oversights. Your company should foster an environment where giving feedback is encouraged, so employees don’t feel like they are overstepping their roles by giving feedback to their peers. You also shouldn’t have to rely exclusively on management to provide feedback, as they are usually busy handling other administrative and management tasks.
Employee to manager
The concept of “managing up” involves employees giving feedback to their managers in the hope of making their jobs easier. Managers can’t be everywhere at all times, and it’s inevitable that they’ll overlook things. Employees might also prefer to be managed a certain way, and unless they provide that information to their managers in a clear and prompt way, the working relationship can suffer. Employee to manager feedback thus usually focuses on management style and avoids topics such as job performance. Most managers would consider it subordinate for their employees to critique their job performance, unless they have been instructed to do so as part of a 360° feedback process.
360° feedback
360° feedback involves all members of an employee’s team providing feedback. If you receive this kind of feedback, it usually comes from everyone you work with—within reason. Let’s use a chain restaurant as an example. An employee in this setting receiving 360° feedback would get it from their colleagues, shift manager, customers and perhaps the franchise owner. They would not receive feedback from workers at other restaurant locations, nor would they receive feedback from head office. 360° feedback is gathered, anonymized and presented all at once as part of a performance review. It is a great way to get a holistic picture of an employee’s performance, but given how time-intensive it can be to collect so much feedback on someone, it is often only done once or twice a year.
Benefits of implementing a feedback culture
By implementing a feedback culture at your company, you create an environment where employees feel comfortable with helping each other succeed. It does not necessarily need to be a formalized HR policy, but rather something that is led by example. Implement formal and informal means of giving feedback, such as performance reviews and as part of team meetings. Make it part of your management employees’ job descriptions. Don’t hesitate to ask your employees for feedback—it’s often a great way to see what others in your company think about your methods and whether they are working. Don’t shy away from the results, either. Not all feedback will be positive, and that’s fine. It’s only through giving it and learning from it that feedback flourishes.
