Continuous Feedback for your Business - 8 Tips for Improving Communication

Feedback from management is one of the most requested items from employees. Even if it’s negative feedback, employees prefer negative feedback to none at all. As a business leader, it's part of your job to give feedback to your employees as part of a good performance management system.

It's difficult for your people to know how they're doing if no one tells them they've produced great work or given less than their best effort. Think of feedback as an opportunity to mentor your people, boost employee engagement and improve your leadership skills.

Here are 8 tips to help employees keep up the good work or get better at what they do.

1. Start Now & Have Frequency

If something needs to be said, say it. A common mistake is to reserve feedback for the annual review meeting. Make time to give immediate feedback, so employees know right away what they did right or wrong, and where they stand.

Positive feedback is a strong tool for promoting employee engagement and an essential part of performance management. If you do have critiques, ensure that your feedback is done privately and with an open mind. The experience should still be a positive one. Provide your employee feedback with highlighting 1-2 things they are doing well that you recognize, but 1-2 things you would like to see improve as an opportunity for growth.

2. Be Specific in Your Feedback

Focus your feedback on specific employee actions rather than vague generalities. Accompany comments such as "good job" with a clear description of the actions you're happy with and wish to see repeated. Keep in mind the purpose is to improve the performance of your employees, not discourage them.

3. Approach with Fairness, Understanding, and a Sense of Calm

Strive to be objective and avoid micromanaging. Don't get hung up on seeing staff adopt your personal working style and avoid criticizing small errors. If something has triggered a strong emotional reaction in you, take time to calm down and regain your cool before engaging in a conversation.

4. Ensure to Bring Positivity

Repetitive negative feedback has a destructive impact on employee engagement. A simple strategy is to start a feedback discussion by outlining some of the employee's accomplishments and show sincere appreciation for their efforts before pointing to areas that need improvement. Your employees need to feel empowered and confident - give them guidance and provide feedback in manner that shows empathy and care.

5. Ask Clarifying Questions and Listen

Start a feedback discussion by asking questions to make sure you understand what triggered a certain action or behavior. When you believe your employee has done something wrong, make sure you listen to their version of the story. Gain understanding and actively listen to their perspective.

6. Messaging & Delivering Feedback

Recognizing the contribution and efforts of employees—especially publicly—helps to keep them motivated. Criticism, on the other hand, is best given behind closed doors. No one wants to be criticized in front of peers, or worse, in front of subordinates. Ideally, you should give feedback—especially negative comments—in person rather than by email or through a subordinate.

7. Follow Up & Frequency

End the conversation by planning a next step and a future discussion. Follow up and provide support to help the employee meet the goals you've set together. Keep a record of these discussions and consider including them in the employee's annual performance evaluation. This helps you monitor progress.

8. Encourage Feedback from your Team

Encourage employees to give you feedback. Feedback is a two-way street. Ask your employees what you can do better or what observations they see in the business. This shows respect and emboldens your employees, while making them feel more engaged in your company. Then, make sure you take action on it, if warranted. This contributes to a healthy and open workplace and will make you a better leader.