Feedback is any positive or constructive criticism provided to employees regarding their work.
The way you give feedback can make or break you as a manager. It showcases your ability to assess employees’ work and communicate this assessment to them.
As it’s one of the key aspects of your leadership and of employees’ career progression, in this article, we’re exploring how to effectively provide feedback to employees.
And, we’re bringing on experts with years of experience in crafting high-quality feedback to share their secrets!
What you gain by giving feedback to employees
After years of providing effective employee assessments, our experts highlighted the key benefits of taking time to learn how to give feedback to employees.
For the Founder and CEO of Compt, Amy Spurling, feedback is essential for employee performance, and, above all, a healthy work environment:
“Employee feedback is like the secret sauce for a great workplace. It helps everyone grow, get better at what they do, and feel more engaged. Plus, it builds trust and open communication, which makes for a healthier, more vibrant workplace culture.”
Moreover, HR executive and coach, Sheila Amo, thinks feedback at work is vital for employees’ career growth:
“Employees experience the workplace through their needs, which among others include the need for growth & development. Feedback relays belief in their potential and, often, willingness to support the employee in achieving success.”
CEO and Co-founder of BeamJobs, Stephen Greet, notes that giving feedback to staff strengthens relationships between workers and supervisors:
“One key benefit of employee feedback is that it strengthens manager-employee relationships. Regular feedback fosters open communication between managers and employees, which is crucial for building trust and understanding. When managers provide feedback, they demonstrate their investment in an employee’s development.”
Lastly, HR Expert & CEO at Rivermate, Lucas Botzen, believes feedback benefits the whole company:
“Not only is employee feedback important to the employee but to the organization itself in growing and expanding. The ability to implement feedback creates a culture of continuous learning and improvement, which then translates to the company’s long-term success.”
Further reading
Interested in more ways to create a healthier workplace? Check out this article on toxic work environment:
How do you provide feedback professionally: Tips on effective employee feedback
Simply sharing your thoughts on somebody’s work isn’t enough for providing effective employee feedback. These expert tips will ensure your words actually influence the performance and success of the team!
Tip #1: Be specific
The employee needs to understand the feedback they receive. To achieve this, Spurling recommends giving specific examples:
“Vague feedback doesn’t help anyone and actually may just cause anxiety when it isn’t needed. Instead, give clear, detailed examples so the person knows exactly what you’re talking about.”
Moreover, the Copywriting Manager for Clockify, Stefan Veljkovic, notes that specific feedback brings clarity and ensures the employee progresses in the right direction:
“Vague feedback is lousy feedback. Be as precise as possible when providing feedback to your employees — this enhances their career advancement and strengthens your professional bonds with the employees. Nobody likes to be kept in the dark about their performance.”
Tip #2: Don’t make it personal
Some people have a tendency to take constructive criticism personally. To make sure the feedback is positively received, Founder & Coach at Alo Coaching Emily Walton recommends focusing on employees’ work instead:
“Focus on the behavior, not the person. Feedback can make many people defensive, so reduce that risk by focusing on the actions they are taking and their impact.”
Tip #3: Maintain a positive attitude
The atmosphere you create during the feedback session is just as important as your words. According to Greet, you should adopt an uplifting approach when giving feedback:
“It is absolutely vital to approach feedback meetings with a positive and motivating attitude. Positively-minded feedback is more likely to be welcomed by staff members as a chance for development than as criticism. Furthermore, a positive tone can help to establish a safe and respectful atmosphere for honest communication.”
Translation Team Manager at CAKE.com, Sonja Baltezarevic, believes the atmosphere you create throughout the year is just as important as the energy in the feedback session. It determines how employees receive feedback:
“Honesty, transparency, and open communication within the team greatly contribute to the working atmosphere and can ensure the feedback is well received. When employees operate in a pleasant, friendly environment and have trust in you as a manager, they won’t take criticism personally and will understand that your goal is to make the whole team better. Once these conditions are created, team members accept feedback more easily and are more motivated to improve their work and contribute to the team’s success.”
Tip #4: When constructive, make the discussion private
Words of encouragement and praise should be shared with the whole team. This way, you’ll collectively applaud an employee for their great work, inspiring them to keep going.
However, as Editorial Manager at CAKE.com Ivana Fisic explains, constructive criticism should be communicated privately:
“A general rule is: any positive feedback can be provided in front of the entire team. After all, such appraisals can motivate other team members to enhance their work. But, if you need to give your employees any constructive feedback, leave it for 1-on-1 meetings. This way, your employees can ask for clarification, and they’ll feel better hearing such feedback in private.”
Tip #5: Don’t wait for the end of the year
An annual performance review has become the norm. But, as a workplace expert & coach Dr. Diane Rosen warns, waiting for the end of the year may prove ineffective:
“A feedback dump once a year is counterproductive. Most reviewers remember the negative and forget what went well. Employees are left with information that may be outdated and, in any event, will focus on whether they got a raise or promotion.”
Instead, Dr. Rosen advises giving feedback in real time:
“Performance feedback should be delivered in real time whenever possible rather than waiting for a year-end review. Timely feedback captures both positive and negative information and gives the person a chance to course adjust before poor performance gets baked in.”
For example, Baltezarevic believes assessments should be conducted on a monthly or bimonthly basis:
“From personal experience, I would say feedback should be given every month or every two months, at minimum. This way, employees can continuously follow their progress within the team and the company. Moreover, they always have a clear understanding as to what they’re good at and what they should work on for the time being.”
Tip #6: Balance it out
Even when your feedback is mostly constructive, you shouldn’t make the conversation negative. Spurling always finds something positive to talk about:
“Mix the good with the constructive. You don’t want feedback to have a negative connotation. Anytime you tell someone you have feedback for them, they shouldn’t cringe or feel worried. Everyone likes to know what they’re doing right, along with what they can improve. So celebrate the wins, even small ones, and offer constructive feedback when necessary.”
For instance, People and Culture Manager and Co-Founder at Custom Neon, Jess Munday, advises using the sandwich method:
“Use the “sandwich” method by starting with positive feedback, addressing areas for improvement, and ending with another positive note.”
Tip #7: Make it a dialogue
Even though you’re the one giving the feedback, the conversation should never be one-way. You should empower your workers to ask for any clarifications and make their own suggestions regarding their improvement or even work distribution.
Munday believes feedback should always be a conversation:
“Make feedback a conversation rather than a monologue. Encourage employees to share their perspectives and suggestions.”
Tip #8: Organize follow-ups
Feedback isn’t a one-and-done conversation. Check in regularly with the employee to ensure you’re still on the same page.
On that note, psychologist Dr. Ryan C. Warner believes ongoing support after the feedback is the only way for the employee to progress:
“Follow up to monitor progress and provide ongoing support, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.”
Giving good feedback in 6 steps
Even with our tips in mind, providing effective feedback to employees can be challenging, especially if you don’t know when to start.
So, Spurling, Greet, and Munday helped create a simple playbook you can follow for both individual and team feedback:
- Prepare: have main points, specific examples, and desired outcomes ready before the feedback session begins,
- Set the right context: explain your reasoning and the value of the feedback you’re about to provide while maintaining a positive attitude,
- Be mindful of the delivery: use the tips from this article to ensure your employee understands and receives the feedback without taking it personally,
- Ask for questions/suggestions: give the employee an opportunity to share their thoughts,
- Develop a plan: together with the employee, create a plan of action, and
- Follow up: monitor the employee’s progress and check in regularly to ensure they’re supported.
What is an example of quality feedback to staff?
Unsure how to apply our tips when giving feedback? Our experts provided real-life feedback examples you can use for inspiration.
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Expert | Positive example | Constructive example |
| Spurling | “Jamie, your presentation on the new project was awesome. Your research was so thorough and your delivery was engaging. It kept everyone interested. Keep bringing that energy!” | “Jamie, during our last team meeting, some of your comments seemed a bit dismissive of others’ ideas. I know you’re passionate about our goals, but let’s work on creating a more collaborative environment by encouraging and building on others’ contributions.” |
| Botzen | “I wanted to commend you on your presentation during our last team meeting. Your ability to clearly articulate complex ideas significantly helped the team understand the new project scope. Keep up the great work!” | “I have noticed that your recent reports have had some inaccuracies. For example, last week’s sales figures were inaccurate by 5%. It might help if you double-checked your data before submitting it. Let’s set up some time to go over some tips on how to streamline this process.” |
| Dr. Warner | “Your detailed project reports have greatly improved our team’s efficiency. Keep it up!” | “I’ve noticed you’ve missed several deadlines recently. Let’s discuss how we can manage your workload better.” |
| Munday | “I wanted to commend you on the excellent job you did with the latest marketing campaign. Your creativity and attention to detail were evident, and the campaign results exceeded our expectations. Keep up the great work!” | “I appreciate your hard work on the latest project report. It looked great, I noticed there were a few discrepancies though. You’re not the first person to do this, so don’t worry. But it is important for our campaign strategizing that these numbers are accurate. Going forward I’d appreciate it if you could allocate a little extra time for fact-checking. If you are pushed for time or not sure how to do this, please don’t hesitate to ask for help. I am confident this small adjustment will lead to even better results for us.” |
| Amo | “The way you handled yourself under pressure was excellent. In the future, plan for contingency scenarios so you’ll have alternative ideas ready.” | “During the customer onboarding process, I noticed a few missteps. When goal setting, you expressed an interest in honing your customer service skills. So, what are some things, within your sphere of influence, you can do differently to improve the customer experience and avoid these missteps?” |
Want to be a good manager of a successful team? Learn to provide effective feedback to employees
Whether it’s positive or constructive, employee feedback has a great effect on employee performance and job satisfaction. Furthermore, as our experts highlighted, it can contribute to the success of the whole company.
Incorporating expert tips and going over their playbook will make providing feedback much easier. But, you have to remember — becoming good at it takes time and effort.
To perfect it, Baltezarevic notes that you need to be open to constantly improve the quality of your feedback:
“Both giving and receiving feedback is learned throughout the years and is something that has to be continuously worked on. As a manager, it’s important for me to constantly develop my feedback abilities so I can ensure my team has all of the conditions to succeed.”